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Noah fell in step next to Piper, and she did some not-so-subtle probing. “It has to be hard for Deidre. Losing her husband at such a young age. Snowmobile accident, right?”
“Driving too fast.”
“What was he like?”
“Sam? Easygoing, fun to be around. A little irresponsible. Everybody liked him. Hard not to. They were only married five years.”
“A good marriage?”
She expected Noah to freeze her out, but he didn’t. “They were crazy about each other, but she was the one who had to do the heavy lifting.”
They’d reached th
e house, and Deidre announced cocktails in an hour on the patio. “Coop, let me show you your room.”
Which wouldn’t be anyplace near Piper’s.
She washed her face and put on a little makeup but didn’t change from the slacks and sweater she’d worn to the Stars Complex. As she reached for her messenger bag to check her phone, she remembered she’d left it in her car and went downstairs to get it.
A light breeze ruffled the tree branches near the house. The smell of fall was hard in the air, a smell she loved. It was nearly dark, and the floodlights mounted on the corner of the barn shone on her Sonata, Coop’s Tesla, and the Lexus. As she walked toward the cars, she noted the Lexus’s license plate. ararat.
Overhead, an owl hooted and swooped toward a stand of trees beyond the barn. A wisp of memory tantalized her but wouldn’t take shape. She reclaimed her bag and texted Jen to find out if she’d returned Eric’s call. Then she made her way to the back of the house.
The three of them were seated around a blazing, stone fire pit. The patio had an outdoor kitchen with a built-in grill, a sink, and a tiled countertop. Garden torches illuminated the perimeter and cast a faint light over a swimming pool covered for the season. Noah was cross-examining Coop. “. . . and you’ve also gotten too much bad publicity. Forgive me for being blunt, but that’s a sign of bad management.”
“It’s a sign of bad luck,” Coop countered.
“You know I’ve been opposed to this from the beginning,” Noah said. “I’ve never liked the idea of trusting this large an investment to the whims of professional athletes who already have more money than they can spend. Yourself excluded, of course.”
“If that’s what the plan was, you’d be right, Noah. But you keep missing the point. Athletes retire young. Sure, some of them are more than happy to spend their time going through their money, but those aren’t the guys I’m after. I want the ones who are smart, ambitious, and out for a new challenge but not willing to bankroll themselves. There are a lot of them.”
Deidre stayed silent, taking in both Coop’s answers and Noah’s questions. “It’s too risky an investment for us,” Noah said. “We don’t know the industry, and we don’t understand the market.”
“Did you understand China’s market for water-purification systems when you made that investment?” Coop turned to Deidre. “Taking a few well-calculated risks makes business more interesting, doesn’t it?”
Deidre spoke for the first time. “I like the idea of diversifying into the so-called sin industries, even though Noah has raised some good points. The fact that he’s not often wrong has been my only hesitation.”
“This time he’s wrong,” Coop countered. “And, Deidre, as much as I’m enjoying your hospitality . . . and as much as I’d like to work with you, it’s time to make up your mind. I’ll give you another couple of days. Then I’ll have to move on.”
Coop didn’t want to move on. Piper knew that Deidre was the only partner he wanted.
Far from being rattled, Deidre smiled. “I don’t think we’ll need that long.”
“Piper!” Noah came to his feet. “Let me get you something to drink. Cocktail? Wine?”
“I’ll have a beer.” She walked out into the torchlight. “Whatever Coop’s drinking.”
“You and Coop appear to have a lot of the same tastes. It’s no surprise you like working together.” Noah moved to the outdoor bar. “That’s another question I have. You seem to be Coop’s confidante . . .”
Was it her imagination, or did he veil that last word with all kinds of hidden meanings?
He pulled a frosted mug from the small built-in refrigerator. “We know he was a great quarterback, but is he a great businessman?”
Deidre showed her first sign of impatience. “How do you expect her to answer that?”
“In her normal straightforward fashion,” Noah said. “Piper knows him better than either of us, and I’ve developed a healthy respect for her opinion. So tell us, Piper. Do you see Coop as a captain of industry?”
“I see Coop as being successful at whatever he sets his mind to,” Piper said carefully.
