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Cooper and I stood on the porch, both avoiding eye contact. Luckily, we weren’t stranded too long as a few moments later, a woman answered the door. She looked to be in her early forties, with dark hair that was pinned back in a low chignon knot at the base of her neck. She was wearing an all black outfit that looked comfortable, but still had an expensive air to it. I knew right away that it wasn’t Angela. In my search, I’d found pictures of the actress and the woman in front of us was certainly not a match.
“Mr. Cooper, come in, come in! Angela didn’t tell me to expect you…” she looked over at me. “And a guest?”
“Apologies, Maggie, it’s a last minute thing. We won’t be long.”
Maggie ushered us into the sweeping foyer and I held back a gasp. The place was gorgeous. It was a stark opposition to Cooper’s home. Everything was contemporary and colorful. Whoever this woman was, the two of them could not have had different tastes. At least as far as art and home design went.
“She’s upstairs. She just woke up from a nap.”
Cooper smiled at Maggie, but I noted that it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Without another word, Maggie disappeared around the corner, exiting the foyer, and Cooper started to ascend the large double staircase. I hurried to follow along, praying I wouldn’t be too breathless by the time we reached the top. The house was eerily quiet, and I knew he would be able to hear me if I was panting for breath beside him.
God, I really need to get to the gym.
I shook my head, realizing I said the same thing every time I climbed stairs.
Cooper was at the top within seconds and I trudged along a few steps behind. He turned down a hallway that seemed to go on forever and stopped in front of a set of white French doors. I stopped short of him, nearly brushing against him.
“Wait here,” he instructed, his voice barely a whisper.
I nodded in silent agreement, but my thoughts were ringing louder and louder with every second. He went inside the room, leaving me out in the hall. I crossed my arms and looked around, feeling awkward and out of place in such an exquisite home. What would it be like to live in a place like this?
I didn’t have too long to wait before Cooper popped the door open and grabbed my arm. He pulled me inside and my discomfort ratcheted up another ten degrees as I stepped into the room and saw Angela McKinnon lying in her bed.
Words failed me as I surveyed her. She was a shadow of the woman I’d seen in the pictures online, taken from different movies and television shows she’d been cast in. The woman before me looked to be at least thirty pounds lighter, which was saying a lot since she was already petite. Her hair was either tucked up under her hat, or…I realized with a sickening feeling, she no longer had any.
My eyes flew to Cooper, desperate for some direction.
“Angie, this is Allison Rand,” Cooper said, looking over at me before completing the introduction. “Allison, this is Angela McKinnon. She’s my sister.”
All the oxygen was sucked from my lungs as Angela’s eyes shifted slowly to me. She offered a strained smile and I tried to return it, but I felt paralyzed.
It was like being in a state of shock, or maybe an out of body experience as I looked between Angela’s frail body and Cooper. I’d unknowingly walked into the deepest, darkest moments of this family’s history and now I wanted nothing more than to bolt and run away from the horrific scene.
“Angela has cancer,” Cooper said, confirming my suspicions. Even if I hadn’t seen pictures of her, it was very apparent that something was not right and that she was sick. Cancer had been my first guess.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered. I dropped my eyes to the floor and wished I could disappear. It would be easier. As it was, I had no idea how to get out of the house.
If Angela wanted to know who I was to Cooper, she made no indication. I was sure that Cooper didn’t often bring women around, so maybe she just assumed we were together.
Even though we weren’t.
“How are you feeling, Angie?” Cooper asked, sinking into an overstuffed chair that was positioned at an angle near the bedside table. It was obviously the place for visitors to sit when they came to see her. I imagined Cooper had spent countless hours, just as he was, leaning over her bedside, stroking her hair.
My heart twisted inside of my chest as I watched them together.
“Pretty good. The doc has a new cocktail for me this month, so we will see. So far, I’m just really tired.” She tried to smile.
Cooper nodded, but his face was clouded with concern.
Angela was watching me as I stood in her bedroom, my arms crossed, tapping my foot nervously. I realized that I probably looked bitchy and standoffish and dropped my arms. I linked my fingers together in an attempt to feel less awkward, but it wasn’t really working.
Cooper followed her gaze and looked over at me and then back to his sister. “Allie and I have to get going, but I wanted to stop by and introduce you two. I hope that’s all right.”
It was the first time I could remember Cooper asking permission for anything, and the fact that it was to his sister warmed my heart. I also wondered what he’d said to her before he brought me in to meet her. Had he told her we were a couple? It seemed that way, but that only filled me with more questions.
“It was nice to meet you, Allison. I hope we can meet again sometime. Maybe we could all have dinner, here?” She looked up at Cooper and he smiled at her. “I’m nearly past the nausea phase, I hope.”
He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “That would be nice. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
