Kiss Me If You Can (23 page)

Amanda shook her head. “I'm sorry but I didn't order anything.”

He cocked his head to one side. “Well, someone ordered red wine. I thought it was you.”

“I don't drink red. Lexie? Would you like it instead?”

Before she could answer, a woman carrying a tray filled with champagne tripped and fell into the man holding Amanda's supposed drink. The red alcohol spilled all over Amanda's beautiful dress, while the other waiter's glasses full of champagne also fell to the floor, crystal shattering and champagne splattering everywhere.

Amanda jerked back, stumbling into the jewel-laden table before righting herself.

“Here, let me help.” Lexie knelt down for the pile of napkins that had also fallen to the floor. As she
bent lower, she saw the waiter reach out and snag the ring from the table and slip it into his pocket.

She blinked, absorbed what she'd seen and immediately stood and called out. “Security!”

The waiter froze.

“That man took the ring!” Lexie yelled.

He turned to run, realized he was surrounded and the next thing Lexie knew, he'd grabbed her, yanking her against him. Something sharp pricked the skin on her neck.

He had a knife.

And he had her.

 

C
OOP SPOTTED
C
HARLOTTE
and Sylvia in the crowd. He hadn't seen the women yet this evening and he wanted to say hello.

They noticed him as well and waved.

He inclined his head and made his way across the floor.

“Ladies, don't you two look beautiful tonight,” he said to them.

They both blushed and fluttered their eyelashes, pleased with the compliment.

“Thank you! I wanted to wear my magenta dress but Lexie and Sylvia thought this dress did wonders for my skin tone.”

“The other dress made her look like a Spanish hooker,” Sylvia explained.

Charlotte glared at her.

“Well, it's the truth!”

Coop laughed. “You made the perfect choice for the evening,” he assured Charlotte. “So. Have you heard anything from Ricky?” he asked the two women.

They eyed each other warily.

“No,” they finally said at the same time.

Coop nodded, satisfied. He'd figured the other man would stay out of their lives and vice versa to keep their past history under wraps.

“Have you seen Lexie?” Charlotte asked.

Coop shook his head. Not since the coat closet, but he doubted her grandmother would appreciate what had transpired in the other room. He knew she'd been hurt by his reaction to her question and he was worried she'd left the gala alone.

Instead of telling her grandmother that, he said, “I was just about to ask you the same thing. I'll go see if I can find her before the actual auction begins.”

“We'll come along,” Charlotte said.

With the older women hooked on to either one of his arms, Coop strode through all the people milling around.

“I'm so excited to see where my necklace goes,” Charlotte whispered. “I hope it's to someone special. Oh, there's Lexie!” Charlotte pointed a few feet away, to the crowd near the auction items.

Coop turned and his gut cramped at the sight of her in the low-cut silver dress, his body immediately remembering hiking the hem over her waist and thrusting inside her. Then he'd let her walk away.

What kind of idiot was he?

Charlotte raised her hand to wave at her granddaughter.

A second later, chaos broke loose.

Glass shattered.

Lexie screamed.

Coop, Charlotte and Sylvia pushed through the crowd, getting to Lexie in time to see a waiter, one hand around her waist, a knife to her throat.

He wondered if he was dreaming, but clearly he wasn't. Nausea swamped Coop as he took in Lexie's panicked expression and the knife in the man's free hand.

Amanda came up beside him. “One minute we were talking, the next…chaos!” she whispered.

Coop glanced around for Sara and found her slowly making her way past stunned guests, but the undercover security guard was too far away to do any good. Rafe, her ex-partner, slowly circled from the other side of the room, but he wouldn't get near the guy in time, either.

And there was no way Coop could reach Lexie before the other man panicked and thrust the knife into her throat.

“He's got the ring,” Lexie called out to Coop.

“Shut up!” He pricked her skin with the tip of the blade. A small trickle of blood oozed down her neck.

Coop swallowed but his mouth was bone dry. “Just how do you think you're getting out of here?” He stepped toward them, his hands in the air, trying to buy time.

“Who the hell are you?” the waiter asked.

“I'm with the lady you're holding. Now just relax,” Coop said to the man, attempting a step forward.

Lexie's wide-eyed gaze never left his.

“Stay there!” the other man yelled.

Coop drew to a halt. He couldn't turn and call attention to Sara or Rafe, but he hoped they'd had time to move in closer.

“I'm just gonna walk out of here,” the waiter explained, never moving the knife. “And nobody's going to stop me.” He pulled Lexie along with him as he made his way toward the exit door.

Lexie teetered, tripping in her high heels.

“Faster!” the waiter yelled.

Coop lost years off his life. He couldn't believe he'd found a woman like Lexie, only to lose her forever. If he'd agreed to go to Australia, she wouldn't have been alone, an easy target.

The man reached the exit at the same time Sara approached from the other side. But before she could act, the guy shoved Lexie hard, forcing her to twist
her ankle and hit the floor, while he bolted up the stairs without looking back.

Sara slipped her gun out from beneath her dress and took off after him.

Coop knew Rafe would go after her, so Coop ran for Lexie and knelt down, pulling her into his arms. He breathed in her familiar scent, grateful she was alive and well and shaking in his arms.

“You're okay, sweetheart,” Coop promised her.

Lexie drew in a deep breath, believing it because Coop's strong arms reassured her. He'd faced the guy with the knife for her, too.

“Are you sure you're not aiming for your cop brother's job?” she said, forcing a laugh.

“Been there, tried that,” he said.

Surprised, Lexie lifted her head and met his gaze, at the same moment Charlotte threw herself over Lexie.

“I almost lost you and that is not okay!” the other woman wailed, her thin arms feeling especially frail.

“I'm fine. I swear. But I think you're squishing Coop to death.” Lexie tried to make light of the situation but they all knew the man could have slit her throat.

Lexie almost gagged at the realization.

She, Coop and her grandmother stood up.

Coop kept one arm around Lexie, the other
around Charlotte. Sylvia stood beside them wringing her hands despite Lexie's continued reassurance that she was fine.

“Well, you certainly know how to liven up a party, young lady!” Jack Cooper said, walking over.

Lexie hadn't realized his father was here.

“I'm okay, Mr. Cooper.”

The other man frowned. “It's Jack. And this is my…lady friend, Felicia,” he said, gesturing to the woman who stood by his side.

Lexie smiled at the other woman, and since there was no way around it, decided more introductions were in order. “Grandma, this is Coop's father, Jack, and his friend, Felicia. Mr.—Jack, this is my grandmother, Charlotte Davis, and her friend, Sylvia.”

“Nice to meet you,” Charlotte said.

“Me, too,” Sylvia added.

“The pleasure's all mine, ladies.”

The duo remained silent.

Lexie narrowed her gaze. The two women must be shook up for them not to fawn all over Coop's father.

“Dad, have you heard any news about Sara?” Coop asked his father.

He shook his head. “She's a trained professional. She'll be fine,” Jack said. But he held Coop's gaze too long, and Lexie realized the situation was still serious.

Before she could ask questions, the police burst through the doors. While the cops herded people into groups for questioning, paramedics arrived and insisted on checking Lexie over.

For the first time, she put her hand to her neck and realized there was blood there. She blinked, suddenly dizzy.

“I'll stay with you,” Coop said.

“We're just going where it's quiet,” the man with an emergency kit said, gesturing across the room.

Lexie smiled at Coop. “I'm okay. You find out what's going on and where Sara is. Gran, you and Sylvia come keep me company.” Lexie figured the other women wouldn't want to let Lexie out of their sight.

Coop reluctantly stepped back and headed toward the commotion across the room.

She let the paramedics lead her to a quiet corner and a short time later, the man had bandaged Lexie's neck and checked out her ankle.

Coop joined her just as she was pronounced fit, to a hovering Charlotte's relief.

“Did they get the guy?” Lexie asked Coop.

“Not yet,” Jack said, joining them, real worry in his voice. “The waiter must have been expecting someone to follow him because he ambushed Sara on the rooftop. Rafe was a split second too late and the guy's holding her hostage.”

Lexie gasped.

“Rafe's trained SWAT and they called in the full team,” Jack said to reassure her.

It didn't work and Lexie shook her head, frightened for Coop's best friend.

“I'm not sure I can handle much more,” Charlotte said, drawing Lexie's attention to her grandmother.

As much as Lexie wanted to stay with Coop until this ended, she knew she had to get Charlotte and Sylvia away from the excitement and stress.

“Come, Grandma. Let me take you and Sylvia home,” Lexie said, wrapping a reassuring arm around her grandmother's shoulders.

“You're a good girl. Let me go talk to Sylvia,” her grandmother said.

Coop met Lexie's gaze. “I'd take you all home, but I have to cover this for the paper.”

“I know. And Sara is your best friend. I understand. I'd stay, too, but…” She tilted her head toward the older women.

“You need to get them out of here. And you need to rest. I'll come by as soon as I can,” he promised.

“Okay,” she said, not wanting to further upset her grandmother with the real question on her mind.

To what end? What was the point of Coop coming over when he'd already made it clear he wasn't interested in the lifestyle she had to offer?

Sara's question rang in Lexie's ear.
Where do
you see yourself five or even ten years from now?
she'd asked.

Maybe it was time Lexie figured that out.

L
EXIE DIDN'T SLEEP MUCH
.
When the image of the crazy waiter grabbing her with a knife didn't keep her awake, the memory of sex in the closet with Coop did. Along with his accurately spoken words.

Had she really expected him to leave his life behind for her wandering lifestyle?

And wasn't that the crux of it? For as much as she loved to travel, it was time she faced facts. She was twenty-nine years old with a successful career, a substantial bank account, an aging grandmother and not much else to call her own.

When Charlotte was gone, what would be left? And when Lexie looked down the road, is that all that she wanted for her future?

She shook her head, realizing that Sara, a woman she'd just met, had nailed her dead-on. She had been running. Not facing the fact that her grandmother was growing older and so was she. She didn't have to give up her love of travel, but it was time to grow up.

Lexie showered, dressed and headed for the kitchen. Her grandmother was already sitting at the table, still in her robe.

“Are you okay?” Lexie asked.

Her grandmother nodded. She didn't jump up to greet Lexie as she usually did. “But I should be asking you that question.”

“I'm fine.” She placed a hand on her neck. She'd replaced the too-big bandage with a small Band-Aid. It was just a nick and would heal in no time. “That was too much excitement last night.” Lexie poured herself a cup of coffee and added more into her grandmother's cup before joining her at the table.

“I could have lived without the man and the knife,” her grandmother admitted.

She looked old.

And tired.

Lexie covered her weathered hand.

“Have you heard anything from Coop?” Charlotte asked.

Lexie shook her head. “Not yet…wait.” She ran to her room to check her phone, returning with it in her hand. “Dead.”

Charlotte frowned. “You're really going to have to lose that nasty habit of forgetting to charge it.”

“I know.” She placed the useless phone on the table.

“Wouldn't he have called here if he had news?” her grandmother asked.

“I doubt he'd want to wake you this early. Did you check for the newspaper yet?” Lexie asked.

With a shake of her head, Charlotte rose and walked into the hall, opened the door and returned with the paper. “I was too exhausted this morning to do much of anything. Here.” She slid it across the tabletop. “Tell me what you find out.”

Lexie pulled off the plastic wrap and scanned the front page. Sure enough, there was a short article with Coop's byline. She only hoped he was hard at work and not at the hospital waiting for news about Sara.

Lexie read quickly, relief pouring through her. “Looks like Sara's ex-partner intervened and got Sara out safely,” Lexie said, relieved. “But she injured her knee.
Reinjured,
it says. Oh, they use the word
career-threatening
. I feel awful!” Lexie knew how much the other woman loved being a cop.

“Oh, that poor child,” Charlotte said. “We'll have to send her flowers!”

Lexie smiled at her grandmother's thoughtfulness. “Absolutely.”

“What about the waiter?”

She continued reading. “Sara's partner, Rafe Mancuso, was seriously wounded, but his injuries aren't life-threatening. Wait! Listen to this. According to the police, the waiter in question turned out to be the same man in a recent string of other snatch-and-grab robberies at major events and collectors'
meetings throughout the city. An eyewitness identified him as the man driving the getaway car at the last incident where he struck and killed an innocent bystander!”

Charlotte sucked in a shocked breath.

“It says the suspect—the waiter—knew if he got caught last night he'd be charged with murder in that case, so he panicked, grabbed me and made his escape,” Lexie said, lowering the paper.

“Oh, my.”

Lexie nodded.

Together, they sat in silence for a few minutes, digesting the news.

“I need to talk to you,” Lexie said at last.

“And I need to talk to you.” Her grandmother looked up, a serious expression on her face.

Lexie gestured with a sweep of her hand. “Age before beauty.” She laughed.

Her grandmother chuckled. “Fine. I'll go first. You're a fool if you let Coop go. And no granddaughter of mine is a fool.”

Lexie exhaled long and hard. She also nodded. “You're right.”

“I am?” Charlotte sounded stunned.

With a shrug, Lexie said, “Of course. I'd be a fool to let Coop go and I'm no fool. I am, however, a woman in transition.”

She went on to explain to her grandmother how
she'd blurted out the suggestion that Coop go to Australia with her—omitting the part about sex in the closet. “I never even took his feelings or his life into consideration. I just blindsided him. And myself, since I never planned on asking him. It just happened.”

“He didn't take it well, hmm?”

Lexie rested her chin in her hand. “Nope. We hit a stalemate and we both retreated to our separate corners. Then the gunman grabbed me and my life flashed before my eyes. My empty life.” She picked up a paper napkin and began shredding it to little bits. It wasn't easy to admit her failings and it helped to have something else to concentrate on.

Charlotte leaned back against the cushion of her chair. “If your life is empty, there's a simple solution. Fill it up! I had a full life, but it would have been even fuller if your grandfather had lived. Or if I'd let myself love again,” she said, her tone wistful and sad.

“I'm sorry.”

Charlotte shook her head. “Don't be. I made my choices. But if you learn nothing else from me, learn this. Live each day to the fullest. Make sure when you're my age and look back, you don't have any regrets.”

Lexie smiled. “You're a smart woman, Grandma.”

“Tell me something I don't know. Now what did you want to say?” Charlotte asked.

Lexie glanced at the coffee she'd yet to drink. “To
fill the emptiness, I need to make some changes.” She drew a deep breath. “And as much as I appreciate your giving me a place to return to, it's time for me to find a home of my own.”

Her grandmother's eyes opened wide. “My baby bird is finally leaving the nest.” Charlotte clasped her hands to her chest. “I thought the day would never come.”

“You aren't upset? But what if you need me?”

Charlotte waved her hand, dismissing the notion. “Isn't that what those computer lessons were for?” she asked, a naughty smile flirting across her lips.

“Which ones?” Lexie asked, wryly. Rising from her chair, she pulled her grandmother into a hug, savoring her familiar and comforting scent and feel.

Life without Charlotte as a safety net loomed before her. Instead of being scary, though, it was an exciting prospect.

“So where does Coop fit into this new home of your own?” her grandmother asked.

“I'm not sure.” Lexie met the older woman's inquiring gaze. “But this decision is about what's right for me. No matter what he decides.”

Charlotte smiled. “I'm so proud of you!”

As always, her admiration and acceptance warmed Lexie's heart. “What can I say? I learned from the best.”

“You most certainly did.”

Lexie dumped her untouched coffee into the sink, rinsed the mug and placed it in the dishwasher. “I need to go out for a little while.”

Charlotte pulled the lapels of her housecoat tighter. “Where to?” she asked.

“Where I always go when I need to think.”

Lexie had plans to make for her future. Whether or not Coop wanted to be part of those plans was up to him.

 

C
OOP GOT NO SLEEP
. He'd put the early edition to bed, and then gotten started on the afternoon one. He'd called Lexie's cell a few times in between, only to realize that she'd probably forgotten to charge the damn thing. And 6:00 a.m. was too early to wake Charlotte.

In the moment the waiter held the knife to her neck and the times he'd had to relive it since, Coop knew he couldn't live without her. If it meant traveling around the world, so be it. At least he'd have her by his side. Maybe giving up his job
would
free his creative spirit. He sure as hell hoped so because after his savings ran out he didn't know how else he'd pay the bills.

He showed up on her doorstep, flowers in hand, to find out Lexie wasn't home. Charlotte had been happy to accept the flowers, however.

“Where can I find her?” Coop asked.

“Where she always goes to think,” Charlotte said.

“Are you being deliberately cryptic?” he asked the older woman.

She pinched his cheek. “Certainly not. I'm telling you what I know. If you're as intelligent as I think you are, finding her shouldn't be a problem.”

Coop rolled his eyes. “I'm going!” To the only place in the world he thought she might be.

 

L
EXIE SETTLED HERSELF
on the floor, her back to the glass windows overlooking the city. Because it was raining outside, the landmark was relatively empty, not many people interested in looking out over soupy fog. Lexie didn't care. She knew she was high above the clouds and that was enough for her.

She turned on her iPod and stuck her headphones in her ears, then focused on the real estate section of the paper. There were so many choices.

Apartment or house.

The city or the suburbs.

Rent or buy.

Her heart beat faster at the thought of having her own place at last. Things to come home to. Knickknacks with meaning. Pictures. Books.

“Excuse me, but you realize this isn't a public library,” a muffled voice said.

“I know,” Lexie answered without glancing up.

“It's not a coffee shop, either.”

Lexie frowned. “I can't be in your way. There's an entire set of windows for you and there's no view to look out at anyway!”

Someone kicked at her feet.

“Hey!” She glanced up, intending to give the annoying person a piece of her mind, and looked into a familiar set of gorgeous blue eyes. “Coop! What are you doing here?”

But even as she asked, her pulse sped up because he knew this was her special place.

“Why do you think I'm here?”

“Looking for me?” she asked hopefully.

He nodded, his gaze warm.

“How's Sara?” she asked. She'd been worried about the other woman all morning.

“In a lot of knee pain. Pissed off about potentially not being able to return to full capacity. And in a foul mood. But both she and her partner are going to be okay and that's all that matters,” Coop said. “Mind if I join you?”

Lexie gathered her things, freeing up the space beside her.

Coop settled on the floor next to her, back against the window, his long legs stretched out in front of him, his thigh touching hers.

The heat traveled straight to the pit of her stomach, settling low. “How did you know where to find me?” she asked.

He turned his head, meeting her gaze. “Your grandmother told me you went to the place you always go to think.”

She couldn't help but smile. “Good thing you know me so well.”

“I'd say so, or else I'd be wandering the city.”

He still hadn't shaved and she ran her hand over his scruffy beard.

“Like it?” he asked.

She grinned. “I do.”

“Hey, can I ask a favor?”

She nodded. He could ask her for anything and she'd likely agree.

“Either buy an extra cell phone or learn to charge your battery. In the
future,
I can't not be able to get in touch with you,” he said, his voice husky and gruff.

The future.

Her heart skipped a beat at his use of the word. “I think I can manage that.”

“Good. So what made you come up here? What's going on in that beautiful head of yours that you need to think about?” he asked, picking up the paper she'd been reading.

Embarrassed, Lexie wanted to snatch it back. Instead, she curled her hands into tight fists, waiting for his reaction.

He studied the page, his eyes narrowing in confusion. “It's the
New York Times
Real Estate section.”

She swallowed hard. “I've heard it's the most comprehensive.”

“Is your grandmother looking to move?”

“No.” Lexie bit the inside of her cheek. “I am.”

Confusion darkened his gaze. “I don't understand.”

Lexie drew a deep breath. “I'm looking for a place of my own. An apartment or maybe a house. I'm not sure. I'm also not sure if I want to stay in the city or explore something more suburban. Although that might be too ordinary for me, at least at first.” She knew she was rambling, but until she'd made her point and he understood, she couldn't relax.

“Lexie, if you're looking for a place of your own because you think that's what I want—”

She shook her head. “This has nothing to do with you. Well, that's not exactly true. If it weren't for you I probably wouldn't have taken a hard look at my life. But I'm doing this for me. It's time I stood on my own, don't you think?”

Coop was dizzy and the altitude had nothing to do with it. “That depends what you mean by standing on your own. If you can do that with me by your side, then, yes, I think it's time. And you don't have to settle down for there to be an
us.
I was wrong insisting that you had to give up what makes you you.”

She met his gaze, but said nothing.

So he continued. “You're special, Lexie. I always knew that. You brought that vitality into my life and believe it or not into my work. My writing work. And that's what matters. The crime beat will exist without me. I want to travel and see the world through your eyes.”