Forgetting Jack Cooper: The Stuntman Edition (Forgetting Jack Cooper)
Erin McCarthy
Chapter One
“You’re a jerk, Jack Cooper,” Toni Salvatore said, eyeing her college buddy with affection and irritation. “Everyone knows that.”
Jack put his hand to his muscular chest, and faked being wounded. His blue eyes twinkled with mischief. “You’re killing me. What can I say? I’m trying to change, and put the past behind me. You’re the first stop on my 12 step make amends tour.”
“What in the actual hell does that mean?” Toni sipped her coffee, extra whip, and tried to visualize Jack, the Berkley dorm hottie back in the day and well known for charming girls out of their panties, making retribution. It didn’t jibe.
“So apparently some people think that perhaps I have not always conducted myself selflessly or with dignity.”
She raised her eyebrows.
“No, now don’t protest, it’s true.”
That made her grin. “I wasn’t going to. But go on.”
“Since I am going to be starring in a role where the character goes out finding people he has wronged in the past and making amends, the powers that be think I should do the same. One, method acting. Two, good PR.”
Interesting. “And I’m stop one?”
He shrugged. “You’re in town. It’s convenient. My PR person will be here in a minute with a cameraman and we can film my apology.”
Jack wasn’t a bad guy. He was just impulsive and good-looking, and everyone wanted to make beautiful people happy. Toni herself had lost her common sense when it came to Jack’s suggestions in college, which usually involved pranks, alcohol, and social media. “I’m overwhelmed by the contrition dripping from your voice.”
He gave a snort. “Okay, what can I say? I’m a work in progress. Toni, I’m sorry for suggesting you infiltrate the commencement ceremony a year before you were due to graduate and take a degree that belonged to someone else. Then kissing the Dean of Students on stage.”
Yep. That was the biggest prank she had agreed to. Jack was just so damn charming and he made everything sound so fun and she could never resist the infamous “double-dog dare.” It was a character flaw. One her parents would only be too willing to point out.
“And?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. “Is this a rehearsal?”
“And what?” Jack looked bewildered. “And I’m sorry Dean Stoner got a boner when you kissed him and then he was so humiliated he formally disciplined you and you lost your scholarship and couldn’t graduate? Is that the ‘and what’?”
Yep. “That about sums it up. My college career, three years of work, reduced to one wet kiss with a man in his fifties.” She shuddered at the memory. “But I do forgive you, you know,” she told Jack. Hell, if it wasn’t for him she wasn’t sure she would be as successful a comedienne as she was. Together the two of them had created a YouTube channel where they did stupid and idiotic things together, attempting to out-prank one another.
The schtick that had launched her to internet stardom was her kiss and go. Run up to a stranger, lay one on him, run away. It was comedy gold, spawned on that commencement stage.
Jack coughed into his hand. “Well… there’s something I never told you.”
Toni paused with her coffee halfway to her mouth. “Okay. What would that be?”
“Remember when you told me that you had a thing for Brian Rothstein and you asked me to tell him? And I said I did? Well. I never did.”
Toni was taken aback, she had to admit. “Are you kidding me? I angsted over that for months. I thought Brian was my soul mate. I pictured birthing his children, Cooper.”
“I’ve always felt bad about that.”
“You told me he thought I was a best buddy, nothing more. Good for sharing a joke with, not his bed. Your exact words were, and I quote, ‘you’re in the friend zone, Ton, let it go.’ If you didn’t want to tell him you could have just told me.”
Jack looked a little sheepish. He was sprawled out across the table from her, seemingly oblivious to the stares of young women in the coffeeshop who had been covertly taking selfies with him in the background for the last twenty minutes. His Hollywood star had risen because he was one sexy bastard and because he could genuinely act. “I’m sorry. I just felt like a douche saying something to him, so I just lied. But in my defense, if he wanted you, he would have put the moves on you whether I gave him the encouragement or not.”
Way to make a girl feel better. “It’s a good thing I’m your first stop on this amends tour because you suck at it.”
He rubbed his jaw. “You’re right, geez. Okay, how can I make it up to you?”
Jack appeared to be profoundly sincere but Toni knew him well enough to question if he was just acting or if he actually felt bad. “Don’t worry about it. You’re right. If Brian and I were meant to be, he would have hit on me. It’s not like a guy told you he was into me and you discouraged him.”
He pulled a face. “Well… I might have done that too. I was looking out for you. That guy was a loser. Total loser.”
“What?” Toni was shocked. “Who was it?” What was he going to confess next, that she had really won that stand-up comedy contest freshman year? That she was actually adopted and Jack knew it? Which she wouldn’t believe for a second, by the way. She was far too much like her four older brothers—it was how she’d wound up the funny girl. She couldn’t physically keep up with them, so jokes had been her go-to revenge for their brotherly beatdowns.