Read Online Someone to Watch Over Me by Anne Berkeley - Free Book Online Page A

think
you should get dressed and I’ll drive you back to your
hotel. I’m going to be spending the day
at the Laundromat washing the covers to
this thing .”
    “ This is my
fault, Coop. It’s only fair that I help.”
    “Tate—”
    “Coop.” He gave me a look that
told me it was pointless to argue, but I did anyway.
    “I don’t—”
    “Coop.”
    “ Look,
last night was —”
    “Cooper.” Annoyed and suppressing a growl, I gave up. Tate bit
back a grin, watching m y frustration
surface . “ I want to spend the day
with you , and the night , too , if you’ll let me . If that means hanging out at the Laundromat, so
be it.”
    “You’re going to sit at the Laundromat with
me while I wash the slipcover to my sofa and chase my son around
the machines.”
    “ I could
take it myself while you’re at work tonight. I’ll just need to use
your car. What?” he asked when I gawked at him. He was certifiably
insane. “I know how to use a laundry machine, Coop. I do laundry
all the time. It’s part of life on the road.”
    Sighing, I pushed the hair from my face. “I don’t think it’s a
good idea.”
    “I’m not going to hurt you,
Coop. I know I’m going back on the road, but I have time , about three weeks before I have to move on. Until
that day comes, I want to spend time with you. What happens after
that? I don’t know. We’ll play it by ear. See where things go.
Isn’t that how all relationships start out?”
    This wasn’t what I had planned. What
happened between us was supposed to be quick and clean, no strings
attached. I was trying to stick to the plan, but he was making it
impossible.
    Hell, who was I fooling? I wanted to spend
time with him too. I liked him. I liked him a lot. He was exciting
and funny, and boisterous and carefree. He made me feel my age
again.
    “I meant borrowing my car, Tate. I need it in one piece.”
    A wide smile spread across
Tate’s face. “Is that a yes?”
    I rolled my eyes, feigning
indifference. “Yes, yes you can do my laundry.”
    “I’m going to be the best house
bitch ever.” Lifting me off my feet , he
spun me in a circle. Levy squealed from the floor, caught up in the
excitement. “Go get dressed. We’ll go out and have some fun. Do they have one of those places around, you
know, the ones with the ball pits and moon bounces ?”
    The smile
fell from my face. There was the true problem. Hanging with Tate
Watkins wasn’t exactly low key.
    “ Cooper?”
Tate prompted, noting my reluctance.
    “It’s fine.”
    “You’re worried about people recognizing
me.”
    “A little, yeah.”
    “ Most don’t.
You didn’t. It’s not as if we’re walking into a guitar shop. The
last place anyone would expect to see me is at a
playground.”
    “Ok.”
    “Ok?”
    “Ok.”
    An hour later, the foam sofa cushion was rinsed and
sitting on the porch to dry. The removable cotton cover was
pretreated and waiting in the laundry basket. I had my teeth
brushed and my hair pulled back. Levy clung to my hip. My diaper
bag hung over the opposite shoulder. I took one last look around
the room to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything. After going
through my mental checklist, I closed the door.
    “Can I drive again?”
    “ Um,
no .”
    “Seriously? You really won’t
let me drive?”
    “The only thing I value more
than my car is Levy, and since he’s going
to be a passenger, I’d like to do the driving myself.”
    “Come on. I’ll behave. Swear.
Besides, you can peruse the scenery. Just think about it. How often
do you get sit back and stare out the window?”
    “Never.”
    “Well, I do it all the time on
the bus, so it’ll be a treat for both of us.”
    “I’m sure,” I said, dropping
the keys into Tate’s hand. Like the night before, he ran off like a
child on Christmas morning, sliding behind the wheel. I buckled
Levy into his car seat, checking and
double-checking the seat belt. Then did the same for myself.
    Tate being Tate, started the
car and