2. Cooper

2

COOPER

"That's about as good as it's going to get."

I muttered to myself as I took one final look at the work I'd done. Though I was the kind of guy who liked being productive and accomplishing tasks, I still prided myself on doing quality work. Cutting corners and doing a crappy job would only mean I'd have to fix the same problem down the road.

Unfortunately, while I had every confidence that what I'd done in this scenario was sufficient and would serve its purpose, it still sucked.

Not only was it a temporary solution, but it also meant that the entrance to this bookshop was no longer aesthetically pleasing. That's probably what pissed me off the most. My decision to use a couple of two by fours to hold down that tarp in the back of my truck led to someone else's property being damaged.

Sure, the time involved in needing to deal with fixing it was annoying, especially when I already had a mountain of other work that needed to be done, but it was knowing that this incident had the potential to impact someone's business that bothered me more.

Frustrated by this whole inconvenience and recognizing there wasn't anything else I could do at this point, I decided it was time to pack up and get out of here.

First, I needed to find Skye, explain the situation, and figure out how she wanted me to handle it.

So, I turned and walked away from the front door and went in search of her. She was busy helping a patron, so I stood back and waited.

I wasn't what I'd consider a patient person. Sure, I had moments when I could kick back and relax, but when there was work to be done, I didn't prefer to stand around doing nothing.

In this case, I had no choice other than to wait. Fortunately, it wasn't as bad as it might have normally been for me to exercise patience, because at least I had something very nice to look at.

Skye was, simply put, a gorgeous woman.

Her hair was one of the first things I'd noticed about her. It looked unbelievably soft and healthy, mostly golden, but with hints of a strawberry blonde color in the bottom layers, a lock of which had been draped over the front of her shoulder from the base of her neck.

I had two sisters, so I'd seen plenty of hair styling tools over the years. If I had to guess, Skye had used a curling iron on her hair this morning. It fell in loose waves down to about the middle of her back, with some shorter pieces framing her face.

I didn't know if there was a word to describe the way her face looked other than to say it was perfect. Her features just all seemed to fit together. Her eyes drew me in immediately—soft, upturned, and blue-gray in color. Her bottom lip was fuller than the top, but neither overpowered her face. And her cheeks looked like they'd be even more prominent if she laughed.

Skye wore some makeup, but it only enhanced her natural beauty. I didn't doubt she would have been just as beautiful stepping right out of the shower.

Of course, on that thought, my eyes drifted down her body. She was on the shorter side, particularly compared to my six-foot frame. I had at least seven or eight inches on her. And where my line of work kept me in prime physical shape, Skye had curves in all the best places. Her waist was trim, but her hips and ass filled out her jeans beautifully. She was wearing a short-sleeved white sweater on top that accentuated her larger breasts.

A single sweep over her, and I knew I could have had a whole lot of fun getting lost in so many of the physical aspects of her body.

But there was something else there, too. If the roles had been reversed and someone had been responsible for the door to my business being shattered, there wasn't a chance I would have been as understanding as she had been.

I sensed an uneasiness about her when I'd first entered the store, but it was quickly replaced by a quiet acceptance. She seemed like the kind of woman who liked to look on the bright side, like she would do anything to avoid conflict.

Softness.

That was the word that came to mind when I thought about her. From her physical features to her persona, there was something unbelievably sweet and tender about her.

She was the very opposite of me. But I also wondered if she was the kind of woman who could bring a man like me to his knees without even having to utter a single word. One look was all it would take.

"Excuse me."

Those two words broke into my thoughts, forcing me to shake my head as though needing to rid it of the thoughts I was having about a woman I'd just met and barely had a conversation with.

Skye's customer was leaving, attempting to get around me, so I stepped to the side to allow the woman to pass.

Once she walked away, I shifted my attention to Skye. She was looking at me with questions lingering in her gaze, but it was clear she didn't intend to ask them.

So, I didn't hesitate to speak. "First, I want to apologize again for what happened here today. I'm terribly sorry about the door."

She offered a nod and said, "I appreciate that. Thank you. But don't worry so much about it. Accidents happen."

"As I'm sure you can see, there's a very temporary solution in place for you right now," I started. "It's not pretty, but it will do the job until I can get the permanent fix here for you. I will let you know that making that happen is my top priority, but I may be at the mercy of suppliers. I'm hoping it won't be more than a day or two before I can have this all fixed for you. Unfortunately, I just don't know what the situation is with the replacement glass yet. I assume you want to keep your current door, right?"

A wave of uncertainty washed over her as her eyes shifted between the front door and me. When they finally settled on me and stayed there, she revealed, "I don't have any emotional ties to the door or anything like that, but I would assume that keeping it and replacing the glass would be the easiest and most cost-effective solution, wouldn't it?"

Nodding, I confirmed, "Easiest and cost-effective? Yes. Quickest? I don't know the answer to that yet. If it's not, and you're open to having it changed out, I'm happy to make that happen, because I don't think it's fair that your store has to be in this state for something that isn't your fault."

"It's not really your fault, either."

She'd already noted that accidents happened and not to worry, and now she was insisting I wasn't to blame. There was no longer any doubt about it. Skye was one of the most easygoing people I'd ever met.

"Technically, I guess you're right. Mother nature intervened here, but the bottom line is that I'm responsible, and I want to get it taken care of for you," I explained. "I've taken some measurements and pictures for both scenarios. If I can have the glass replaced in a reasonable amount of time, we'll go that route. If it's going to be too long, I'll research some other options for you."

"Okay. I don't want you to have to worry about spending more money than is necessary. If I have to wait an extra day or two to have the glass replaced, it's not a huge problem," she said.

And there was more proof I hadn't been wrong about her. Skye seemed as sweet as they came. That disposition was a huge turn-on. I wasn't here for my own personal gain, though. And the reality was that my life was unbelievably chaotic at the moment. It would have been unfair for me to even consider getting involved with someone like that.

"Fair enough. I'll decide how to proceed after I make a couple of calls this afternoon. Can I give you my number?"

Her brows pulled together. "Your number?"

"Yeah. I don't think you'll have any problems, but just in case something comes up between now and the time I get that door permanently fixed, I'd like for you to be able to get in touch with me," I told her.

Understanding dawned on her features. "Right. That makes sense." She pulled out a pen, tore a piece of paper off where the register receipt would print out from, and said, "You can jot it down here for me, and I'll save it into my phone later."

I scribbled my number down for her and slid the paper back in her direction. "That's my cell. Day or night, if you have any issues, don't hesitate to call me."

Skye took the piece of paper, folded it in half, and tucked it into the back pocket of her jeans. "Thank you. Hopefully, I won't have to call you."

While I knew her sentiment had nothing to do with me specifically, and I certainly hadn't wanted her to have any problems with the work I'd done, I'd have been lying if I said I would have been disappointed to answer a call from her. Pointing toward the door, I said, "I really don't think it'll give you any problems beyond the confusion it might cause for your customers."

Nodding, Skye agreed, "Yeah, there is that. Maybe I'll put a note outside the door to inform people that I'm going through a bit of construction and still open."

"That's probably not a bad idea." When Skye didn't respond and an awkward silence filled the air, I said, "I should get going now, so I can get back here to fix this quickly. I'm sorry, again, about what happened here today, Skye."

She sent a small smile in my direction, which captivated me in a way I hadn't anticipated, in addition to being an indication there were no hard feelings. "It's okay, Cooper. You're taking care of it, so I can't really complain."

With that, I gave her one last look before I turned and walked out of her shop and into the rain to my truck, hoping I'd return in a few days to see that smile in person again instead of having to recall it from my memory.

Then I was on my way back to Westwood's, the place I worked in my family's business. The Westwood Company was known for being a manufacturer of confectioner. Chocolate was the main staple of our business, but we offered so much more beyond that.

We opened the Westwood campus to the public and offered tours to people who came from all over the world. They could visit our museum, take a tour to learn how chocolate was made, and they could even build their own chocolate bars.

In addition, we had a resort-style hotel on the campus, which allowed for extended stays for families, couples, and individuals. And finally, we had a theme park for our guests to enjoy.

I was the operations and maintenance manager, so my job involved making sure everything stayed running as it should. If the equipment broke, I serviced it. If there was an issue with an exhibit in the museum, I handled it. When there was an electrical problem in the hotel, they called me. And although my youngest brother, Liam, was the one in charge of all the maintenance at the amusement park, it wasn't uncommon for me to work with him on occasion there.

Of course, while I was capable of handling all the necessary projects and maintenance items across the entire Westwood campus, it was just far too much for a single person to manage.

So, I had a team of workers who reported to me, and each week, I'd dole out the tasks and responsibilities to every member of my team. It worked well now, but it hadn't come easy. There had been a lot of years of effort poured into getting my team to run like a well-oiled machine.

I was proud of where we were now, even if it probably seemed to the outside world like I hated my job. It was just that there was always something to do and rarely an instance of downtime.

When I pulled up outside the hotel, I was grateful it had stopped raining. I exited the truck, made my way inside, and walked right up to the front desk.

My younger sister, Ivy, who was the oldest of the two girls in the family, was working. "Hey, Coop. Are you just now getting back here with the drywall?"

I sighed. "Yes, I am. Do you know if Marco came in and prepped that wall or not?"

She shook her head. "I didn't see him, but I also had to step away from the front desk not long after you left this morning."

I reached my hand into my pocket and pulled out my phone. "I'll just give him a call then."

"What took you so long?" she asked as I lifted my phone to my ear. As I did that, I turned to look back at the entrance to the hotel and saw Marco walking in.

Marco Kingston was my best friend and right-hand man. We'd been working together for as long as I could remember, and whenever I needed someone to take charge or cover me in any situation at work, I didn't hesitate to rely on him.

He immediately spotted me, and I lowered my phone from my ear. When he was a few feet away, he asked, "What's going on? I thought you were going to be back here at least an hour ago."

I audibly sighed my frustration. "Let's just say, this day has been one unexpected thing after another. I need to be over helping Liam on some things with the amusement park, and instead, I've been doing everything to fix things that should not have needed fixing today."

My sister didn't hesitate to chime in. "Don't be mad at me. I wasn't the one who put the hole in the wall in that guest room."

Sending an unamused look her way, I insisted, "I know that. I'm not upset with you. I'm just saying the whole thing sent my day spiraling."

Marco pressed for more information. "Why, man? What happened?"

Shaking my head, I shared, "I was driving through downtown Landing when there was a massive gust of wind. It was so strong that one of the two by fours I had on top of the tarp flew out of the bed of the truck and right through the glass window on the entrance to the bookstore on the corner there."

"Are you kidding me?"

"I wish. What a disaster."

Understanding washed over him as he surmised, "So, you had to stick around and fix it."

"Yep. But it's only temporarily fixed. Now, I need to get this drywall inside and this hole patched up, so I can order what I need to order for this woman's store."

"Woman?" Ivy asked, her voice sounding oddly curious and excited.

Visions of Skye flashed before my eyes. "Yes, a woman. She owns the store."

"Hmm."

That was Ivy's response.

I figured it was best to ignore that and returned my attention to Marco. "Did you get that hole prepped while I was out?"

"You were gone forever. I could have prepped a wall in every room on the entire third floor if I had to," he retorted.

I rolled my eyes. "Do you want to give me a hand bringing in this drywall?"

"Sure. And if you want, I'll take care of the hole while you go deal with ordering whatever you need for the bookstore repair. Then you can meet up with Liam afterward."

"I appreciate that, Marco. Let's go." I turned to look at my sister and said, "See you later."

She forced a smile onto her face. "Have fun."

At that, I walked out of the hotel with Marco and got the drywall out of the back of my truck. Once we got it to the room where Marco was going to do the repair, I left to make some calls.

Considering how the day had been going, I should have expected I wasn't going to get the answer I'd hoped for when I called about the replacement glass for Skye's door.

Eight weeks.

It looked like I was going to have to change out that entire door frame. But since that was going to require me to come up with a few options to give her to fix it, and I desperately needed to get over to the amusement park, I was going to have to wait until later tonight to search for some options.

Then I'd call Skye at her store first thing in the morning.

The only bright side to my day would be knowing I'd have the chance to hear that sweet voice in my ear again.