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“Well, the pleasure is all mine, Eleanor,” Cooper said, flashing her a smile. “But it seems my brother here is a bit grumpy, so I should probably come back later.”

“Isn’t that always the case?” Eleanor quipped, throwing me a wink.

Cooper laughed, pointing at her with genuine amusement. “I like her,” he said, turning his attention back to me, his grin smug.

“Hmm.” I squinted at him in a clear warning to back off.

Cooper smirked. “All right, just give me a call later.” He turned to leave, but Eleanor stepped forward, stopping him in his tracks with a hand on his arm.

“How would you feel about a talent show in a couple of weeks?” she asked, her voice filled with enthusiasm.

This grabbed Cooper’s attention, evident in the way he tilted his head. Unlike me, he thrived in the spotlight, eager for any chance to entertain.

“My interest is piqued. Go on,” he said, brows furrowed.

“No,” I interjected firmly, my voice a final verdict. “There’s no way Cooper is going on stage at my event. Neither of us will be, so change this insane plan of yours.” My gaze flicked to Eleanor, silently daring her to push further.

“An event? A chance to get on stage with my brother? I’m in,” Cooper announced, grinning ear to ear.

He turned to me next, eyes gleaming with excitement. “Come on, Colt. It’ll be like old times. I know exactly what we can do.”

Eleanor spun on her heels, her eyes wide with disbelief. “You’ve done this before?” she asked.

“Oh yeah,” Cooper scoffed. “Colt and I ran for Mr. Lucky Lake in high school. We did the talent portion together, though he ended up taking the title.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Eleanor lost it, laughing so hard she snorted. Her laughter was infectious, and if my brother hadn’t been standing right there, I might have cracked a smile too. But I couldn’t let that wall down, not with an audience.

“That was ancient history and done as a joke,” I growled through gritted teeth, my annoyance barely contained.

“This is a joke too. Sometimes things don’t have to be so serious, Colt.”

“Yeah, Colt,” Eleanor chimed in. “Tap into Mr. Lucky Lake and get up on that stage, give him his moment to shine.” She waved her hands in a wide fan motion above her head, ending with wiggling her fingers.

“Fine,” I replied, the word escaping before I had time to truly consider what I was agreeing to. For Eleanor, I’d do it. “But no dancing.”

The room erupted in laughter again, and for a moment, I couldn’t help but feel the slightest crack in my grumpy exterior.

Chapter 15

Eleanor

“DO YOU EVEN know how to smile?” I teased from the passenger seat of Colton’s truck. He’d been stern and stoic since we started this drive, and quite frankly, I couldn’t put up with the mood for this long in such tight quarters.

Being back in his truck felt strange. Like my body recognized the space and responded to the charged energy. It had taken the last few hours of driving to finally settle my nerves. I needed something to distract me from the memories of the last time we’d been in here together.

Tormenting Colton seemed like a good option, something I was apparently very skilled at. Maybe I could add it to my resume?

She has the innate skill set to torment a grumpy cowboy to the point of defeat. This shows persistence and determination in the workplace. I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself at my mental joke.

“Yes, I just choose not to,” Colton replied, his tone as dry as ever.

“Come on, give me a good one. Let’s see those pearly whites!” I prodded.

“I’m driving. Quit it with the distractions. Don’t you have some work to do? I can’t be your only client.”

I laughed, shifting in my seat and propping my feet up on the dashboard to get more relaxed and comfortable.

Colton shot me a glare, eyes smoldering with irritation. “Take your feet off the dash. Do you have a death wish?”