Chapter 15

chapter

fifteen

Cooper

In the middle of watching the game highlights, there's a knock on the door.

In the dark, I trip over a box as I go to the door.

Harmony stands there, holding a bucket of something frozen.

"Hi."

"Hi," she says, biting her bottom lip.

"Hi," I say again, hoping this prompts her to say something else.

I can do this all night.

Shyly, she looks past me. "Got any whiskey in any of those moving boxes?"

I stand aside and gesture for her to come in. "Let's open one and find out."

I stand aside and she comes in, setting the bucket on the countertop.

"I saw you had food delivered, so I thought I would let you taste test this for dessert," she says, setting it down on the kitchen island.

"Ice cream is my favorite thing after 9 p.m.," I say.

She rests a hand on her hip. "It's not ice cream, Cooper. We've been over this."

I nudge her shoulder with a loving tap and she blushes. To hide this, she turns away and looks for bowls and spoons.

"Where are your bowls? And why is it so dark in here?"

I shrug. "Haven't unpacked them yet. And the last owners took all the lightbulbs out of the fixtures."

"You're kidding."

"I wish I were. I didn't think to pick any up while Carter and I were moving my stuff in, and I guess I didn't notice until after dark that they were all missing."

"How have you unpacked silverware but not plates and bowls?"

"You see, the restaurant delivers food in little boxes instead of slopping it into a bag. It's ingenious, really."

"Smart-ass," she says.

"We can just eat the fro-yo right out of the bucket together, can't we?" I ask.

"Like a couple of little piggies?"

"Sure, why not? We're friends. Aren't we?"

Harmony sighs. "I have an ulterior motive, you see."

"Go on."

"I'm sorry for leaving the way I did earlier."

"It's fine."

"No, it's not. So this is both a peace offering and a taste test."

"I'm your bitch, babe. Whatever you need."

Harmony snorts at my crassness. "I appreciate that. What I need is your opinion." She peels off the lid of the restaurant-sized bucket. In the lantern light I see peach, I see swirls, and I see pastry. It smells like heaven.

"It's peach with local honey," she explains. "And I want to try it with the bourbon and see how it tastes before I add the cobbler topping. I want to see if the bourbon and peach together strangles the cobbler."

"Cool, let's eat."

I hand her a box knife and we both work on the boxes marked "kitchen."

"Sorry for imposing on your night in. You must be tired."

"It's nothing. You're welcome to come over and strangle the cobbler with me anytime."

Harmony clucks her tongue. "How do you manage to make everything sound dirty?"

"Aunt Gabby used to call me incorrigible."

"I think I like this Aunt Gabby. Oh, jackpot! I found the booze!"

I turn and see Harmony holding out a brand new bottle of whiskey.

"Good girl. Let's do this."