Kiss Me If You Can (11 page)

“Is it okay if I take a copy of your book with me? I want to read it. It will help me design your site,” Lexie said as she dried her hands on a towel.

He nodded. “Take the one on the bookshelf. I have extra copies in storage.”

He tried not to squirm at the thought of her reading his work. After all, publication
meant
his words were out there for consumption. But Lexie's opinion of him and his writing mattered, probably more than it should.

“I've been thinking,” she said, interrupting his thoughts. “Now that we know the ring really is stolen, there's a good chance that the necklace is, too. Which means my grandmother's in possession of stolen property. I need to talk to her and at least prepare her for the possibility that she might have to give the necklace back.” She leaned against the same counter he'd sat her on last night.

He shifted, pushing those memories out of his head before his body reacted more than it already was.

Her grandmother losing her necklace wasn't something he'd wanted to bring up, and Coop was glad she'd come to the decision on her own.

“Let me come with you when you tell her. Maybe I can help soften the blow.”

Lexie shook her head, her eyes sad. “The necklace's personal for her. Maybe she'll want to be alone when I break the news.”

Coop narrowed his gaze. He'd met Charlotte and, despite her age, she wasn't frail; nor was she irrationally emotional. He had a hunch she wouldn't mind having Coop there, despite Lexie's claim. Which meant it was Lexie who didn't want him there.

Because she was trying to keep an emotional wall between them, something he refused to allow. “Come on, Lex. She likes me. Hell, she already considers me a member of the family,” he said with a grin meant to disarm her. “I'm sure she'd appreciate the moral support.”

Coop's words were one thing. His goal another. In reality, he wanted to be there more for Lexie than for Charlotte. He'd already hurt her by not giving up the story and as their research and questioning progressed, harmful information might arise. He wanted to be there to help her through.

He could tell from her stiff posture and the uncomfortable silences that she no longer trusted him the way she had before. And she probably hadn't completely forgiven him, either. But Coop was a journalist used to digging for information and working to get what he wanted. He enjoyed a challenge and he wasn't giving up on Lexie.

He missed the comfortable woman who'd twirled lo mein in her chopsticks and talked a mile a minute between mouthfuls, laughing and smiling the entire time. He craved the soft, pliant female who'd come apart on his kitchen counter and again in his bed.

Coop never gave up. Eventually, he'd get her to soften toward him again. “What's it going to be? I'll meet you at your grandmother's?”

She opened her mouth, ready to argue, then closed it again. “Fine, if that's what you want to do. Be there around noon. My meeting should be over by then.”

He nodded, satisfied that she'd agreed. Though he already had an interview scheduled at noon, he'd just push it up or back, making Lexie his priority. “Afterwards we can go back downtown together and stop by the Vintage Jewelers to talk to Ricky. Okay?”

A muscle worked in her jaw. “Sure,” she said at last.

She wasn't throwing pillows or eggs at him, but she was nowhere near ready to let her guard down. Coop was equally determined to stick by her side during their free time until he'd gotten past her walls.

He glanced at the clock on the microwave and muttered a curse. “I need to get going.” Without hesitating, he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her toward him for a goodbye kiss.

And not a quick peck, but a long, drawn-out, lip-locking, tongue-dueling,
don't forget what we shared last night
kind of kiss.

 

L
EXIE WAS FEELING CLOSED IN
. Stressed by circumstances beyond her control, she needed time and space to think about her incredible night with Coop and the revelations she'd discovered afterwards. She also wanted to figure out a way to break the news to her grandmother about the stolen jewels and her grandfather's possible role in the theft. Normally, when she felt trapped, she hopped on a plane.

That wasn't an option this time, though she couldn't deny the desire to see wide-open spaces somewhere in the world. But not when she was so embroiled in this mystery and…yes, with Coop. She couldn't concentrate on work, so she canceled her appointment at the Hot Zone. Instead of heading home, she decided to do the next best thing to flying away.

Lexie found herself at the Empire State Building. She passed through security and purchased her ticket. Although early in the morning, the tourist site was already filling up, the lines beginning to form for the high-speed elevators. Lexie didn't mind. The hum of voices kept her company as she headed to the eighty-sixth floor observatory, a place she'd come many times before. It was always worth the wait and the price of admission.

Lexie used this place as her personal think tank whenever she was home and felt the world crowding her. The view through the windows provided a balm for her sanity. She knew the statistics by heart,
but it never ceased to amaze her. On a clear day like today you could see for eighty miles. The sky was blue and seemed to flow endlessly over the rooftops, reaching out toward Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, even Massachusetts.

She remembered her first trip here with her grandmother. As one of her “playing hooky” moments to avoid a skating lesson, they'd taken the fast elevators together. Her grandmother had held her hand and told her to lean her forehead against the cool windows.

Lexie repeated the action now, touching her head to the glass pane and closing her eyes. When she opened them again, she felt as though she were suspended in midair over the glorious city below. She inhaled deeply and waited for all her problems to float away. The breathless sensation she'd anticipated filled her for a little while, but soon her mind drifted to Coop and the feel of his lips on hers, the memory of his body deep inside her own and the uninhibited way she'd responded.

She couldn't allow herself to forget that he had an agenda of his own. The bigger the story about the ring turned out to be, the more invested Coop the reporter would become. Not to mention Coop the fiction writer. His interest was completely at odds with her own.

And that of her grandmother. Which led to the
next thing that preoccupied her thoughts. How to tell Charlotte that her beloved husband might have been involved in a house robbery and her precious necklace might have to be returned to its rightful owner. Suddenly, the endless blue sky and expanse of sun no longer held the same appeal.

Reality awaited her and Lexie had no choice but to deal with it the best way she knew how. Head-on confrontation. Which also reminded her that she needed to reprimand her grandmother for spying on her and Coop, snapping pictures like a voyeur and sending them off to the Bachelor Blog for public consumption.

She righted herself and stood for a few minutes, waiting for the light-headed sensation to end. Taking one last look at the incredible skyline, she turned and headed for the elevators.

She wondered what Coop would think of the view and realized she'd like to share her special place with him and watch his reaction to the city they both loved. A chill rushed through her, the idea leaving her shaken and yet giddy at the same time.

 

L
EXIE ARRIVED
back at her grandmother's with plenty of time to spare before Coop would show up for lunch. She needed to shower, change and maybe even sit her grandmother down and start the awkward conversation they needed to have. But
Charlotte wasn't alone. Sylvia had just put hair dye onto her grandmother's scalp and it looked like Charlotte was about to return the favor.

Lexie glanced at the two women. “Didn't I call and say Coop and I were coming by for lunch?” She'd suggested that he pick up deli sandwiches from her grandmother's favorite restaurant on his way and he'd agreed.

Her grandmother nodded. “And we're getting ready!”

“I can see that.” Lexie glanced at the purple dye in Sylvia's hair.

“Someone didn't come home last night!” Charlotte said, a twinkle in her eye.

Though she was an adult, Lexie flushed. Until now, living with her favorite relative had never caused a crimp in Lexie's social life. She'd always been thoughtful about checking in with her grandmother, just to keep her from worrying. Yet last night she'd been so consumed with Coop that all rational thought had fled from her mind. She'd never been so head over heels in lust before that she'd stayed out all night, forgetting about what her grandmother might think.

That, too, was telling.

“I hope you didn't worry,” Lexie said, concerned that she'd stressed her grandmother.

Charlotte dismissed the notion with an unlady-
like snort. “Of course not. I knew you were in good hands!”

If her grandmother only knew how good. Thoughts of the kitchen counter immediately came to mind and another heated blush crept up her face.

“Grandma, I heard the Bachelor Blogger posted an interesting picture yesterday. Would you happen to know anything about that?” Lexie asked, changing the subject.

Charlotte and Sylvia exchanged fleeting glances.

“Of course not,” her grandmother said.

Lexie raised a disbelieving eyebrow. “Oh, really?”

“Really. Your grandmother would never send a picture of you kissing Coop.” Sylvia slapped her free hand over her mouth.

“Kissing? Was that yesterday's blog? I hadn't had a chance to check it out for myself.” Charlotte shot Sylvia a disgusted look before attempting to cover.

“Me, neither, but that's what Coop told me, too,” Lexie said. “What's interesting is we'd only kissed twice. Once here and the other time we were completely alone.” She directed her pointed comment at her grandmother. “I don't appreciate you snooping or making my private life public. And on that note, I'm going to shower.” Lexie stepped backwards out of the room, keeping a watch on the two women the entire time.

To Charlotte's credit, she didn't flinch. “Sylvia's staying for lunch, dear.”

Lexie paused. As much as she adored her grandmother's friend, some news was better broken in private. “Coop and I have a lot to discuss with you,” Lexie said to her grandmother, trying not to insult the other woman Lexie considered family.

“No worries. Whatever you have to say I'd just tell Sylvia anyway,” Charlotte said.

In this case, Lexie wasn't so sure, but she forced a smile.

“But if you need a private lunch I understand,” Sylvia said as she walked to the sink and rinsed her hands.

“Nonsense. You're my person. You know all my secrets, so you're staying,” Charlotte said, hands perched on her hips.

Which meant there was no arguing, Lexie knew.

“You're more than welcome any time, Sylvia,” Lexie reassured the other woman. “Coop will be here around noon.” Which gave them a couple of hours to finish their hair and get decent, and Lexie time to put her night with Coop into perspective.

As if such a thing were even possible.

T
HOUGH
L
EXIE HAD AGREED
to let Coop come over, it had been grudgingly and he felt pretty sure she wouldn't welcome him with open arms. He stopped not only for deli but for flowers, too, hoping to smooth things over between them. Coop wasn't a flowers and chocolates kind of guy. He'd never given much thought to the whole kiss-and-make-up thing, either, but in Lexie's case he wanted whatever time he had with her too badly to let her stay angry.

He arrived twenty minutes late, thanks to a long line at the deli, and rang the bell.

The large black door swung open and Lexie stood on the other side. She had on white walking shorts and a ruffled tank top. Her hair had been pulled into a short ponytail and cute wisps of hair framed her face. As expected, desire kicked him in the gut.

Also as expected, she didn't look pleased to see him. “You're late” were the first words out of her mouth.

The same mouth he wanted to greet with a kiss,
but he refrained. “But I come bearing gifts.” He held out the flowers in one hand and the bag of food in the other.

“Thank you.” A flash of appreciation lit up her face, but when loud cackles sounded from inside, the joy faded.

“I hope they're not too drunk to enjoy the food,” Lexie muttered and stepped aside to let him pass through.

“Did you say
drunk?
” Coop asked.

Lexie sighed. “See for yourself.” She waved a hand and he headed into the violet-scented apartment. She took the flowers and the food and said, “I'll put these in water and get lunch on the table. The sooner they eat, the sooner they'll sober up. You can go deal with them in the meantime.”

Coop found Charlotte and another woman in the den with an odd-shaped bottle set on the table in front of them. “Oh, there he is! Isn't he even more handsome in person?” Charlotte said, more than asked.

“You flatter me.” He stepped forward and leaned over to kiss Lexie's grandmother on the cheek. A streak of dark coloring ran from her temple toward her ear. Her hair appeared a darker eggplant color, instead of the bright red he'd seen the other day. “You look lovely. And who is your friend?” Coop asked.

“Sam Cooper, this is my best friend Sylvia Krinsky. Sylvia, this is
the
Bachelor.”

“So nice to meet you!” Sylvia, whose hair was the same color as Charlotte's, rose to shake his hand.

“Same here.”

“Sit.” Charlotte patted the seat beside her. She hiccupped. “Excuse me,” she said on a giggle.

“I see you started the party without me,” he said, eyeing the bottle of Manischewitz, a brand of traditional Jewish wine.

“Yes, well what's deli food without a nice glass of vino to go with it?” Sylvia asked. “And Manischewitz is the wine of champions!”

“I don't think that's their slogan,” Charlotte said, her words ending on another hiccup. “Excuse me.”

“Well, it should be.”

“Lunch is ready!” Lexie called from the kitchen.

“Did you hear that? Food is served.”

And from the ladies' giggles between sentences, Lexie was right. It was none to soon.

Coop settled into the seat at the head of the table, as Charlotte insisted. He decided to take his cues from Lexie about how much to reveal to the women and when. Apparently, Lexie wanted to eat first and talk later, hoping to sober them up, no doubt. But Charlotte and Sylvia continued to pass the bottle of wine back and forth between them. Coop figured the
wine might loosen their lips about whatever they knew of the jewels.

Lexie didn't seem as certain. She eyed the women with concern and ate in silence. Not that either he or Lexie could get a word in anyway. Charlotte and Sylvia chattered nonstop.

“So, Grandma, I need to talk to you about your necklace,” Lexie finally said, interrupting them when she saw an opportunity.

Charlotte's hand went to her empty neck. “Oops, not wearing it today. Today was hair day,” she explained to Coop. “Sylvia and I do each other's dye jobs in order to save money on those expensive salons.” She patted her hair with one hand.

“I completely understand,” he said to the older woman before turning to Lexie. “Where do you want to start?” he asked.

“At the beginning. Grandma, remember how you were watching on TV when Coop received the ring?” Lexie clenched her hands together, her knuckles turning white under the strain.

“Oh, yes! I knew right then and there you'd be the perfect man for my granddaughter. I'm not getting any younger, you know, and it would be nice to have her settled before I pass on.” Charlotte drew her hands to her heart in true dramatic fashion.

“Gran! Cut that out,” Lexie said, appalled.

Coop wasn't sure what bothered her more, the
fact that Charlotte was still pairing them up as a long-term couple or her talk of dying one day soon.

Lexie exhaled hard. “Let's try to focus, okay?”

Charlotte's head bobbed up and down.

Sylvia's did as well.

“Good. Coop, why don't you explain what you found out about the ring,” Lexie suggested.

Charlotte and Sylvia closed their mouths and leaned forward in their seats, clearly interested in his story.

Just as he was interested in Charlotte's reaction. “After I chose the ring, I returned to my office and showed it to my style editor. She immediately recognized it as a valuable piece of a collection. Trifari, she said it was called.” Coop never took his gaze off Lexie's grandmother.

Wide-eyed, Charlotte listened without comment.

“Go on,” Lexie urged.

“Yes, do,” Charlotte said.

“A little research turned up something very interesting.”

“It was part of a set and my necklace is the match?” Charlotte asked, sounding proud of herself for making the connection.

“I wish it was that simple, Grandma. I need you to listen to what Coop says and please don't get upset. We need to watch out for your blood pressure.” Lexie's warm eyes filled with concern.

“My blood pressure's fine. Medication's controlling it and you worry too much. Go on, Coop,” Charlotte demanded.

A quick glance at Lexie confirmed that that's exactly what she wanted him to do.

“The ring appears to be part of a collection of jewelry that does include your necklace.”

“Aha!” Charlotte pumped her frail arm in victory. “I was right.”

Lexie groaned and rolled her eyes.

“But the entire set was stolen during a brazen house robbery in the 1950s. The set disappeared and the thieves were never caught,” Coop explained.

Charlotte fingered the paper napkin on the table, crumpling it into a ball. “Then whoever stole it probably turned it over to a fence and I bet that's how my Henry got the necklace.”

Lexie frowned and adjusted her glasses, something he noticed she did when deep in thought. “I thought you said Grandpa was given the necklace as payment for chauffeuring services.”

Coop had been about to call the other woman on the same thing.

“Exactly. Whoever gave your grandfather the necklace probably got it from a fence,” Charlotte said, amending her new story to suit the facts.

“Makes complete sense to me,” Sylvia said.

They reminded him of a comedy pair. Laverne and Shirley or Lucy and Ethel came to mind.

Coop rubbed his eyes with his palms. Their banter was getting to him as well. “Ladies, that would work except for one important detail. The family who originally owned the jewels and from whom they were stolen was named Lancaster and lived in Manhattan.”

Lexie nodded. “And I remember mentioning the other day that Sylvia once said Grandpa worked for a family named Lancaster.”

Charlotte's lips pursed in a pout. “As I recall, I said I don't remember that name or conversation. What's the point of all this?” She began fanning herself with the rumpled napkin. “Is it warm in here?”

“Grandma, are you okay?” Lexie rose from her chair.

“I'm fine. Just suddenly overheated from the wine.”

“Which is why you shouldn't be drinking.” Lexie began clearing the table, starting with the wine-glasses and bottle, carrying them to the sink far from Sylvia and Charlotte's reach.

“The Surgeon General says one glass of red wine is good for your heart!” Charlotte said.

“I'm sure half a bottle of Manischewitz Concord Grape exceeds the recommended daily allowance,” Lexie said.

“Get back to the point. I need to know what it is you're suggesting,” Charlotte said, her eyes narrowed.

Lexie drew a deep breath. “That maybe Grandpa didn't actually get the necklace as payment. Maybe he just said he did. Maybe he—”

“You think your grandfather was a thief?” Charlotte asked, her voice rising, clearly appalled at the notion.

Lexie rushed over and put a comforting hand on her grandmother's shoulder. “Grandma, I'm not saying that at all. Of course, I don't believe it. But if it appears that way on the face of things, then we need to dig deeper and clear his name!”

The pain in Lexie's face sliced through Coop unexpectedly.

“What's the point?” Sylvia asked. “Obviously, nobody has looked into that case in years. Why would they start now?”

Lexie's gaze fell to Coop and he squirmed in his seat. They both knew he'd be digging up the past and he waited for Lexie to out him.

She kept her hand on her grandmother's shoulder in support. “It turns out that, although Coop got the ring from a woman, the actual owner of the store is a man. And he's called Coop more than once trying to get the ring back.”

Lexie didn't meet Coop's surprised stare. She hadn't told her grandmother that he was planning to
write this story, and he couldn't imagine why she'd covered for him.

Before he could process the thought, Sylvia began to cough.

Charlotte jumped up and slapped her friend hard on the back.

“Watch it. You'll crack a rib,” Sylvia muttered.

“Are you okay?” Coop asked.

Lexie hovered on the other side of Sylvia's chair.

“I'm fine. Choked on my own spit.” The older woman dabbed at her damp eyes with a napkin.

Coop glanced at the toasted older women and knew they wouldn't be getting any lucid information from them today. “I think you ladies should lie down and take a nap,” he suggested.

“That's a good idea.” Lexie helped Sylvia up from her chair, then Charlotte. “Coop and I will take care of things here.”

As Coop watched the two women depart, he had the definite sense they knew more than they were telling. He just didn't know what. Or whether Lexie would see past her worry for her grandmother and believe Coop's instincts, which had never failed him before.

 

I
T DIDN'T TAKE LONG
to straighten up the kitchen after lunch and Coop helped Lexie, respecting her obvious need for silence. Lexie was grateful for the
short time to gather her thoughts. The pretty flowers he'd bought sat in a vase on the counter, reminding her that he wasn't a complete jerk. Just a self-centered one whose story meant more to him than her grandmother's feelings.

“I see you have your hands full with those two.” Coop broke the silence, speaking of her grandmother and Sylvia.

“Tell me something I don't know.” She blew her hair out of her face. “And I never got a chance to tell my grandmother that her necklace is stolen property and she'll likely have to return it.”

Coop nodded. “There's time for that.” He placed his hand on her back, the innocent touch immediately turning hot as awareness sizzled through her.

His eyes darkened to a hue she recognized from last night.

Lexie swallowed hard. How was it that this man had such an overwhelming effect on her?

“Let's sit,” Coop said, his voice rough. “We need to talk.”

His jaw was taut. Not a good sign.

“What's wrong?” she asked.

“Come.” His hand still on the small of her back, he guided her toward one of the kitchen chairs.

“Would you rather sit in the family room where it's more comfortable?”

He shook his head. “It's more private in here. I don't want your grandmother to overhear.”

Uh-oh.

Lexie lowered herself into her seat. “What's going on?”

Coop straddled the chair next to her, looking sexier than any man had the right to. “First things first. Why didn't you give me up? You could have told your grandmother about my story, but you didn't.”

She'd wondered that herself. “Don't get the wrong idea. I wasn't looking out for you. I was looking out for her. I figured she'd have enough to deal with today without adding that to the mix.” Which had been the initial reason she'd given herself.

There was another, more personal reason as well.

“Is that it?” Coop pushed.

Damn the reporter in him.

“Fine. My grandmother likes you.” And that mattered to Lexie more than it should. “I didn't want to disillusion her.”

Coop cleared his throat. “I don't think your grandmother has as many illusions about life as you think.”

Lexie narrowed her gaze. “What exactly does that mean?”

“You said yourself that she and Sylvia have been acting strangely lately, right?”

“So?” She locked her jaw, certain she wouldn't like the direction in which he was headed.

“Well, didn't you notice how quickly Charlotte came up with the fence story as an explanation? Before we even asked her how your grandfather would have come into possession of stolen goods, she offered an answer.”

“She's a quick thinker.”

Coop leaned in closer.

The masculine and oh-so-familiar scent of his aftershave sent her senses and her body into overdrive. Tamping down arousal in favor of rational thought wasn't easy, but she tried.

“And when we tied the robbery to the Lancaster family, she played dumb and claimed she didn't remember any such name.”