Yup, he'd screwed up again.
With a sigh, he yanked the wheel around. His place was on the outskirts of Sweetbriar, deep in the woods, but he found himself driving back along the main road in the other direction, towards the shore. He could let Poppy cool down and sleep it off, but his father had taught him never to go to bed on an argument, and he'd learned the hard way how right the old man was about that. The least he could do was apologize and offer her a ride home.
Sure enough, as he followed the winding lane out of town, he saw a lone woman walking along the edge of the road in the dark. His headlights caught a slim figure with her arms wrapped around her. Poppy.
He slowed to a crawl alongside and rolled his window down. "Want a ride?"
Poppy barely glanced at him. "No thanks."
"Come on, it's cold out. You'll catch a chill."
"I'm fine." She paced on, stubborn.
"Consider it an apology," Cooper tried again. "I'm sorry I went off on you back there. It wasn't your fault."
"I know," Poppy snapped back, and despite his guilt, he had to stop himself from smiling. She hadn't changed at all. Still as stubborn as she was at ten years old.
"I'm trying to extend an olive branch here," he said. "Or are you going to make me beg?"
"Would you even know how?" Poppy's voice was still clipped, but he could see the edges of a smile on her lips.
"I'm a little out of practice, I'll admit." Cooper smiled. "Come on. I'd never hear the end of it from June if you went down with pneumonia your first week here."
Poppy paused, like she was assessing the road-and the chilled wind that was picking up off the ocean-then sighed. "OK. Thanks," she added reluctantly, as Cooper stopped the truck and she scrambled up into the passenger seat.
"There, look at us, building bridges," he said, trying again to make her smile. He still felt bad for being such an ass earlier, but he couldn't bring himself to explain why. Why her simple belief in happy endings and true love brought out the devil in him. He'd wanted to lash out, and she'd been an easy target.
Poppy sat silently as he drove back towards the coast. The mile passed quickly, and the beach house appeared in front of them, the porch lights casting the house in a warm glow. Cooper pulled up outside the front door. "Here you go."
Poppy reached for the door handle.
"Wait, I've got that." Cooper found himself getting out and circling round to get her door. Poppy blinked, clearly surprised he was being so chivalrous, but she let him help her down from the truck cab.
"Thank you."
He walked with her up the front path. "You didn't say how long you were staying in town," he said, trying to make polite conversation.
"A few weeks, maybe. I'm trying to finish one of those bullshit romance novels." Her voice was still icy.
He winced. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure yours are great."
"Great for a lie, you mean."
Cooper clenched his jaw. "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything, but you have to admit, it's not exactly real life you're writing about."
"So what if it isn't?" Poppy protested, turning. "Maybe people deserve an escape."
"But what happens when they buy into that?" Cooper asked. "And wind up believing that's what their lives should look like? Soulmates. True love."
"You don't believe in love?"
Cooper flinched. "Yeah, but not like it is in the books. Real love is messy, and broken, and hard. Not all fairy tales and Prince Charming."
"Says you." Poppy's gaze was determined. "If you want your life to be messy, and broken, and hard, then go right ahead. But don't judge the people who want something different."
Cooper exhaled. He didn't have an answer for that. Sure, he'd love to believe in a world like the ones in her books, but his life had shown him that was just a fantasy. In her books, your mom didn't walk out when you were just a kid, and you didn't have to watch your father die of cancer, and the one woman you tried to build a future with . . .
Well, let's just say they didn't write a happy ending together. No, she saved that for some other lucky guy.
"I guess we'll agree to disagree," he said, not wanting to fight anymore. "But I am sorry, for giving you a hard time. I'll try not to be a total ass like that again."
"I won't hold my breath," she replied, but still, her expression softened. Cooper guessed that was about as much as he could hope for, considering.