Cooper then headed back to Laura’s for a talk with Marissa. When he got there, Laura made it clear that he was unwelcome. When Cooper pushed that he wanted to talk to Marissa about the boys, Laura’s lips drew into a tight, white line.
“I’m tired of you hijacking my daughter. I’m tired of this game. You’re not her father. You’re not my husband any longer. Just get out of our lives. Get out of my life!”
“I want to find out who attacked her. I would think you would, too.”
“Talk to your partner! It’s not even your case!”
And then she slammed the door in his face.
So much for their earlier detente. Cooper had to work hard to keep his anger in check. Sure, Marissa wasn’t his, at least in the biological sense, but in every other way she was. They recognized themselves as father and daughter, and that relationship couldn’t be denied just because Laura wanted it that way.
Hell.
He started back toward his house, then turned around and drove straight to Jamie’s. The binder of notes on Emma’s attack was in the car with him. It wasn’t his to take home, but he’d done it anyway rather than take the time to copy everything.
He just wanted to talk to someone about it all. In person. Not on the phone.
He’d told Jamie he would stop by, which was great. She was just the person he wanted to talk to.
* * *
Jamie had left Harley alone to stew in her bedroom with Duchess as she headed to the store to buy some groceries. She had a note from Burton, whom she’d reluctantly told where to find the outdoor key, that said Duchess had been taken outside once during the day and that she seemed to be adjusting well. She texted him back, thanked him, and asked if there was anyone else this week who could help out as she would be substituting for the next few days at least. He’d texted back and offered to come on his lunch breaks for the rest of the week.
Dog door, she reminded herself.
She’d also gotten a call from the dishwasher repairman who’d said he might be able to stop by around five today, so Jamie was hurrying to be home by that time.
She ended up buying a rotisserie chicken, a variety of greens for a salad, and some premade mashed potatoes. Her phone rang its tone for a text, and she saw that the repairman was outside her house. Be there soon, she texted back, and then drove as fast as she dared to bump up the driveway. A white truck was on the street with Gold Appliances stamped in black letters on the driver’s door, so she threw a wave to the man sitting behind the wheel. He waved back.
She hurried up the steps and through the back, then hurried through the house to meet him at the front door. “Thanks for waiting,” she told him.
His name tag read Allen, and he looked about forty, with brown hair and an easy smile. “No problem.”
She showed him the recalcitrant appliance and then ran upstairs to tap on Harley’s door to let her know she’d picked up dinner.
“I’m not hungry” was the muffled response.
The dog whined a bit. “You’d better let Duchess out and feed her soon,” Jamie said. “The repairman’s down in the kitchen.”
“Tell me when he’s gone.”
Fifteen minutes later, Allen said, “You need a new dishwasher, ma’am. This one’s . . . old. Sorry.”
“Not a surprise.”
“You can check them out at the store, if you like,” he said, handing out a card for Gold Appliances.
“Thanks.” She paid him with her credit card, the balance of which was finally at zero again, and he headed out.
She let Harley know that he’d left. Harley came down the stairs with Duchess, took her to the backyard, and filled her bowl. She waited while Duchess chowed down her food, then the two of them went back upstairs and Harley barricaded both of them in her room again. Well, fine, Jamie thought. That would only work until Emma came home. She’d planned on picking up Emma as soon as she was done with the repairman, but Theo had called and said it was another bad day with the homeless man who seemed to frighten her so, and that she would be dropping her off.
Jamie was beginning to wonder who this guy was, and if Emma should even be going to work until he was somehow stopped from coming into the shop to see her.
Cooper arrived about an hour and a half after his phone call. Seeing him coming up her walk sent Jamie’s pulse racing. It drove her crazy, her reaction to seeing him. How could it be after all these years? She’d told herself she wasn’t the romantic type. Even eloping with Paul she hadn’t felt this way, but then, she had used him as a means of escape. Had he not died, she didn’t doubt they would have divorced.
But still . . .
She pulled herself together and answered the door with a smile. “Hi.”
“How’s everything going?” he asked.
“I don’t know how to answer that. Harley’s in her room and Emma’s still at work. There was an incident there with a homeless man who harasses Emma, I guess, but Theo took care of it and is bringing her home tonight.”
Cooper hesitated. “When is that?”
She looked at the clock. It was already after six. “Soon.”
He exhaled a deep breath. “Mind if I sit down?”
“Sure. Anywhere.”
He chose a seat at the table. She could tell something was on his mind and imagined it was about Marissa. “Can I get you anything? Are you off duty?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve got cheap wine, or . . . water?”
He smiled. “Cheap wine’s fine. I have some things I want to talk about before Emma gets here.”
“I’ve also got dinner that no one seems to be eating but me.”
“I don’t know that I can.
