Page 19 of You Can Make Me (Carnival of Mysteries #28)

Cooper gave her an apologetic smile, but before he could speak, Frank cut in.

“I hope you like sweets,” he said. “Deb made her world-famous muffins.”

“And Frank will make smoothies to order. Coop, you want your usual?”

“Sure, Dad. Thank you.”

Frank laid out strawberries, blueberries, peaches, bananas, orange juice, pomegranate juice…

and spinach? And carrots? Were those beets?

He also had a large tub of plain yogurt and protein powder.

He used a small blender to mix the drink.

It was loud, and Cooper flinched a little.

I wished I was next to him, but Sam caught his movement and distracted him. He was back to smiling a moment later.

“Dennis?”

Frank gestured to the spread.

“Thanks. Uh, no banana, please.”

He nodded and made mine next. I was grateful when he handed it to me that I’d have something to keep my hands busy. I kept thinking about my guys being out there while I wasn’t. I was mostly fine with my decision to retire, I didn’t regret it, but I didn’t do idle well.

Cooper and Sam laughed and carried on while Deb tossed our clothes in her washer and turned it on.

Frank continued with his smoothie duties.

Deb started to slide onto the bench next to me, but I stood and let her scoot in so she could sit next to Cooper.

She gave me a wink then rested her head on Cooper’s shoulder.

They were so sweet together. You could feel the relief rolling off of both Deb and Frank in the way they were around Cooper.

When Frank finished, he approached the bench, and I stood once more to let him scoot in and sit next to his wife.

“Oh, it’s okay,” he said, trying to let me stay where I was.

“Cop thing,” I said, insisting that he let me sit on the outside of the booth.

“Yeah, Gene always has to sit where he can dash out at a moment’s notice,” Sam said, smiling at me. “I learned pretty quick that they don’t ever turn it off.”

All eyes turned to me, and I gave a little wave and laughed. “I’m retired now, so who knows? Maybe I’ll learn.”

Sam and Cooper looked at each other—and burst out laughing.

Frank patted my shoulder. “While my case is a little different, I think I understand. I rarely stop thinking like a reporter.”

“That’s right,” I said. “Cooper told me you went into producing?”

“Sure did. I like being behind the camera and calling the shots, but I think that made me even more nosy. When I meet new people, I’m always curious about the story of their lives, or if I see something happen, I’m looking for the details, the angles.”

I swallowed too much smoothie and got a bit of brain freeze. Would he turn that curiosity on me? Shit, had he already? And why was I so damned nervous about what they thought?

“Yeah, and Frank eavesdrops all the time,” Deb said, rolling her eyes. “I have to remind him not to stare.”

“Like father, like son,” Sam said. “Cooper and I are the same, and when we’re with Gene, it drives him nuts. He’s like, ‘Don’t you two know how to be stealthy?’”

“That’s rich coming from him,” I said, shaking my head. “More than once his overzealous nature nearly ruined a stakeout.”

“Ooo, stories,” Cooper said, rubbing his hands together. “I love hearing your stories.”

I chuckled, but a wave of unease ran through me.

What a strange situation. Hey, Mrs. Harris.

Yesterday, I held your son naked in the shower after trimming his beard and kissing him senseless.

Last night, he asked for a second chance.

Today, I’m having breakfast in your RV while you wash my underwear, and did I mention I’m a 52-year-old, twice-divorced, newly minted bisexual man?

I hadn’t done the whole schmoozing-with-parents thing with Emma.

Renee wasn’t close to her parents, so while I’d met them a few times, we’d eloped and spent holidays with friends or alone.

I was out of practice, but more than that, I wasn’t good at it.

I didn’t want to seem standoffish, but it had been so long since I’d spent time with only non-sworn folks, I had no idea how to act.

So I sat quietly, eating and observing, and hoped I wasn’t being rude.

We munched on muffins and drank our smoothies while the others chatted about people and events that were unfamiliar to me.

Cooper wasn’t quite as animated as I knew he could be, but he was engaged and contributed occasionally to the conversation.

I tried to appear just as interested, but my mind was going a mile a minute.

Sam’s comment about there being a development, and Gene’s departure without saying goodbye, had me on edge.

I’d been paranoid ever since taking Cooper from rehab that one of Evans’ henchmen would come after him, or Evans himself.

It felt as if nowhere was safe, so I’d turned this place into a fortress.

I’d stocked us with food that first month and didn’t leave Cooper for a minute.

But then I’d needed to go out to get him more of a variety to eat, to make sure he was getting enough nutrition, and to get his medications…

I’d been terrified the whole time I was away. A couple of times I’d even done some evasive driving, because I had that sick feeling I was being followed.

Would this development in the case mean I should lock things down again?

Stock up and hunker down? I trusted my best friends to catch these guys, but I knew it wasn’t good for Cooper to be isolated with just me.

He was doing so well having Sam here, and his parents…

maybe it was time to leave. But where would we go?

Back to his place in Hollywood? Sam and Gene had offered their townhouse in Manhattan Beach. Maybe he’d want to go to Vegas?

Movement distracted me from my thoughts as Cooper stood and moved out of the booth. He grabbed his cane and smiled at me.

“You okay?”

He gestured with his thumb to the restroom. “Be right out.”

His smile was downright wicked, and I couldn’t look away until he closed the door.

“Earth to Denny? Hello?”

I snapped my head around as Sam and Deb laughed at what was probably my dopey expression. I didn’t even try to speak, just folded my hands in front of me on the table while my face was on fire.

Cooper yelped a moment later—and I was out of the booth and at the bathroom door in two steps.

“Cooper?”

“ Stay out. ”

Strangled cries filtered through the door, and I looked over to see his parents climbing out of the booth, wide-eyed.

Then I heard a loud bang.

“Baby, open the door,” I said, as evenly as I could.

He didn’t respond.

I tried the handle but it was locked.

“Can you all please wait outside?” I pulled my Leatherman out of my pocket and selected a tool to pick the lock.

“Dennis—”

“Outside. I’ll holler when you can come in.” I kept my voice calm, but I wasn’t sure what I was going to find on the other side of the door.

Frank put his arm around Deb and Sam took her hand to lead her outside. When the door shut behind them, I sucked in a breath.

“Cooper, I need you to open this door or I’m going to remove it,” I said, my voice steady. I pressed my ear against it and heard him breathing heavy.“Please, baby. I need to see you.”

A moment later, the lock clicked, and I was able to open the door.

Cooper stood at the small sink looking in the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot, and his lips were red and puffy from crying. There was a hole in the wall, and he was running cold water over his right knuckles, which were bleeding.

I grabbed a towel and reached around him to turn off the water. I gently wrapped his hand, and met his gaze in the mirror.

“Come on out. Let’s see if anything’s broken.”

“Don’t look at me.”

“Come on, Cooper.” I guided him out of the tiny bathroom and back to the bench seat. He kept his head down as he sat, and I lay his hand on the table and opened the towel.

“Can you move your fingers? Make a fist?”

He did so and blew out a breath. The cuts weren’t too deep. I opened the tiny freezer and found an ice pack inside.

“Here, let’s get this on your knuckles.”

He let me manipulate his hand but refused to look at me. He was sniffling, so I handed him a tissue.

“I didn’t think… I’m sorry. I should have asked them to cover the mirror before we came in.”

“No,” he said, his voice sounding resigned. “I can’t hide forever. It was so nice seeing everyone, I let myself forget what they were looking at.”

I knelt beside him. “They were seeing their son and best friend, who they love very much.” I kept my voice gentle, afraid to send him on a tirade. I’d learned quickly after we came out here that raising my voice only made things worse.He did not respond well to drill sergeant mode.

He was quiet for a moment, and then he lifted his gaze to mine, pegging me with the most heart-wrenching expression I’d ever seen.

“I’m never going to have my life back. I’m hideous. I can’t show my face on television, my career is over! You should have let me?—”

My hand tightened on his good one, and I cut him off. “Don’t. Don’t finish that sentence.”

“But Dennis, you don’t understand?—”

“That you work in an industry with a bunch of shallow, catty people? Yeah, I do understand. People are going to talk, but so fucking what? You are now, and have always been, better than that, Cooper Harris. To hell with anyone who makes themselves feel superior about their shitty lives by commenting on your scars. Fuck them and their pathetic selves. If they talk, then they don’t deserve to breathe the same air as you. ”

His eyes went wide, and he let out a shaky breath. “Den?—”

“No, and let me tell you something. There are a lot of people who look up to you, who trusted you enough to share their own traumas with you. You’ve always treated them respectfully and told their stories with dignity and integrity.

You are more than your face, Cooper. And it’s time you accept that.

You do need to get back to work, so you’re reminded how important you are and why you’re fucking sitting here right now. ”

He studied me for a moment, then touched the scar on his lip.

“What happened? That night. How did you find me?”

I blinked once and let out a long breath. I sat on the floor with my back against the oven door. “You really want me to tell you?”

“I think I have to know.”