The Perfect Homecoming (Pine River #3)

Cooper said goodbye, watched Jackson drive away, and was digging in his pocket for car keys when his phone rang.

“Jesus, I’ve been trying to get you all day,” Carl Freeman said testily when Cooper answered. “Where the hell have you been?”

“Cell service is pretty spotty up here,” Cooper said.

“Well? Did you find her?”

“I found her.”

“So did you get the box?” Carl asked, his voice rising with his eagerness.

Cooper steeled himself for the barrage that was coming. “Not yet.”

“Not yet?” Carl shouted into the phone.

“Calm down, Carl. She says she doesn’t have it. But I will get it.”

“Alicia is busting my balls—you have no idea!” Carl ranted. “Her lawyer says that me losing this fucking family heirloom and her mother’s fucking wedding ring is indicative of how I had no respect for her in our marriage! It’s her dead mother’s wedding ring, Cooper! I can’t go to court and say that some one-night stand took off with that shit, do you get that? Do you understand how important this is? Do the thousands of dollars I’m paying you not indicate how important this is? I have about two weeks to get it back or it’s court, Cooper. Two weeks!”

“Take a breath, Carl,” Cooper snapped. “She’s here. Give me a couple of days and I’ll get it. I can’t very well walk into her house and go through her things.”

“Maybe you could find a way in—”

“No, Carl. I’ll call you in a couple of days.”

“You better,” Carl said. “Because if you don’t, I will smear Thrillseekers up and down Wilshire Boulevard. You’ll be lucky to get a kid’s birthday party.” He clicked off before Cooper could speak.

Cooper fumed. This was the very thing he hated about TA—having to kowtow to a jerk like Carl Freeman. What he wanted was the extreme sports. What he couldn’t abide was the kiss-ass end of the business.

Where he was going with it at this stage of his life, Cooper couldn’t say, but it was clearly something that he needed to think about. And he would, just as soon as he could shake a certain blonde from his head.





SEVEN

Leo was not going to let it lie. Emma figured if she were sitting in a chair every day waiting for something interesting to happen, she would be relentless, too. But the difference between her and Leo was that she could take no for answer. Leo could not.

“I mean, it’s like this,” Leo said, his voice rattling along with the chair as Emma pushed him down the street, hoping that the fresh air and bright afternoon sun would divert his attention. So far, no luck. “We’ve all had those relationships that were never going to work out, you know? It’s okay, Emma. You can tell me. I won’t think any less of you, and in fact, I’ll think more of you.”

Emma stopped. She leaned over, braced her hands against her knees; the long tail of her hair slid over her shoulder and swung below her.

“Hey, why are you stopping?” Leo asked. “I’m kind of helpless, you know. If you pass out, I’m like, stuck.”

Emma slowly lifted up. She shifted around the side of the chair, tucking in the blanket around Leo. Bob had insisted on the blanket. He didn’t like her to take Leo out. Too painful for him, he’d say curtly. Too cold.

Dad, it’s not that bad, Leo would argue.

Emma didn’t know how bad the pain truly was for Leo, but today, she thought she could see it around his eyes. And yet, he’d begged her, more than once. Take me with you. Anything to get outside of that little house. Anything to soak up a few rays, to breathe real air.

It occurred to her that maybe his incessant talking was his way of trying not to think about the pain.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

Leo peered up at her. Most of his muscles didn’t work anymore, but his eyes were laser sharp and full of expression. “I’m great. The question is, how are you, Em? You don’t look so good. Is it the heavy pushing? Or is it the interrogation?”

“Both. I haven’t eaten.” She pressed a fist to her abdomen, only now realizing she hadn’t eaten since this morning. That was something else that had cropped up in the last few weeks—she couldn’t seem to remember to eat until her body was on the verge of revolt. It was as if her mind was too filled with other thoughts to worry about it.

“Let’s go back then, because that makes me nervous,” Leo said. “I know you’re acting weird because Cooper showed up, and I would totally help you if you’d just tell me what the deal is between you two.”

“God,” she sighed. “You’re relentless! I really hate to disappoint you, Leo. I know how much you thrive on juicy gossip. But I really, honestly, hardly know the guy.” She tried very hard to look sincere. But Emma could only look sincere when she was telling the truth.