Love on the Line (Beaumont Legacy #2)

13. Maya

Chapter thirteen

Maya

H aving Cooper stay at the house for the next few days while they hammered out some more logistics and paperwork was a blessing and a curse. Maya loved not being alone in the big house, loved the feeling that she was safe here with him.

But it also meant seeing a half-naked Cooper walk past her from the bathroom to the guest room while she stood by and tried not to stare, the muscles of his abdomen straining, his thick shoulders and arms shining with droplets of water. It meant lying on the lawn, pretending to read a well-worn novel she hadn’t touched since high school as he worked out in the home gym her father had put up in their backyard .

Now, as they sat together at the dining table, she tried to focus on her computer screen and not the way his biceps looked in his Sabers T-shirt.

Focus. Focus , she told herself. Viola is working on transportation and advertising. What’s next?

Her eyes strayed across the table of their own volition, and she stifled a groan, annoyed with herself. Maya stood, pacing the length of the dining room to put some space between them. She needed to think clearly, and that was becoming increasingly difficult the more time she spent in his company.

Maya couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this bothered by a man, if ever, but she knew what she and her going-to-need-new-batteries-soon vibrator would be doing tonight—a reminder to buy a rechargeable one as soon as possible.

Cooper cleared his throat, finally looking up from his laptop. “Are…you okay?”

“No. I mean yes. Yes. I’m great. Better than great.”

“Oh- kay ,” he responded, drawing out the last syllable. “One of the companies I contacted to help with the event got back to me, and of all of the ones we’ve looked into, this seems like our best option.”

Maya stopped pacing. “Okay, perfect. Are you still sure the end of April is okay?” They’d talked about when they should have the fundraising event over the last couple of days, and while she wanted to have the gala as early as possible, she knew he would be busy with the draft.

“Yeah, the woman I talked to thinks we should plan to have it right at the start of May and that an evening event will be best. She sent some stuff for us to consider in the meantime, if you want to work on that tonight.”

“Good. Yes, let’s do that.”

After they’d gotten back from Serve It Up two days ago, they’d dove right into their work, going down Maya’s to-do list that seemed to grow by the day. It was exhausting and exciting at the same time, and even better, only hours after they’d left the tennis center, Viola had called and let Maya know she already had three people interested in taking lessons with her with more calling in by the minute.

Viola must have really talked up her qualifications, but Maya wasn’t going to complain because this was what would ensure she could pay Cooper back for all he’d been willing to give.

She and Cooper had been working all day, but with him going back to Charleston the next morning, they’d agreed to work late into the night to make sure they finished everything they could.

Maya sat back down, and Cooper turned his computer so they could both look at it. They went through the handbook the woman had sent, identifying themes and decor they liked. Or rather, that Maya liked, because Cooper kept waiting for her to choose and then would agree with her adamantly.

“Coop! Pick something on your own. ”

“Nah, this isn’t really my forte. Ma told me I’m not allowed to plan parties in general, and I think, for everyone’s sake, that’s probably for the best.”

Maya cocked her head inquisitively. “What did you do?”

“Let’s just say that me, petting zoos, and magicians do not mix.”

Maya laughed, a hand on her chest at the ache that had begun lessening there. The new feeling was warm and had begun settling around her comfortingly. “Please say more.”

Cooper sighed. “So keep in mind that I was, like, fifteen. I was planning a party for my youngest sister, Daisy, and I guess I didn’t do my due diligence in the slightest because the magician I found not only did not inspire awe with his illusions, but he managed to make the cake disappear. Permanently, and not in a magical way. Turns out, he was a pretty clumsy performer and dropped it right there in front of her…after he’d already set a few decorations on fire. Poor Daisy spent an hour crying.”

“What does that have to do with a petting zoo?”

“Mm, another one of my mishaps, I’m afraid. I guess I didn’t do a good enough job of making sure the goat enclosure was properly secured before the party. The decor-on-fire situation did not go over well with the goats. They sort of escaped. And chased all the guests. Which only made more of a mess.”

This time, Maya’s head fell back as she laughed, uninhibited, feeling the good kind of tears forming in her eyes. Cooper joined her, the deep noise reverberating through the dining area, setting her insides alight and turning them gooey .

“Poor Daisy.”

“Oh, she was so upset. She wouldn’t talk to me for days after.” That made them both laugh harder. When they’d calmed down, their eyes met and held. A moment, and then another. And then another.

“No party planning for Cooper, then,” Maya murmured softly.

“‘Fraid not. But I’ll be cheering you on in all the decisions you make.”

“A tragedy to lose out on your creativity. A magician and a petting zoo? What ever will our donors think of our gala without the might of your creative genius behind it?”

“We’ll just have to tell them my genius was lost in a magician’s fire and that you were born without any. It’ll be tough for them to hear, but hopefully they’ll be so sympathetic to our plight, they won’t even care what we’re raising money for.”

After a moment, when Maya couldn’t find anything else to say, she chuckled. “So, you’re a little chaotic but memorable.”

She hadn’t meant it in any certain way, but if the look on Cooper’s face, stricken and a little mischievous, was any indication of how he’d taken it, Maya was sure she’d just crossed their imaginary line.

The one Cooper had drawn in the sand almost two years ago.

His eyes were fixed on her, dropping down as she licked her lips nervously, the hand he still had on the table balling into a fist, the muscles of his corded arm straining .

“Sweetheart, any time spent with me is unforgettable.”

Words became a foreign concept to Maya, as did breathing. She made a concerted effort to inhale, eyes never leaving his. A little smirk was forming on his face, like he knew exactly what he’d done to her.

Danger , a little voice said in the back of her mind. Bad idea , it continued.

She cleared her throat. “Right. Well, let’s finish this so that poor woman can get started on a gala that includes neither magicians nor animals one would find at a petting zoo.”