“Until six, yeah. Why?”
“I’m having a cookout, and I want you to convince Abby to come. I already know she has the night off. We normally start around five, but I can wait a little longer to put the food on the grill.”
Haleigh ran a hand through her loose curls. “After a twelve-hour shift, you want me to drag Abby out for some hot dogs?”
“You’ve never been to one of my cookouts,” he said, highly offended. Hot dogs. Please. “Try chicken, ribs, and a smoked brisket. Plus the sides that Caleb will bring. And, of course, Lorelei is in charge of desserts.”
“That does sound good.” Haleigh tapped the side of her coffee cup. “But did you miss the twelve-hour shift part? And getting Abby to come is a long shot at best.”
“Just get her out for one hour. Lie to her if you have to.”
“Ha!” she laughed. “Now I know I’m hearing things. Did the unflinchingly honest Cooper Ridgeway just tell me to lie?”
What was her hang-up with this Saint Cooper crap? She made him sound like a self-righteous asshole.
“One of these days, I’m going to show you how un-saintly I am. Just because I didn’t take advantage of you Friday night doesn’t mean I didn’t think about it.”
He’d sure as hell thought about it. And he’d been thinking about it ever since. Yes, he wanted to get Abby out of the house, but he also wanted Haleigh at the cookout. He’d planned to ask her anyway, but the plan had changed after his encounter with his sister.
“Nothing would have happened Friday night,” she stated. “No matter how drunk I was.”
“That’s not what the alcohol was saying.” Cooper was upstanding, but he wasn’t stupid. If he hadn’t backed off after buckling her in, he’d have tasted the rum on her lips and not cared about right or wrong. And she wouldn’t have stopped him.
Then again, maybe he was stupid.
“Alcohol lies,” she argued.
“You and I both know that isn’t true.”
Taking a different tack, she said, “It’s just a physical attraction. It doesn’t mean anything.”
Cooper leaned back in his chair. “It means something to me.”
“And that’s where we differ.” Haleigh tucked Carrie’s folder under her arm as she rose from her chair. “I’ll see what I can do about Abby, but I doubt she’ll agree to come.”
“Haleigh, hold up,” he said, not wanting her to walk away mad.
“Forget it, Cooper.” She gave him a pleading look. “Do us both a favor and forget it.”
In the end, Haleigh hadn’t needed to lie. She simply informed Abby that Cooper had invited them all to a cookout at his house on Saturday and she was going with or without his sister. The fact that her best friend didn’t trust her, or that Abby even felt the need to protect Cooper from her, should have been highly insulting. But the truth was, Haleigh didn’t trust herself either.
Cooper had been right about the night she’d gotten drunk at Brubaker’s. She’d wanted to kiss him in that car. Hell, she’d wanted to do a lot more than kiss. When sober, common sense prevailed and Haleigh had no trouble acting like a sensible woman. When not sober, she tended to be a certified hussy.
Now that she’d had time to dwell on it, the night at Brubaker’s had been a long time coming. It was a wonder she hadn’t nose-dived off the wagon sooner considering she’d been dining with her mother on a regular basis for the last six months. Meredith Mitchner could drive anyone to drink. She’d certainly pushed Haleigh onto the path all those years ago.
Not that Haleigh blamed her mother for her addiction. She’d learned a long time ago that diving into a bottle had been her choice. Her unhealthy way of dealing with an unhealthy situation. During the week, she’d found a counselor who specialized in addiction, but the earliest appointment Haleigh could get was still a month away.
“Are you sure they won’t mind my coming?” Jessi asked.
“For the last time,” Abby said, “no one will mind. They’re going to be so excited to see Emma’s chubby little cheeks that you’ll probably have babysitters lined up around the grill before the food is served.”
“It’ll help if you don’t tell them how little she sleeps,” Haleigh mumbled, and received a poke from her best friend. “Ow,” she whined. “Unnecessary.”
“She’ll eventually sleep more, right?” Jessi said.
“And cry less?” Haleigh asked.
Abby twisted to look at both of them from the passenger seat. “Why are y’all asking me? I’ve never had a baby, remember?”