The Windfall (15 page)

“Um okay,” I said, concerned about this donation thing for Emma. What was this money for? What did they know that I didn’t? She hadn’t breathed a word about money or any kind of issue that she had in her life during our time together.

“We just slip some money in this envelope here,” Chris explained, holding up the envelope so that I could see what he was talking about. “And put them in her tips at the end of her shift. All of us do it and it’s just enough to help out but not enough to catch on, you know? So do you or don’t you? I don’t have all day to be trying to convince you to do so.”

“So, you’re lying to her?” I asked, confused.

Chris shook his head, folding the envelope and stuffing it back into his pocket. “Nah, there’s no lying in there. Emma just isn’t one to take charity if you haven’t already figured that out. This is the only way we can help her out without embarrassing her. Got it?”

“Consider my entire tip jar all yours then,” I replied with a heavy heart, concerned about what might be happening to someone I cared about. “Are you going to tell me what this is all about?” I asked Chris point blank.

“Hey, Cooper! I need a round of beers!”

I looked back at Betty’s waving hand and sighed, knowing the window had just closed on finding out what was going on with Emma and why the entire grille felt that she needed help. I turned back to find Chris already making his way back to the kitchen, irritating me in the process. How could he drop a bombshell like that and not come through with some explanation? If Emma was in trouble, I was going to find out one way or another.

* * * * *

Three hours later, I walked my tired feet out of Keefer’s and into the parking lot, glad my shift was over. The bar had been hopping all day. The tip jar was proof of that. The amount I donated to the mysterious ‘Emma fund’ had even widened Chris’ eyes, bringing him to ask if I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep some of it. I couldn’t tell him I didn’t need it or that would bring about more questions than I really wanted to answer. So, I told him I was planning on making twice that much tomorrow and left it at that. I tried to ask him again what it was all about, but a shipment of beer came in and he was pulled away again. So, I left work and still didn’t know what the money was going for, but I fully intended to find out. If Emma needed help, I wanted to help her. After all, I had the means to do so.

As I walked across the parking lot, I spotted a familiar car parked near mine. The corners of my mouth turned up sharply. I headed over to the driver’s side window and I leaned down. “Hey there. Come here often?” I joked.

“Hey, Cooper,” Emma responded, pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head and chuckling at my attempt at humor. “How was work today?”

“Tiring,” I laughed, feeling the strain on my back and legs. “But good. How was your day off?”

“Great.” She grinned, her cheeks redder than normal. “I studied, ran some errands, and then did a little surfing . . . so it was a great day.”

“I see you forgot the sunscreen,” I teased, touching my finger lightly to her nose. She blushed and looked in the mirror, pressing her hands up to her cheeks. “I’m going to look like an overripe tomato tomorrow for sure.” She turned her attention back to me, her expression suddenly shy. “So, I was wondering if you might like to go get some dinner.”

I acted like I was considering it until she laughed and punched me lightly in the forearm. “Okay, okay,” I finally said, backing away from the car. “Dinner it is, if you’re going to get all violent.”

“Get in the car,” she commanded, shaking her head and smiling. I walked around to the passenger side and climbed in, fastening my seatbelt as she pulled out of the parking lot. A short while later we were pulling up to a square brick building that didn’t really have a lot of curb appeal. I wouldn’t have thought it was somewhere you could get food if it didn’t have a sign painted on the side of the bricks that said
Rick’s – Best Buffalo Wings in Malibu
.

“I know Chris’ burgers are the best you’ve eaten,” she said as we climbed out of the car. “But this guy’s wings are out of this world.”

“Hey, I’m a guy. You offer wings and beer and I’m game,” I said as we walked inside. There wasn’t much to the place, just a few tables littered about and a counter that looked like it served multiple purposes. A short, squat man came out of the back as we entered, his face lighting up with a smile when he saw Emma. “Emma! Welcome. Long time.”

“Enrique, it’s good to see you,” she said, giving the man a hug. “We would like two of the specials please and some really cold beer if you’ve got it.”

“For you, coming right up,” he replied, giving me a once-over before disappearing into the back once more. I followed Emma to a table and we sat down.

“So, where do you find these places?”

“When you’ve lived here all your life, I guess you just know things . . . like where to find great food.” She grinned as Enrique put two bottles of beer on the table with a wink. I took a long swallow of mine, satisfied with the taste of the ice cold liquid.

“Emma, can I ask you a question?”

She put her bottle down on the table, a friendly smile on her face. “Sure.”

I swallowed, knowing that I probably shouldn’t pry into her life. She wasn’t doing anything to pry into mine, but I was concerned with why she would need the money and why the entire grille staff was concerned about her. “Is there something going on that you might need some help with?”

Her smile faded. “Why would you ask me that?”

“I, uh, I just noticed you work a lot of hours at the bar,” I said quickly. “In between school and work, you don’t have much time elsewhere.”

An unsettled look appeared in her eyes, making me wish I hadn’t brought it up. “What? Who’s been talking about me?” she demanded, her eyes narrowed in anger. “Was it Chris? God, he can’t keep his mouth shut sometimes.”

“No, no one has been talking about you,” I replied, reaching across the table to lay a hand on hers. “It’s just an observation, nothing more.”

Some of her anger faded and she sighed, looking away. “I don’t like to air my business to others. I don’t like for people to talk about me in any way, shape, or form, Cooper.”

I nodded tightly, thinking I was the same way, even before the money. But ever since the money had come into the picture, I was trying even harder to stay out of the limelight, keeping to myself and not letting anyone in. I knew exactly what she was talking about.

Squeezing her hand, I forced her to look in my direction. “You can trust me, Emma. Anything you are willing to tell me does not go past these lips, I swear.”

She looked at me, her face expressionless. “Can I trust you, Cooper, really? I’ve had people lie to me nearly my entire adult life. I can’t take any more lies.”

I wanted to ask about secrets because I had a pretty big one but I didn’t want to make her suspicious. I didn’t want Emma to not like me when I was just starting to really like her. “I will never lie to you,” I finally said, feeling that it was the truth. And I had no intention of doing so. All she’d have to do would be to ask me directly and I would tell her anything she wanted to know. I wasn’t going to offer up the information freely, however. I didn’t want a repeat of back home to happen here as well. I just wanted Emma to like me for me. I didn’t think that was too much to ask.

She sighed and sat back in her chair, her keen eyes assessing me. “I want to believe you, Cooper.”

“Then do, Emma,” I replied, inwardly pleading for her to just take a leap of faith. “Believe me unless I give you a reason not to. But I don’t ever intend to do that.” I wasn’t every other guy who had hurt her in the past. With every passing moment I spent with her, I was finding myself wanting to be the only guy. The notion struck me hard, the feelings that I had been a bit worried about suddenly making sense. I liked Emma far more than I should so early on in a relationship. If she knew how I felt about her so soon, she would definitely run for the hills. I was going to need to keep that information to myself too. I didn’t want to ruin this. I wanted to help her but first, she had to tell me what was going on.

Chapter Fifteen

Emma

I studied Cooper’s expression, fighting the urge to spill my guts to him and get everything I was dealing with off my chest. It should be easy to do just that, but it had been a long time since I could put my heart, my emotions, out in the open. I didn’t want to do that again just to let another guy disappoint me in the end. And as I sat there across from Cooper, considering the kindness in his eyes, I wanted him to be different.

I knew the only way I would be able to move forward with whatever we had between us would be to trust him. So, did I think he was a trustworthy guy? Was I capable of taking that leap of faith again? I had never even told Tim, in months of dating, what I was contemplating revealing to Cooper. I wanted to share my struggles with someone, to have someone tell me that I was doing the right things, someone who would be there to tell me it would be okay when I felt like I’d failed my dad. All in all, I just wanted someone to be there beside me and try to understand what I was going through. In so many ways, I felt like Cooper could be that person.

“Okay,” I finally said, deciding to throw caution to the wind. Cooper had never given me any reason to doubt that he was genuine. I couldn’t think of a single way he wasn’t different from the rest of the guys I’d dated in the past. If anything, he’d given me hope. And that was something still very fragile for me. Something about Cooper had me thinking in terms of the future. I could only hope he felt the same.

Cooper reached across again and I allowed him to take my trembling hands in his, grateful for the support he was providing. “As you know, my mom died when I was young. Ten years old, actually. She died of cancer. For a while, it was just my dad and me taking on the world. He helped mold me into the person I am today.”

“He did a great job,” Cooper said softly, his thumb rubbing the back of my hand.

“Yes, yes, he did. Regardless of how I turned out,” I said, clearing my throat. I owed everything to my dad. “Well, about two years ago, he started to lose weight and he was coughing all the time. At first, we thought it was just a cold that he couldn’t shake but when I finally got him to the doctor’s office and they ran some tests, we found out he had cancer in one of his lungs.” Cooper’s hands tightened on mine and something in the depths of my core wished I had his arms around me instead, cocooning me in his warmth. I took a deep breath and continued. “They took out part of his lung and he went through a battery of treatments. He’s doing pretty good now, but his monthly medications are super expensive.”

I didn’t want to admit it to Cooper, but most of my paycheck and tips went toward Dad’s medical costs every month, leaving me very little for my own bills. Dad constantly fussed at me for attempting to take care of him, but I knew he couldn’t afford it on his disability checks alone. Besides, he was the only family I had left.

“How much are we talking about, Emma?” Cooper asked sympathetically.

“It’s, well, about a thousand dollars a month between the two meds,” I answered softly. “Sometimes more but never less.” It seemed like each month I thought I was doing pretty good, something would go up or Dad would need a different kind of medication and any thought of actually attempting to save money would go right out the window. It was a vicious cycle, one I wished we didn’t have to live in, but it was the life we were given and I was trying to make the most out of it.

Cooper whistled through his teeth, his thumbs still drawing lazy circles on the backs of my hands. “That’s a lot of money to be shelling out every month. How do you do it, Emma? How do you afford everything else?”

“Tips.” I shrugged, thinking that my tips had been extra good as of late. They kept me afloat and if money was ever running extremely low, I ate at the bar. Chris always gave me a discounted rate for food for both myself and Dad. He had saved me more than once from starvation. “It can be difficult, but I get by. I just do the best I can. Don’t we all struggle at some point in our lives?” I would like to think my lucky side of the coin had to be looking up soon, though. Was Cooper the start of something good and positive in my life? I wasn’t sure. I hoped so.

“I’m glad you shared this with me,” Cooper finally said after a moment, his expression pensive. “And I wish you would let me help you, Emma.”

“Oh no.” I laughed a little, gently pulling my hands free from his. “I didn’t tell you just for you to offer to help me, Cooper. I’ve been doing fine on my own and will continue to do so until I’m able to finish college and get a job where I don’t have to constantly worry about money. I am doing fine; my dad is getting what he needs.” I smiled back at the man who was clearly being sincere. “But thank you for listening. It feels good to get that off my chest.”

He didn’t look convinced so I was grateful when Enrique brought out two baskets of his specialty wings and beer-battered onion rings, giving us something else to focus on for a few moments.

“So, tell me something that happened today at work, something funny,” I asked, hoping to change the subject and lighten the mood.

Cooper smiled an understanding smile and then launched into a story about Betty trying to juggle five tables at once. I just listened to his voice, letting the deep baritone wash over me and my inward sadness. It was nice for Cooper to want to help me, but I didn’t want charity. It was one reason I hadn’t told anyone at Keefer’s except Chris, who I knew I didn’t have to worry about spreading gossip, even with his big mouth. I was glad to hear that he hadn’t been the one to tip off Cooper. I didn’t want people feeling sorry for me. I was happy. Tired, but happy and glad that my dad was still around for me to take care of.

Cooper finished his story as we polished off the rest of the onion rings. Cooper protested when I attempted to pay, fighting to get his card to Enrique before I could get mine into his pudgy little hands. Then we ending up rolling with laughter as we both bombarded the poor chef with our preferred method of payment. In the end, I let Cooper win and together we said goodbye to Enrique before walking out to the car.