Page 19 of Targeted at Christmas

She smiled. “Yes, you can kiss me.”

Cooper cupped her chin with one hand, lifted it just right and leaned in for the kiss. Lexi’s lips were soft and sweet, making it hard to want to move away from them. But he forced himself to, not wanting to put any pressure on her, if she preferred to take things slowly.

Lexi touched her lips delicately and whispered, “Thanks for the movie. Good night, Cooper.”

“Good night,” he responded with a grin.

Not wishing to press his luck and risk ruining a potentially good thing, Cooper waited until she stepped inside the door before he turned and walked away.

WHY DIDN’T I invite him in? Lexi asked herself as she leaned against the door, knowing that Cooper had probably wished for that to happen. And maybe carry things a little further than the kiss, which was a perfect first kiss to her.

But she had chosen to err on the side of caution the first time around, after not experiencing anything remotely close to an intimate connection since her husband passed away. Surely Cooper could respect this, having gone through the same thing since his wife died, to one degree or another.

Still, Lexi wanted to see things progress between them. Maybe I should invite him over for dinner tomorrow or the next day, she thought. Didn’t someone once say that a good meal was the key to a man’s heart? At the very least, it would be another way for them to bond.

Lexi stepped away from the door and found Pepper curled up in a corner of the family room, sleeping like a baby. This reminded her of the joy she had yet to experience of having a child to dote on and give tons of love to. Maybe this was still part of her future. Lexi smiled at the thought, with Cooper’s face flashing in her head as if on a movie screen as she headed upstairs to get ready for bed.

ON FRIDAY MORNING, Lexi invited Eleanor over for coffee and bagels, enjoying time spent with her elderly neighbor. They sat on the upholstered L-shaped sofa bench at the solid wood table in the breakfast nook.

“About the support group…” Lexi regarded her thoughtfully. “Well, it turns out that I’ve made a connection with one of the widowers—”

“Oh, really?” Eleanor’s eyes grew with curiosity. “I know a few have come and gone.”

“It’s Cooper Reid,” Lexi told her.

“Cooper?” Eleanor smiled. “He’s such a lovely man.”

Lexi grinned—believing that the shoe fit whether she meant appearance or character—and nibbled on a cranberry bagel. “Yes, he is.”

“And I suppose you know that he’s with the FBI?”

“Yes, we actually met earlier. He’s investigating the death of a building inspector that I knew.” Lexi sipped her coffee.

Eleanor tasted her own coffee and frowned. “I saw that on the news. How terrible.”

“Yes, I agree.” Lexi contemplated the accusations of public corruption that Horace was facing beforehand. “The authorities will find whoever was responsible.”

“I’m sure they will,” Eleanor concurred and lifted a cinnamon raisin bagel. “I’m delighted that you’re opening yourself up to the possibility of romance again, Lexi. You’re such a young woman and deserve to find that special someone again. Same with Cooper…”

“You’re right,” Lexi said, while not wanting to get ahead of herself in presuming that she and Cooper were each other’s special someone. “We’ll see how it goes,” she uttered, tempering her own expectations, even if she hoped for so much more with Cooper.

“Fair enough.” Eleanor sipped her coffee. “So, what’s on your agenda for today?”

“Hmm…” Lexi thought about it and spoke of meeting with one of the developers, work in the studio and even tossed out casually her plans to invite Cooper over for dinner.

Eleanor loved that last idea, encouraging Lexi to go for it, and even offering her some recipes for an authentic Hawaiian meal. Though tempting, Lexi decided to stick with something she was more comfortable making for dinner, while hoping it would meet with Cooper’s satisfaction.

COOPER WALKED INTO the building on East Jefferson Street that housed the Kenniston Group, the main developer involved in the Seventh Avenue revitalization project. As they dealt chiefly with Horace Eckhart prior to his death, in needing his approval on a number of the developments, Cooper was interested in whether their overzealousness in achieving set objectives could have led the developer to offering Eckhart bribes to facilitate action on their behalf.

Cooper was accompanied by Special Agent Frank Magistretti, a twenty-five-year veteran of the Bureau, who was also working the case while doing double duty operating within the FBI’s counterintelligence division.

Frank was in his fifties, tall and built like a brick house, with gray hair in a number three buzz cut and a handlebar mustache. His blue eyes gazed at Cooper as they got off the elevator on the fourth floor where the Kenniston Group occupied a suite, and Frank said, “I’ll just mosey around and see what I can pick up while you’re interviewing Reese Kenniston.”

“All right,” Cooper agreed.

They stepped inside the real estate development company’s door, having phoned ahead of their arrival, and flashed their identifications.

Cooper nodded to Frank to wander around the office, while being led himself to the spacious office of the founder and president of developments. Reese Kenniston greeted him as though they were old friends.