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Post by Cooper Benson on Aug 21, 2015 13:03:51 GMT
Cooper Benson had once been a lot like Eliot Quinn, in some ways he may have been worse. Since he imagined Eliot, as a lawyer, exercised the least amount of caution he could to work within the law. In his day, Cooper hadn't exactly been that careful, but he would have liked to think he was kinder - that when someone showed him the error of his ways, he didn't take joy in ruining a life. Still, it had given him something to think about and something that he wanted to eventually talk to Brandon Finn about.
After poker night had ended with his wallet a little thinner, thanks to Riley Nicholls, and the mood had become absorbed into tension, thanks to everyone else, he'd offered to give Madison a ride home. He still had a bit of time before he'd told the sitter that he would be home for Melanie, who was already fast asleep. His town car had been waiting at the curb the moment they'd stepped out of the building and he'd ushered her inside before jogging around the side and sliding into the car. "So, Brandon Finn certainly always knows how to have a party," he mused, pinching the bridge of his nose before turning to her. "I'm not sure whether to thank you for being one of the only sane people in attendance, or apologize to you for dragging you with the lot of them," he joked. "Did you have a good time?"
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Post by Madison Benson on Aug 21, 2015 13:22:45 GMT
She had felt like she had needed to get out of her house and out of her head long enough to remember that a world existed long before a break up, and it would keep moving on long afterwards. Madison did admit that this night hadn't been the perfect escape that she had maybe hoped for. The reality of the situation was that with Riley and Adam just starting their relationship, and with the adorable way that they kept seeming to make each other laugh, she was having a hard time feeling like the third-wheel. She didn't blame Riley for it in the slightest as she was just so happy that her friend had found happiness, but when her own feelings toward men were in less than high-regard at the moment, it was hard to be as supportive and giddy as she thought that Riley deserved.
It had been a weird desperate plea for a camaraderie of girlfriends that had driven her to invite Riley to girl's day with Amber Jacobs in the first place, and while she was pleased that she had, it was the poker night that she was wishing would have been taken out of the equation. Circling back to the break up, and what she now suspected to be the cause of it, she had had enough drama for one lifetime.
That was probably why she felt Cooper to be such a calming presence, and such a nice friend to have now. Though, a small voice in the back of Maddy’s head added, he was also an incredibly attractive man.
“I have to admit – I might have to wash my hair or something on the night of his next party.” She smiled at her own little joke and looked at Cooper, “Honestly, this has been probably the best part of the whole night.”
Okay, she admitted to herself, flirting with a friend isn’t necessarily going to cause problems. “So really – thank you. It was very sweet of you to offer to take me home. And to just talk to me, really.” She added with a laugh.
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Post by Cooper Benson on Aug 21, 2015 13:53:26 GMT
Cooper smiled at Madison as the car navigated its way through city traffic. “Yeah, I don’t blame you if you want to sit the next one out. Amber’s a good girl though, I think you two will get along,” he nodded. “Brandon, on the other hand, I probably should talk to. I don’t know when I became that guy, you know? I used to be the guy that would get talked to. I’m pretty sure at one point, there was an intervention,” he mused, shaking his head.
“And yeah, I don’t like the idea of you trying to get home alone this late,” he nodded, wondering when that had exactly changed about him, too. When he had changed so much. But he knew the answer, it was maybe about a year ago when he’d come home from work and found his wife’s closet cleaned out, a taxi in the drive way, and his daughter crying for him. He’d already matured at that point, he’d settled down and was happy – but not wise enough to see that his wife wasn’t happy at all. He’d aged about ten years in the past twelve months.
“And of course I’d talk to you, Maddy,” he nodded at her.
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Post by Madison Benson on Aug 21, 2015 14:07:25 GMT
In the brief span of time that she had gotten to know Amber a little more, she had to agree. While there were still a lot of fundamental differences between the two, Maddy was coming to find that not everyone she had thought she had known so well in high school was who they seemed to be. “Amber’s really great,” she nodded. Cooper had been the one to suggest their girl’s day in the first place and so she supposed that maybe at the very least he knew her better than she would have given him credit for. “It was a good suggestion that we have a little girl’s day.” Brandon Finn, on the other hand, she couldn’t be so sure of. He was the one person that she was sure would never change from the person that she had thought him to be in high school; and tonight’s activities had done nothing to convince her of otherwise.
“Maybe it’s just that you’ve grown up more than everyone else?” She suggested with a small smile, “I’ve heard that having an adorable daughter can do that to a person.”
That was something that she was never going to stop being impressed with, the fact that despite everything he had somehow turned things around enough to raise an impressively intelligent three-year-old.
“Well, thank you anyway. I’m just sorry that your adult night out was filled with so much … drama, I guess.”
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Post by Cooper Benson on Aug 21, 2015 14:45:15 GMT
Cooper grinned at Madison, thinking about Melanie for a moment. “Yeah, she probably has something to do with it,” he agreed. He thought about it for a moment and imagined that maybe the fact he was a father had contributed to him wanting to make sure Madison was okay after her break up. After all, he was looking forward to buying a shotgun when his daughter was old enough to date.
“If I wanted a night completely free of drama, I’d get new friends or stay in with my girl every night,” he admitted. “Sometimes, they’re not so bad. I think they just need…help,” he shrugged. When the car finally pulled up in front of Madison’s brownstone, he peered out the window and let out a low whistle. “Nice place,” he admitted before he slid out of the car, walked around it and opened the door. “I’ll walk you to the door,” he nodded, offering her out his hand to help her out of the town car.
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Post by Madison Benson on Aug 21, 2015 15:04:24 GMT
If she wasn't careful she was going to be well on her way to having a full-blown crush on this man, Maddy realized. She hated sounding like a broken record but there was just something so refreshingly different about his honesty and his lack of games to be played. Smiling at him brightly she took his hand and let him help her out of the car. "Thank you," she said, referring both to his help and to his compliment of her home. "It used to be my grandmother's but when she passed, she left it to me. It seemed like a waste of a really beautiful home to keep living in an apartment so," she shrugged. "Here I am."
She turned at looked at him, grateful for everything he had done for her over the last several weeks. From allowing her to get herself and Harper Collins involved in Melanie's birthday, to not asking her about Parker, and especially for having become someone she was happy to call a friend. "You mentioned last time that you wanted to find some place for you and Melanie at some point, have you found anything that you like?"
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Post by Cooper Benson on Aug 21, 2015 15:31:27 GMT
Cooper grinned at her, leaning against the outside of the door and contemplating her question. "You know, I haven't really even started looking yet. I want Melanie to have a big room and another one for her toys that we can turn into an office for her to do her homework in eventually. And I want it to be near a park and a reasonable distance from whatever school I send her to," he shrugged. "I work in property management, you'd think I'd know someplace off the top of my head."
He chuckled and shook his head. "I guess it should have a nice kitchen too, and a good place to have people. I just don't think a hotel is a good place for a kid to grow up, I grew up in one and it's only by the grace of God or some cosmic joke that I ended up okay," he nodded.
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Post by Madison Benson on Aug 21, 2015 16:21:40 GMT
She nodded her understanding, having no idea what it would have been like to grow up in a hotel. She supposed it would have been a little like the story of Madeline, that cute little French girl with the big floppy hat. She wondered idly if Melanie had a little floppy hat ... and if she didn't, would she want one as a birthday present.
"I think you turned out better than okay," Madison told him with a soft smile. "I really do have to give you a lot of credit. I only knew of you through the grapevine before but, I don't know. You're a lot different than I expected that you would be."
Looking down at her feet, she shuffled her right foot against the pavement. "I know I'm probably highly unqualified for the task, but if you ever decide that you need help looking, let me know."
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Post by Cooper Benson on Aug 21, 2015 16:47:26 GMT
Cooper smiled softly at Madison, shaking his head. "Yes, well, if you'd met me before, you would have a lot less credit to give," he admitted. "We all grow up though, I guess. Some of us faster and in different ways than others."
Nodding, he thought about it for a moment. "I think your help would be appreciated. Finding a place to raise a kid might require a woman's touch, and I'm pretty sure my Nanny is sick of me," he teased.
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Post by Madison Benson on Aug 21, 2015 17:12:55 GMT
She wasn't sure what it was that compelled her to do it but she took a tentative step closer to him, looking down at her shoes again and biting her lip. Madison was sure that whatever she was thinking was going to be a very bad idea, but she knew that the moment she was inside of her townhouse that she was going to start questioning herself and berating herself for not taking a chance. "Speaking of your nanny... Do you think you have enough time to stop inside for a drink?"
There was, she had realized somewhere over the course of the past few days, a high probability that Parker ending their relationship had effected her a lot less than she thought it was going to. The more detached she became from the situation the more she had to admit that they had barely had a relationship. A handful of dates and an extended period of him out of town made it difficult to think of it as having been anything very serious. The rejection had been what had stung the most, the thought that even now, on the cusp of turning 30, she still hadn't found the right person. She was annoyed that she had spent so much of her adult like wondering if Parker had been the one that had gotten away, annoyed that she still had to go to work every day and see her ex-boyfriend Nathan and realize that his life had moved on without her.
Suddenly she felt lonely. With Riley and Adam happily coupling up and finding herself suddenly and unexpectedly un-coupled, she knew she just needed a new friend - if nothing else.
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Post by Cooper Benson on Aug 21, 2015 19:17:37 GMT
Cooper hesitated slightly when Madison stepped towards him. He stayed where he was, leaning against the building. He reached for one of her hands with both of his and let out a low chuckle. "Madison," he said gently. "Maddy. I guarantee to you that I want a drink, and maybe half a dozen other things that I shouldn't," he nodded, his brow furrowing slightly when he actually thought about how much.
"I want to get to know you more. I want to spend more time with you. At the very least, I want to be your friend, but I'll be honest and say I think you're someone I could care very much for. But I can't go upstairs with you and have a drink because I have a feeling I would be a bit too much like the old me if given too much of a chance. And my best girl is at home right now and I can't do that with her, I can't jump in to anything and not think of her. And I am so sorry, but she is always going to come first."
He squeezed her hand. "But I could still use your help with a lot of things, maybe over dinner soon?" he asked.
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Post by Madison Benson on Aug 21, 2015 20:14:39 GMT
Madison felt embarrassed. It wasn’t that she necessarily had expected anything to happen, but she hadn’t realized how much she had been hoping that maybe it was. He was being smart, she knew, and very noble – but it didn’t mean that she had to like it. Nor did it mean that she wasn’t blushing horribly. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what got into me there for a second – it’s just that … I’m sorry.”
Instead of getting inside and regretting not having said anything to him, she knew know that she was going to get inside and regret saying something after all. Now she understood what men were always going on about when they talked about being friend-zoned. She felt horrible for any man she might have done it to in the past. His encouragement that she was something that he could care for was nice to hear, but it did nothing to keep her cheeks from feeling like they were on fire.
She nodded at him, “Dinner would be great. Yeah, we can go over what we need to do to get the books situated for Melanie’s birthday – that would be good.” She wasn’t sure what else to say and so she sighed softly and added. “I’m really sorry.”
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Post by Cooper Benson on Aug 21, 2015 20:34:10 GMT
Cooper listened as Maddy apologized and watched, in the dim light of the Manhattan streets, as she blushed. "Hey," he said gently. "Don't apologize unless you didn't mean it. I'd like to talk to you more than just about kid's books. I'd like to get to know you more, and then ask you to dinner again, and keep getting to know you," he assured her.
He chuckled and shook his head, reaching to touch the side of her face gently. "I used to sprint," he explained with a nod. "Now, I'm really one for the marathon."
Grinning at her, he leaned in, pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I'll call you tomorrow and see when you're free for dinner," he promised.
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Post by Madison Benson on Aug 21, 2015 20:38:05 GMT
She wished she had better control over her nervous system to keep the blushing at bay, but she couldn't help it. Madison nodding, soft smile forming on her lips as he seemed to just make her embarassment go away. "Okay," she agreed. "I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow then?"
Deciding now was the best time to make a calm, collected, and casual exit, she took a step back from him and stepped toward the door. With the doorknob in her hand she turned back to him, "Thank you again. Have a good night."
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Post by Cooper Benson on Aug 22, 2015 0:32:13 GMT
Cooper grinned at her, nodding at him. "Definitely. Tomorrow," he assured her. He walked down the few steps to the sidewalk and approached the town car, turning just to make sure she got inside okay. "Goodnight, Madison," he called after her. He waited until the door was closed behind her and assumed that she was safely in her home before getting into his car and instructing the driver to take him home.
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