I wished I could help him somehow.
He’d told me to come find him after the wedding. Did he mean at the reception? Did he want to dance with me? Maybe approaching would cheer him up, but…maybe it wouldn’t. What if he’d changed his mind? The fact that his attention had shifted away from me caused my hesitation. I clasped my hands beneath the table, fighting the urge to pick at my nails. Estelle had given me a mini-manicure after I cried last night, and I couldn’t ruin them with my stupid habit.
Before I decided what to do about Jesse, Cooper sauntered over to my end of the table. He looked down at me, a bored look on his face. “I think I’m supposed to dance with you.”
I glanced around him, and sure enough, the bridesmaids andgroomsmen were pairing up. Jesse already had Jackie’s hand. “Oh!” I quickly stood.
Cooper’s hands were in his pockets as we walked to the center of the dance floor. “I have no clue how to do this shit.”
I giggled. “It’s not hard. I can teach you.”
“Okay.”
“First of all, get your hands out here.”
He took them out.
“Your left hand you hold up like a platform for my hand to rest on. Like this.”
He copied my gesture.
“Then your right hand goes on my waist or back.”
His hand tentatively hovered an inch from my side. “Right here?”
“Sure. Now we can do fancy stuff or just sway. Up to you.”
He snorted and started to sway. “I look like I’m ready for fancy stuff?”
“Absolutely. You’re basically a pro now.”
The right corner of his mouth ticked up.
“So what do you do at Meadowbrook?”
“All the crap no one else wants to do.”
“Ah. You’re the grunt.”
“Yup.”
“Do you like it?”
He shook his head. “I like that I get paid, have a place to sleep, food on my plate, and freedom to leave.”
“Sounds like a great gig. I can’t leave my job,” I joked.
He frowned. “Oh, are you in a contract or something?”
“I was kidding.” I laughed. “I meant my kids. I’m a mom.”
“Gotcha.” His halfhearted smile returned. “What’s it like? Being a mom?”
I tried to hide my surprise at such a question. It seemed like a strange, almost juvenile thing to ask. “Well, it’s…” I considered listing all the things I did alone every day, but the words died on my tongue. I’d be lost without my girls. “It’s a joy. They are my world. Sometimes, it’s hard taking care of little ones all the time and not being able to put myself first, but…the best things in life require giving ourselves away. And they’re worth that.”
Cooper’s brows furrowed in thought, but he didn’t respond.
“I noticed you and Tag don’t have any family here beside your cousin. Are you close with your parents?”
