Operation Prom Date (Tactics in Flirting, #1)(57)

Her laugh trailed after her, and I watched her go, a mix of emotions swirling through me, but the top one was happiness for her. Mom’s willingness to put herself out there again encouraged me to stop being a wimp and head over to the stands. It might hurt to see Cooper, but I wouldn’t let that stop me from enjoying the race. Or doing a little cheering for my former training partner, no matter what’d happened between us.

I spotted Mrs. Callihan in the crowd, and when she looked my way, I waved.

The guy next to her had to be Cooper’s dad. He had the same blond coloring, but his features were on the austere side of the spectrum.

The thought of Cooper’s expression eventually turning so serious, just to make his dad happy dug at me, and my feet propelled me forward. Luckily I was no stranger to making a fool of myself—might as well do so for a good cause, even if it ended up being in vain.

“Mrs. Callihan.” I gave her a nod and turned to address her husband, my rapid pulse hammering behind my temples. “Sir, I know you don’t know me, but I just have to say that Cooper’s crazy smart, and he puts his heart into what he loves. I take full responsibility for him telling you that he doesn’t want to be a lawyer, but I hope someday you’ll realize that it’d be a shame if a career that made him unhappy drained him of his passion.”

The lines in Mr. Callihan’s forehead creased more with every sentence. With my piece delivered, my courage faded and the urge to flee took its place. “So…that’s all I have to say. And, um, it was nice to meet you.” I glanced at Mrs. Callihan, who beamed at me. “I’ll be cheering for Cooper. Okay, bye.”

“You must be Kate,” Mr. Callihan said as I backpedaled—and in typical fashion—bumped into a passerby.

“Did I forget that part? Yeah, I’m Kate.” I tentatively lifted my hand. “I’m a little afraid to shake your hand. Please don’t crush it.”

A low chuckle emanated from him. “Well, Kate. I know you don’t think my son should be a lawyer, but I’m starting to think you’d make a good one. I think you might just stun everyone into agreeing with you.”

“Thanks?”

“It’s a compliment coming from him,” Mrs. Callihan said, placing her hand on his arm. “A high one. And Cooper and his father are working on a compromise.”

“We are?” Mr. Callihan asked.

“You are,” she assured him in a tone I wouldn’t dare disagree with.

“Really? I’m so glad.” I bit my lip. “So yay and I’m sorry and I’ll get out of your hair.”

When I turned around, I nearly smacked into Jaden. “There you are,” he said. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

“You have?” I lowered my eyebrows. “Why?”

“You can still row, right?”

“I haven’t been training the past week or so, but I didn’t, like, forget.”

“Good.” Jaden clamped on to my hand and started dragging me toward the row of boats. “I need you to be my partner in the race.”

I dug in my heels. “No way. I came to watch the race, not to be in it. And even that’s going to be hard enough for me.”

Jaden spun to face me. “Cooper went crazy this morning and he says he’s going to row with someone else because I’m not fast enough.”

“Oh, Jaden, I’m so sorry.” I patted his arm, trying to show him I understood but also that he shouldn’t take it personally. “He just gets like that sometimes.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice about how he gets.” He tilted his head toward the line of boats in the water, where people busily fiddled around with them, wiggling oars and stretching for their big race. “Just come be my partner. Please.”

“I…” I had a feeling going out on the water to do something Cooper and I had done so many times would only add to the constant ache in my chest, but I didn’t want to leave Jaden hanging—he’d been so nice to me. The added please made it impossible to say no, too, dang it. “Okay. But is Cooper all right? I talked to his dad and—”

Jaden’s eyes widened. “You talked to his dad? That guy is scary.”

I nodded. “Oh, for sure. But he’s not as unreasonable as I thought.” Which might be attributed more to his wife, but still. “Seriously, Jaden, I need to know about Cooper. Is he okay?”

“Depends on the outcome of this race,” he said, his voice taking on a weird, cryptic tone.

Mick glanced up as we passed him and Vance, and he winked at me. “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck,” I automatically said. “Now that I’m in the race, you’re probably going to need it.”

The shock on his face made me laugh, but I couldn’t dwell on it, because Jaden dragged me toward his boat at a breakneck pace, no stopping to smell the roses.

As my crappy luck would have it, Cooper’s boat floated next to his, and Amber sat in there with him, in the front position. He’s rowing with Amber? My heart cracked, and I stumbled as Jaden urged me into the boat. I didn’t understand. Not how he could pick her over Jaden, and not why he wouldn’t be taking the lead. She couldn’t be strong enough to do it, could she?

“Take the forward seat,” Jaden said.