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27
Cooper Madison replayed the phone call from his friend and agent in his head as the hot water from the showerhead rained down on the back of his neck. He knew why the Cubs wanted him back, and he didn’t blame Skip for trying, but he also knew that he was not ready for that.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his doorbell ringing, and it took a few seconds for it to register.
“Shit! The pizza!” Coop yelled to nobody in particular. He had totally forgotten about the delivery from Stucky’s after his phone call with T-Squared.
Coop jumped out of the shower and grabbed a towel as he ran to the nearest intercom. Luckily for him, it was right outside the bathroom door. He pressed the talk button and said, “Uh, give me a minute… I’ll be right there...”
On the other end of the intercom stood Cara Knox, holding her pizza delivery bag with his salad on top in a separate bag. She was startled when she heard his voice through the intercom, especially since she had been preparing herself for another closed-door meeting with the mysterious occupant.
“Umm… okay?” Cara replied into the small speaker next to the door. She wasn’t even sure if he could hear her on the other end.
When Coop heard the delivery girl’s voice through the intercom as he frantically dried off, he knew he better put more than a towel on. Still somewhat wet, he grabbed a pair of athletic shorts from his bedroom drawer and threw them on before running down the hallway towards the entry door.
Cara could hear what sounded like footsteps running towards the door before a scream and a loud thud shook the door from the inside, making her jump back.
“Jee-zuss Christ…” said a voice from the other side of the door. “Way to be an athlete, Coop…”
A very puzzled Cara stared at the door as it slowly opened, revealing a very tall, very wet, very shirtless, and very embarrassed looking Cooper Madison.
“I… uh… slipped…” Coop managed to say as he stood in front of the Stucky’s delivery girl, who was even prettier in person as opposed to through the lens of a peephole.
“Umm… are you okay?” Cara replied, trying to make sense of everything that was unfolding in front of her.
“Oh yeah… I uh… I’m fine,” said Coop, trying not to show that his left elbow, which he had smacked on the floor, wasn’t hurting as much as it was.
“Well, that’s good… I...umm...have your food…” Cara said, gesturing to the bag in her hand with her eyes. When she looked back up, she tried not to stare too much at his shirtless stomach and chest. While Coop felt he had really let himself go, he still was in better shape than 99% of the population, and Cara had never seen anything quite like this up close and personal.
“Uh...yes...yes you do… Shit… I mean shoot… I’m sorry… I need to get your money… Please, come in…” Coop stammered as he stepped aside and let Cara in.
He was so flustered from his wipeout in the hallway that he didn’t even seem to think twice about letting someone inside.
“Wait here, I’ll be right back… you can set the food on the counter...” Coop said as he raced down the hallway to get his wallet.
“Try not to fall again…” Cara joked, immediately regretting saying something so lame.
What the hell was that, Cara…
Coop chuckled as he heard her joke. Even though it was kind of lame, he liked the fact that she wasn’t afraid to say something at his expense like so many people were at this point in his life.
As Coop emerged from the hallway, Cara was both disappointed and relieved that he had put a shirt on.
At least I won’t stare as much…
“This should cover it,” Coop said as he handed her a $100 bill.
“Umm.... the order was only $21.50… do you have anything smaller, by chance?” Cara continued, “I don’t carry enough change for that.”
“Keep it…” Coop insisted.
“I can’t… that’s ridiculous…” Cara replied.
“Seriously… I uh… I don’t have anything smaller than that,” Cooper said, almost embarrassed that he was telling the truth. “Besides, I am really embarrassed right now and I figure if I give you a big tip you might totally forget that I slid into my front door…”
This response made Cara laugh out loud, which then made her snort in a way that she tends to when she is really laughing hard. She was laughing so hard that she didn’t even have a chance to feel embarrassed by it.
The unexpected snort, coupled with the ridiculousness of the events of the last few minutes, caused Coop to do the same and soon they were both doubled over laughing.
