Fate of the Fallen Read online

  “We can meet there,” Nathan said. “But if memory serves me, it costs five bucks per vehicle to park.”

  Trish shook her head and waved off his idea. “I vote we carpool.”

  Jake nodded approvingly. “Less gas, less money. I like it.”

  “Not to mention better company than driving alone,” Cooper said.

  Nathan smiled. “Great! How about we meet at the church parking lot at nine? We can all get a little extra sleep and still have plenty of time to take advantage of the great outdoors.”

  • • •

  The Bible study group left the Lee house at around four o’clock, and less than an hour later Cooper was out the door, headed to her younger sister’s home. Six months ago, following a difficult pregnancy, Ashley Love had given birth to a beautiful baby girl. These days, though, despite the fact that she loved being a mom, Ashley craved the company of other adults, and a new committee at church was affording her that very opportunity. Tonight, while Ashley and her husband, Lincoln, attended a committee meeting, Aunt Cooper was on babysitting duty.

  The Love mansion was nestled in the wealthy community just off River Road, an easy drive from the Lee house. It was a different world here, among the wealthy upper crust of Richmond society, of which Lincoln’s family was a generations-old member. There was a time when Ashley let the pressures of social rank dominate her schedule, but pregnancy and parenthood had forced a change. A small person with absolutely no social ties or personal wealth now meant more to her than all the affluent and influential connections in Richmond put together. Ashley was a better person for it.

  When Cooper arrived at her sister’s home, she parked her truck in the long driveway and hurried to the door. Ashley would undoubtedly insist on giving the same babysitting tutorial she delivered every time Cooper watched little Hannah. That Ashley felt the need to repeat every detail might have been insulting, were it not for how adorable Cooper thought her little sister was. Her baby sister was just taking care of her baby.

  Adorable.

  Ashley met Cooper at the door with a hearty hug. “Thank you so much, Coop!” Ashley glanced back over her shoulder, down the hall toward the nursery. “She’s sleeping now. I owe you one.”

  “Owe me?” Cooper waved off the idea. “I don’t think you realize how much I love spending time with my little niece.”

  Cooper waved at Lincoln, who sat on the couch reading, and followed her sister to the mansion’s master bedroom, where Ashley donned a set of beautiful black pearl jewelry. “She went down about an hour ago,” Ashley said as she primped. “She’ll probably be waking up soon, and when she does, it’s a diaper change, and then—”

  “Feeding time.” Cooper smiled. “I know.”

  “Well, there’s a bottle all ready for her in the—”

  “In the fridge, top shelf, and if she needs more, I can warm up a bag from the freezer.”

  “Right,” Ashley continued, despite Cooper’s obvious expertise. “If she gets upset, use the pink pacifier, because the green pacifier—”

  “Makes her even more upset for some inexplicable reason.” Cooper took her sister gently by the shoulders. “Ashley, this isn’t my first time babysitting Hannah. We’ll be just fine.”

  Ashley drew in a deep breath. “I know you’ll be fine. I really do. You’re great with her, and she loves you, but . . .”

  “It’s still hard to leave her.”

  Ashley nodded.

  “It’s just for the evening, you know. You’re not taking off to tour Europe for the month.”

  “Doesn’t matter, Coop. You know, I need to be around other grown-ups sometimes. I really ache for conversation and interaction, but it’s so hard to walk out that door. Every time I’m away from Hannah, it’s like . . . it’s like I leave part of my heart behind with her. No matter what else I’m doing, I’m thinking of her, in the back of my mind. I can’t stop. I can’t feel quite whole. Does that make sense?”

  “It means you’re a good mom,” Cooper assured her, dodging the question. Seeing her sister and Hannah together made her ache to have a family of her own. She wanted to understand what it meant to have a little person so attached to her heart. She wanted Ashley to know how wonderful it was to be an aunt. She wanted it desperately. Just a little more time, she told herself. Wedding, honeymoon, family. She smiled at Ashley. “You and Lincoln should go have a good time. Relax. Enjoy your committee meeting, and, hey, if you want to, feel free to go get something to eat afterward. Have a mini date night.”

  Ashley hesitated. “If we do that, you’ll need to put her down for the night. Her pajamas—”

  Cooper put up her hands to stop her sister. “Pajamas are in the top drawer. She likes the doggie book before bed, and her preferred sleepy-time stuffed animal is the gray rabbit. We’ll have a wonderful time together, as always, and if anything interesting happens, I’ll give you a call.”

  Ashley hugged her again. “My phone will be on the whole time if you need anything. Anything.”

  No sooner had Ashley and Lincoln walked out the door than Cooper heard a murmur in the nursery. She went down the hall and found Hannah wide awake, talking in her own special language to the farm animals on the mobile above her crib. A wide, one-toothed grin and a high, happy giggle greeted Cooper when she leaned over to see her niece.

  Cooper lifted Hannah out of her crib and hugged her close. “Hello there, sweetie! Did you have a good nap?”

  Hannah reached out and grabbed at her hair.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” She quickly changed the baby’s diaper and then carried her out to the kitchen to get the bottle. After warming up the milk, the two of them settled back in the nursery, in an old wooden rocking chair that had been built by Lincoln’s great-grandfather. The attention to detail was exquisite, the motion, smooth and silent. It was so comfortable, Cooper often forgot she was sitting on bare wood.

  More importantly, Hannah loved to be rocked in it.

  As Hannah guzzled her milk, Cooper sat back, rocking gently. Every once in a while, Hannah looked up from the bottle and smiled at Cooper before continuing with her meal. When she was done, Cooper placed her on the floor, propped up by a fluffy pillow, and sat in front of her with a teddy bear. Hannah reached out and patted the bear on top of the head.

  “That’s very good,” Cooper said. “I can tell your great-grammy has been teaching you how to pet Popeye and Little Boy. Nice and gentle. That’s it.”

  The fun was interrupted by a tinny rendition of The Beatles’ “Hard Day’s Night.” Cooper’s phone was ringing.

  “What do you want to bet that’s your mom, checking on us before the meeting starts?” Cooper asked, digging the cell out of her pocket. Nathan’s picture filled the screen of the smartphone. “Looks like I was mistaken,” she said to Hannah. “What does Uncle Nathan want to talk about, do you think?”

  She answered the phone as Hannah laughed. “Hannah’s happy you’re calling, Uncle Nathan.”

  “Hey, Coop. I completely forgot you’re babysitting tonight. I don’t want to interrupt.”

  “You’re not interrupting. I like to hear from you, although I feel like we just saw each other.”

  Nathan chuckled. “We did just see each other, but I got some news a few minutes ago, and I wanted to share. Are you guys at your place?”

  “No, I came over to Ashley’s. You’re welcome to come over. I know Ashley wouldn’t mind.”

  “If you were home, I was going to drop by. I’m close, on my way to a business dinner with some clients. Afraid I don’t have time to come all the way over to River Road, though.”

  “Well, we’re sorry we’ll miss you. What’s the news?”

  He paused. “I’d rather tell you in person.”

  The hesitation gave Cooper an uneasy feeling. “Is it good news or bad news?”

  He answered quickly this time. “Good news. Great news, actually. Big news, too. So good and so big that I want to share it in person. If I’d seen the email earlier, I w
ould’ve told you this afternoon, but I only just read it.”

  “But since we can’t get together now, why don’t you just tell me over the phone?”

  “Nope. You’ll just have to wait.”

  Cooper felt the butterfly nerves fluttering in her stomach. What kind of news could it be? “Not fair! You brought it up. You have to tell me.”

  “You have to wait. I want to see your face when I tell you. It’ll give you something to look forward to. A surprise.”

  “I suppose so.” She saw a little trickle of white down Hannah’s chin. “Look, I’ve got to go. My charge just spit up.”

  “Have fun with that. Talk to you later.”

  Cooper set her cell on the floor next to her and grabbed the burp cloth from the arm of the rocking chair. “What is Uncle Nathan’s news?”

  Hannah whipped her head side to side to try and avoid the cloth, and when Cooper successfully cleaned her off, Hannah giggled. Then she reached up and put her hand on Cooper’s face.

  Cooper’s heart melted. “You’re right, you’re right. How could I be thinking about Nathan’s silly old news when I’ve got such an adorable niece to spend time with?”

  2

  “It’s one of those new gourmet coffeemakers,” Angela explained, presenting the impressive machine to Cooper with a Vanna White flair. The receptionist wore a brown pencil skirt and a sweater with a coffee mug on it. A new coffeemaker—and such a nice one at that—was something to celebrate at the Make It Work! office. They went through at least three pots a day. Angela continued. “I told Mr. Farmer that the old coffeemaker was an ancient monster, and he went right out and got us this one!”

  Cooper looked the machine over. It was massive. “Nice.”

  “Nice?” Angela gave her a look. “Just nice? Cooper, nice doesn’t even begin to describe it. You can choose from three brew strengths and four brew sizes, including a full carafe. Or you can set the delay with the carafe, so that it brews right before you get here. That way you walk in the front door to a carafe of freshly brewed coffee.”

  “I’ll upgrade my appraisal to very nice.”

  “It has an auto-clean function and a clock.” Angela pointed to a basket of little pods beside the coffeemaker. “And it makes coffee, tea or hot chocolate. I bought some of each so we can try everything!”

  “All right, I’m impressed. Mr. Farmer has good taste.”

  “I agree.” Angela winked and then sighed. “Isn’t Mr. Farmer wonderful?”

  Cooper stifled a laugh. To her, Mr. Farmer was a Danny DeVito look-alike with a nervous temperament and good business acumen . . . not exactly a swoon-worthy guy. But to Angela, he was Prince Charming. When the urge to chuckle had passed, Cooper replied, “Nothing says love like expensive caffeine.”

  “What’s more, the whole machine is hooked right into the plumbing, so we don’t have to fill a reservoir. Just pop in the pod, and voilà!” Angela eyed the coffeemaker as if it were two dozen long-stemmed roses. “He’s such a good man.”

  “And a good boss.” It had taken a long time to get Angela and Mr. Farmer together, but it was worth the wait. They were both so happy, and Cooper was happy for them. “Have you tried it yet?”

  Angela poked through the pods in the basket. “I was just about to when you came in.” She finally picked out a pod. “For my inaugural cup, I think I’ll have to go with French Vanilla.” She placed a mug under the spout, popped the pod into the machine, pressed a couple of buttons, and a moment later the coffeemaker came to life. It sputtered slightly and hissed. Then, a stream of hot coffee poured out of the spout and into the mug.

  Angela replaced it with a clean cup. “What’ll you have, Cooper?”

  Cooper looked over at the basket. It was too early to choose. “Surprise me. But something strong.”

  After another look through the basket, Angela placed a pod in the machine and started it up. “I got you a dark roast—the strongest one—and I put it on the highest brew strength. And the biggest size.”

  “That ought to be perfect.”

  “It ought to be like motor oil. Everything all right?”

  Cooper thought of Nathan. “Everything’s wonderful. I just didn’t sleep well.”

  “Because . . .”

  “Nathan.”

  Angela got a devilish glint in her eye. “Oh, really?”

  Cooper shook her head. “No, not like that. I’m finally comfortable with the idea of waiting for that. He called me yesterday and told me he has news—big news.”

  “Good news or bad news?”

  “Good, apparently.”

  “For Heaven’s sake! Didn’t he tell you what the news is?”

  “He wouldn’t. He said he wants to tell me in person. I was up half the night wondering what it might be.”

  Angela handed over the dark roast coffee, and Cooper tried a timid sip, expecting a thick, bitter brew. Instead, she found the flavor quite pleasant. “Mmm,” she hummed. “Very, very nice.”

  “What did I tell you?” Angela said, beaming. “Nice doesn’t even begin to describe it. This thing even makes would-be motor oil taste good! Now then, back to your problem. Any idea what this big, good news might be?”

  Cooper took another drink. “I concluded that he might be getting a pet . . . or going on a trip . . . or donating a kidney . . . or possibly joining the CIA.”

  Angela chuckled. “That’s quite the range of possibilities.”

  “Amazing what sleep deprivation does to the imagination.”

  The reception phone began ringing, and Angela answered it. Cooper picked at the flowers on Angela’s desk while she waited. Every Monday, Angela brought a fresh bouquet to brighten up the office, and today’s was a beautiful spray of baby’s breath and pink peonies.

  “That was Mr. Farmer,” Angela said, hanging up the phone. “He’s finalizing our trip plans and wondered if I’d ‘be so kind as to bring him a cup of coffee.’”

  Cooper waited while Angela chose a coffee pod. For months, Mr. Farmer had been planning a two-week trip to visit current suppliers, potential suppliers and potential big-ticket leasing clients in Virginia and New Jersey. He and Angela would endure roughly twenty business meetings, starting in Vineland and ending in Atlantic City, where they were staying a few days for vacation.

  “I think I’ll get him a French Vanilla, too.” Angela prepped the coffeemaker.

  “I’m glad things are going so well for you and Mr. Farmer.”

  “So am I,” Angela replied. “I’m just waiting for him to pop the question.”

  “Dropping hints?”

  “Maybe a few . . . But as long as he asks at some point, I’m not too anxious. Took him long enough to ask me to dinner in the first place. He’ll take his own sweet time for this, too.”

  “I wish I had your patience. I’m going crazy wondering about Nathan’s news.”

  Angela patted her on the arm. “That’s only because it’s fresh in your mind, Cooper. It’ll get better as the week goes by. When do you expect to see Nathan?”

  “We’re both busy all week, and he insists on seeing my face when he tells me. I don’t know when we’ll be able to get together.”

  Angela frowned. “We’re leaving first thing tomorrow. That means I’ll have to wait until we’re back to hear what he says.” Her frown dissolved in a spate of laughter. “And I’m sure that’s what you’re most concerned about, right? Whether or not I get to hear your fiancé’s news before I leave.”

  Cooper smiled and laughed, downing another drink of coffee. Angela sometimes had a wicked sense of humor that tended to put Cooper in a good mood. The caffeine surging through her system didn’t hurt, either. “Are you looking forward to your trip?”

  “Of course! I mean, most of it’s sure to be dull and dry. I can’t imagine a meeting with a parts supplier being anything but.” She got a sly little grin. “I’m just looking forward to the end of the trip. It’s been years since I was in Atlantic City. If it’s half the fun I remember, we’re in for
one heck of a time!”

  Mr. Farmer popped his head out of his office. “Is that Cooper out there with you, Angela?”

  “Sure is, sweetie,” Angela said, winking at the boss and leaving him red-faced.

  He cleared his throat nervously, but with the slightest hint of a smile on his lips. “Good. I, uh . . . I need to talk to you, Cooper.”

  Coffee in hand, Cooper went to his office, Angela on her heels, and took a seat. A moment later, Make It Work!’s leasing manager, Ben, joined them.

  “Sorry I’m late,” Ben said, sitting in the chair beside Cooper. “Had to finish up a call with a client.”

  “Oh, there’s no rush,” Mr. Farmer replied. “I just want to make sure things run smoothly while Angela and I are gone. Now, Ben, you and I have already had this discussion, but I wanted you here so we know we’re all one hundred percent on the same page.”

  Cooper looked from the boss to Ben. What discussion were they having? And what page were they on? A little twinge of worry sparked in her stomach.

  Mr. Farmer continued. “You’ve both been working for me for a long time, and I trust you both with the business. However, Cooper, you did join Make It Work! about a week before Ben did. That means you have seniority.”

  “Okay . . .” Cooper said slowly.

  Mr. Farmer extended a handshake to her. “So congratulations. While I’m gone, you’re the interim boss of Make It Work!”

  Ben and Angela applauded. Cooper felt a flush of heat on the side of her neck at the attention. When she woke up this morning, she certainly hadn’t expected this. “Thanks, Mr. Farmer. I hope I can keep things running up to your standard.”

  “I’ve tried to get everything in order before we leave, so you won’t have too much extra work to do. But while we’re out, the buck stops with you. If any major, business-changing decisions come up, feel free to call me, but for all the day-to-day work, you’re in charge. Ben here will back you up with whatever you need. And of course you’ll have the rest of the employees around to help.”

  Ben grinned. “Emilio’s volunteered for receptionist duty.”