Tales From a Broad (30 page)

“I can’t remember the last time you were this
relaxed,” I mused.

“Life is good.” Cooper smiled, grabbed my
hand, and we walked into the pensione.

As soon as we got through the door, the first
thing I saw was Tess. I could’ve sworn my heart stopped. I squeezed
Cooper’s hand so tight he yanked his hand away immediately.

“Jesus Christ, Lucy. What the hell?” Cooper
whispered, shaking his hand.

I pointed my chin towards Tess. She had been
pouring sugar into her coffee, and the frozen smile on her face was
far from sweet. She looked at us like she had just seen the walking
dead. At that moment, I wished I had told her about the ghost of my
love life’s past. I cracked my knuckles.

Tess put down the coffee and walked towards
me.

“Hi,” I said softly.

“Hi, Aunt Lu,” she said cautiously. “Hi,
Cooper.” Tess gave him a closed-lipped smile.

“Hi, Tess.”

If Cooper noticed Tess’s lack of warmth, he
certainly didn’t indicate it. He leaned in to give her a hug, and I
could actually see her body tense. He cast me a look over her
shoulder. The three of us stood there and awkwardly stared at each
other.

“Ahem,” I heard from the other side of the
room. I looked over at the window and saw Mark, of all people,
standing there.

I squinted in confusion. “Mark?”

I looked at Tess. “What’s he doing here?”

“I’m sorry,” Tess said quietly. She twisted
her fingers and chewed her bottom lip.

“Why should you be sorry? You’re not the only
one who owes an explanation. Cooper, I’ll be right back.”

Cooper nodded as I took a hold of Tess’s
hand. She held up a finger to Mark. The guys stood on opposite ends
of the room as I led Tess back toward the entryway.

Tess looked at me with pleading eyes. “Aunt
Lu, I really should’ve minded my own business.”

“Please,” I said dismissively. “I was going
to tell you about Cooper but...” I paused. “Wait, what do you mean
you should’ve minded your own business?”

Tess looked towards the couch and I followed
her gaze, until my eyes landed on the infamous Yankee hat. I was
suddenly sober and stood breathless with a hand over my mouth.

“Oh my God,” I mumbled from under my hand. I
shook my head in disbelief and walked closer to get a better
look.

Cooper rejoined me and placed a gentle hand
on my arm. “Is everything alright?” His were eyebrows furrowed, and
he took a step closer towards me.

I bit my knuckle and took a step back as I
nodded.

“Hey, Tess,” Landon shouted from the couch.
“Can you get me a Coke?”

He turned around abruptly and popped his head
over the couch. “Tess, hurry. It’s my turn and...
Cooper
?”
Landon removed his headset and stared at me with curious eyes.

The Yankee hat turned around, and I locked
eyes with Simon. A current ran through my entire body.

“What’s up man?” Cooper said to Landon. His
voice sounded as if it were coming from a faraway place. It was as
if my body was unattached and I watched the events unfold as I
floated toward the ceiling.

“I didn’t expect to see
you
here.
How’s it going?” Landon said politely. He got up off the couch and
went to shake Cooper’s hand.

“Are you freaking kidding me?” I hissed to
Tess. “A little warning would’ve been nice.”

“Um, I like your outfit?” Tess said loudly,
in a questioning tone.

I looked down and suddenly felt like a little
girl who had been busted for playing dress up in her mommy’s
designer clothes.

“Yeah, you clean up nice,” Simon said. He
looked at me with sincerity as he stood and approached our
dysfunctional little group. He held his hand out to Cooper. “I’m
Simon.”

Cooper accepted his hand. “I’m Cooper.
Lucy’s...”

“Ex. I know. Heard a lot about you.” Simon
gave Cooper a once over.

Cooper groaned. “I was going to say stylist,
but I see my reputation precedes me,” he said sheepishly. “I’ve
come to redeem myself.”

“Well, they say the key to a woman’s heart is
through her wardrobe, right?” Simon said in a flat tone. I closed
my eyes in despair.

“So they say,” Cooper smiled oblivious to the
sarcasm.

“Um...” Landon began uneasily. “Are you just
passing through?”

“That’s to be determined.” Cooper winked,
putting a protective arm around me.

I gave my audience a weak smile and wished
that I were the one who was just passing through. I drew in a shaky
breath.

“I’m going to use the bathroom,” I said.
“Care to join me?” I said to Tess, shooting her a look of
death.

“No, I’m good,” she responded, an octave too
high. Then she inched away towards Mark.

“Oh, I think you do,” I smiled sweetly and
grabbed her wrist.

I led her down the hall and opened the door
to the ladies room. Once inside, we both began to talk at once.

“I don’t think so,” I said, holding up a
finger. “Me first. Why didn’t you tell me you invited the boys
here?” I folded my arms across my chest and leaned against the
sink.

“I’m sorry,” she cringed. “I thought you
would think I was stupid for trusting Mark ... and...”

I raised an eyebrow. “How stupid do you think
I am?”

“Okay,” she sighed. “We, that is, Mark and I,
thought you and Simon would like to see each other. He’s been
asking about you and—”

“He has?” My mouth twisted into a smile,
which I quickly wiped away. This was no time to smile.

“Yes!” Tess practically shouted with
excitement.

A flutter in my stomach made me press a
finger to my lips. “Shh,” I whispered. “Go on,” I encouraged in a
stern voice.

“Okay.” Tess took a breath and begin to talk
in a fast pace. “Mark said that Simon really missed you and totally
regrets that he bailed our last night in Paris. We all know your
hang-up about the age difference,” Tess said, rolling her eyes,
“so, he figured it wouldn’t have made a difference anyway. Was he
right?”

I ran my hands through my hair and held it up
in a tight ponytail, not giving Tess the satisfaction of appearing
to care.

“Anyway, that was until Mark decided to come
see me. I guess Simon wanted to see you one last time before he
lets the old ship set sail.”

“Ha ha,” I sneered, releasing my hair. “The
old ship, eh?”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Tess grimaced.
“Anyway, Cooper’s here,” she said dismissively. “So, I guess it
really doesn’t matter whether Simon’s hot for you or not,
right?”

“Right,” I said, although I didn’t quite
believe it myself. My stomach suddenly ached and I placed a hand
under my rib cage. “And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Cooper. I
feel kind of silly myself. Not to mention I feared your mother’s
wrath.”

“Oh I hear that.” Tess smiled, and then her
face grew serious. “Aunt Lu, we just want you to be happy, with
whoever that is.” She paused to give me a questioning look. “If
Cooper makes you totally happy, and you love the way he makes you
feel, then you have my blessing.”

“Thanks, Tess,” I said, suddenly unable to
look her in the eye. I reached over and gave her a hug.

“Wait a minute.” I pulled away from her and
firmly cupped her shoulders. “You still haven’t told me how Mark
got here.”

“Long story, but to sum it up, his ex decided
to surprise him back in Paris. He wanted to tell me, but was afraid
I wouldn’t believe they really had broken up.”

I narrowed an eye. “How do you know he’s
telling the truth now?”

“I trust him,” Tess shrugged. “Besides, it
was all laid out on Facebook anyway.” The look in her eyes matched
the light-heartedness of her voice.

“What is it with your generation and
relationship announcements on Facebook? Anyway, speaking of
happiness, the most important thing is that you’re happy.”

“I couldn’t be happier,” she said, beaming.
“Now, let’s go back to the group.” Tess took a hold of my
elbow.

“Ugh,” I groaned, feeling a massive pit in my
stomach. I looked in the mirror and rubbed my temples.

“Aunt Lu, if you don’t feel anything for
Simon, then you have nothing to worry about, right?”

“Right.” I nodded weakly, following her out
of the bathroom and down the hall.

We went back into the common room. Landon,
Mark, and Simon were still playing the game and shouting at the TV.
Cooper sat perched on a chair, tapping away at his phone.

“Aww, man,” Simon cried. “I’m out.” He tossed
the control on the table and walked towards the refrigerator.
“Anyone want one?” He waved a Coke in the air.

“Um, I’ll take a Diet.” I dug my fingernails
into my palms as I walked towards Simon. “So, how have your past
few days been?” I wished the light tone of my voice matched the
feeling in my heart.

“Pretty good,” Simon answered. “One vat-free
soda coming right up.”

Simon winked as he handed me the can. Our
hands brushed, and a spark passed between us.

“Thanks.” I swallowed and toyed with the pull
tab on the can.

“How’s your ankle?” Simon asked.

“Good.” I said with a nod. “Well, it was
until I put these shoes on anyway.” From the corner of my eye, I
saw Cooper’s head snap up.

“I was going to say, I almost didn’t
recognize you,” Simon said.

“The places I like have dress codes,” Cooper
interrupted.

Simon and I both turned to look at him. I had
always hated his jealous side.

“Is this the guy who helped you when you
fell?” Cooper said to me.

“Yep.” My cheeks grew warm, and I sipped the
soda.

From behind the can, I saw Cooper eyeing
Simon with interest. My gaze shifted back and forth between the two
men who were polar opposites. Cooper wore leather loafers, linen
pants, and a seersucker shirt, while Simon was sporting khaki
shorts, a Polo t-shirt, flip-flops, and of course, his signature
hat.

“So, what have you guys done over the past
few days?” I said to Simon, hoping to start a more neutral
conversation.

“I had some work issues to take care of back
home. It actually took up a lot of my time.”

I nodded, but had to wonder what kinds of
things a camp counselor could possibly have that required his
attention. Ordering sunscreen? Bug spray? I suspected he was trying
to impress Cooper, who had been firing off emails from the moment
we entered.

“See, Luce?” Cooper said. “Every guy takes
work on vacation with him.”

I gave him a sideways look in response.

“What do you do, man?” Cooper said to
Simon.

Simon opened his mouth to speak, but I cut
him off at the pass. “He works at a camp.”

I ran a fingernail around the rim of the can
and looked at Cooper, silently willing him to change the subject.
The last thing I wanted was for Simon to be subjected to Cooper’s
career scrutiny.

“Lucky you,” Cooper said, clearly misreading
my mental telepathy. “I wish I worked at a camp. Now that
,
I
could probably leave behind.”

Simon gave Cooper a half smile. “It entails
more than you might think,” he said dryly. “But regardless of the
job, at some point you just have to let it go, right?”

“It’s not that easy for me,” Cooper said. “I
have millions on the line every day. Each ignored email is like
dollars trickling away.”

“Well, you also have your life trickling
away, one day at a time. I know it’s hard, but you have to keep it
in perspective,” Simon said. He removed his hat to run his hands
through his rumpled hair.

Cooper was getting irritated. He folded his
arms across his chest and shifted uneasily. “Want to go to your
room?” he said abruptly.

Just the mention of the word ‘room’ caused my
upper lip to moisten. Suddenly, it was as if I was about to cheat
on Simon with Cooper and that I had already cheated on Cooper with
Simon. Both notions were preposterous, but suddenly I just wanted
to be alone.

“You know what, Cooper? If you don’t mind, I
think I’m going to take a quick shower. I’m feeling a little hung
over ... or something.”

“Do you want company?” Cooper said
suggestively.

I glanced at Simon who looked away. I
wondered if my cheeks were as red as they felt. “No, thanks,” I
replied.

“Ok,” he said coolly. A flicker of annoyance
crossed his face, but was immediately replaced by a neutral
expression.

“Cooper, you’re more than welcome to play
with us while you wait,” Landon offered.

“Video games?” Cooper said with disdain. “No
thanks. I haven’t done that since I was a freshman in college.” He
snickered.

“It’s fun,” Landon responded. “What else is
there to do? I’ve done my sightseeing for the day, meetings are
done ... The Italians don’t start partying until late.”

“You’re such a loser, Landon,” Tess teased
her brother.

“The guy makes a good point. It sounds kind
of nice to relax before we go out,” Mark admitted, putting an arm
around Tess. “Do you guys want to watch a movie? They have a pretty
good collection in the library.”

Cooper walked over to a shelf that contained
the movies. “Please don’t tell me this is the library? What is
this, 1980?” he said, picking up a VHS. “No DVD’s?”

“Who cares?” I joined him at the shelf and
peered closely at the row of movies to get a better look. “These
are classics.
Roman Holiday
,
Before Sunrise
...”

“Obviously they’re used to dreamy Americans
blowing through here,” Cooper said.

“What do you mean?” Simon demanded.

“I hate these movies. They’re so cliché. Guy
and girl meet in a foreign country, gaze at the Eiffel tower, and
find love.
Blah, blah, blah
. Ridiculous,” Cooper scoffed.
“Or what about the ones where two people from opposite walks in
life come together?”

“It’s been known to happen,” Tess said,
looking over at Mark.