Chapters (16)
Again, she turned and glared at him. “What difference does that make?”
He smiled. “Just noticed your accent is all.”
“Oh. Yes, I’m from Rhode Island.”
“Never been there before. Is it nice?”
“I like to think so.”
“Are you going to tell me your name?”
She sighed. “Kate. And I don’t want to be rude, but I’m kind of busy here.”
“Got it,” he said, sitting back and yawning. “I’m just taking a break from work. I like to come do a little people watching.”
She looked back and forth. It was a weekday, and there were a grand total of three other people on the square. One was washing store windows, one was an old lady with a walker and the other was a man hanging up a flyer on the front of a store.
“There are no people.”
Cooper laughed. “I didn’t say it was successful people watching. So, what are you doing here in our very boring little town anyway?”
“I’m visiting my sister, if you must know.”
“Family’s important.”
“Yep.” She looked back down at her phone, scrolling to make sure she hadn’t missed any other messages when her cell service wasn’t the best.
“What do you do?”
“Huh?”
“For a job? What do you do?”
“You ask a lot of questions, Cooper.”
“I like how you say my name,” he said with a wink. She wanted to smack him right across one of his adorable dimples.
“I have a boyfriend,” she said, lying.
“I didn’t ask you about a boyfriend.”
“Okay, but I thought you should know.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re clearly hitting on me.”
He chuckled. “Men up north must not be so nice.”
“Excuse me?”
“This is just how we shoot the breeze down here, Katie.”
“Kate.”
“Right. Anyway, I wasn’t asking you on a date. I mean, what makes you think I don’t have a girlfriend?”
“Well, I don’t know…”
“I mean, I’m clearly handsome,” he said, smiling as he leaned back and flexed his muscles.
“Wow,” she groaned.
“And, as you can tell, I’m a great conversationalist.”
“Absolutely,” she said, rolling her eyes as she stood up.
“Hey, where ya going?”
“Away,” she said before walking down the sidewalk.
As she made her way to Mia’s car around the corner, she could feel him looking at her, and it made her want to smile more than she’d ever care to admit.