Free Games We Play by Ruthie Robinson Page A

of the parking lot.
    He was still standing there and met her gaze in her rearview mirror and caught her smile before she made a right onto Old Quarry Road.
    Houston who?
was one of the two thoughts rattling around in her head as she drove away. The other was,
Welcome to Coopersville
.
    #
    Cooper followed her car with his eyes until it disappeared around the bend. He heard the ring of his cell phone and reached into his pocket. It was Luis, his buddy, calling.
    “So how did it go?” Luis asked.
    “Fine.”
    “What did she say?”
    “She thinks I’m the one who’s stealing.”
    “What? You?”
    “That’s what she said.”
    “I wonder what she’s up to. Must be some game we hadn’t thought of. She may be better at this than we’d thought or planned for,” Luis said.
    “She’s not,” Cooper said.
    “You sound like you mean it,” Luis said.
    “I do.”
    “You tell her that Myra is not to be messed with? That she has friends who have her back?”
    “No.”
    “No? What do you mean, no?”
    “We didn’t talk much. We played golf, and she’s a good little golfer.”
    “Golf? You played golf?”
    “Yes, I believe that’s what I said. We played golf.”
    “That wasn’t part of the plan,” Luis said after a moment of silence.
    “I improvised.”
    “You weren’t supposed to improvise, and what does that even mean? What kind of improvising?”
    It was Cooper’s turn to be quiet.
    “Tell me you didn’t.”
    “Didn’t what?” he asked.
    His buddy didn’t answer the obvious.
    “She wanted it as much as I did,” he said, as much of an explanation as he was willing to give.
    “You were only supposed to talk to her.”
    “Of course, and we talked. There is more than one way to communicate.”
    “You know what I mean, and I didn’t know you were interested in…forget it. I don’t think this is what Myra had in mind when she asked for our help.”
    “I’ll find the answers my own way. And I never said I wasn’t interested in them, just that I hadn’t met any that I wanted to get to know further.”
    “Did it have to be Myra’s niece you decided to try with?”
    “It wasn’t like that. She’s really attractive and she’s a good golfer,” he said.
    “A golfer, huh,” Luis said, chuckling. “I’m at a loss here, dude. I just hope you know what you’re doing,” Luis added.
    “I do. When have I not kept the interest of this town in mind? When have I not looked out for Myra?”
    “I know, but…”
    “But nothing. I’ll have my answer soon enough,” he said.
    “Fine, but you’re on your own if Myra finds out.”
    “Aren’t I always? You could never hold out against Myra’s questioning anyway,” he said, and ended the call.

Five
    Memorial Day weekend, Saturday
    I t was going to be another busy day. Hell, they all were. It seemed as though the brewing business had taken a turn for the best two years ago, and there was no going back. Not that he could complain. How many people got to do what they wanted for a living? He could spend all day brewing and selling beer. He was one of the lucky ones.
    Cooper stood behind the desk in his office, going through his checklist of things he needed to accomplish that day. It was near noon, and he was already falling behind. He was having a heck of a time concentrating. Last night with the professor had left a lasting impression.
    He needed to head out front in a second; the rush was starting early, since it was the holiday weekend. He expected large crowds today. He was still training Junior, a young kid, on all things bartending and beer brewing. The son of a friend, Cooper had taken him under his wing. The kid had wanted nothing to do with college, and he’d run into some trouble. He needed a second chance. Cooper had needed help at one time, so he understood and tried to do what he could.
    He closed the door to his office and walked down the short hallway, passing the industrial-sized pantry, refrigerator, and freezer, where all the