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Pops grins at me. “Cooper was leaving your room when we got here. I think we’ve both done well.”
It’s not the time to let him know he has the wrong idea about that. What am I supposed to say anyway? Nah, Pops, it’s not a relationship. He just came over to stuff me like a Build-a- Bear.
I grab my coat and stick my phone in my pocket. I’ll borrow a charger from Cara and give them some privacy. “Cara’s waiting on me. See you later.”
It has been one interesting weekend.
“Cara! I have more boxes,” I call out, struggling to get the awkward bundle through her front door.
“She went with Row to take another load to their house,” Cooper says. What’s he doing here?
Row’s trailer looks strange so emptied out. All the furniture is gone, and only a few boxes lie scattered about. A wall has been removed between the living room that lets me see into the first bedroom where Cooper stands. The wall separating it from the hallway is still up.
“Are you going to take that one down too?” I ask Cooper, dropping the boxes in a corner.
“Unfortunately. I’m waiting for Dylan to get back. The walls are soft. Almost crumbling in places. We’re going to have to check for mold in the other rooms just in case.” He turns around and regards me. “Did you come by for a quickie?”
“I didn’t even know you were here.” But now that he mentions it, I wonder if…no, I don’t need Row or Cara walking in and catching us. Even after a month of almost daily naked fun with Cooper, I can’t seem to get enough.
His smirk turns to a chuckle when he realizes I was considering it. “Later, then.”
Before I can reply, he takes a step and snags the toe of his boot on the rumpled carpet. For a second, I think he’s going to keep his balance. It’s almost like one of those cartoons where they seem to hang in mid-air for a beat while you wait for the inevitable. And the inevitable comes.
A low curse is all I hear before he smashes headfirst through the remaining wall. Like all the way through. From my vantage point, I can see half his torso on the hallway side of the wall and the rest of his body on the other. At least he’s still standing up.
“Oh my god! Are you okay?”
He jerks his body as I rush over toward him. Well, toward his head. It seems more important to make sure it isn’t bleeding. There’s nothing in his hair but drywall crumbles. “There’s no blood. Did your head hit the wood?”
“No, but…” He struggles again. “I’m wedged between the struts.”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No,” he grunts, still trying to free himself.
I reach into my pocket for my phone. “So, just to confirm, you are perfectly fine but stuck in a wall.”
My amusement doesn’t escape his notice, and he turns his head to look at me. “Maren…”
The warning in his voice is hilarious given the circumstances. After a quick picture, I take a video, walking a few steps back so it can capture him from both sides of the wall. He’s bent at the waist with his arms pinned to his sides down to the elbows.
“You know on those nature documentaries, when a mammal raises its ass to its mate, and they say it’s presenting? That’s what you look like. I had no idea you wanted it so bad, Cooper.”
He tries to slap at me but can’t reach when I pat him on the ass. From here, I can see where he’s stuck between the boards. He really must’ve fallen just right. “Can you pull an arm forward?” I ask as I reach in and attempt to pull the board to the side. It doesn’t budge. The wood isn’t weak, I guess.
“I can’t. Call Dylan. Tell him to get his ass down here with the saw.”
“You’re kind of shaky with the pleases and thank-yous,” I remark lightly, using one of Pops sayings that he always says to me if I forget my manners.
“I won’t be stuck forever. You might want to consider that fact,” he warns as I grab a folding chair and carry it to sit where I can see him.
“I’m more of a live-in-the-moment kind of girl.” He watches me dial my phone. Dylan picks up right away. “Hey, listen, can you come down to Row’s trailer right now with a saw?”
“Right now? Is it urgent? I told Cooper I’d be there in a few.”
“Is it urgent?” I repeat, glancing at Cooper and pretending to think about it. “I mean…”
“Maren!” he barks.
