Games We Play (40 page)

“Of course. It was never a serious proposal. I didn’t take it seriously, at least,” Hank said, waving his hand in dismissal.

“Just like that, huh? Not even an ounce of remorse. I should kick your ass for creating all of this trouble.”

“I didn’t get where I am by being soft, and you could never kick my ass, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Hank said.

“I guess you didn’t, and fuck you, I’m not soft either.”

Hank laughed. “I know. You couldn’t have stood up to Senior when you did if you were,” he said, eyes on Cooper, hoping he could read his sincerity.

“But you were willing to let my past become public knowledge.”

“It’s who you are and what made you into the man who could stand up to his daddy. It’s nothing to run from or be ashamed of, and you weren’t in trouble. They love you in that town…well, everybody except for those who don’t. But they’ll die out eventually. I’m hoping so, anyway. You were never in any real trouble.”

“What are you going to tell Tom and Hugo? What are you going to do with their land?”

“It’s my land now, and fuck them. They were awful to me. I know you remember. I hated them. Even if things hadn’t turned out in my favor, I wouldn’t have sold it back to them,” Hank said.

“I remembered. Wasn’t sure if you did.”

“I did, but unlike you, I could push my feelings aside and do what was necessary.”

“Screw you again,” Cooper said, chuckling now.

“I’ll sell you their land if you want it, or I’ll keep it. Hell, I may have to build myself a home there if Celeste won’t take me back. It’s what they deserve,” Hank said.

“All this for Celeste, huh?” Cooper said, smiling.

“She is my wife, the best part of me, even though I haven’t always shown it. I knocked on your door, and I was lost when she was the one who opened it. I wanted her, and it had nothing at all to do with you or Senior. She didn’t love you, and you know it. Hell, you weren’t even around half the time. It was so easy.”

“Easy, huh?” Cooper said, still absorbing the absurdity of how this was all turning out.

“I am sorry, dude, for taking her from you. I owe you an apology for that.”

Cooper shook his head at Hank, at him and what had led them here. Celeste.

“You’re getting married. To an African American woman,” Hank said, and it was his turn to laugh. “If Senior were alive, it would kill him.”

“I wish he could have lived to see it myself,” Cooper said, chuckling too. “You know I never did get the chance to thank you for delivering me to the Millers. By the time I’d healed, you were living the dream of being Cooper’s son.”

“Sorry about that too,” Hank said. “What a waste, huh? We would have both been better off without him, and you’re welcome. I couldn’t leave you there without doing anything.”

“I am sorry for that too, for the way things turned out with you and Senior, the things he did to your family…to you and your father. I wish he had been a different man,” Cooper said.

“Me too,” Hank said, eyes on Cooper, so much of their shared past was visible in his gaze. He’d so wanted Cooper Two’s love and attention. All of the emotions they’d spent on a man who hadn’t deserved it, who hadn’t treated either of them well, could finally be laid to rest.

Thursday evening

There was someone knocking at her door, so Celeste peeped through the keyhole. She took a step back when she saw who was standing on the other side of her door. A rush of memories of the last time she’d seen him assailed her. Hank, her husband, was standing outside her door, the thing she’d secretly wished and hoped would happen in spite of all her doubts.

She swung open the door. “What do you want?”

“Hello, Celeste,” he said.

“Hello,” she said, and smiled, purely professional, just like she’d practiced a million times, a smile that said,
I’m so over you
—all calm and cool and collected. Inside, though, her heart raced, spinning crazily out of control. Who was this new Celeste? She was so proud of how far she’d come since she’d walked out on him.

“What do you want?”

“To talk.”

“About what? We’ve said all there is to say, so unless you’ve changed—”

“The first time I saw you, I knew you were meant for me,” he said.

He’d surprised her, he could tell. It was the truth, and it was time she knew it. He was finally willing to let go of his fear that he could be used if she knew how much he loved her, that he could be hurt by her. He’d been hurt anyway, and he was done hiding.

“It’s taken me three months to build up the courage to tell you that,” he said before he paused. “I love you. I always have.”

She looked away, tears in her eyes popping up like a jackrabbits. She swiped them away. She tried to smile in response, but couldn’t quite manage it.

“What were you so afraid of that you couldn’t tell me something so important?” she asked.

“That you only married me for my money, for what I could give you. I’d had enough of people using me, of not really wanting me for me. Growing up, my mother used me to get money from Cooper’s father. Senior didn’t really want me either. He just wanted a son who was different from the one he’d sired, and my own father wanted to hurt me because he was angry at my mother and Senior.” He paused, took a breath. “But I was angriest at myself. This need to be loved that I can’t seem to shake in spite of all I’d been through,” he said, another admission that had been too hard to voice before.

“We all need love,” she said, gazing into the eyes of the only man she’d ever loved. “I’m sorry for all you’ve been through, truly I am. And although I understand you better now, I’m not going back to what we were. I can’t. I won’t,” she said.

“I know, and I’m not asking you to. But please don’t leave me either,” he said, serious. He was as vulnerable as she’d ever seen him…she’d had no idea he could be so vulnerable.

“I left, right? I’m already gone. Tell me you noticed that,” she said.

“I did, but I also noticed that you haven’t filed for divorce yet, or asked me to do that, so I’m feeling hopeful,” he said, and smiled. “I can be different. I want to be different.”

“You’ll have to be if you want me back,” she said.

“Let me in, please. Just to talk,” he said.

She stood there, weighing him, weighing his words. She opened the door, and he let go of the breath he’d been holding.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Don’t thank me yet. I’m just going to hear you out,” she said. He walked in, and she followed, closing the door behind them.

Friday morning

Hank sat cooling his heels, a smile on his face, hope rekindled in his heart. Celeste was willing to give him another chance, and he was determined not to squander it. He was sitting in city hall, waiting to see the mayor—right back where he’d started.

“The mayor will see you now,” the assistant said, sitting behind her desk.

“I know the way,” Hank said. Juan was sitting behind his desk, looking out the window. Hank cleared his throat, and his old friend looked up at the sound.

“Hank,” he said, standing up to meet him, his demeanor somber. He guessed Cooper hadn’t spoken to him yet.

“Juan,” Hank said, and they stood there for a second, staring at each other. Juan was on Cooper’s side, along with most of the people in this town, not the old ones, but the new ones, who were leaving Coopersville’s sad past behind them.

“Have a seat,” Juan said, and waited until Hank took one the chairs in front of his desk.

“What can I do for you?” Juan said, unwilling to offer even a hint of polite pretense.

“I would like to rescind my proposal. Cooper is unwilling to sell me the Quarry course and I don’t wish to proceed without purchasing it,” Hank said, controlling his impulse to laugh at the shock and relief in Juan’s expression.

“What’s changed? You knew Cooper wasn’t going to sell it to you in the beginning. So what happened now to change your mind?”

“I thought you’d be happy.”

“I am. Now answer the question.”

“It wouldn’t work. There is no going back in time, not for me, and not for Coopersville. Slowly but surely, it’s all moving forward from here on out. I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused,” he said, extending his hand. Juan stood, stared at it for a second or two, then took it in his.

“Don’t see me out. I know the way,” Hank said, and just like that he was gone. Juan picked up the phone to call his brother to tell him the good news.

Cooper stood at the bar, a huge grin on his face. Juan had called him to tell him that Hank had officially dropped the proposal. He’d expected it, but the relief in Juan’s voice had still been music to his ears. The threat to the town had been removed, and that mixed with the response of all those who knew the worst about him and still cared had left him feeling hopeful about the future. Maybe it was just as Hank had said. The new Coopersville was here to stay. Cooper’s grin was for the way everything had turned out, for him, for his town, and for Kendall.

He watched Celeste make her way over to the bar. She was scheduled to work this afternoon, and he wasn’t sure if she’d connected with Hank yet. She reached the bar, giving him a determined look. He smiled at the new Celeste, the one who was facing her future, her fears.

“So you spoke to Hank?” she said, getting to the heart of it.

“I did,” he said.

“And?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.

She looked away at first, then squared her shoulders and turned back to face him. “It was too much. Right? I’d had hurt you enough already, and you’d forgiven me, and we were going to be friends, and I didn’t want to mess that up. Did I mess it up?” she added.

“No,” he said.

“Good,” she said, and smiled. “I was scared, and honestly, I couldn’t see the upside of telling you.”

“It was the truth.”

“Yes, it was. But what good would it have done? I was sorry. I’m still sorry for the way Hank and I hurt you. If he hadn’t showed up, you would never have needed to know. I had no idea he would come for me like this, let alone that he loves me.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. It depends on him, really. I might give him a second chance, but it will be different this time. I won’t ever again be with a man who doesn’t love me. I’ve learned that money isn’t enough. Putting up with nonsense for it chips away at your soul. I always felt like I was owned, you know?”

“I do,” he said, and smiled.

“Do you think I could stay on here, working as the new and improved but poor Celeste? I’ve gotten used to living on my own, taking care of me, and it will give me time to see if Hank is serious, if he’s going to be different…if he really does love me,” she said.

“As long as you continue to do your job and pay your rent on time, that will be fine,” he said, smiling. She reached over and squeezed his hand, tears in her eyes.

“Hank’s going to drop the proposal?” Luis asked at the bar. Juan was there too, along with the Colonel and Myra.

“Yes,” Cooper said.

“That calls for a celebration, don’t you think? A party at the pub to celebrate our good fortune is exactly what we need. Let’s get the word out that there will be a party at the pub tomorrow night, and we’re going to celebrate ourselves until we can’t stand up.”

“We had your back,” the Colonel said, waiting for Cooper to look at him. “We know you. People change. You’ve been nothing but good to this town, and we know it. You are not your father’s son.”

“Not anymore, at least,” he said. Myra reached for his hand and squeezed it. “I’m getting married,” Cooper said, and all talking ceased as his eyes met Myra’s.

“Of course, I know. My two favorite young people getting together in holy matrimony,” she said.

“A celebration it is, then,” Luis said, pleased that his friend had finally gotten to this place in his life, and he would have a lovely woman to share it with.

Third week of July, Friday

Kendall parked outside the pub, not surprised at her difficulty in finding parking tonight. It was, after all, the night of the big celebration. She’d just gotten back into town after a trip to Austin to discuss her future with the university. It would take a while to change her schedule to fit living here, but she would try to keep her job. He’d told her the good news about Hank, who was married to Celeste, and that made sense. She hoped it worked out for them.

The pub was packed, she realized, looking through the windows, smiling at the people who filled the place and spilled over to the area outside. She knew most of them now. The town was celebrating its future. There was a line next to the hostess stand when she entered the pub and scanned the area, searching for him—her fiancé, and she was so liking the sound of that.

He wasn’t out front. She smiled over at Junior, who was working the reception, and at a few other people she recognized. This was her home now. Home was here with Cooper, the man who used his money for good, to help others, to make his town different. She smiled again, spotting Luis, who was standing behind the bar, working. He caught her eye and waved her over.

“Hey,” she said, smiling. “Where is he?”

“In his office,” Luis said.

“I’ll go back, then.”

“Give him a few minutes. He’s tied up with someone. I’ve been waiting for him too. In the meantime, let me get you a new beer Cooper’s been working on. He’s spent the last month or so working out different combinations until he had it exactly as he wanted it. I think you might like it.” He pulled out a glass and filled it with a light-brown beer. He handed it to her.

Kendall peered through the glass.
It’s a nice color
, she thought, putting her nose to the tip of the foam. She smiled at how far she’d come in her knowledge of all things beer.
Peaches?
she thought as the aroma filled her nostrils.

She took a sip and smiled. It was really good—simple, not too hoppy, finished with a subtle peach flavor at the end.

“What is it?” she asked, smiling after she licked the foam from her mouth.