Tales From a Broad (35 page)

I reached up to pull my frizzy poof into a
neater ponytail. “You remember Simon, right?” I smiled through
gritted teeth. I was hoping he could hear “Mind your manners,
please,” the telepathic message I was screaming.

Cooper nodded politely. He shoved his hands
into his pockets and fixed his gaze on me. “Where you guys coming
from? What happened to the car?”

“I decided to go on my own walking tour and
hit a local garden. That’s when I bumped into Simon. He helped me
kill time,” I said with a nervous chuckle.

Simon’s eyes darted to me, and a trickle of
sweat ran down the back of my knee.

“Well, I texted you like five times.”

“You did?’ I frowned and reached for my
phone. I saw he had indeed texted five times as well as called
several times too.

“Yikes! Cooper, I’m so sorry. For some
reason, I didn’t even hear my phone.”

“You must’ve been having so much fun you
forgot about me.” He frowned.

I looked over at Simon who was carefully
checking his own phone, avoiding my gaze. I clicked my tongue and
sighed. “Cooper, that was so not the case. We were outside, and I
just didn’t hear the phone. It was nothing,” I said with a cavalier
wave of my hand.

I was trying to appease Cooper, but in one
second, I’d managed to belittle the hours Simon and I spent
together. I felt confused and couldn’t seem to think clearly.

“Well, I wanted to tell you that I’m heading
home tonight.”

“Tonight?” I placed a hand on my chest. I had
just kicked Simon to the curb to protect Cooper, and now Cooper was
abandoning me again. First he couldn’t go to the Gardens, and now
he was leaving. “Why?”

Simon cleared his throat. “I’ll leave you
guys alone.”

“Oh, no you won’t,” Tess called out, suddenly
appearing from out of nowhere. Tendrils of hair spilled from out of
a messy bun and her flushed cheeks matched the dark pink color of
her tank top. Next to her stood Mark, who had a hand wrapped around
her waist.

Tess clutched her hands together and
squealed. “Aunt Lu, you are not going to believe this.” She grabbed
my wrist with a sweaty hand and squeezed it. “Someone liked my
skirt.” Her eyes bulged as she looked at me expectantly.

“The one you’re wearing
?
” I pointed a
finger to her skirt. It was the same one I had admired on the train
to Amsterdam, as well as the other times she had worn it on the
trip. “Why are you so surprised? I love your skirt and must have
told you like twenty times.”

“I know you do, but you don’t count,” she
said with the wave of her hand.

“Gee, thanks.” I rolled my eyes at Mark. He
gave me a wink and laughed.

“You know what I mean,” she said with her
eyebrows raised. “It was that woman. You know, the one I told you
about, the buyer. She freaked when I walked into her store.”

A head-to-toe chill washed over me.
“Really?”

Mark was nodding his head enthusiastically
behind her.

“Really. She asked if I’d be interested in
making her twenty more to sell at her store.”

“To sell? Holy crap!” I threw my arms up and
gave Tess a hug. “Wait.” I pulled away and looked at Tess
searchingly. “You did say yes, right?”

Tess gave me a sideways glance.

“Okay, just making sure.” I tucked a piece of
loose hair behind Tess’s ear and pride oozed out of me when I
looked into her eyes. “I told you, you have a real talent.”

“I just can’t believe someone wants to buy
something
I
made.” She folded her hands across her chest and
cast a dreamy gaze up towards the sky.

“Congratulations, Tess,” Cooper said. “I’m
excited to say I know a real designer.”

“I don’t know if I’m worthy of that title,
but thanks, Cooper.” Tess gave him a polite smile. “It does have a
little more cache than ‘teacher’s assistant at a daycare center’,”
she said.

Mark cupped her shoulders and planted a kiss
on the top of her head. My heart melted from his tender display of
affection.

“I’m heading back home tonight, but we’ll
have a celebratory drink when you get back to New York. You’ll be
seeing lots of more of me. Right, Luce?” Cooper nudged me with his
elbow.

Tess raised an eyebrow, and I nodded in
response. As I smiled at her through gritted teeth, I saw a brief
look pass between Mark and Simon.

“Listen, I really have to go. Lucy, thanks
for helping me kill time today.” Simon pressed his lips together
and nodded at Cooper. “See you later, man.”

“Where are you...?” I heard the desperation
in my voice and stopped myself from finishing the question.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one who picked
up on my tone. I saw the creases in Cooper’s forehead deepen as he
looked over at me.

“Simon, wait up,” Mark called out to his
brother.

“Aunt Lu, we’ll leave you alone. I want to
call my mom anyway. Text me when you get back to your room,” Tess
said excitedly. She clapped her hands quietly and did a little
jump. “Yay!” she exclaimed with glee.

This time, a genuine smile stretched across
my face.

Once we were alone, Cooper turned to face me
and drew in a slow breath. “So,” he exhaled with exaggeration.
“What were you guys really doing? Rolling around in the grass? Is
that dirt all over your shirt?”

“Are you serious?” The vein protruding from
his forehead told me that he was. “Cooper, don’t you dare. I wasn’t
going to sit in a hotel room waiting for you all damn day.” My
voice sounded impatient and Cooper took a step back.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I know I sound like a
dick. I’m just in a bad mood. I was calling you incessantly because
I wanted to spend time with you before I left.” He stuck his lip
out and looked at me with sad puppy dog eyes. While that look had
always made me melt, it had less of an effect on me now.

“Well, whose fault was that?” I said
pointedly.

I looked away and saw Simon, who had stopped
at a coffee stand. A wave of sadness washed over me. Before I could
stop myself I wondered what he was doing tonight.

No.
I stopped myself right there.
Simon and I had finally found friendship, and I wasn’t going to
ruin that. I would deal with my disappointment over Cooper’s
defection on my own. It wouldn’t be fair to make Simon feel like
second fiddle, even though in my heart he felt like more of a first
string. Especially, after the fabulous day we had shared.

Was it really such a bad thing to want to see
my friend? I seemed to be having a hard time looking away from the
sight of Simon’s broad shoulders and back flexing as he reached for
his coffee. What was wrong with me? I had such a strong attraction
towards Simon. It would fade over time, I told myself. There were
more important things in a relationship. What those things were and
whether or not I had them with Cooper, still remained to be
seen.

“Ugh.” I closed my eyes and squeezed the
bridge of my nose. I opened up an eye and peeked at Cooper.

“I know,” he soothed.

I clenched my jaw. No Cooper, you egomaniac,
I’m not devastated that you’re leaving. I’m devastated that I have
become such a whacked out head case. My thoughts were insane. I was
insane. I took a breath to collect myself.

I was so lost in thought that I actually
jumped when Copper elbowed me to get my attention.

“Look at that.” He pointed his chin in the
direction of a child who was throwing a tantrum on the sidewalk.
From the looks of things, the little boy had dropped his gelato
cone on the ground and just couldn’t bear the thought of leaving
the cherry behind.

“Aw,” I said sympathetically, “that’s so
sad.” He had to have been about three-years-old and wore the rest
of the gelato on his face and hands. His parents were doing their
best to console him and struggling to wipe his hands clean while he
kicked and screamed.

“Sad? More like ridiculous. It’s the parents’
fault for giving the kid his own cone in the first place.
Spoon-feed him with a cup. Look at them,” he scoffed. “They’re
practically kissing his ass to make him stop crying.”

My mouth flew open, and I looked at Cooper in
alarm. It had never occurred to me until that moment that he might
expect too much from a child. His own self-expectations were sky
high, as were the ones he had set for me. They all seemed to
involve appearances and exterior perfection. Would our child have
to have the right friends, the right school, the right clothes in
addition to the right ice cream manners?

“Don’t you worry, my dear,” Cooper said,
slinging an arm around my shoulders as we walked into the pensione.
“That would never happen to us. We’ll run a tight ship.” He
massaged my arm.

That’s exactly what worried me. I watched him
glance at his phone.

“So, why exactly are you leaving?” I
said.

“Something’s come up at work.” He waved his
BlackBerry in the air. “This really can’t be helped. If I don’t get
back, it’ll be a real disaster.” Cooper paused.

“Luce, I just came to see you for a bit,” he
went on. “I wanted to make the effort to show you how sorry I was
for the way I acted. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t think you
would want anything more than a dinner. The rest was just an added
bonus.”

I nodded thoughtfully. All sorts of
negativity brewed inside me, but a slow and steady breath managed
to calm me down. Yes, his priorities were screwed up, but this was
not the time to pick a fight. I wanted to enjoy the rest of my
vacation, not feel guilt over a crappy goodbye.

Cooper glanced down at his watch. “Speaking
of dinner, my flight leaves in oh, about five hours. Do you want to
have a final one? How fast can you pull yourself together?”

I forced a smile. “You’re talking to a
backpacker. I can be ready in thirty.”

Cooper raised one eyebrow. “I’ll tell you
what, let’s make it forty-five.”

“Why? Do I look like I could use the extra
fifteen minutes?”

Cooper chuckled as he fiddled with one of the
cufflinks on his blue and white striped shirt.

“I guess that answers my question. I better
go and get a head start. Wait,” I commanded, interrupting myself as
I entered the lobby. “Just so we’re clear, how nice of a dinner are
you talking?”

Cooper gave me a sideways look. “You can
dress however you want.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll do my
best not to embarrass you.” I flashed Cooper a smile and blew him a
kiss.

“I’ll be downstairs waiting,” he said,
punching buttons on his phone. “I have to call the airlines. Right
now, they have me booked for coach.”

I gasped and placed a hand on my chest as we
entered the lobby. “How horrible.”

My irony was lost on Cooper. He nodded
solemnly, as he pressed the phone to his ear. “Take your time.
Thirty minutes ‘til the next available agent.” He groaned, pulling
the phone away.

“That’s the perfect amount of time for an
Xbox rematch,” Landon yelled, jumping onto the couch. Mark sat down
next to him and pulled Tess onto his lap. I smiled to myself and
raced up the stairs two at a time.

When I got to my room, I looked at the clock
and dialed Morgan. I had tried to leave her out my love life, but
now, I was desperate. It was time to call in the big guns.

“C’mon,” I pleaded into the phone. It had
already rung twice on her end. I walked into the bathroom and
turned on the shower. It took about five minutes for the water to
heat up, so a head start was a good thing.

“Pick up, pick up....”

“Lucy!” Morgan shrieked into the phone. I
held it a foot away and massaged my ear. “I spoke to Tess, and she
filled me in on—”

“Isn’t it amazing? I think she may have found
her true calling.”

“Yes, I couldn’t be happier for her. But Lu,
that wasn’t what I was talking about. I’ve been speaking to her all
week. She has filled me in on everything.”

I gripped the phone and cringed.
“Everything?”

“Everything.”

“Okay well, I only have about forty-one
minutes until I meet Cooper for dinner, so there’s really no time
for judgment.” I pulled off my leggings.

“Fine. We’ll reserve that for a later time.
Honestly, I feel like you’re starring in an Italian soap opera. Any
new developments? By the way, I have Josh Duhamel playing the role
of Simon. Am I right?”

I sank down on the edge of the tub with
relief. I had feared the wrath of my older sister and was so glad
that she wasn’t upset with me, but still, I really wasn’t in the
mood for jokes. I closed my eyes and drew in a slow breath.

“Morgan, I really don’t have time for this
now. I’m actually kind of upset. Do you have a minute?”

“Yes, of course,” Morgan answered quickly. “I
just made a cup of tea. Omigod, this really is like a soap.”

“Enough with the goddamn soap. Please,” I
said firmly. There was a silence at the other end of the phone. I
bit down on my thumbnail. “I’m sorry. It’s just I need some quick
advice and know you’re so good at that, Morgan.”

“You also seem to know I respond well to
ass-kissing,” she said dryly. “Now start talking.”

“Okay. Cooper blew me off today.”

“Shocker.”

“Anyway,” I said impatiently, “I went out by
myself and ran into Simon.”

Morgan let out a slow whistle.

“Yeah,” I said quietly.

“That must’ve been awkward ... after last
night’s tiff.”

“Wow. Your daughter is quite the details
girl.” The clock in the bathroom indicated I had about thirty-eight
minutes left, so I reminded myself there was no time to be angry
with Tess.

“Well, that’s the thing. It wasn’t awkward at
all. Simon apologized, and for once in my life, I didn’t hold a
grudge. How could I? The guy meant well, and I know you don’t know
him, but Morgan, he’s so charming, it’s ridiculous.” I walked over
to the sink and put toothpaste on my brush.