I wasn’t exactly sure why I shot a look at Rip, but I did, and luckily his attention was down on his food. So I shook my head.
“Your high school graduation?” he threw out next.
“Ah, I got my GED. I didn’t… finish high school the… normal way.”
Miguel blinked, and fortunately the florist answered, because he started rattling off a request and then an address.
I managed to eat the rest of my steak by the time Mr. Cooper made his way into the break room, one hand rubbing his stomach like he was starving, his eyes sweeping across the room. He shot me a big smile. “Looks nice.”
I smiled back at him just as Miguel hung up the phone and let out a big sigh.
“He said he can drop them off at her job by three.”
“See? She’ll only kill you a little now.”
Miguel slapped me on the back twice. “Thank you, Lunita. You’re a lifesaver.”
“You would have figured it out yourself.”
But freaking Miguel wasn’t done. “Luna?”
I tipped my chin up at him as I ate some more mashed potatoes.
He took a bite out of his own sandwich. “I think we need to find you a boyfriend.”
I stopped chewing at the same time that Mr. Cooper started laughing and set what looked like a chicken salad sandwich in the spot in front of where I was sitting.
I shook my head. “Ignore Mr. C, Miguel.”
Unfortunately, this conversation interested the man who had known me for five years. “What? Why you laughing, Mr. C? You think she needs to find a boyfriend too?”
I jumped in before Mr. Cooper could. “We had this conversation on the weekend. All I agreed to was maybe going on a few dates. Maybe. That’s it.”
Miguel nodded thoughtfully, popping a chip into his mouth. “I know five—no, three—”
“Oh, no. I’ve been to your family reunions.”
The other man started laughing.
I was going to use that moment to change the subject. “Anyway,what ended up happening with the guy you interviewed that you liked? Are you hiring him?”
I regretted the question the second it was out of my mouth.
Especially when Mr. Cooper’s eyes slid to Ripley’s direction. The much older man smiled anyway, his nostrils flaring just enough to tell me it wasn’t totally genuine. “He came in today. I think it went well, but we’re going to talk about it.”
“Is he nice?”
Mr. Cooper’s smile turned into a genuine one. “You think I’d hire somebody who wasn’t?”
I grinned at him, but all I could think about was that the only reason I was having a decent day was because Jason had a sore throat and wasn’t talking as much as usual.
But I kept my mouth shut on that topic.
* * *
I had just finished givingJason instructions for the rest of afternoon, my purse and keys in hand so I could leave for my gynecologist appointment, when I heard the yelling coming from upstairs.
Crap.
