When his shift was over, Coop met up with Rafe at a party at the clothing store. The sight of kids doing the ice luge on the display table was a quick little jab to his heart.
“How was work?” Rafe asked.
“Good. I got to tell off a customer,” Coop said with a knowing smile. He spent the party having a few drinks and a few laughs. He and Rafe took some stupid selfies in the dressing room. At the bar, he noticed some people making—and gagging over—sunshine bombs.
He had to put that in the past. Matty made it crystal clear where they stood. What killed Coop was how badly he wanted to be there for him right now after all that viral video bullshit. He wanted to hug Matty close and protect him from the whispers. Coop took a seat beside two mannequins posed in a doggy style position.
“You’re so glum!” Rafe pushed the mannequins to the floor and joined Coop on the bench. “Give it time. Matty will forgive you. You know what you need?”
“More alcohol?”
“A grand romantic gesture.”
Coop rolled his eyes.Not the time, Rafe.
“If you want to win Matty back, and convince him without a doubt that your feelings for him are genuine, then you need to do somethingbig. I can order another set of bow ties for you.”
“Pass,” Coop said, but Rafe’s suggestion did have some merit. As this point, anything was worth a try. Coophadto do something big to prove himself to Matty. He racked his brain for an idea.
Coop stood up and paced back and forth. He thought about Kelvin’s reaction in the student store. Kelvin’s response to him didn’t sit right. It was one of the few times when he wasn’t smiling.No, I did not,he had said. Coop remembered from a behavioral psychology class in the fall that liars don’t use contractions. It was one of the few things he remembered from any class since it was actually applicable to real life.
He nodded to himself, a plan coming together. “I need to clear Matty’s name.”
“I’m listening.”
“Matty thinks that Kelvin sabotaged him. I need to prove he’s right.” Determination flowed through his veins. He stared straight ahead, lost in thought. As Matty would’ve told him, Coop was fully in the Zone. “If Kelvin sabotaged him, we need proof. We need to access his computer at Park Duncannon. If there’s any evidence, it’ll be there.”
Rafe waved a hand in front of his face, breaking his concentration.
“You’re serious about this?” Rafe asked.
Coop nodded yes. He clenched his jaw tight.
“You want us to sneak into a high-rise building, break into a guy’s apartment, hack into his computer, and find proof of sabotage even though neither of us know the slightest thing about computer programming?”
Coop shrugged. “You told me to do something big.”
Rafe smiled wide enough for the two of them. “Hell yeah.”
* * *
Ahalf-hour later, they were ready to go. Coop got Akash, Tim, and Tom to join him and Rafe in their plan. The guys met up at the clock tower on campus and made their way over to the high-rise.
“We can’t just walk in. They have a doorman, and you need to check in,” Tom said, who may have been the most nervous of them all.
“We’re not going through the front.” Coop had a sweet burst of nostalgia.
When they reached the building, Coop broke right, down the alley. It was a lovely stroll down Memory Lane, with an added dose of adrenaline. Tim was the tallest of all of them, and he vaulted each guy over the fence. They checked out the clear blue water of the pool reflecting in the darkness. Too bad for them, they were about to make an abrupt turn off Memory Lane.
“This way.” Coop and the guys walked along the wall of the building, staying away from any light. The door to the staircase was unlocked.Jackpot.He held it open for his team. The Catan guys were now all equally nervous and looking around. Rafe seemed to be having a ball.
“This is fun! I feel like Robert DeNiro in that Nancy Meyers film.”
They climbed up fourteen flights of stairs to Kelvin’s floor. Coop gave them all a minute to catch their breaths. If they went to the gym as frequently as he did, they wouldn’t be as winded.
Coop made sure the coast was clear. Even he got a little scared when they arrived at Kelvin’s front door.The things you do for the people you love.
“Tom, you’re up.” Coop stepped aside.
