Page 89 of The Purest Fake

“Maybe I’ll get an early jump on my Christmas shopping,” I say.

“That’s not a bad idea. I usually end up giving gift cards because I run out of time.”

“Well, I love Christmas. I go a little crazy on the decorating. Luckily, Autumn feels the same.”

“I’ve never even had a Christmas tree.”

“Ever?”

“Not since I’ve been an adult. Maybe this year I’ll get one.”

“If you don’t, I’m going to force you.”

He laughs. “I guess I better, then.”

The waitress swings by, dropping off our food, and we thank her before she rushes off to another table.

Cooper’s burger is massive. I don’t know how he’s going to eat that with only one hand. “Would you like me to cut that in half for you?”

He glances down at his plate before his eyes swing up to meet mine and he nods, pushing his plate toward me. “Please.”

Grabbing a knife, I carefully saw through the bun and thick beef patty. “There you go.” I slide the white plate back over to him.

“Thank you.” He shakes his head. “This sling is a nuisance, but I forgot to tell you, starting tomorrow I no longer need to wear this around the clock.”

“That’s awesome.”

“I can’t wait.”

Neither of us utters another word until we’re well into devouring our meals.

“Great idea, Coop. This is delicious.”

“Glad you like it.”

“It’s so close to the studio too. I can’t believe I haven’t been here.” I take another bite of my taco, then say, “I bet your teammates are missing you.”

“I’ve gotten texts from them almost every day, asking how I’m coping and when I’m coming back.”

“Aww, that’s so adorable. Who knew those big macho guys are such softies?”

He laughs. “They’ll never admit they are.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t mention a word about how they’ve been checking in on you.”

“I don’t mind if you do. They give me shit over pretty much everything just for being a rookie. A little payback for them is welcome.”

“What have they done to you as far as hazing goes?”

“They haven’t done anything horrible. But a couple of weeks into training camp, most of the team went out for dinner and drinks. I got stuck footing the bill.”

I wince. “Ouch. That had to hurt.”

“All I can say is it’s a good thing I had a credit card with me. The guys drank and ate extra, knowing they weren’t paying for any of it.”

“You’re only a rookie for this season and then it’ll be someone else’s turn.”

“Yeah. Then it’s my turn to eat and drink,” he says with a chuckle.

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