Page 56 of The Lady on Esplanade
“And it’s a small house,” Cooper said as he gently placed his hand on my lower back to guide me out of the room.
After a quick tour, during which we paused in the kitchen to determine which of the vintage appliances still worked, we exited the house and stopped again on the neutral ground to view the house.
I turned to Cooper, trying not to notice the scar on his chin.“So,what do you think?Of course you’ll want to have your own inspection before you sign anything, but I believe you’re aware of most of the kinks.”
“And the things that go bump in the night.”
“Those, too.”I bit my lip.“Remember, you don’t have to do anything right away.Most people would want to wait until the reno is complete, because there’s no real way of knowing right now what sort of unforeseen costs might still be hidden.”
He nodded, his gaze focused on the house.“I’m well aware.”He was silent a moment before turning to me.“Maybe you’ll understand this better than most, but when I first saw this house, I had the strangest feeling that it had picked me, you know?”
A spark of mutual understanding arced between us as our eyes met.“I know exactly.Come termites or failing roofs, we’re in it for the long haul.I think it’s like finding the person who’s the right fit, where you can imagine spending your entire lives together.”
“Yeah,” he said.“Exactly.”
I leaned forward and kissed him gently on the mouth, then immediately pulled back, watching him.I had once loved Cooper with my whole young heart.My feelings had softened over the years, leaving me with a deep affection for him that could possibly turn into something more.Someday.I couldn’t deny that there were sparks—remembered or new—regardless of whether I wanted there to be.I only hoped that Cooper wasn’t a mental self-defense to distract me from my unreconciled feelings for Beau.Because that was a truly horrifying thought.
Cooper leaned down and cupped my head in his hands, bringing me closer for a deeper kiss.I had just closed my eyes when a car drove past and someone shouted from its open window, “Get a room!”
Embarrassed, I stepped back.“We should get going,” I said, taking hold of Cooper’s arm and heading toward the car.
He held the driver’s door open for me.I shook my head.“No.Not on the interstate.I’m not ready.”
“Yes, you are.You’ve got lots of experience driving around town.You know all the rules.It’s just a matter of building up your confidence.Think of all the things you’ve accomplished, Nola.By the sheer force of your will.Like getting sober.Nobody did that but you.And I imagine that was a whole lot harder than driving is.And I’m here—right next to you.”
“Yeah.And I saw you clutching the door handle, too.”
“Sorry.I won’t do that again.I think your nervousness fed my own and vice versa, so that you became even more nervous.”
“But it’s your new car—”
“With every safety feature available today.You’re safer in my car than in just about any other car around.”
“Except for Bubba.”
He considered that for a moment before nodding.“Except for Bubba.But that’s only because he’s a nearly swimming pool–sized block of steel.Fortunately, there aren’t a lot of cars like that still on the road today.Imagine the damage.”
“I don’t have to imagine.I’ve seen what Jolene can do to a mailbox.”
I slid behind the steering wheel.Cooper closed the door and walked around to the passenger side while I buckled up and readjusted my seat and side mirrors a couple of times, then experimented with the lumbar support and heated-seat settings just to be sure they hadn’t changed.I was more nervous about driving on the interstate than I wanted to admit.I waited until Cooper was buckled up before pressing the ignition button.I remembered to turn on my blinker to alert oncoming traffic that I was pulling out, then looked up to double-check the rearview mirror.For the second time that morning, I screamed.
The familiar blank stare of the antique doll met my gaze.Cooper reached behind and snatched it from the backseat, the movement making it say “Mama.”He held it away from him.“I think that sound might be even more terrifying than finding it in my backseat.Behind locked doors.”
“Are you sure they were locked?”I asked hopefully.
“Unfortunately, yes.I heard the beep after I hit the button on the key fob.If a door had been opened without the key, it would have set off the alarm and we would have heard it.”
I sighed.“You couldn’t have lied to me just this once, huh?Because I’d be happy thinking some sick individual had placed the doll in your backseat—or even Beau, for reasons I can’t fathom.Anything except…what it is.”
Cooper tucked the doll beneath his seat, being careful not to tip it forward, so that it remained silent.“I would never lie to you, Nola.”
I almost asked him then about the woman, and about the scar on his chin.I knew from his reaction when I’d first asked about the scar that the two things were related.But I needed to focus on driving, so now wasn’t the time.But later.Definitely later.
“What do you think it means?”he asked.“Does Beau have any ideas?”
“No.We keep attempting to give it to Mimi for a value appraisal and so she can use her psychometry on it.But it keeps…escaping.”
Cooper nodded slowly.“I’m wondering…is there any rhyme or reason to its appearances?”
