Page 47 of You Can Make Me
“Do you need anything?” I asked, starting to stand, but Cooper put a hand on my arm.
“I’m good.”
The slightest bit of the Cooper I’d worried we’d lost forever was peeking out, and my breath caught.
“But we need a plan.”
“Plan?”
Deb and Frank came in, and over the next three hours, they fed us while Cooper and Sam plotted out not only a plan for him to start his physical recovery again, but also a story.
Recovery from a traumatic incident.
The two of them together made me dizzy, the speed at which they plotted the story, the research, who they could pitch it to, a list of people to reach out to and resources, was mind-boggling. They actually operated similarly to detectives.
“Cooper, sweetheart? Dad and I are going to get some shut-eye.”
Cooper’s eyes had gone a little glazed over, and he struggled to stand to hug them. I stood as well. It killed me not to jump in to steady him, but part of his plan was to do more on his own. I promised to wait until he asked for help.
“I love you. Thanks for everything. See you in the morning?”
His folks looked at each other. “We wanted to talk about that. If you want us to stay, we absolutely will, but it seems like you’ve got a plan, and we don’t want to be in the way?—”
“Mom, no. You’re not in the way.”
She squeezed his arm. “If I didn’t think you were in the best hands…” She winked at me, and even after everything, my cheeks flushed at her praise. I was so glad to have her in my corner.
“I really am.” Cooper turned and grinned at me, giving my heart a little kick.
“Like I said,” she laughed. “Also, Cooper, your father has a meeting day after tomorrow with his team. He planned to do it via Zoom?—”
“Oh, you should go! I’m okay. And I promise, no more disappearing. I’ll have my phone on, okay?”
“Thank you, son.” Deb teared up, and Cooper hugged her again. They held on for a long time, murmuring to each other.
Frank walked to my side and held out his hand.
“Dennis, a pleasure. You need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out.”
“Thank you. Appreciate you coming.”
There was more he wanted to say, I could tell, but what I’d learned about Frank so far was that his tenderness was reserved for his wife and son. To the rest of the world, he was a powerful presence in the news industry, and he wielded that power with ruthless efficiency and integrity. He respected me, but morethan that, he respected his son, and that was the main reason he deferred to me.
The goodbyes lasted a few more minutes. Sam would be leaving with them in the morning as well, and I found myself spiraling.
How would things go between us this time? I’d opened up to him more than anyone in my life, but there’d been the others here to run interference.
Before, I hadn’t been concerned about his feelings for me, only concerned with whether he was getting better, whether I was doing right by him. Being alone with him now meant being much more vulnerable in his presence. I’d taken myself and my feelings out of the equation previously. Now? I was more nervous than the first time we’d been alone together.
While Cooper and Sam put their heads back together, finalizing their plans, I wandered out back. The days had grown warm, not quite the oppressive summer heat, but the promise was in the air. The evening was still chilly, though, only the stone surfaces remained warm after bearing the brunt of the sun’s force all day. I slipped off my shoes and let the residual warmth soak into my bare feet and just breathed.
I heard the door slide open a few moments later,
“Den? Hey.” Before I could turn around, he’d slipped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder.
“Hey.” I closed my eyes and reveled in the feel of his body pressed against mine. I’d thought this would never happen again. I put my hands over his and sighed.
“Sam asked if we could have a girls’ night tonight, since she’s leaving in the morning. Facials, mani-pedis…she brought all the fixins.”
