Chapter 10

chapter

ten

Harmony

Cooper thinks he's so slick.

There he sits, in the corner booth, eating his free frozen yogurt, looking so pleased with himself.

Maybe that's not the right word.

It's just plain confidence that I've never possessed.

The man behaves like a bodyguard trying to blend into the background. But if he thinks he blends in, he's delusional. Cooper would make a terrible bodyguard because he's more obsessed with the subject he's guarding than with potential dangers all around.

I wipe down the countertops and all surfaces with disinfectant for the second time since Cooper showed up this morning.

The sneeze guard over the toppings bar is pristine, as I've rubbed it three times while Cooper pretends to read the newspaper.

I would wipe down the tabletops again, but I don't trust myself to get close to him. I'll get lost in his brown eyes, square jaw, and sexy crow's feet.

For an ordinary girl that would be fine. For a girl looking for a relationship. Which I am not.

I scan the room for something else to do and pray for someone else to come in and buy some frozen yogurt.

As I stare longingly at the front door, Cooper makes eye contact. The dreamiest, dreamiest eye contact. Dammit.

He says nothing, just smiles in that friendly, laid-back way. Eating his yogurt at the speed of a comatose sloth. I tell you, it's inhuman to eat a dessert so slowly.

Please, Little Spoon, give me something to do.

He catches my eye, and his smile makes my breath catch in my throat.

Why is he here? Why is he doing this? To torture me? To wear me down?

I might have to go outside and give away vanilla yogurt samples with our newest buttermilk pastry topping. That could draw in some customers.

Alas, Cooper would probably follow me out there.

Instead I attack the self-serve nozzles with microfiber and rubbing alcohol.

"Uh, doesn't the manager clean those every night after locking up?" Cooper asks.

I glance at him casually over my shoulder as I clean. "Doesn't hurt to clean up afterward. The managers are not always perfect," I say.

I know that the nozzles and every other fixture in here are cleaned to perfection every night after closing. Our evening manager is a dream come true. She studies cosmetology at the community college two towns over during the day and earns money at nights and weekends at Little Spoon.

"I think Evie's even more of a perfectionist than you are; I don't think you have anything to worry about," Cooper says.

It shouldn't chap my hide to hear him talking about Evie in a complimentary way, but for some reason, it does. She's a perfectly lovely young woman and sweet as can be. Even sweeter than my sister Summer—and everyone loves Summer.

I scrub the double chocolate nozzle extra hard and breezily say, "She's an excellent worker."

"I'm thinking I might ask her to cut my hair."

At that, my blood boils. I whip around before I can stop myself, to see Cooper scrubbing the top of his short-cropped head.

"Why?" I blurt.

With a look of surprise, Cooper replies, "To get her some experience. Earn some cash. She is studying for that kind of thing, no?"

"We can't have her cutting hair here at the yogurt shop; it's against health codes."

Cooper blinks at me. No one says anything for a moment, and then a hint of a smirk pulls at his lips.

He's clocking my little explosion of jealousy, and he likes it.

Ew. Who likes to make a girl jealous when he knows she's not even into him?

"You're absolutely right, Harmony."

He slurps down the rest of his yogurt, pushes out his chair, and saunters over to the trash receptacle. He tosses away his paper cup and chucks the little red spoon in the bin marked for "utensils" to be washed.

"I was just thinking, we need a decent salon in our town and maybe I can convince Evie to open one here," Cooper says.

Why is he still talking about Evie?

What in the name of all that's holy is wrong with me?

I need my head examined.

I take a deep breath, hoping to calm my blood pressure, and answer, "We? Our town?"

He shrugs. "What can I say? This place is growing on me."

De-escalate whatever is going on in your pea brain, Harmony. You are an intelligent, independent woman and you don't need a man. You've made it abundantly clear to Cooper that you're just friends. Why shouldn't he express interest in someone else? Even someone ten years younger than him who works for the company?

He's not technically her boss, so it wouldn't be the human resources nightmare that is Wood Brothers and Love Games. Rumor has it that those construction guys and the gamer nerds started dating their employees the day they were hired.

I like what they've all brought to the town, but yikes. I do not like mixing dating with business. In fact, I don't like mixing dating with anything these days, and Cooper knows this. And he's baiting me. And I'm falling for it.

"Yeah, a new salon would be a good idea," I say dumbly.

He stands there and studies me for a beat. To say that I feel self-conscious is an understatement.

Cooper takes the folded paper under his arm and looks at it thoughtfully. "Speaking of this town growing on me, I have to do something."

Yeah right. Do something.

He's probably headed to my brother's garden center—again—to buy fruit trees for my yard that I did not ask for.

Does he know that I know he's been following me to school every day and home again?

Does he know I can see him sitting in his car, watching me go to and from school?

Not that I'm complaining.

With Summer around less, the house has been too much for me to keep up with. And I do like the idea of someone looking out for me.

I narrow my eyes at Cooper. "What are you up to?"

He gives me a mischievous grin.

"I'll tell you when the deed is done," he says. He touches the paper to his forehead in salute, and backs out the door.

Why do I feel as if I'm not going to like whatever this "deed" is?