But that crap was the last thing she wanted to think about when she had a sweet, sexy new guy around who kissed like a dream. Cooper might be a fun candidate to end her dry spell and help her kill some time before she could get back to her real life.
She delivered the pills along with a glass of water that she handed to him.
“Thank you.” He downed the pills and half the water. “Sorry to kill the mood with busted ribs.”
“My mood is fine. How’s yours?”
“Better now.” He reached for her hand and held on after she sat next to him on the sofa. “The shit today with Jessie abandoning her baby with Lizzie was intense. The timing is tough considering their recent challenges.”
“Yeah, that’s got to be a lot on top of all that.”
“Jared is really upset. He’s trying not to be, but he can’t help it.”
“I don’t blame him. You know they’re going to get attached to the baby in no time.”
“That’s what he’s afraid of.”
“I feel for the mom, too. If she doesn’t have what it takes, at least she left the baby with someone who’d care for her rather than harming her.”
“There is that,” Cooper said.
“A girl I knew in high school had a baby in the bathroom and didn’t tell anyone. By the time they found it, the baby had died.”
“Ah, that’s so sad. Why didn’t she tell someone?”
“People were really upset about it for a long time. I guess she was embarrassed and freaking out about people knowing she’d had a baby.”
“Did she get in trouble?”
“I think so. She left school and didn’t come back.”
“That gives me a different perspective on what Jessie did. Like you said, at least she left her with someone responsible. And she had no idea what they’re dealing with right now.”
“Whatever happens next, that baby is lucky to have someone like Lizzie looking out for her. She’ll make sure the baby is safe and well cared for.”
“Yes, she will. But enough about them. Talk to me about you.”
What guy ever said that? They were usually too busy talking about themselves to ask about her. “What about me?”
“Anything you want to tell me. How was the shooting this week?”
“Long. But I think we got some good stuff. The show runner is happy. If she’s happy, we’re happy.” When was the last time she’d held hands with a guy who didn’t immediately try to make that into more? She couldn’t recall. They always wanted more—as much as they could get as fast as they could get it. “Jordan is having a dinner party tomorrow night. She said I can bring a plus-one if I want to.”
“Oh yeah? You got anyone in mind?”
“Not really.”
He made a hurt face that had her laughing. “Ouch.”
“You want to go?”
“I’d love to go, as long as Jared and Lizzie don’t need me for anything.”
Cooper’s concern for his brother and sister-in-law also set him apart from other men she’d dated, who almost always cared more about themselves and scoring with her than they did about anything else. She hadn’t known him long, but she already knew he’d put his family first, even if that meant missing a chance to be with her. Perhaps it made her weird, but she liked that about him. “It’s sweet that you’re so worried about them.”
“Jared has been really good to me. Like really, really good. And Lizzie is just the best person you’ll ever meet. I hate to see them upset like they were earlier.”
“It’s an upsetting situation.”
“It is, and they don’t agree on how to handle it. Jared wanted to turn the baby right over to the authorities, but Lizzie wasn’t having that.”
“Because she doesn’t want her to end up in the system. Trust me, she’s doing the right thing.”
He tipped his head, eyeing her with curiosity. “Are you speaking from experience?”
“Maybe.” Gigi cursed herself for being so comfortable with him that she mentioned something she never talked about. “It can be rough for kids to grow up that way.”
“I imagine so.”
She could tell he wanted to ask her about it, but to his credit, he didn’t.
Gigi took advantage of the lull in the conversation to change the subject from painful things that were better left in the past. She leaned in to kiss him, expecting more of the fire and passion. But this time, she got soft sweetness.
She could handle the fiery passion, but tenderness was another story altogether. That was a risk she wasn’t quite as willing to take. “I, um, have an early morning. Our call time is at seven.”
“Will it be another long day?”
“Only a half day. Jordan wanted time to get ready for the dinner party.”
“You want to hit the beach in the afternoon?”
“Sure, that sounds good.”
“I’ll pick up lunch. Any special requests?”
“You can surprise me—as long as it’s not fried.”
“Got it. Will do.” He leaned in for another of those soft, sweet kisses that made her feel off-balance and light-headed.
She had no time to be off-balance or light-headed, which meant she needed to be careful around Cooper James. Getting overly attached to a handsome, sweet, sexy guy who lived three thousand miles from her wouldn’t be a good idea.
* * *
Cooper was more intrigued than ever as he made his way—slowly—across the yard. His ribs were on fire after the long day, and the pills Gigi had given him hadn’t put much of a dent in the pain.
As he walked through the sliding door from the patio into the kitchen at Jared’s, the first thing he heard was the baby crying.
Jared came into the kitchen, looking stressed.
“Is she okay?”
“We don’t know what’s wrong. We’ve tried everything—bottle, diaper change, rocking. She’s inconsolable.”
“I wonder if it’s possible that she somehow knows what happened today.”
Jared paused to consider that. “I hate to think she knows that. The poor thing.”
All at once, the baby went silent.
The brothers stood perfectly still, listening to the silence.
“I’m going to check on them,” Jared whispered. “See you in the morning?”
“If I can help…”
“Thanks, Coop.”
After Jared left the room, Cooper poured himself a glass of water, forgoing the ice so he wouldn’t wake the baby with the noise, and tiptoed to the guest room. The first thing he did was take one of the prescription pain pills. Goddamn, he hurt. Tomorrow, he’d take it easy to recover from his brother’s wedding day.
Stretched out on the bed, he breathed a sigh of relief at being horizontal. He’d never had an injury that hurt like his ribs did. And his face didn’t feel much better. As predicted, once the numbness wore off, it’d hurt like hell.
His thoughts wandered to Gigi and the revealing thing she’d said about growing up in foster care. He’d read a lot about her in the press over the years, but he’d never seen anything about her being in the system as a child. Though he was tempted to get on his phone and see what he could find out, he resisted that temptation. He wanted her to tell him about her life—her real life, not the one that played out in public.