“Hello?” Taneea nudges him as she rises to her feet and pushes past Jack to the end of the row.
Jack stands and leans toward me, “I’ll take her back to the Big House. That way you and Coop can have a few minutes of peace without her.”
My chest swells with joy. For as much as Jack sometimes hates sharing Cooper with me now that we’re boyfriend and girlfriend, he’s also ready to help when he can, too.
“Hey, T, you wanna come with me to the Big House to set up for the reception?”
“Uh, I’d rather go with Cooper.”
“Actually, he asked me to take you. He said with your sense of style you’d know how to make it look really good.” He plasters on his best snake-charmer grin.
“Well, he’s right.” She shoots me a quick sideways glance, as if debating whether to leave me alone with Cooper, but then a trickle of sweat runs down the side of her face. Annoyed, she wipes it off and turns to Jack. “Do they have air-conditioning up there?”
He grins. “On full blast.”
“Why didn’t you say so in the first place? Come on. If they want to melt, let them.”
She and Jack head down the path to one of the golf carts. Moments later, they zip away to the Big House.
Reaching my hand to stroke Cooper’s back, I ask, “You okay?”
“Huh? Yeah.” He’s quiet for a long moment before he stands and approaches my father who’s busy folding chairs under the tent. I follow close behind. “Uncle Jed, where’s my mother’s grave?”
Dad sets the chair on a rack with the others. He walks up to us, squinting in the bright sunlight, and points to a section just past a cluster of live oaks that is coiled with kudzu. “She’s over there.”
“Thanks.” Cooper pulls his Swiss army knife from his pocket, pries open the large blade, then heads in that direction.
Dad rushes toward him. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to cut back that crap on her grave.”
“No!” Dad grabs his arm, forcing Cooper to stop. “You can’t. Beau won’t allow it.”
“I don’t care what my father wants. If he won’t take care of her the way she deserves, I will.” Cooper wrenches his arm away and then charges toward the headstone.
As if fire ignites inside my father, his chest expands and his eyes fill with steely determination. “I can’t let you do that.” He races after Cooper and leaps in front of him. “Someday you’ll run this plantation but today is not that day.” His voice is low-pitched and gravely.
Who the heck is this guy and what did he do with my dad? I’ve never seen him so bugged-out before, not even when we came here when we were little.
“But she was my mother.” The knife falls to Cooper’s side.
Dad nods. “She was. And my friend, too. We went back almost as far as Beau and I do. But that doesn’t change what Beau wants or my duty to follow his wishes.”
“But why? What would it hurt to clean this place up?” Cooper gestures to the graves. “It’s our family for cripes’ sake.”
“When you’re in charge you can do things as you see fit. But until then, this site is off-limits unless I’m around.” He narrows his gaze at me. “That goes for you too, as well, Emmaline. And your brother. Don’t even think of being slippery and saying he wasn’t around to hear me say it. Are we clear?”
I nod, stunned by his forcefulness. “Yes, sir.”
“Good, now help me finish folding these chairs and we’ll go up to the Big House. Maybe some of Missy’s friends will show up for the reception.”
…
Cooper hardly says a word while we help my dad, or on the way back to the Big House. Though we sit on the rear-facing backseat together, he barely glances my way. When Dad drives up to the plug-in charging station, he cuts the engine and hops out, heading straight for the Big House.
Cooper goes to jump off his seat, but I grab his hand to keep him in place. “What’s going on?” I search his pale gray eyes.
“Nothing. Why?” His tone suggests that’s anything but the truth.
“You’re acting weird.”
“No I’m not.” His gaze shifts down.
“Yes you are. We’ve hardly seen each other lately and when we do it’s like you couldn’t care less to be around me. And I still can’t understand why you wanted Taneea here. It’s not like she’s family.”
He pulls his hand from my grasp. “I just did, okay? It’s my house. I can invite who I want. And for the record, the Guthries aren’t actually family either.”
Though true, his words hit like a sucker punch to the gut. A gush of breath whooshes out my lungs. “Yeah, but you don’t have to be a jerk about it.”
“I’m not. I’m just stating the facts.”
I shake my head. “Wow. I know things have been hard with the Beaumont Curse still hanging over your head and Missy’s death reminding you of your mom. And it’s pretty clear you’re still ticked about what I said about your dad and Missy. I’m sorry I hurt you, but I can’t sugarcoat what I think. Maybe some couples do, but that’s not us. We’ve always been honest with each other.”
“Why do you have to bring my father into this again? The coroner’s report said Missy died from natural causes.” His eyes are icy.
I level my gaze. “Are you kidding me? After everything we’ve been through this summer, why are you so willing to take things at face value? Can’t you see the weird similarities between your mom’s death and Missy’s? And don’t you think it’s strange that your dad doesn’t care enough about her memory to at least keep her grave cleared?”
He runs his fingers through this thick, golden-brown curls. “How am I supposed to know? I’m sure he’s got his reasons. It doesn’t mean he’s a murderer.”
I search his face. It’s rigid, almost fierce. And not my Cooper. I recoil. “Since when did you start defending Beau?”
And then a devastating thought hits me, sending a chill over my body even though it’s nearly a hundred degrees. What if the Beaumont Curse is starting to set in early? Cooper’s birthday is four days away, but no one ever said there was a precise start date to the curse, only that it would take hold when Cooper came into his manhood. What if that’s now?
I yank open the top button of his shirt.
“What are you doing?”
“Checking something.” I reach in and grasp the mojo. Clutching the small bag in my palm, I close my eyes and breathe deep, clearing my mind of all negative thoughts. Its electric energy flows through me, dancing up my arm and through my heart. Its power is strong. At least for now. I pull back my hand.
He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “You done?”
I nod. “Yes. You haven’t taken that thing off have you?”
“Just to shower. Why?”
I consider sharing my suspicion but given the situation, it’ll likely only add insult to injury. I know I promised to be honest with him at all times—and I fully intend to—when I’m absolutely sure I’m right. “Just make sure you wear it. It’s still working so it should protect you from all forms of black magic. But still, we can’t be too careful. Your birthday is really close.”
“Yeah. I know.”
I grab both his hands in mine and peer straight into those cool gray eyes. “Hey, you promised you wouldn’t give up without a fight. I need you to stay focused.”
He blinks. The creases in his brow relax and his gaze softens. Gently, he grasps my hands, entwining my fingers in his. My shoulders ease. He’s my Cooper again. “I will, Emmaline. I don’t want to lose you. Or myself.” He smiles, and then dips his head to place a kiss on my knuckles.