In the moment the waiter held the knife to her neck and the times he’d had to relive it since, Coop knew he couldn’t live without her. If it meant traveling around the world, so be it. At least he’d have her by his side. Maybe giving up his job would free his creative spirit. He sure as hell hoped so because after his savings ran out he didn’t know how else he’d pay the bills.
He showed up on her doorstep, flowers in hand, to find out Lexie wasn’t home. Charlotte had been happy to accept the flowers, however.
“Where can I find her?” Coop asked.
“Where she always goes to think,” Charlotte said.
“Are you being deliberately cryptic?” he asked the older woman.
She pinched his cheek. “Certainly not. I’m telling you what I know. If you’re as intelligent as I think you are, finding her shouldn’t be a problem.”
Coop rolled his eyes. “I’m going!” To the only place in the world he thought she might be.
LEXIE SETTLED HERSELF on the floor, her back to the glass windows overlooking the city. Because it was raining outside, the landmark was relatively empty, not many people interested in looking out over soupy fog. Lexie didn’t care. She knew she was high above the clouds and that was enough for her.
She turned on her iPod and stuck her headphones in her ears, then focused on the real estate section of the paper. There were so many choices.
Apartment or house.
The city or the suburbs.
Rent or buy.
Her heart beat faster at the thought of having her own place at last. Things to come home to. Knickknacks with meaning. Pictures. Books.
“Excuse me, but you realize this isn’t a public library,” a muffled voice said.
“I know,” Lexie answered without glancing up.
“It’s not a coffee shop, either.”
Lexie frowned. “I can’t be in your way. There’s an entire set of windows for you and there’s no view to look out at anyway!”
Someone kicked at her feet.
“Hey!” She glanced up, intending to give the annoying person a piece of her mind, and looked into a familiar set of gorgeous blue eyes. “Coop! What are you doing here?”
But even as she asked, her pulse sped up because he knew this was her special place.
“Why do you think I’m here?”
“Looking for me?” she asked hopefully.
He nodded, his gaze warm.
“How’s Sara?” she asked. She’d been worried about the other woman all morning.
“In a lot of knee pain. Pissed off about potentially not being able to return to full capacity. And in a foul mood. But both she and her partner are going to be okay and that’s all that matters,” Coop said. “Mind if I join you?”
Lexie gathered her things, freeing up the space beside her.
Coop settled on the floor next to her, back against the window, his long legs stretched out in front of him, his thigh touching hers.
The heat traveled straight to the pit of her stomach, settling low. “How did you know where to find me?” she asked.
He turned his head, meeting her gaze. “Your grandmother told me you went to the place you always go to think.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Good thing you know me so well.”
“I’d say so, or else I’d be wandering the city.”
He still hadn’t shaved and she ran her hand over his scruffy beard.
“Like it?” he asked.
She grinned. “I do.”
“Hey, can I ask a favor?”
She nodded. He could ask her for anything and she’d likely agree.
“Either buy an extra cell phone or learn to charge your battery. In the future, I can’t not be able to get in touch with you,” he said, his voice husky and gruff.
The future.
Her heart skipped a beat at his use of the word. “I think I can manage that.”
“Good. So what made you come up here? What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours that you need to think about?” he asked, picking up the paper she’d been reading.
Embarrassed, Lexie wanted to snatch it back. Instead, she curled her hands into tight fists, waiting for his reaction.
He studied the page, his eyes narrowing in confusion. “It’s the New York Times Real Estate section.”
She swallowed hard. “I’ve heard it’s the most comprehensive.”
“Is your grandmother looking to move?”
“No.” Lexie bit the inside of her cheek. “I am.”
Confusion darkened his gaze. “I don’t understand.”
Lexie drew a deep breath. “I’m looking for a place of my own. An apartment or maybe a house. I’m not sure. I’m also not sure if I want to stay in the city or explore something more suburban. Although that might be too ordinary for me, at least at first.” She knew she was rambling, but until she’d made her point and he understood, she couldn’t relax.
“Lexie, if you’re looking for a place of your own because you think that’s what I want—”
She shook her head. “This has nothing to do with you. Well, that’s not exactly true. If it weren’t for you I probably wouldn’t have taken a hard look at my life. But I’m doing this for me. It’s time I stood on my own, don’t you think?”
Coop was dizzy and the altitude had nothing to do with it. “That depends what you mean by standing on your own. If you can do that with me by your side, then, yes, I think it’s time. And you don’t have to settle down for there to be an us. I was wrong insisting that you had to give up what makes you you.”
She met his gaze, but said nothing.
So he continued. “You’re special, Lexie. I always knew that. You brought that vitality into my life and believe it or not into my work. My writing work. And that’s what matters. The crime beat will exist without me. I want to travel and see the world through your eyes.”
She blinked back tears “Why? What changed in the last twenty-four hours?” she asked, obviously not yet convinced.
“You have to ask?” He cupped her cheek in his hand. “I almost lost you. In the minutes that guy had a knife against your throat, I got a glimpse of my life without you. And I realized what an idiot I was for letting you walk away.”
A tear trickled down her cheek.
“Hey. I didn’t mean to make you cry.” He pulled her glasses off before they could fog up, and brushed the moisture from her cheek with his thumb.
“It’s just amazing to me that you care so much about me,” she whispered.