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"Come on, spill it. What did he say to make you smile like that?" Sara asks.
Having felt so comfortable, I opened up and told them about my date with Cooper. I shared everything that happened from ignoring him while I took photos to the hot as hell kiss. These girls know him so well I thought I could gain some insight into the man that has swept me off my feet.
Megan let it slip that Cooper texted Todd after our date, so she already knew we went out. Cooper told Todd it was an amazing date, and I totally squealed like a little girl after she told me.
"He asked me to go to dinner with him tomorrow night." I can't help but feel my smile grow even wider.
"Yay! This is the best thing ever. Quinn, I am all for this," Megan says while clapping her hands. "This calls for one more glass of wine, I think." She grabs the bottle sitting on the coffee table and pours all of us another glass, emptying the bottle into mine.
"To Quinn, for landing the most eligible bachelor in Sonoma and making every woman in town jealous." Lucy winks while holding up her glass of wine.
"Oh, that’s ridiculous," I say, shaking my head, but I still clink my glass against theirs and take a drink.
"Seriously though, Cooper is an amazing guy, and he needs someone like you who is down to earth and doesn't care about his job title," Megan says on a more sober note.
"Why would I care that he's the police chief? Other than being worried about him, I don't know why it would make a difference." I’m a little confused as to why it matters. What he does for a living doesn't change who he is as a person. I mean, I know I'll worry about him when he's at work. I was worried today when I got the text saying he was having a busy day. A busy day as a police officer is never a good thing.
Megan looks at the other girls, silently communicating something I don't understand. She turns back to me and says, "Look, Cooper doesn't date very often. I think the last date he went on was several months ago, and the last serious relationship he had was years ago." As Megan talks, I can feel my eyes getting wide. His last date was months ago?
"His last girlfriend died in an accident, and while they’d only been dating a couple of months, it still rocked him," Lucy adds. Oh, my poor Cooper. I can't even fathom how hard that must have been for him.
Megan continues, "On top of that, several women in town started blatantly propositioning him after he became police chief." I feel my jaw drop.
"They were seriously only interested in him because he’s the police chief?" I ask incredulously. How does a title make that big of a difference for people?
"Yes, they were. Having a position of power in this town means a whole lot more to some than it does others," Sara says. This must have caused some issues because I can feel the resentment coming from all three of them.
It’s unfathomable that someone could use a person as wonderful as Cooper to get ahead. It's like these women took advantage of his heart, and honestly, it makes me irrationally angry.
"The thing you have to understand is, Cooper feels things so deeply. He’s incredibly kind to everyone, but you have to show him you can be trusted before he'll open up his heart. I think he's halfway there with you already though." Megan smiles, attempting to make me feel better.
"I can't believe someone could use Cooper like that." My fists clench as my anger rises. "How could they be so selfish and not take his feelings into account? I don't understand the depravity you'd have to have to hurt a man like him. He's so good and gentle and kind."
As I'm ranting, Megan reaches over and squeezes my hand. The gesture is so welcome and comforting, but it doesn't dispel my ire towards the women who would take advantage of such a remarkable man.
"I think we can all agree it's horrible, and it goes a long way for us to see you get so upset on his behalf. We can see how much you care for him already," Sara says as she drinks the rest of her wine.
"I am angry, and it honestly scares me a little just how much I do care for him. Is it possible to feel this deeply about someone when you haven't spent much time together?" I ask the group.
I feel so out of my depth here. This is far beyond anything I've ever experienced, and I have no idea what feelings are rational and what are certifiably insane. At the same time though, how can something that feels this good be bad?
"I definitely think it's possible, and I can only hope I'll feel the same way someday," Sara longingly says. Megan and Lucy nod their heads and agree.
I wish I could see Cooper tonight. Talking about him makes me want to see him, but I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow.
The conversation flows into other topics, and as we're chatting, Todd comes in through their kitchen. He looks so dark and almost menacing, but when his eyes land on Megan, his smile grows and love shines through, softening his features.
I hope to have a relationship like theirs one day. A relationship where no matter how much time passes, we still look at each other with the same amount of love Megan and Todd seem to have.
Having given the wine enough time to lose its effect, I get ready to head home. I say my goodbyes and head to my car, and as I'm getting in, my phone starts ringing. I feel my heart rate pick up, hoping it's Cooper calling.
I try not to feel too much disappointment when I see it's my mother instead. I take a deep breath and prepare myself to answer. My parents have always had big dreams for me, and because they set the bar so high, I've spent my entire life never quite reaching it. It gets exhausting hearing the tinge of disappointment in my mother's voice when we talk.
"Hi, Mom."
"Hello, darling. I hope I'm not calling too late. Your father and I just landed in New York and wanted to check in with you since we are in the same time zone," she says.
"No, it's not too late. What are you doing back in New York?" It's highly irregular for my parents to be back in the states this time of year. The last I knew, they were in London.
