TWO
ROXANNE
She wandered into the gallery out of the pouring rain. Blue eyes darted around the small crowd gathered and as soon as her mother spotted her, Roxanne rolled her eyes. As Ava wandered over, Roxanne caught sight of Franco Baldwin, the person she'd actually come to see.
Hoping to avoid a conversation with her mother altogether -and mostly just wanting to get the whole thing over with already, tell him what she'd had done in secret, Roxanne wandered up to the man and tapped his shoulder.
Franco spun around and the glare softened as soon as he saw a fidgeting and nervous Roxanne standing in front of him. "What's up, kiddo?"
"I need to talk to you." Roxanne answered in a rush. Her mother was calling her name and Roxanne whirled around, giving her mother a dirty look. "I'm a little busy, mother."
"We need to talk, dear."
"I have nothing to say to you. When will you get that, hm?" Roxanne kept an even tone and she did her best to keep her voice down so that onlookers didn't hear and gossip columns didn't have anything to take and run wild with.
It was bad enough that the paparazzi somehow managed to pick up her little dance with local police officer Coop Barrett at some little salsa club that had opened downtown a few nights prior, they were really having a field day with that.
She almost felt sorry for the guy. Maybe you'd be inclined to feel a bit more sorry for him if he weren't such a walking ego maniac, the thought came and she promptly shoved it out. She took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation as soon as she realized that apparently, her mother wasn't to be deterred this time.
"I swear, it's like she's allergic to the word no." Roxanne fumed, earning her a quiet chuckle from Franco who nodded in agreement. "Ava, you have clients. Maybe you should focus on them." Franco pointed out, folding his arms over his chest. Ava gave him a go to hell look but she was side tracked by Peter August, who'd been in twice this week and was apparently considering an expansion to his art collection.
After Ava was schmoozing Peter up safely on the other side of the gallery, Franco sat down the newspaper he'd been reading and nodded towards the door. "I get the feeling that whatever you want to talk to me about isn't something you want to say in front of her. Or anyone else. You always were a private kid." he pointed out, wandering to the door and holding it open for her. Roxanne walked out and Franco stepped out behind her and the two wandered down the block to the cafe.
Once they were seated in a back booth -and hopefully away from prying eyes and gossipping mouths, Franco spoke up. "Okay, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Roxanne dug around in her messenger bag and pulled out the large manila envelope bearing the emblem of a local DNA lab. Franco took the envelope and gazed at it, taking a deep breath. "Haze told me you had your suspicions."
"Please don't be mad, sir. I just.. I wanted to know, okay? I needed to know." Roxanne went quiet, toying with a stevia packet as she gazed at the envelope sitting atop the table between them. Franco chuckled quietly. "Yeah, she mentioned that. She said you were afraid to ask if I'd submit a sample, so you had her get a water bottle I'd drank from, something like that."
Roxanne nodded. Franco mulled over what to say. Because at this point, he'd missed out on so many moments in her life. Ava, he reminded himself, Ava deprived you of those moments deliberately." After a minute or two of heavy and lingering silence, he spoke up. Reaching out to place his hand on top of hers. "Even if this test says otherwise, Roxy.. you're always gonna feel like my little girl, okay? I just want you to know that."
Roxanne nodded as she took a few shaky breaths, a desperate attempt to pull herself together. "Can you? Open it, I mean. I'm.. I'm scared, okay?"
"Yeah. I've got it, Roxy." Franco slid the envelope towards him and he picked it up, tearing off the sealing strip across the top. The papers fluttered out onto the tabletop and Franco studied them for a few seconds, letting the confirmation of what he'd always felt in his gut really have the proper time to process.
"Well? Oh god, it's not good.." Roxanne went quiet, holding her breath. The longer the man she'd always thought her father went without saying anything, the more an internal panic blossomed. Franco spoke up, reading off the results.
When Roxanne realized that her long-time suspicions had been confirmed at last, she blinked in shock at first. And then relief washed over her and she broke into a bright grin. "You are my father."
"I always felt like it had to be true." Franco admitted, falling silent. A waitress wandered over and Franco smiled as he told her, "I'd like to order two black coffees. One for myself and one for my daughter."
Roxanne smiled. Her eyes caught on the headline in the gossip section of the Press and she palmed her face, shaking her head. "I swear to God, does anybody in this town have anything other to do than make up stuff?"
Franco eyed the article and chuckled, shaking his head no. "Kind of happens when you're in the limelight, kiddo."
"I know, I just hate it. I feel bad for the guy. I mean I would, if he weren't such a cocky ass most of the time." Roxanne babbled, going quiet. Franco nodded to the picture of her all cozied up to one of PCPD's finest and he chuckled quietly. "Doesn't look like you're too annoyed with him here."
"I swear, that man can somehow push all my buttons at once and yet, it's like I can't seem to make myself stay away." Roxanne shook her head, her hand circling the cup of coffee as the waitress wandered back over and gave it to her. After blowing on the hot liquid and taking a sip, she spoke up with a laugh. "It's a mess, sir. An actual mess."
"Your mother was coming on to the guy when he got called to the gallery earlier."
"The cops were at the gallery? What the hell has that woman done now, hm?"
"Nothing. At least I don't think she's the one who did this. Someone broke in and trashed that one of a kind painting we just got our hands on last week."
"The Eggsy? Whatever the guy's name is?"
"Yeah. That'd be Banksy." Franco corrected, laughing as he continued, "Come to find out, Banksy's self destructing artwork strikes again."
"Ah. So false alarm?"
"Yeah, unless Ava trashed it to make the news. You know a spectacle is made whenever a Banksy self-destructs." Franco mused, placing the newspaper down on the table.
"Yeah and we know my mother and her undying need for attention. What'd he do.. Coop, I mean.. How'd he react to Mother in all her cougar mode glory?"
"Guy was pretty blunt. He actually told her he wasn't interested in someone bound for the retirement home."
Roxanne couldn't help but raise a hand to her mouth as she laughed. "Nooo. He didn't, dad."
"Oh, he did. And your mother's spent the entire day fuming and sulking about it."
"Interesting when you consider the last I heard, she was trying to find a way to trap Griffin Munro, just out of spite so he wouldn't finally get his shit together and make a move with Theodora." Roxanne mused.
"Yeah, you might want to warn your sister. She's been hinting at an interest in Dillon. And she's outright said that neither Officer Barrett or Dillon Quartermaine are good enough for her girls."
"Oh fuck. Yeah, I'll text Kiki right now." Roxanne answered. "So naturally, she's going to try and sleep with them both. Because god forbid either of us ever be happy without her being the sole source of it."
"Something like that. The woman is a textbook narcissist."
"Ugh, tell me about it." Roxanne mumbled, falling silent as she finished off her coffee. When she caught sight of Coop wandering into the cafe, she tried and failed at keeping her gaze off of him.
He spotted her and Franco glanced from one to another, giving Roxanne a smirk. "I'd better get back to the gallery before she has Peter in the back and caught in her web."
"Hey, uh.. If you wanted, we could have family dinner later? Just you and I, Rosalie, Dillon and Kiki?" Roxanne offered. "It's kind of something Kiki and I have been doing a few nights a week."
"Yeah. I'd love that. Be careful around that cop."
"I think I'm safe, sir. Trust me. If he hasn't slept with my mother yet, he will before this is all said and done. They all do."
"Maybe you'll be surprised." Franco answered, pulling his daughter into a lingering hug before wandering out, back over to the art gallery. And no sooner had Roxanne ordered herself a pastry or two and a refill of her coffee than the chair across from her own scraped noisily.
Coop Barrett sat in the chair, chuckling as he held her gaze.
COOP
"Wanna run what you told Baldwin by me again, Blondie? You think I'm gonna sleep with your mom?" Coop questioned, gazing at Roxanne as he patiently waited on an answer. Roxanne shrugged off the comment and ignored, obviously, she wasn't going to answer him. Coop repeated himself, more firmly this time around.
Roxanne sighed as she toyed with a stevia packet. "I mean, I said it, didn't I?"
"I should throw up on you right now, woman. Why in the name of God.." Coop trailed off as Roxanne shrugged. "She's got herself a record. Let's leave it at that. Oh and now that the paparazzi and the local gossip column has chosen to take our little run-in at the salsa club and run with it, brace yourself. Because she's going to be in full-blown cougar mode. This is a game to her. She plays it all the time with my sister and I."
Coop cringed.
She hadn't exactly came out and said it, but she hadn't exactly minced words either. Despite her being vague, he knew exactly what Roxanne was getting at. But he made a mental note to continue ignoring the eldest of the Jerome women whenever she happened to pop up and try to charm him. Which she'd been doing a lot lately.
He chuckled and shook his head as he saw a picture of the two of them on the gossip column, Coop poised to dip Roxanne. "Does anyone in this town have anything else to do?"
"I know, right? That's what I was telling my father just now."
Coop blinked. "Baldwin is your father?"
"I actually just found out. Apparently, my mother never saw fit to tell me because she knew I'd have left to live with him so fast her head would have swam."
Coop chuckled. "He's my buddy Logan's older brother. It's a long and strange story from what I gather."
"I can imagine." Roxanne remarked, reaching out to grab a straw to stir around her coffee. Coop grimaced as he caught sight of the solid black beverage. "You really don't like your own life, huh?" he mused, chuckling quietly.
"I prefer black coffee."
"Hot bean water. That's all that shit is."
"You prefer creamer?"
"Milk, actually. And a pinch of sugar."
"Weird." Roxanne taunted gently. They spotted the lingering paparazzi at the same time and when they both laughed and locked eyes, Roxanne nodded towards the man with the camera. Coop chuckled.
"I'm tempted to mess with 'em."
"You too?" Roxanne laughed softly.
"Well?" Coop asked, chuckling as he nodded in the direction of the man with the camera. "We could give them even more to talk about…"
Roxanne mulled it over. Her heart was pounding against her chest and before she could stop herself, she responded, "Okay. I'll bite. What do you have in mind?"
Coop rubbed his chin, gazing at her in thought for a second or two. "Don't slap me." he muttered as he leaned across the booth, his mouth inching closer and closer to her own. Roxanne's breath caught and she barely had time to brace herself, their lips were meeting. Not to be outdone, she deepened the kiss, grabbing hold of the front of his brown leather bomber jacket as she leaned in a little further. Coop nipped at her bottom lip and she whimpered, the sound swallowed by the continued frenzied meeting of their mouths.
"I think he got his photo."
"Let's see how fast this makes the gossip section."
"Never would've pegged you as the antagonistic type, Ms. Jerome."
"Baldwin. As soon as City Hall is open on Monday morning, I'm dropping my mother's last name. I'll finally be free of her."
"Feels good, huh?"
Roxanne shrugged, mulling it over before nodding. "Actually, it does. It really does."
Coop stood and held out his hand, letting her take hold and he pulled her up on her feet. "I'll walk ya back to your car."
"I bet you do that for all the girls, sir." Roxanne teased, laughing softly as Coop shook his head. "Not really, nope."
As I've already said quite a few times, I continue to be shocked and in awe. I'm so happy right now and I want to thank every single person who is still sticking around or has stuck around and is still reading this little series of mine in it's fourth rewrite. I'm enjoying this rewrite, dare I say? I hope you all know that even having one person read these and enjoy it fills my heart with warmth. So the review I've gotten has really got me warm and fuzzy and I thank you so so so much. I also thank everyone who has favorited/followed the stories because I'm just shocked anybody is still sticking around.
