Pros & Cons (4 page)

“I do miss her,” he says. “You know that whole
absence makes the heart grow fonder
bullshit?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s bullshit.”

I nod in understanding, even though I really don’t. I’ve never been in love, and I’ve definitely never been attached to one woman like Coop’s attached to Abby.

“Are you thinking about getting out?”

His guilty eyes meet mine, and in that moment, I have my answer.

“I’d never desert you, Ethan. But ten years is a long time to run for your life.”

“You love the game.”

“I do, but I think I love her more.”

With a tired sigh, I stare out across the dark field and let his words sink in. For the first time in his life, there’s something Coop loves more than the job. He and Abby haven’t spent more than a week together at any given time, and yet the two of them have formed a connection that’s undeniable. Coop’s her missing half, and she is his. I’ve never been one to believe in something like true love or soul mates, but they’ve made believers out of me.

And I’m jealous.

“Where will you go? For vacation?”

I rub the back of my neck. “I suppose I should make the yearly visit to my parents.”

“I bet your mom bakes something,” Coop says with a sigh. “Jillian’s oatmeal raisin cookies are still the best I’ve ever tasted.”

I grin. “I’ll bring you some. So, I guess you’re headed to Atlanta? That’s where the girls are. We can drop you off and then I’ll head on up to Nashville.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’ll just catch a flight out of LAX.”

“It’s no problem.” Honestly, I’m in no hurry to see my folks. The longer I can delay my visit, the happier I’ll be. “Go call your girl.”

“Maybe you should call yours.”

“I don’t have one.”

He smirks. “Whatever you say.”

The two of us stand up and walk toward the plane. While Coop makes his call, I tell Gabe about our vacation plans.

“We’re going to Georgia? Miss York is in Georgia.”

My pilot all but skips onboard. This little crush of his is getting on my nerves.

“By the way, I’m docking your pay for her little Mexican vacation,” I tell him as I buckle my seatbelt.

Gabe laughs, clearly not worried in the least. His bank account isn’t nearly as hefty as mine, but it’s probably close.

“You told me to take her anywhere she wished to go.”

“And she wished for Mexico?”

“Acapulco. She was very specific.”

“I’m sure she was.”

I grab the nearest magazine and flip through the pages. Gabe continues babbling about Jenna, and I pretend to ignore him while I desperately hang on to every word.

“We talked about you a lot. I think she likes you.”

I’m physically unable to keep my ears from perking up like a dog’s.

“Well, you think wrong. That girl hates me.”

“There’s a thin line between love and hate. Very, very thin.”

He finally shuts up long enough to file the flight plan. A few minutes later, Coop climbs onboard, whistling happily as he takes his seat.

“You look better.”

“I feel better. Get this. The girls are in a little town called
Coop
erville, Georgia.”

I laugh. “Must be a sign.”

“That’s what Abby said.”

“How was their Monet operation?”

“Successful.”

Of course it was.

Coop beams, a sure sign he’s much happier now that he knows he’s going to get to spend some quality time with his woman. “Apparently, there isn’t much to do there. We’re supposed to meet them at this bar out near the county line. She’s texting me the address.”

“What’s this
we
? I’m headed to Tennessee, remember?”

“Oh, I remember. But you’ll never convince me you don’t want to see Jenna, so don’t even embarrass yourself by trying.”

I hear Gabe laugh from the pilot’s seat.

“Why don’t you just fly the damn plane!”

The two of them laugh as we taxi down the runway and fly off into the California night.

The bar’s a rundown, wooden cabin deep in the Georgia pines. Loud country music blares and neon lights flash in the windows. The parking lot is full of pickup trucks and Jeeps.

To be honest, I’m a little scared. Our pretty asses might get kicked in a place like this.

“Aren’t you a little uncomfortable that your girl is somewhere in this redneck shack?” I ask Coop as I follow him through the swinging doors. Yes, they’re actually swinging, just like in an old Western saloon. Reflexively, I reach for an imaginary gun I wish I had on my hip, because I’m pretty sure every good ol’ boy in this place is packing heat.

“Look,” Coop says when we step inside. The first thing we see is a pool table, where two very large men are having a heated discussion about the eight ball. Suddenly, the bigger man’s fist connects with the smaller guy’s face, and just like that, we have a barroom brawl on our hands.

“Let’s find the girls and get the hell out of here.”

Coop nods in agreement, and we push our way through the crowd. You’d assume our girls would stick out in a room full of Daisy Dukes, but no such luck.

“Text her,” I tell him, just as
The Devil Went Down to Georgia
erupts from the jukebox. The room explodes with cheers.

“Must be their national anthem,” Coop mutters.

I chuckle and continue scanning the room. Suddenly, a flash of flaming red hair catches my eye from on top of the bar. And then blonde.

“Found them.”

Coop’s head jerks up. “Holy crap.”

It’s suddenly clear why we couldn’t pick them out of the crowd. In their skin-tight jeans, boots, and cowboy hats, they’re dressed like nearly every other woman in the place. Their flannel shirts are tied right above their belly buttons, and their top buttons are almost all completely undone. I can’t deny the cleavage is nice, but Jenna York in a cowboy hat is quite possibly the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.

Frozen in place, Coop and I watch as the girls do some kind of wicked line dance on the bar. They stomp and kick to the rhythm of Charlie Daniels, and it’s impossible for either of us to tear our eyes away as a crowd gathers around them.

When the song ends, the men cheer and our girls high-five each other. I look down just in time to see two drunk guys tug on the girls’ legs, pulling them forward and nearly causing them to fall. Coop and I move at the same time, and without realizing the stupidity of our actions, proceed to punch both men in the face.

“Summers!”

I hear Jenna’s voice through the deafening noise. The man crumples to the ground, and my fist continues slamming into his face until I’m satisfied I’ve broken his nose. I’m feeling pretty good about the fact that I don’t have a scratch on me . . . until I’m suddenly lifted by the back of my shirt. The next thing I know, I’m tossed out the swinging doors and eating Georgia dirt.

Jenna’s suddenly there, kneeling next to me. “Are you insane? You’re lucky you didn’t get yourself shot!”

“He was touching you.”

 “So?”

“So he shouldn’t be touching you.” I stand up and dust myself off.
Red dirt? What kind of place has red dirt?
“You could show a little appreciation. I just defended your honor and got thrown out of a bar for you.”

Her face softens and she steps a little closer. “Did he hurt you?”

“Not a scratch.”

I am a little sore from the stupid redneck bouncer tossing me like a rag doll, but the pain’s easy to ignore with Jenna standing so close to me. She’s always gorgeous, but the skin-tight jeans and unbuttoned blouse are kind of killing me.

And the hat. Can’t forget the hat.

“You look really hot in that cowboy hat.”

Jenna laughs. “You were tossed out of a bar and you still have the energy to flirt with me.”

“It’s a gift.”

She laughs again, but then her expression changes.

“He could have killed you, Ethan.”

“But he didn’t.” We’re nearly touching now, and it’s funny how my fingers literally itch to touch her. She tilts her face toward mine, and I gaze into her big brown eyes before letting my own flicker to her mouth.

“Hey, lovebirds,” Coop’s voice shatters the moment. “They’ve called the sheriff. It’s probably best we blow this popsicle stand.”

We step away from each other. Jenna’s eyes cloud with disappointment, and I wonder if she can see the same regret in mine.

Thank God for Coop.

My hands grip the steering wheel as we race down the highway. Ethan’s pouting in the passenger seat, while Abby tends to Coop’s wounds in the back. I didn’t see a scratch on either of them, but Abby swears she saw a speck of blood above Coop’s left eyebrow. I don’t know how she can tell. His shaggy blonde hair always hides his face.

“Does that hurt, baby?”

“A little bit.”

I’m pretty sure both Ethan and I roll our eyes. I can’t be sure since I refuse to look at him.

Abby sighs. “Such gentlemen. Aren’t they something, Jenna?”

“They’re something, all right.”

Ethan grumbles about unappreciative women as I pull into the motel’s parking lot.

“What is this place?” he asks.

“We’ve been staying here.” I turn off the ignition and turn toward the backseat. “I assume the two of you will be sharing a room tonight?”

Abby and Coop both give me pathetic puppy dog expressions.

Ethan snorts. “Good assumption.”

I finally force myself to look at him. “Shut up and go get us a room.”

“You heard the woman,” Coop says with a laugh. “Go get the two of you a room.”

“ROOMS! You a room and me a room.
Two
rooms. Got it?”

Ethan smirks. “Two rooms. Got it.”

He climbs out of the car and makes his way toward the manager’s office. I lean my head back and close my eyes. I’ve nearly dozed off when I hear soft moans coming from the backseat. I sneak a glimpse in my rearview mirror and immediately wish I hadn’t.

“Seriously? You can’t wait five minutes?”

With a disgusted sigh, I get out and angrily slam the door. I’m impatiently pacing the parking lot when Ethan returns.

“So, I have good news and bad news.”

I sigh.

“Good news is I have a room.” He smiles and waves the little key in his hand.

“Super. Where’s mine?”

“See, that’s the bad news.” His cocky grin makes me want to slap him and kiss him at the same time. “It seems this little hole-in-the-wall only has the one room available.”

I look around. The parking lot contains one car, and it belongs to us. The guys had left their rental at the bar.

“You know, I find that really hard to believe.”

Ethan shrugs. “You’re free to go check with the manager. Her name’s Sally. Really sweet lady.”

I glare at him. “I’ll sleep in my car before I sleep in the same room with you.”

A slow smile creeps across his handsome face. “You’re afraid you won’t be able to keep your hands to yourself. I understand. I really do.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“Maybe.” Ethan dangles the key in front of me. “Care to prove me wrong?”

I quickly snatch it out of his hand.

“There may be only one room, but you’d better pray for two beds. Otherwise, your smug ass will be sleeping on the floor tonight.”