Chapter Two

Cooper

How did I land myself in this mess? All I’d wanted was an afternoon on the water. Instead, I found out that my rowing partner jacked up his wrist and was going to be out for at least three weeks, maybe four.

As I cut across the field to get to my truck, I spotted Kate and thought I’d ask if she needed a ride—she lived just outside of the district and I knew that her mom often worked crazy hours. When I noticed her longingly looking at Pecker—the same look I’d witnessed a couple of months ago when we were working on our history project in the library and he’d walked in—I couldn’t help but comment. Half the girls in school went crazy over the guy, who, in my opinion, was kind of a jerk.

Okay, I might be biased, since my major beef with the guy started last year at the Spring Festival, after his team beat mine in the annual race across the lake. Sure, it was in two-man wooden rowboats, not boats specifically designed to glide through the water as quickly as possible, but rowing was my thing. I’d competed with my eight-man team at State and won, after all. How could Mr. Preppy Football Player beat me?

The answer was he had a better partner. This year, I made sure that I’d have the better one—and I had, until the idiot got drunk over the weekend, fell out of a tree, and tore a ligament in his damn wrist. He’d better be ready to go by the festival, or I’ll…

Even mentally threatening to re-injure his wrist seemed too harsh, tempting or not. More than anything, I was just grouchy that I might not get as much time on the lake as he healed. It was easier to convince my parents to let all those hours slide when it involved someone else.

I’d called everyone in my list of rowing contacts, only to find people were already paired up to train for that race or other events, or busy with another sport—baseball, lacrosse, track. Dang overachievers.

“Cooper, are you even listening to me?” Kate waved her arms and stuck her full bottom lip out in a pout. “I’m practically begging here, and my pride is already injured. The least you could do is answer me.”

I pulled my full attention back to Kate. Like I said, it wasn’t that she wasn’t pretty—with her big green eyes, long dark hair, and laidback jeans-and-T-shirt style, she had the wholesome girl next door look. But she always came across as a girl who was serious about life in general—I knew firsthand how seriously she took her class assignments and grades—and the type of girl who’d definitely demand exclusivity. Mick Pecker would never go for that, not unless she was someone else’s girl and he wanted to take her away for sport.

“What do you need?” she asked, sticking a fist on her hip. “Help in a math class? I’m also pretty good at science. Or I can…knit sweaters or scarfs or beanies.”

“You knit? Wow. That’s…something my grandma does.”

She made an exasperated noise, somewhere between a growl and a sigh. “You know what? Never mind. I don’t want your stupid help.” She grabbed her backpack and started away, throwing the words “You probably couldn’t even pull it off anyway” over her shoulder.

The side of me that loved a challenge perked up. My main goals for the rest of this semester were sliding through my classes and lots of time in my boat, but I could use a little more adventure, especially since once this summer ended and college started, my life was basically over. It’d be a degree in something mundane like political science or criminal justice, then three years of law school, then sitting in an office and practicing boring law, because that’s what Callihan men did.

I quickened my steps to catch up with her. “Hold on.”

She spun around and narrowed her eyes. Yikes. The girl could give a serious dirty look, even though her sweet features still didn’t quite match her deadly expression. “You owe me, you know. Who gave the bulk of our presentation on World War One when you were”—she made air quotes—“so tired from your last rowing competition?”

I’d been so slammed last semester, and she’d taken point, no complaints. “You got me there. I would’ve never scored that A without you.” Which gave me an idea…I’d seen how focused and determined she got. How organized she was. That attention to detail and time management was exactly what I needed to up my training right now. Plus, I remembered how she’d surprised me with how well she handled a boat on the lake a few summers ago. “I have a proposition for you…”

Her eyes narrowed further, suspicion mixing in.

“My rowing partner for the Spring Festival race busted his wrist, and I need to keep up my training. How about you be my partner until he recovers?”

She wrinkled her nose.

“You asked what I needed. Not only do I need to keep up my training to ensure a top spot on Harvard’s rowing team, I want to win the Spring Festival race, and I’ve seen you out on the lake, remember? You can handle yourself in a boat. Plus, Pec—Mick—always enters that race, too, and he’s out on the water practicing sometimes. It’ll only help land his attention.”

Her posture relaxed a fraction. “I’m listening…”

Was I really doing this? Hell, if anything, the girl was highly entertaining, and if it came down to me alone on the boat trying to keep track of everything while juggling the oars, or having Kate along to keep me on task and provide a more accurate picture of a two-person race, that seemed like the better option. Added bonus, it provided the time-commitment-to-someone excuse that would help keep Dad off my back. “Train with me, and I’ll train you on how to land Mick.”

She shushed me again. “Seriously, you always say it so loud. I don’t think you can be discreet, and if this got out…” She hugged her arms around her middle as if she needed to protect herself.

“It won’t. I’ll be more discreet. I’ll help you, and I guarantee that by the end of the month”—I lowered my voice—“Mick will be the one staring at you.”

She seemed to be mentally weighing her options. “How long do I have to train with you?”

“Until Jaden’s wrist heals. Probably three weeks, maybe four.” If it took a whole month, that’d only give Jaden and me one week of practice until the actual race, but at least I’d stay strong enough to make up for it.

“Three or four weeks? That’s intense.” She pressed her lips together, resolve settling into her features, and then her gaze lifted to mine. “I want him to do more than stare. I want him to go to prom with me.”

Prom? Shit, when this girl went for it, she really went for it. Most girls were obsessed with that one special night dancing among cheesy decorations, while most guys couldn’t care less, except that it meant their dates might be more adventurous.

Kate’s face dropped, and I got the feeling I’d accidentally insulted her by not responding with a resounding yes to being able to make it happen. “Easy peasy,” I said, then considered kicking my own ass.

“Easy peasy?” she asked with a giggle.

Great. The girl who liked to knit and solve equations was mocking me. Good thing I didn’t care what anyone at this school thought about me. “Just don’t tell me you’re planning on knitting your dress.”

She shoved me. “I’m already regretting admitting anything to you. But fine. Your deal is acceptable.” She held out her hand, apparently wanting to shake on it—I’d remark that it was the kind of gesture that gave off the serious vibe, but decided I better hold off until we’d sealed the deal.

I shook her hand. Her skin was crazy soft, her hand so small compared to mine, and I couldn’t help but notice the bright blue nails.

The zing that raced through my veins surprised me, but like I said, I did love a challenge. Not that I’d admit to how big of a one it was to her, but I had a feeling she’d have a lot of competition.

A smile curved her lips. “Operation Prom Date is go for launch.”

“You named it?”

“What? I’m supposed to wait for you to come up with a clever name? Likely story.”

I bit back a laugh—she was a little more bonkers than I realized. Yep, these next few weeks will definitely be amusing, if nothing else.

An older SUV pulled into the parking lot, and Kate released my hand and hiked her bag higher on her shoulder.

“Meet me tomorrow after school for training,” I said. “I’ll give you a ride home after, but fair warning, you’ll get back sort of late.”

“That’s okay. I usually do my homework in class anyway.”

As she walked away, I noticed the way her long ponytail swayed in time with her hips. So the girl might be on the serious side, but I could definitely work with that.