That one was easy. “Of course I could.”
“Do you know your patients’ names?”
“Do you know how long it takes to grow a baby? I spend months getting to know them, Cooper. I couldn’t not know their names.”
“So they aren’t just a means to an end? There to give you something to do that makes you feel better about yourself?”
These rapid-fire questions proved nothing.
“What’s your point?”
“You, Haleigh Rae, are a good person,” he said, pointing the beer bottle at her chest. “In fact, you’re a better person than I am. A superhero almost.”
Now he’d gone way off the deep end. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“I’m right on this one,” he said with a wide grin that deepened the dimple in his chin. “Who refused to let Jessi leave the hospital without a safe place to go?”
“She’s a homeless girl with a new baby to take care of.”
“And you took care of both of them,” he pointed out. “You made sure she got the applications she needed to get insurance for both of them, and even when you figured out that they might be invading your life, you were more concerned about Abby’s feelings than your own. Does that sound like a horrible person to you?”
Though she hated to admit as much, the man had a point. Her actions did appear to be those of a somewhat generous person.
“Maybe I’m just trying to make up for being such a crummy person all these years,” she mumbled.
Cooper leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “You keep telling yourself that, doc. And I’ll keep setting you straight.”
Cooper whistled an upbeat tune as he perused the Mamacita’s menu.
“Someone has his happy panties on today,” Spencer said over his menu. “What’s up with the whistling?”
“Nothing,” Cooper said. “Can’t a guy whistle when he wants to?”
“Not when he’s whistling a show tune.”
Cooper’s mother had conned him into watching Oklahoma with her the week before, and the surrey with the fringe on top song had been stuck in his head ever since. “How do you know it’s a show tune?” he asked his friend.
“Everybody knows the surrey with the fringe on top song,” Caleb McGraw said, drawing the attention of both his lunch mates. “What can I say?” He shrugged. “The McGraws are big supporters of the arts.”
The McGraws were one of the richest families in Louisiana, owners of a giant media conglomerate that would one day belong solely to Caleb. Which made the fact that the heir to a fortune held down a steady gig selling ads for their local paper, the Ardent Advocate, even more bizarre. Cooper hadn’t known the younger man for long, seeing as he’d only arrived in town the previous winter.
Caleb was married to Snow of the Curiosity Shop, though exactly how they’d gotten together remained a mystery to Cooper. The guy had just shown up one day, claiming to have been in a long-distance relationship with Snow, and on New Year’s Eve, the pair tied the knot.
Though not a mechanic, Caleb shared Cooper’s appreciation for old cars, and the two had become fast friends from the first time they met, haggling over a ’56 Ford pickup at an auction.
“Can we get on with ordering lunch before you two burst into song?” Spencer asked.
“Sure,” Caleb said, giving Cooper a sideways look. The melody started again, this time as a chipper hum.
Seconds later, Spencer joined in. They’d just finished describing the fancy ride when the waitress approached and they all cut the tune.
The young girl with the swinging black ponytail looked perplexed. “Were you guys singing?”
Spencer shook his head. “No. No singing going on here.”
By sheer willpower, Cooper and Caleb kept straight faces as she took their orders and disappeared into the kitchen.
“You two are a bad influence,” Spencer said. And just like that, the revival ended. “How’s the fundraiser looking?”
In just over four weeks the first classic car rally fundraiser benefiting the Ruby Restoration Committee, a citizen group trying to save the local theater, would kick off in the Ruby Theater parking lot. A few months back, Cooper agreed to plan the event, even though at the time he wasn’t on the committee.
“Good.” Cooper nodded. “The Cars for Sale slots, which as you know are the higher moneymakers, are selling steadily. We picked up two from Clarksville last week. Lorelei has a handle on the food vendors, and Kickin’ 96.5 will be on site from noon to two doing live broadcasts from the event.” Bringing in the local country station had been his best idea by far, and Cooper mentally patted himself on the back for the rare stroke of genius. “The block at the Ridgetop Inn is going quick, so I’m looking at the Deerfield on Highway 11 as a lodging backup.”