The Way of the Wicked (Hope Street Church Mysteries Book 2) (9 page)

Cooper met Nathan at Can Can’s bar, where they shared half a bottle of white wine and an artichoke-and-goat-cheese tartine. The restaurant was packed. Every bar stool and cafe chair surrounding the white-clothed tables was occupied. The noise of the boisterous diners echoed loudly throughout the eatery. The abundance of raucous laughter, clanking silverware, and raised voices created quite a din.

“Not exactly a place for quiet talks, is it?” Nathan shouted.

“It’s a good thing you made a reservation!” Cooper yelled in response.

A chic young hostess approached the bar and mouthed that their table was ready. Cooper and Nathan were seated next to the front windows, where they could watch passersby. In turn, the people strolling on the sidewalk could gaze at the entrées Nathan and Cooper had ordered. Nathan chose the salmon au poivre accompanied by roasted root vegetables, pickled beets, and horseradish potato puree.

“You’re welcome to my beets,” Nathan joked. “I’ve never cared for them.”

“No, thanks. I’d rather have what’s on my own plate.” Cooper smiled at him and then took a moment to appreciate the artistic display of grilled lamb chops, roasted red peppers, olives, and garlic sausage before digging in.

“I love a woman who eats red meat.” Nathan raised his wineglass in her honor.

Cooper grinned and clinked her rim against his.

Nathan talked about how time-consuming his project involving Big Man Products had become and admitted that he’d been considering taking a break from his Saturday volunteering.

“After this morning, I knew I couldn’t leave,” he said, setting his fork onto his plate, which had been completely cleaned with the exception of the pickled beets. “We need to get to know the other volunteers and quickly.”

An idea came to Cooper. “Maybe we should host a party and invite all of them. We don’t really have enough time to talk to one another on Saturdays. The focus is on our tasks.”

“That’s a great plan! What kind of party are you thinking of? Something casual like a potluck?”

“I’ll ask my sister for suggestions. She’s the queen of organizing social events.”

After the waiter removed their plates, Nathan gestured to the dessert menu. “Want to share one?”

Although she wasn’t the least bit hungry anymore, Cooper didn’t want the evening to end. “You pick. I like all sweets.”

Nathan deliberated over his choices for several moments. “How about the apple split with maple ice cream and praline sauce?”

The dessert was smooth and rich and Cooper enjoyed every sugar-laden mouthful. Finally, their decaf coffees were drained, their table was cleared, and Nathan insisted on picking up the check. The noise level in the restaurant had dropped several decibels as though in tune with the deepening darkness beyond the front window.

“Guess we should roll ourselves into the night,” Nathan said and held Cooper’s chair for her as she rose.

Outside, he took her hand in his. “There’s something different about you tonight,” he said softly as they walked through the parking lot. “You have a glow about you. I’ve always thought you were the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen, but tonight, you’re radiant.”

Cooper blushed and wondered if Nathan had noticed her fuller cleavage. Cooper had chosen a simple black dress, sandals with a small, square heel, and Grammy’s butterfly pin. And though there was nothing fancy about what she wore, Cooper felt beautiful and confident. It had been a long time since she’d felt this way and she knew it came from being around Nathan. More than ever, she was determined to claim this wonderful man.

Fortunately, Nathan seemed eager to be claimed. When they reached her car, his hand suddenly grew tighter around her own. “I don’t want you to go,” he whispered.

Cooper moved closer to him. His arms closed around her and he pulled her even closer, and then pressed his lips against hers. Their kiss was tender, but as they held each other, the kisses became longer, greedier. Cooper buried her hands in Nathan’s thick hair and his lips began to travel down the side of her neck.

“Get a room!” someone yelled from the sidewalk and Cooper sprang away from Nathan, her face flushed with heat. When she realized that the voice belonged to a teenage boy riding a skateboard, she began to laugh.

“I felt younger than those kids just now,” she said as Nathan’s laughter mingled with hers.

“Why don’t you leave your truck here?” he asked, tracing her cheek with his fingertip. “I can always bring you back . . .” He trailed off and began to fidget with his keys.

Suddenly, a four-legged shape with a long tail darted in front of Nathan. The animal tried to scamper up the nearest tree, but it couldn’t grab the bark and slid down to the bottom. Blinking at them with frightened yellow eyes, a black kitten mewled and then wriggled its way into an overturned cardboard box.

Acting on instinct, Cooper followed the kitten. She knelt on the ground and peered inside the recesses of the damp box. Two pairs of wide yellow eyes stared back at her.

“Nathan? Will you get the cat carrier from my truck?” Cooper held out her keys.

Nathan returned a minute later with the carrier. “Do you always carry this around with you?” He stooped down next to her, breathing hard.

“No,” Cooper whispered. “My grammy said I’d need it, and she was right.” She opened the carrier and noted that Grammy had lined the bottom with newspaper. “Can you hold this open and be ready to close it quickly? These kittens will probably freak out when I touch them, so I’m going to try to move as fast as I can.”

As she took hold of the first kitten by the scruff of its neck, the second kitten tried to shoot past her. Using her free hand, Cooper grabbed it before it could escape. Just as she was about to lift them into the carrier, a man walking an enormous dog passed within a few feet. The dog spied the kittens, began to bark, and stretched his retractable leash to the limit. The kittens squirmed in Cooper’s hands and she curled them into her chest to keep them from running off in a panic. They writhed and bucked in her hands, their claws raking the fabric of her dress. Finally, the dog’s owner dragged his canine away and Cooper was able to push the kittens safely into the carrier.

Nathan closed the door and then they both sat back on their heels, listening to the agitated meowing of the captured kittens.

“Are you okay?” Nathan asked.

Cooper examined the scratches on her forearms and shrugged. “Yeah, thanks.”

Nathan glanced at her chest and then raised his brows in surprise and confusion. Cooper looked down at her dress and gasped in horror.

The contents of her water bra, which contained forty-five percent water and fifty-five percent body oil, was staining her dress with twin puddles of slimy liquid.

“Cooper,” Nathan said, averting his eyes. “I think you’re leaking.”

7

When Cooper opened her work locker the following Tuesday, she was surprised to see a gift-wrapped box inside. She picked up the package, taking note of the leopard-print tissue paper, the clumsy wrapping job, and the handwritten note reading:
For Cooper, my wildflower.

She stared at the unfamiliar handwriting, heat prickling her neck, and then hesitantly tore the tissue paper. Examining the cellophane-covered fuchsia box, which contained a fluid ounce of Wild Orchid Musk Perfume, Cooper frowned. She couldn’t imagine who would have left her a gift.

“What ya got there?” Ben asked as he hung his jacket in his locker.

Startled, Cooper attempted to shove the perfume out of sight, but Ben saw it all the same.

“Never saw you as the Wild Orchid type,” he teased.

Cooper reddened. “I’m not.”

“Never thought of you as the perfume type at all,” Ben added with a smirk.

“You wear a lot of cologne for a gym addict,” she retorted. “Maybe you should try showering more often.”

Ben’s eyes grew dark with anger and Cooper immediately regretted her choice of words.

“I
am
not
an
addict!”
he snarled.

“I’m really sorry.” Cooper did her best to show that her apology was sincere.

Ben slammed his locker shut. “You have no idea what an addiction is until it tears your whole life apart! I go to the gym to get away from it!”

“Oh, Ben. How awful.” Cooper grabbed his arm. “I was hoping things were better for you at home.”

Inhaling deeply, Ben looked at the floor. “They are. We’re working on it.” He ran his hands through his unruly hair. “It’s a process, though, and not an easy one. I was stupid to think we could just talk to some folks and she’d be done with booze forever, but it’s not that simple.”

“I can’t begin to imagine what you’re going through, but if you ever want to talk about it, we could grab coffee sometime,” Cooper said and touched him gently on the arm.

“Thanks, but I’d rather have you on standby, if that’s okay.” Ben smiled ruefully. “Work is the only norm in my crazy life, so I’d prefer not to talk about what’s going on at home when I’m here. Is that cool?”

“It’s cool.” Cooper collected her toolbox, wished Ben a pleasant day, and then stopped by Angela’s desk for her work order before heading out to her first assignment at Wachovia Bank.

Angela was scowling as she reviewed the paperwork Ben had submitted for a completed job. “Even when that man is here, he’s not totally here,” she complained. “He’s called out three times in four weeks. He comes in late, leaves as early as he can, and goes to jobs without the right parts more than I’d care to mention. I can’t imagine what’s going on in that boy’s mind!”

Cooper stared out the front door as Ben drove by in a Make It Work! van. “We can never tell what’s happening in people’s lives, can we?” she said. “Ben only talks about this job and the gym, so those are the only things we really know about him.”

“Well,
I
can tell you a thing or two, such as who wears the pants at his house. I’ve heard plenty in the background when he’s called in
sick,
” Angela said, acting put out. “His wife’s got a set of lungs on her, I can assure you of that
.
”

Disconcerted by Angela’s comment, Cooper shoved aside an image of Ben’s wife as a screaming harpy. Opening her toolbox, she showed her friend the bottle of Wild Orchid. “What do you think of this perfume?”

Angela’s crimson lips curled in distaste. “If you wanna smell like flowers and kerosene, that’ll do the job. That’s the problem with drugstore perfumes.” She took the box from Cooper. “Since you haven’t opened it yet, why not run back to CVS and get your money back?”

“Maybe I will.” Cooper placed the perfume back into her toolbox.

Angela held out her wrist. “Smell this scent. I usually wear warm vanilla sugar because Mr. Farmer has a sweet tooth, but lately I’ve taken to wearin’ wild honeysuckle instead.”

“Why?”

“Because Emilio says he likes his girls a bit unpredictable. If I want to catch his attention, I have to prove that I have a wild side.”

Cooper looked at a pile of work orders on the far side of Angela’s desk. “Is that Emilio’s handwriting?” she asked.

Angela grabbed the top sheet from her metal tray and traced the letters of Emilio’s name. “His signature’s so manly, isn’t it?”

Feeling slightly nauseated, Cooper nodded. The handwriting on the work order matched the scrawl on her gift tag. Why had Emilio given her a bottle of perfume? What message was he trying to relay?

“Yes, indeed. Every single thing about Emilio is manly. I bet every inch of him is red-blooded American male.” Angela uttered a sigh of longing.

It was then that Cooper became aware of the presence of their boss.

Mr. Farmer stood in the hallway behind Angela’s desk as if he’d been struck by a heavy implement and was too dazed to move. Angela, who couldn’t see him until he rounded the hallway’s corner, prattled on about Emilio’s physical attributes. In vain, Cooper tried to interrupt her, but it was too late.

With a bowed head and a slump to his shoulders, Mr. Farmer shuffled silently back to his office.

• • •

“Penny has pink eye,” Lali informed the Saturday volunteers as they packed the black Door-2-Door Dinners coolers for the day’s delivery. “Can anyone help with her route? It’s only five stops, so one person can do it alone.”

Nathan raised his arm. “I’ll take it!” he shouted and Cooper smiled at him in admiration. His selflessness made Cooper want to step out of her own comfort zone. “I’ll help you with your route,” she told Brenda. Nathan had been her partner last Saturday, so unless Cooper volunteered, Brenda would be on her own.

“Thank you, sweetie!” Brenda’s voice boomed. “And here I thought you was scared, but there ain’t nothin’ to worry about from these folks, darlin’. Our toughest challenge is Mr. Crosby, but since you ain’t wearin’ yellow, we’ll be just fine.”

“Yellow?”

“Yes, ma’am. The color yellow.” Brenda nodded seriously. “Frank can’t stand it. The boy will go out of his head if he sees so much as a yellow polka dot. We can’t serve him yellow squash or corn or anything butter-colored. Sweet potatoes is as yellow as we dare go.”

Cooper swallowed. Volunteering for the route didn’t seem like such a good idea at the moment. “Why does he hate yellow so much?”

Brenda hefted one of the coolers onto a rolling cart. “No one knows, honey. Mr. Crosby ain’t a big talker, either, so don’t expect him to explain himself to you. He gets confused too. Half the time we visit, he answers the front door wearin’ his underwear. And the underwear’s usually on backward.” She giggled again.

“What does he wear the
other
half of the time?” Cooper asked fearfully.

“Just his birthday suit!” Brenda roared with laughter. “Come on, baby! It ain’t a pretty sight, but it won’t kill you. Now, help me roll this cart on outside.”

Gulping, Cooper pushed the cart down the ramp. “Which stop is Mr. Crosby’s?”

Brenda halted in front of a dark blue Cadillac peppered with dings and scratches. “We save the best for last, sugar. Figure it gives him all morning to find a pair of tighty-whities.” She flashed an impish grin at Cooper.