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40
The sound of a camera shutter clicking repeatedly in the distance interrupted Cooper and Cara. Coop swung his body towards the area that he believed it to be coming from. As he did he caught sight of a man near the bushes that separated the pond from the turnpike.
As soon as the man realized he had been spotted he began to run towards the parking lot which was about a hundred yards away from both he and his subjects. He was a balding middle-aged man who was short and stocky.
“You have got to be kidding me…” Coop said as he started to run towards the photographer.
Goddamn paparazzi…
Cara stood frozen in place, unsure of what to make of the situation as she watched Coop sprint towards what appeared to a guy with a camera running for his life. She could see that the man’s face was a strange mixture of terror and elation.
Before Coop could reach him, the man jumped into a small sedan and peeled out, kicking up gravel as he sped off.
“Asshole!” Coop screamed as he flipped the bird in the direction of the fleeing car.
Coop spun around and looked at Cara, his face red with anger and eyes to match. Cara remained in place, still unsure as to what had just transpired. Realizing that Cara was startled, Coop made his way back to her.
“I’m sorry… it’s just this damn guy has been hounding me since I played in Chicago…”
“Is he paparazzi?”
“Unfortunately…”
“Who does he work for?”
“He’s a freelance guy… his name is Gary Boardman, but I prefer to refer to him as ‘Asshole’... He sells his pictures to the highest bidder…”
“Why would he want pictures of us fishing?” Cara asked, puzzled.
“Because the public can’t stand not knowing what’s going on in the lives of people who would rather they not, and I’ve done as good a job as anyone avoiding it since I moved to Cleveland.”
“Oh…”
Coop was now face to face with Cara, and he gently grasped her elbows with his strong hands.
“Listen… I hate to say it but those pictures are probably going to end up online.”
“Just because we are fishing together?”
“Fishing… getting coffee… running in the park… it doesn’t matter to them. They’re vultures and you’re going to be the ‘Mystery Girl’ because they love that crap.”
Cara’s face displayed that this was all starting to sink in, and Coop decided to give her a way out.
“I will totally understand if you don’t want this in your life. I can have my agent make a statement that we’re just friends and if you never want to see me again it’ll blow over soon and…”
“Is that what you want?” Cara interrupted.
“Absolutely not, but I also don’t want to ruin your life.”
“I think I can handle it…”
“I don’t think you understand… There will be even more cameras now. They’ll follow you around campus and at work… They’ll start asking everybody that knows you questions, and some people will sell you out. They’ll lie, Cara.”
“You really know how to woo a girl, Cooper Madison…” Cara laughed, which made Coop pause.
“I just don’t want to see you get hurt…” Coop replied.
Cara put her finger to his lips as if to silence him.
