Awaken (22 page)

Cooper lowered his head as he remembered that fateful night that changed the course of his life forever. He had picked up his college sweetheart – the love of his life, his Julia – for dinner, in his beat-up Volvo; the only car he could afford as he worked his way through Harvard on scholarship. He was a nervous wreck that night. Why? Because he was going to ask Julia to marry him. He wanted to be with her forever, have children with her, grow old with her. Cooper still remembered how he kept checking his coat pocket while driving to make sure the engagement ring he bought was still there, that it hadn’t accidentally slipped out. The plan was to take Julia to their favorite restaurant – Wallace’s Fish Shack. After enjoying their favorite meal – lobster rolls and beer – he planned to get down on his knee and propose, in front of the entire bar.
 

As he drove his Volvo to the restaurant, his mind replayed exactly what he would say. He wasn’t listening to Julia. She was talking about her psychology midterm that she was positive she failed. Of course, that was unlikely. Julia never failed. She was the top student in her class.
 

The proposal looped in his mind like a broken record. Suddenly, without warning, an oncoming car flashed in front of his eyes.
 

A truck swerved into his lane and crashed head-on into his Volvo. Cooper felt a heavy weight crash into his chest. At that moment, everything went black. When Cooper woke up, it was six days later. He had been in a coma. He had suffered 11 broken bones, a ruptured spleen, and severed nerves. When he asked about Julia, his father and mother told him the news.

Julia was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cooper’s life had ended. He had lost his beloved Julia to a foolish drunk driver, who walked away from the accident with barely a scratch. The driver’s twenty-five year prison sentence did little to bring Cooper any satisfaction. Without Julia in his life, there was no reason for him to live. He contemplated killing himself, but slowly he fought through that impulse. But to survive in the world, he would have to change. To numb the pain, he locked up his heart and threw away the key.

He would focus on work. And build the great company he and Julia often talked about him creating. And as far as any relationship with a woman was concerned, well, Cooper quickly disregarded the notion. No woman would ever compare to his Julia.
 

And none had, until he met Lacey.

Cooper quickly shook his head.
Stop thinking about her. She doesn’t want you, remember?

Cooper sighed. He pressed his fingers to his lips and touched Julia’s gravestone.
 

“Goodbye, Julia,” he said softly.

He trudged out of the cemetery.

On his flight home, Cooper called for the flight assistant to serve him a whiskey, and to keep them coming. By the time the flight landed and Clyde drove him home, Cooper was thoroughly drunk. He planned to spend the rest of the evening in a state of stupor, so he could numb the pain growing inside him. Tomorrow, Billionaire Cooper – the leader of one of America’s greatest companies – would resurface. But tonight, he would allow himself to get drunk and mourn…mourn his Julia, mourn Mimi, and mourn Lacey and what could have been.

He was almost passed out on his couch when his cell phone rang. It was his sister, Cybil. Cooper felt so alone at that moment that he answered.
 

“Hello,” he grumbled.

“How are you?” his sister asked, concerned.

“Right as rain, Cybil. Right as rain.”

“Coop, I know what today is.”
 

Silence.
 

“Cybil, what do you want from me?” he finally asked.

“Do not beat yourself up for something that wasn’t your fault,” she replied.

Cooper sat up on the couch, angry. “If I had my mind focused on the road, instead of daydreaming, I might have seen that fucker coming straight at me. I could have swerved out of the way. She wouldn’t be –”

Cooper couldn’t finish, the emotions caught in his throat.

“You are not to blame,” Cybil said softly. “You’ve spent ten years mourning her, Cooper. You have to live your life.”

Cooper snorted. He picked up the glass of scotch that rested on the floor next to the couch. He took a sip and said sarcastically, “Well, now I have somebody else to mourn.”
 

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m responsible for someone else’s death.”

“What happened, Coop?” asked his sister concerned.

Cooper told her what had happened to Mimi, that she had committed suicide.

“You didn’t kill her,” said Cybil. “She took her own life.”

Cooper sighed. “But if I wasn’t the way I am, maybe she wouldn’t have been pushed over the edge.”

“Were you two in a relationship?”

Cooper pressed his fingers to his temple.

“No. Not that way. It was complicated.”

There was a long silence.

The weight he had been carrying for so long was now too much for him to bear.
 

“After Julia, I shut myself off,” Cooper said softly. “Just like you said, Cybil. I didn’t want to get close to anybody because I was scared.”
 

His sister took a breath before she spoke. “You can’t hide from pain, Cooper. It’s part of life. You’ve been punishing yourself long enough for what happened to Julia. It wasn’t your fault,” Cybil repeated. “And you can’t punish yourself for what happened to this other girl. We are responsible for the choices we make.” Cybil took a pause, then said, “You’re a good man, Coop. You have a lot of love to give. But you have to let love in, too.”

 
Cooper thought about Lacey. She was the one he’d risk everything for. He felt that in his core. And although she had broken things off with him, maybe there was still hope. He had fought his whole life to build his business empire. Why wouldn’t he fight for somebody he wanted to love?

“Maybe you’re right,” Cooper finally said.

“Of course I’m right. I’m your older sister.”

Lacey took a nervous sip of her champagne. She scrutinized her father’s tall, lumbering frame as he walked from picture to picture in the crowded gallery. On opening night, just like Mark and Cynthia had predicted, the turnout was phenomenal. Lacey took a few cautious steps toward her father, who studied the nude photo she had taken of Joanna Hunt.

“So, Dad. What do you think?”
 

Her father slowly turned and offered her an awkward smile. He shrugged his shoulders. “Well, it sure ain’t Ansel Adams,” he said with a nervous chuckle.
 

“It wasn’t what you were expecting.”

Her father shook his head. “Not in a million years, sweetie.” He took a deep breath and shrugged. “You know that I never claimed to know anything about art. That was your mom’s department. But I’ll tell you one thing: If this was the kind of stuff being done when I was younger, maybe I would have taken more of an interest in the art world.” Her father gave her a mischievous grin. “The guys from poker-night are going to get a hoot out of this.”
 

Lacey sighed with relief. Her father showed unwavering support in all her endeavors. She was filled with gratitude. She followed her dad’s line of sight across the room. He was staring at Joanna Hunt.
 

“Is that the lady from the photograph?” asked her father. “The nude.”

Lacey nodded. “That’s Joanna Hunt, Dad. She’s my favorite photographer. She agreed to let me take the first nude of her to be shown in public.”
 

“She’s very pretty,” he replied.

Lacey couldn’t believe it. Was her dad attracted to Joanna Hunt?
Why wouldn’t he be? She’s gorgeous, and they’re about the same age.
Then she realized,
And they’re both single!
 

Lacey had a fun idea. She grabbed her dad’s hand.
 

“Do you want to meet her?”

“Oh no,” said her father, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t know what to say. She’s an artist. I don’t know anything about that sort of thing.”

But Lacey yanked her dad across the room.

“Joanna, I have somebody I’d like you to meet.”

Joanna turned and smiled when Lacey approached her through the teeming gallery.

“I can’t believe this turnout,” said Joanna. “I’ve gotten so many compliments on the picture you’ve displayed of me. I can’t stop myself from blushing.” Joanna clinked her glass of champagne against Lacey’s. “Congratulations, Lacey. These photos are breathtaking. And courageous.”

“Well, I have you to thank, Joanna. You gave me the confidence to follow my dreams.”
 

Lacey motioned to her father. “I would love for you to meet my dad, Charlie.”

Joanna smiled and offered Lacey’s father her hand.
 

“Pleasure to meet you, Charlie.”
 

Lacey quickly patted her dad on the arm. “Dad, I have to go talk to some friends that just arrived. I’ll be right back.”
 

“Okay,” said her dad, with a nervous tinge to his voice.

Lacey smiled and left her dad talking to Joanna. She crossed the crowded room and approached Emma and Matt, who had just stepped into the gallery. Two weeks earlier, Emma and Matt had gotten the news: they’re having twins.

“Well, I guess I can say I knew you when,” said Emma, beaming with a smile.

“Thanks so much for coming.”
 

“Are you kidding me,” said Emma. “One of my best friends is a famous photographer. You realize the kind of bragging rights I have now? And not only that,” she added as she scanned the photographs. “She’s got a wild side.”

Lacey blushed. She felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Savannah.

“Are you expecting a commission,” said Savannah with a smirk.

“For what?”

“For single handedly doubling my business in one night. I’ve already had ten people come up to me wanting to join the club. At this rate, I might have to open up another location.”

“Really?” said Lacey surprised.

Savannah nodded with a huge smile. “What you’ve done tonight, Lacey, is really important. I owe you a debt of gratitude.”

Lacey couldn’t believe it. Everyone kept thanking her, but she was the grateful one. If it wasn’t for Savannah and Club Nectar, or Emma getting her that photography job at West Recruiting, or Penelope showing her portfolio to the Jameson Art Gallery, she wouldn’t be standing where she was now.

“I just got an appointment with Flex Models tomorrow,” said Penelope as she joined them. “All because of the pictures of me and Nico. Damn, we look hot, don’t we, babe?”
 

Nico, who was by her side, nodded.
 

“Nice work, Lacey,” he said with a grin.
 

Before shooting at Nectar, Lacey had scheduled a private shoot with Penelope and Nico. She took intimate photos of them making love. From the crowd gathered around the images, it was safe to say, they were a hit.

Lacey took a deep breath as she scanned the room. It was hard to believe that little less than a year ago, she was still living in Cleveland. The thought of making a living as a photographer still an illusion. Now she was standing in one of the hottest galleries in Manhattan, surrounded by the people she loved, celebrating her entrée into the art world. She couldn’t believe her life had changed so much in such a short time.

She scanned the many faces in the room. There was one missing: Cooper West.
 

I shouldn’t expect him to be here. After all, it’s been more than a month since I last spoke to him. I was expecting him to call me when he received the signed contract, perhaps wanting an explanation.

 
But that call never came. In Lacey’s mind, it just reinforced that she had made the right decision. But still, part of her wished Cooper was by her side. He was as much a part of her success as everyone else. If it wasn’t for meeting Cooper, aka the Master, her sexual journey would probably never have begun.

Stop thinking about him,
Lacey told herself.
He’s not part of your life anymore. Enjoy the evening.

Lacey took another sip of her champagne and continued meeting various people throughout the night. But whenever she got the chance, she would scan the room, hoping to stumble across Cooper’s chiseled face.

When she woke up the next morning, Lacey’s head ached from a champagne hangover. Badly in need of coffee, she quietly stepped into her kitchen, hoping not to wake her father who had gone to sleep on her couch.
 

“I still can’t believe the turnout last night,” her father said, surprising her.

“Did I wake you?” asked Lacey. But then she noticed he was already dressed, wearing khakis and a red sweater.

“No. I’ve been up,” he said as he joined her in the kitchen. “I have to tell you, sweetie, I’m really proud of you. You’re mom would be too.”

Lacey still couldn’t believe how well last night had gone. “Thanks, Dad. What do you want for breakfast?”

Her father looked sheepishly at the ground. “Nothing. I made plans to meet somebody for brunch today.”