For Keeps (4 page)

“What are you doing the rest of the weekend?” he asked.

Allie finished her bite of food, feeling even more confused than earlier. Now that they had allowed their friendship to migrate into sex, she had no sense of what he wanted from her beyond one night, if anything. The notion of prodding for his thoughts on the matter seemed ridiculous and annoyingly clingy. “Working mostly. Why?” She wondered what he would ask, whether he’d ask her out for a real first date.

“I need to buy some furniture for my place. I’ve been putting it off forever. Your apartment is so pulled together. I could use your guidance and taste.”

Furniture shopping. That’s not a date. It’s something you do with your mom.
“Um, sure, of course. I have a few places I like to go to. Tomorrow afternoon?”

Chapter Four

Allie put the finishing touches on her hair with the curling iron. Loose chestnut-brown ringlets cascaded around her face and over her shoulders. A mindless activity was exactly what she needed, her brain had been in overdrive since the awkward exchange with Cooper that morning before he’d left to play pickup basketball at the YMCA. He’d said, “See ya. Thanks for everything,” when he left in the previous night’s clothes. To make it worse, it came with a kiss on the top of her head. She didn’t know what to make of that.

A cloud of hairspray formed as she misted her hair before carefully raking through the curls to loosen them. She turned in the mirror. She had to admit, forty looked better than she’d ever imagined.

Her mother had been falling apart at that age, even though she’d been stunning when she was younger. Raising twin daughters had taken its toll. Their dad had always been a neurotic handful, the suspicious type, convinced their mother was lying about something—money or other men most often. In a move that Allie could only rationalize as a preemptive strike, he broke their mother’s heart and left when the girls were ten.

Mom’s crutch after that was chain smoking. It was also her ultimate end. Not a day went by that she didn’t think about her mom, wonder if her dad ever thought about the three of them, even knew that the mother of his children had died. She knew that her twin Andrea was often plagued with the same thoughts, and like Allie, she didn’t care to talk about it.

As much as she loved and adored her mother, Allie never wanted to be in the same position. She never wanted a man to have that much influence on her happiness. She’d never gone looking for a husband—if one came along, great. If not, that could be great too.

She’d poured most of her energy into her career, clocking fifteen years at her old ad agency. They were a small operation when she started, a boutique agency, some might say rinky-dink. They did amazing work and had satisfied clients, but as things grew, the creativity slid. Now that she had her own company, the years spent in the trenches seemed to finally be paying off. Money was tight and she wasn’t yet able to draw a salary, but new clients were coming on board every month. If she just stayed on course without any surprises, she could have some real success to call her own.

There was a knock at her door and she wiggled her feet into a pair of dark-purple wedge pumps. She hurried across the apartment, and her heart stopped for an instant when she answered. He was thumbing the keyboard on his phone. His damp sandy-brown hair flopped forward. Again, he’d put far more effort into dressing than he normally would. She was used to seeing him in track pants and t-shirts but today he wore a black dress shirt and another pair of jeans with a devastating fit. He looked at her, unleashed his electric smile, and she could do nothing but take a cleansing breath and pray for strength.

“Ready?” he asked.

For what?
She considered asking him to come in for a minute, somehow lure him into bed, but thought better of it. His physical presence clouded her judgment and her goal for the day, aside from finding him a decent couch, was reaching a conclusion about what he wanted. “Yep,” she answered, grabbing her bag and keys.

“You look amazing.” He buried his face in her neck for a moment. “And you smell good too.”

She smiled and the heat rose in her cheeks as they headed down the stairs.
I smell good.

They hopped in a cab for the ride from their apartment building in Bucktown to a furniture store in River North near Allie’s office. She wasn’t sure if Cooper would want to hold her hand in the car, but it didn’t matter. His phone rang the instant the driver pulled away from the curb.

“Yo, Brian. What’s up? I’m busy.” His brows knitted as he listened to what his brother was saying. “How the fuck does this happen, Bri? It’s your job to watch out for this kind of shit.” Glancing at her, he forced a smile. He cast his eyes down and picked at the dark fabric of his jeans as he continued to listen to what was apparently a lengthy explanation.

Allie fidgeted, trying to focus on the sights and sounds of the city whizzing by. Being the boss was anything but easy. She’d learned that lesson over the last year. Tension hung heavy in the air and seeing the stress take its toll on his handsome face was disheartening.

“Okay. Fine,” he said gruffly. “Just figure it out and call me later.” Cooper raised his hips to slide the phone into his front pocket as the cab stopped in front of Metro Style Furniture. “Sorry about that.”

“Everything okay?” she asked as they climbed out of the car.

He slid his sunglasses from the top of his head back on to his face. “Fine. My brother just needs to do his job.”

The store was sleek, a mix of contemporary design and modern classics like leather and chrome Eames office chairs and iconic Saarinen pedestal tables. Allie had to stop from rolling her eyes when Cooper zeroed in on the first black leather sofa they came across.

Plopping down on the cushions, he stretched his arms along the back and crossed his legs, looking perfectly at home. “Take a test drive with me.” He patted the spot next to him in invitation. The instant she sat, he cupped her shoulder with his warm hand. “What do you think? Pretty comfy, huh?” He bounced in his seat.

Allie leaned forward, examining the stitching at the front of the cushions. “I like it. Great quality, but it’s a little plain. And I know guys like black leather, but it can be cold. Maybe something like gray wool would be better. Still masculine, but cozy. You can probably order it in another fabric.”

“Yes, you can,” a female voice behind them said.

Allie turned to see a striking young woman with shiny ebony hair. Her legs went on for days, her deep-red lips annoyingly pouty. It put Allie on edge even when she hated the idea of feeling in any way threatened by the presence of another woman.

“Is there anything in particular I can help you with?” she asked. “This is a beautiful choice, by the way. The line is Italian designed, but made in the US. This particular sofa is an exclusive to our stores.” She reached out to shake Cooper’s hand as he stood. “I’m Melanie.”

“I’m Cooper. This is my neighbor, Allie.”

Neighbor. Okay, then. That clarifies a few things.
Before she could get up from her seat, Allie’s phone rang and her sister’s name popped up on the caller ID. “I’m sorry. I have to get this.” She answered while making her way to the plate glass windows at the front of the store. “Andrea. Hey. What’s up? I’m kind of in the middle of something.”

“I never ask you for favors, right?” Andrea asked with a strange tremor in her voice.

“Not usually. What’s up?”

“I kicked Bill out. Bastard was cheating on me. With a guy, Allie. He was fucking a guy.”

Jesus.
“When did this happen?”

“About an hour ago. I found some texts on his phone while he was on the treadmill.”

“You were reading his texts? Why would you snoop like that?”

“This is no time to get judgmental. I need you over here now. He wants to come back for a few things. I’m worried I might kill him if I see him, but I don’t trust him to be alone in the apartment.”

Allie exhaled and turned to see Cooper regaling Melanie with some story that was enough to make her laugh and playfully toss back her hair. “Of course, honey. I’m getting in a cab right now.”

“Thanks, Al. You’re the best.”

She dropped her phone into her bag and strode to the back of the store. “Cooper, hey, can I speak to you for a moment?”

He gripped her elbow, concern clouding his face. “Everything okay?”

“That was my sister. She’s having major boyfriend issues. She needs me. Now.” She hitched her bag up onto her shoulder. “I’m really sorry. Can we do this another time?”

He glanced at Melanie before looking at Allie. “You know, I really think I like that first sofa. Melanie is going to show me some fabrics. I’m sure I can pick something with her help. You think gray is the way to go?”

Allie’s shoulders tightened at the mention of Cooper spending quality time with Melanie, not that she could do anything about it. “I do. Just make sure it’s a durable fabric.”
Why does everything out of my mouth make me sound like an old woman?

“Can I see you later tonight?” he muttered.

Her heart beat an anxious rhythm.
He wants to see me? He just called me his neighbor in front of another woman.
“Maybe. I’ll have to call you.”

His afternoon with Allie thwarted, at least Cooper had some new furniture on the way. It would be a six-to-eight-week wait and his bank account was more than twelve grand lighter, but he’d finally made the move up from Modern American Dorm Room.

He tossed his keys onto the kitchen counter in his apartment and checked the time on his phone again—nearly 5:30 p.m. The ordering process at the store had taken much longer than he’d expected. Melanie had worked it from all angles, both personal and professional, hinting that she didn’t have plans that night and wouldn’t mind going out for a drink.

As recently as a week ago, he probably would have been all over Melanie’s blatant flirtation, but Allie was the only thing he could think of now. Everything about her was so much better than he’d ever dreamt—the unbelievable touch of her skin, the sweet scent that emanated from the most enticing parts of her body. That, within the context of their already good friendship, seemed too good to be true.

The mind-blowing sex had been the highlight of their night, but a close second had been the hours they lay talking in bed, in the dark, wrapped around each other. He’d never formed a real friendship with a woman before he slept with her. Doing things that way had never seemed important, but maybe it was the way to go. It certainly had been with Allie.

He stared at his phone again.
Don’t be a pussy. Just call her.

“Hey,” she answered after several rings in a whisper that rushed through him.

“How are you? Is everything okay?”

“I can’t talk for long. Andrea is taking a bath. She’s trying to relax.”

“What happened?”

“Her boyfriend cheated on her with a guy. She’s betrayed and confused. Not a good combo.”

Wow.
“And you’re trying to talk her off the ledge.”

“More or less, but it’s bad. I’ve never seen her like this. She’s usually so tough, but this has really shaken her. I feel a little bad because I gave her shit about reading her boyfriend’s texts. That’s how she found out.”

“Why would she do that?”

“I guess she didn’t trust him, but that tells me they were already in trouble. You have to trust people or it doesn’t work.”

He nodded in agreement. “Of course.” He didn’t want to be selfish, but he had to ask the question, especially with the clock ticking. “So, when are you coming back? I thought I could take you out to dinner, tell you about my big furniture purchases.”

She sighed. “That sounds great, but I’m here for the duration. She wants me to stay over and I don’t want to say no. She needs me.”

He kneaded his forehead. Everything in his body went cold from disappointment. “Yeah. Of course. Another time.”

“What about tomorrow? I have a ton of work to do, but we could grab a bite or you could come over and we could cook at my place.”

With a glimmer of hope, he felt the warmth return to his hands, his feet, his belly.
So it’s not just me. She wants to see me too.
“It’s a date.”

He hardly had time to press “End Call” before his phone rang with his brother Brian’s number on the caller ID. “Please tell me you’re calling with good news.”

“Like what? The Bears have some great prospects for next season?”

“Stop fucking around. Did we get everything fixed?”

“No. We somehow missed a major problem in the beta testing. I called Chris, but he’s the only programmer who’s around this weekend. Everybody else is out of town. We’re going to have to call in the Maestro.”

The Maestro.
“You know I fucking hate it when you call me that.”

“It’s the truth. Pack your toothbrush and get your ass down here. It’s all hands on deck if we’re going to stay on schedule.”

* * * * *

How long can I go without sleep?
Cooper slumped back in his chair after eleven hours straight of sifting through line after line of code. Part of him enjoyed watching the sun come up over the city, peeking between storm clouds. Part of him found it depressing. He blew out a long breath and rubbed his neck and shoulder just as Brian poked his head into his office.

“How we doing in here?” he asked, resting against the doorframe.

Cooper turned and gestured to the other side of his desk. “Pull up a box.” His office was littered with cardboard moving crates.

“Very funny.” Brian pulled a chair from the corner and collapsed into it. “Please tell me this is all going to pay off some day.”

“It’s just because we’re trying to move the office next week. That’s the only reason that it’s insanity around here. It’ll be so much better once we’re in the new space.” Cooper drained the last of his Red Bull. “I can’t last much longer. I gotta take a nap or something.”