“Good job, they’re beautiful. So I take it you met Mae then?”
I pause, bottle at my lips, and look at June. “I did. I didn’t realize you were friends.”
“Yeah, Gracie and I needed flowers for something, and we invited her out. I found out Francesca and Leo left her the shop and moved down to Florida. I’ve been checking on her because she’s kind of alone out here.”
“That’s nice of you,” I mumble, staring at the fire.
“I guess. I told her that’s what we do out here,” June says.
“You’re right about that.”
“I also heard from my big brother that you saw her when we were at the Wooden Cowboy.”
I make a face, and she throws her head back on a cackle. “Does Coopy have a crush?”
I don’t answer. There’s a lot going through my mind. I mean, sure, Mae is beautiful, and I had to force myself not to stare blatantly at her while I was with Naomi. But I’m also about to go through the process of legally becoming Naomi’s guardian and continue trying to be a good father to her. I’m not sure how dating fits into that.
“Cooper,” June says, placing her hand on my arm.
I glance at her and take another drink of beer.
“We see all you give to her, Coop. And I know you know, but we are here to help you. You aren’t alone in this.”
I grab her hand and squeeze it. “Thanks, June Bug.”
“Of course. Okay, enough sappy stuff. Do you have a crush on Mae?” June asks excitedly.
I snort and shake my head. “I mean, I don’t know her, so I don’t think I can say either way.”
“But you’re clearly into her,” June says.
“Why do you want me to admit it so badly?” I ask her.
She sighs and leans back in her chair.
“Because I want you to be happy, and I don’t know Mae super well, she’s a little quiet but I can tell she’s got a good heart. I can see it,” she says.
“I suspect you just want to set me up so you can ignore your own feelings.”
June goes quiet, and I peek at her again. “I want you to be happy too,” I say gently.
June refuses to look at me and swallows thickly. I know she thinks most of us don’t see, and she hides it well. But family, especially one like ours, sees what we might want to keep to ourselves because we’re all up in each other’s business.
“I am happy, Cooper,” she whispers.
“Why won’t you go for it? What’s stopping you?” I ask her.
June sighs and takes a long drink. “There are things you don’t know, Coop. Things that I don’t want to talk about.”
“Did he hurt you?” I growl. I’ll go get my cousins, and we will beat his face in.
“No, not like that, not … no. Let me put it this way — it’s complicated, and I don’t think I’m ready to face it, and I definitely know he’s not,” she says.
I press my lips together, not sure what that means. “Well, let me know if you need me.”
She hums, staring into the fire.
My mom waves her hand at me from across the fire pit. Naomi is sound asleep in her lap. I set my bottle on the edge of the log next to me and walk around to them.
