Haleigh hadn’t been drunk enough the night after Brubaker’s to conjure flashbacks of their father’s whiskey-fueled tirades. Unless she was drinking in her room every night, which Cooper doubted based solely on the number of hours she worked, Abby’s attitude made no sense. If anything, she should have been even more on Haleigh’s side.
Not long ago, their mother had suggested that Abby get some counseling, but she’d claimed to be fine. Based on what had just happened, Cooper intended to make the suggestion himself.
Chapter 18
So this was Cooper’s garage.
For some odd reason, Haleigh hadn’t expected it to be so . . . nice. The sign over the door read COOPER’S TOTAL AUTO CARE in big, bold letters, while a red neon sign in the window flashed the word OPEN. There were four gas pumps in front of the building, with the typical large canopy. Cars of varying shapes, sizes, and conditions filled nearly all open spaces down each side of the property, presumably waiting for attention. By the looks of things, Cooper would not run out of work anytime soon.
Though they’d exchanged a few flirtatious texts, she hadn’t seen him since the cookout, and took the opportunity of a morning off to pay a surprise visit. In truth, the visit was as much a surprise to Haleigh as it would be to Cooper, and her purpose for coming was twofold.
After spending every free minute of the last few days reviewing Carrie’s research, Haleigh really wanted to take on the shelter project. It wouldn’t be easy, and finding a suitable facility would be the first hurdle. Or rather, the second after procuring the funding. She’d already put in a call to a friend back in Memphis who knew everything about writing grant proposals and would hopefully be willing to offer advice, if not direct assistance.
But Carrie had been right that the old band camp property offered the best option in the area short of building from scratch. There was no way they could construct an entirely new facility that would provide even half of the housing space available at the camp. Not without a major benefactor. With so much of the town focused on raising money for the theater, their best route was to apply for as many grants as possible and use the funds awarded to buy the existing property.
Of course, the grant applications would require a full proposal, including the property they intended to use and the cost involved in obtaining it. According to Carrie, the asking price on the camp was significantly higher than the value, considering the distance from town and the condition of the place. No one had used it in at least five years. Nothing could sit empty for five years and be move-in ready.
Therefore, they needed a personal connection. An in with the owners. That’s where Cooper came into the picture. He knew everyone, so surely he’d know the proprietor of JW Property Management.
The second reason was, well, she just wanted to see him. Abby hadn’t spoken to her since Saturday night, and as stupid as it sounded, Haleigh needed a friend. Not that Jessi hadn’t been a cheerleader during this intense period of awkward silence, but she wasn’t Cooper.
With sweaty palms, Haleigh climbed from her car and forced her feet to move. Propelled by sheer will and a hefty dollop of lust, she reached the entrance to the garage, which was two bays wide with both doors completely open, and realized she had no idea where to go. Wasn’t there a rule about civilians walking into garages? As in, they shouldn’t?
“Can I help you?” a voice behind her said.
Haleigh nearly jumped out of her knickers as she spun on her toes to face a bearded giant wearing glasses with the thickest lenses she’d ever seen. They made his blue eyes look like dinner plates and must have weighed a solid pound each.
“Um . . . I’m looking for Cooper. The guy in charge?”
Well of course the blind lumberjack would know that Cooper was the guy in charge. What a stupid thing to say.
Looking her up and down, the man in filthy overalls leaned slightly right and bellowed his boss’s name. Haleigh resisted the urge to cover her ears. What he lacked in eyesight the man more than made up for in volume.
“What?” Cooper yelled from the bowels of the garage. She tried to locate the sound, but Haleigh couldn’t see anything other than a Buick with a raised hood.
“There’s someone here to see you!” yelled the least helpful man ever.
“Ask ’em what they want,” echoed back.
“Oh, for crying out loud.” Haleigh marched into the garage, ignoring the protests behind her, and found whom she believed to be Cooper tucked into the guts of the Buick from the waist up. “Is this how you greet all your customers?”
Cooper jerked, smacked his head on some big block-looking thing, and spewed an impressive stream of profanity before rising out of the machine. Rubbing his head, he looked as angry as Mabel the Charging Chicken until he realized who she was. Almost instantly, a goofy grin crossed his face. “Hey there, Hal.” He stepped around the front of the car, looking intent on giving her a potentially greasy greeting.