Page 12

Chapter Eleven

Cooper

I follow closely behind Beauty, not wanting to give her the chance to leave me behind. I may have pushed her a little too far when I kissed her, not once but twice, but I couldn’t help myself. The way she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, her mind racing as she tried to find the perfect thing to get me to go to lunch with her. Little did she know she didn’t have to do any of that. I was determined to spend more time with her, no matter what.

While I came to bring apples to Bluebell as promised, that was just the excuse to see her again. I wanted to check to see if she was okay from whatever upset her last night and apologize, but the moment I laid eyes on her, I could think of nothing else but how much I wanted to kiss her. I just wish I knew it was her birthday. I would’ve shown up to the farm with something other than a bushel of apples.

I need to figure out what’s going on, and fast. Not wanting to waste any more time, I push a few buttons on my steering wheel and pull up Alise’s number. The phone rings once before she answers. “Where are you taking our girl?”

Our girl? I’m not about to let her know how hearing those two words affects me, even though I’m still not 100 percent sure I want them to mean anything at all. I have a bone to pick with her. “How could you not tell me it was her birthday?”

“Does it really matter?”

I think about it for a moment before answering. “Yes. It matters.”

“Would you still have taken her to lunch?”

“Well. Yes.”

“Then why the heck does it matter?”

It matters because… because… honestly, why does it matter? If I had known it was her birthday, I’d have made more of an effort. I would’ve shown up wearing something nice. I would’ve made reservations at a restaurant in the city and planned something elaborate to ensure she felt special on the only day of the year that’s all about her. Instead, I showed up with a bag of apples for a horse and no plan at all, but nothing would have changed in the slightest except that we’re on our way to lunch instead of feeding apples to Bluebell.

“Okay. I guess it doesn’t.”

“Exactly. Now make sure our girl has an out-of-this-world birthday. Lord knows she needs it. If she tells me you made her feel like anything less than a princess, you’re dead to me. Now leave me alone. I want to get out of here at some point today,” Alise gripes into the phone before hanging up.

Now that I’ve been dismissed, I need to come up with an idea of how to make this impromptu birthday lunch memorable for Ramona. She had plans to go to lunch for her birthday, but the bigger question is where? Would she have stuck to the places in town or chosen somewhere fancy in the city? Was she planning on going alone?

I know practically nothing about Beauty excepts that she has a son around twelve years old, she works at Matthison Farms, and she’s best friends with Alise. I need to phone a friend.

“Didn’t I just tell you to leave me alone?” Alise huffs, the sound of the keyboard keys clicking into place as she types filtering through the line.

“Yes, but I don’t want to fuck this up. It’s her freaking birthday.” I groan as I turn the corner onto a tree-lined street a few blocks from my childhood home. “And I’m almost out of time.”

“Her favorite thing to eat is comfort food. Mac and cheese, chicken pot pie, fried chicken. You know, things like that. She loves to spend time outdoors and find fun things to do in and around town. You don’t need to spend a ton of money or anything; just be intentional about what you do, and you can’t go wrong.”

“Than—” She hangs up before I can finish thanking her. No worries, I know exactly what I’m going to do. I just need to call a friend, a different one this time. I have more than one. I just hope she doesn’t say anything to Beau about this or I’ll never hear the end of it.

Ramona turns her tiny car left into a circular gravel driveway, parking the car right in front of a blue ranch-style home. I’m not sure where to park, so I pull in beside her and climb out of my truck.

She hops out quickly, peeking over her shoulder before turning her attention toward me. “I just need to run inside really quick and then we can head out. Is that okay?”

“Anything for you, Beauty. It’s your birthday, after all.” I wink at her and watch as she ducks her head, trying desperately to hide the smile that spreads across her face.

My chest puffs out slightly in triumph that something so simple as a wink has that kind of effect on her. I feel like I just won the lottery. Maybe making her feel special on her birthday is going to be easier than I expected.

“I thought you were going to lunch with Alise?” an older woman says through the screen door.

The woman leans on a cane, mostly for support, as she swings the screen door open and comes out onto the small porch, stopping short of the stairs. She can’t be over five feet tall. Her skin is a few shades lighter than Ramona’s, with a smattering of freckles covering the bridge of her nose. For someone who just got an unexpected guest arriving at her home, she’s impeccably dressed in a pair of pleated black dress pants and a navy blue flowing shirt with white flowers strategically placed on it.

“I thought so, too, but she seemed to have other plans.” Beauty’s chin drops to her chest as she sighs, her shoulders rounding forward like she’s trying to protect herself from the woman.

“And who might this young man be?” she asks, her eyes scanning my body before flicking toward Ramona.

“Cooper. Cooper Hendrix, ma’am,” I respond, flashing her my best smile hoping to diffuse the situation. I’m not entirely sure why Beauty’s so defensive, but I’ll do anything in my power to get us out of here as quickly as possible. “Sorry to intrude, but Ramona has done me the honor of agreeing to have lunch with me this afternoon.”

“Oh, she has, has she?” The serious expression on the woman’s face disappears, quickly replaced with a bright smile.

“You’ve done it now,” Ramona mumbles before spinning around and heading towards the front door. “Ma.”

Oh, so this is her mother. Now everything makes sense. I know the feeling of having a mother meddling in your business. At least she doesn’t have to worry about her asking me when I’m going to get married and have babies. Well, maybe the married part. I didn’t notice a ring on Ramona’s finger, so I assume Darius’s father is out of the picture or, God forbid, worse. Could that be why she has a hard time with people not saying goodbye?

“What? I did nothing,” she snickers. “Aren’t you going to introduce us properly?”

Beauty stops short of the stairs and turns toward me. “Cooper, this is my mother, Naomi King.”

“Hello, Ms. King. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I reach my hand toward her, grabbing her free hand and planting a kiss on the back of it.

“Oh, this one is a charmer. You better watch out for this one, baby girl.”

“Don’t I know it,” she mutters, but I doubt she intended for me to hear it, so I ignore her. “Ma, do you need anything before we head out?”

“No, I’m good, baby. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about me.” Ms. King turns toward me, a sly smile on her face. “You make sure she has a good time, young man. Everyone deserves to feel special on their birthday.”

“Ramona deserves to feel special every day,” I respond without a second thought.

Am I laying it on a little thick? Maybe, but I mean every word. Lord knows why I feel this pull toward her. I know I should stop it before things go beyond some light flirting, but I can’t seem to help myself. I’ve spent every day since I was sixteen years old taking care of everyone else. Even if it’s just for the next day or so, I want to know what it feels like to have something on my mind other than hockey and a way to bring my family back together. Something just for me.

“I’m going to help her get settled in the house. Do you want to come inside?” Beauty asks, her eyes looking everywhere but at me.

“No, thank you, Beauty.” I pull my phone from my pocket and wiggle it in front of me. “I need to make a few phone calls before we head out.”

“It was nice meeting you, Cooper.”

Ms. King’s eyes remain locked on mine and narrow slightly as she searches my face for something. I have no idea what she’s looking for, but I don’t waver. Ms. King is definitely the matriarch of this family, and Ramona’s silent protector. She won’t let just anyone into their little family, even if Ramona and I remain nothing more than friends. If I don’t pass this test, I doubt Beauty will come back out of that house. Ms. King will make sure of it.

I try to tell her everything with my eyes. Wanting her to know that I have no idea what this thing is between Ramon and me, but promising her I won’t do anything to hurt her. I guess that’s enough because she breaks eye contact and smiles.

“I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of you in the future.”

“It was nice meeting you, too, Ms. King. And you can count on it.” I smile, my eyes flicking toward Ramona.

Her head looks like it’s on a swivel, moving back and forth, her eyebrows pulling down in confusion as she tries to make sense of the silent conversation between her mother and me. After a few seconds, she gives up and walks up the stairs. “Let me help you inside, Ma.”

I keep my eyes locked on the two of them as they slowly make their way into the house, the screen door clicking shut behind them. The faint sounds of their whispers get softer as they head further into the house. Man, I’d love to be a fly on the wall when Ms. King gets Beauty alone. I could’ve gone inside and run some interference, but I have a birthday extravaganza to plan. This will be one birthday Ramona will never forget. I hope that will get her to forgive me for leaving her to fend off her mother alone.

After the information I got from Alise and talking to her mother, I do a quick Google search, a plan forming in my mind. This is risky, especially after what happened at practice the other day, but for her, I’ll try. After clicking a few buttons on the website and securing what I need, I close the window and open my phone contacts, quickly finding the name I’m looking for.

“Hey, Oliver. I need a favor.”