Meant to Be (Sweetbriar Cove #1)(23)

"Aim high. I believe in you." Poppy laughed. She looked past him, and saw the windows of the next car steaming up. Inside, she could just about make out a couple of teenagers necking-hard.

"Ah, romance," she quipped, and Cooper shot her a grin.

"You think they'll catch a single frame of the movie?"

"No way." Poppy munched on a handful of popcorn. "God, when I was a teenager, we used to drive out to this abandoned farm in the middle of the country to park. You couldn't move for beat-up old Hondas."

"We would all go to the woods," Cooper said. "The property I'm working on now, actually. There's a whole acre back there, and if those trees could talk . . ."

Poppy grinned. "Is that why you bought it? All those fond memories."

"Something like that." Cooper grinned. "Actually, it's the rest of its history. Old saltbox houses like that are disappearing these days. Most people don't want the hassle of restoring when it's easier to just knock them down and build from scratch. But you lose all the historical details, the craftsmanship . . ." He was talking animatedly, and Poppy could see the passion on his face. He'd played it off before like just another money-making flip, but it was clear he cared about the house far more than that.

"Seems like a lot of work for something that's just a paycheck," she said carefully.

Cooper shrugged. "Call it a work ethic," he said. "I can't help but get the job done."

She snorted. "Ha!"

"Excuse me?" he looked over.

"The Cooper I remember would find any excuse to get out of chores," Poppy said, shooting him a mischievous grin. "Your dad had to come drag you off the beach to go do laundry."

Cooper grinned. "He wasn't exactly paying me sweat equity back then."

Poppy took another handful of popcorn. The trailers were playing on screen, local ads for lobster shacks and pottery classes. "How is he these days?" she asked.

Cooper paused, and a shadow slipped over his face. "He passed a few years back. Stomach cancer."

She gasped. "Oh God, I'm so sorry. I didn't know." She looked at him anxiously, hoping she hadn't just put her foot in her mouth and dragged up painful history, but Cooper just gave her a quiet smile.

"It's OK. I mean, I still miss him, but . . ." He paused. "Life goes on."

It did. The summer they'd all run wild as kids seemed a lifetime ago. Twenty years, gone in the blink of an eye. Poppy sighed. "We were babies back then."

Cooper chuckled. "We're not over the hill just yet." He nudged her elbow. "You've got a few good years in you yet." 

"Gee, thanks." She laughed. "I'll need them. My mom is already sending me links about the likelihood of finding a husband after thirty."

"Ouch." Cooper looked over at her. "So what happened, with your wedding? You don't have to talk about it if you don't want," he added. "I just heard it all got called off."

Poppy let out a breath. She didn't want to drag it all up now, not when she was finally getting some distance. "Let's just say it wasn't meant to be."

"Fair enough."

To her relief, Cooper didn't push. He reached for the radio instead, and tuned it to the movie soundtrack. The cab filled with the opening music as the movie started on screen. But Poppy couldn't focus. She still felt jittery, like she'd been drinking too much coffee. Maybe that cup she'd had an hour ago was wreaking havoc on her system. Or maybe it was being alone in the dark, just an arm's length away from the man who'd kissed her senseless.

She snuck a look at him beside her, his features illuminated in the light from the movie screen. Why did he have to be so handsome?

"Everything OK?" Cooper turned and caught her looking.

"Yes. Great!" Poppy snapped her gaze back to the screen. "I haven't seen this movie in forever."

"It's a classic," Cooper agreed. "Are you comfortable? I can put the seat back if you want."

"I've got it." Poppy grappled around for the lever, until Cooper chucked.

"Here." He reached across her, sliding his hand down the side of her seat. "It's temperamental," he said apologetically. "You have to yank it just so . . ."

"Uh huh." Poppy's reply was faint. He was leaning in, so close she could smell the rain still on his hair.

"There!"

Suddenly, her seat tilted back so fast Poppy let out a yelp and grabbed hold of him for balance.

"Whoa." Cooper braced against the seat. For a moment, they were almost horizontal. His blue eyes were dark in the shadows, and she was so close, she could feel his breath on her cheek, hot. If she just slid her arms around his neck . . . The thought slipped recklessly into Poppy's mind, and her gaze dropped, drawn to his mouth. His lips were just inches away-