Page 14 of Targeted at Christmas

“True.” He smiled at her. “So, how did you end up in Phoenix?”

“I went to graduate school at the University of Arizona. So did my late husband—whom I met as an undergrad at the University of Michigan—for our master’s in architecture,” Lexi explained. “Loved the desert landscape and overall qualities of Arizona—and Phoenix, in general—so we set up shop here with the architect studio.”

“Nice,” Cooper offered, tasting his drink. “Do you have family back in Michigan?”

“Yes, my parents live in Muskegon, and I have an older sister who teaches at Michigan State University in East Lansing and a younger brother who lives in Grand Rapids.”

Cooper seemed to let that settle in. “Okay.”

“Your turn,” Lexi put forth, putting the cocktail glass to her lips. “Are you local?” She couldn’t really pick up an accent of any kind.

“I grew up in the Portland, Oregon, area,” he told her matter-of-factly. “I was raised by my Aunt Katherine—or Aunt Kat as I call her—after losing my parents in a boating accident when I was just a little boy.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Lexi expressed sincerely.

Cooper acknowledged this. “It was a long time ago,” he said. “My memories of my parents have sort of faded—though kept alive mainly from stories about them told by my aunt, who was my father’s sister.”

“So, no siblings?”

“Just me.” Cooper’s tone dropped an octave and Lexi picked up the deep regret he had there. “My folks never got the chance to add to the family.” He paused. “Guess some things weren’t meant to be.”

Lexi felt the same way in being deprived of having a family during her marriage. She wondered if this weighed on Cooper as well with his late wife. Did they want children?

“How did you meet your wife?” Lexi thought to ask, wanting to know.

“We met at Portland State University,” Cooper answered. “We were both in grad school at the time. We clicked, fell for each other and went from there.” He took a breath. “We’d planned to have children, but…it didn’t happen soon enough—”

“Same with us.” Lexi sipped her drink in a moment of silence, reminiscing and mutual understanding.

Cooper’s forehead creased musingly. “Yeah, some things are out of our control.”

Don’t I know it, Lexi told herself, frustrating as that was. But she was hopeful that things they could control to some extent, were perhaps moving in the right direction.

She eyed Cooper across the table and asked out of curiosity, or maybe more to get a feel for how he got where he was today, “So, what made you want to join the FBI?”

He met her gaze for a beat, then responded, “My aunt, who was once chief counsel for the Oregon DOJ’s Criminal Justice Division, probably had something to do with it—even if she always encouraged me to chart my own path in life.” He reached for his glass and took a sip. “I suppose that path led me to the FBI. Melanie was also instrumental in pushing me toward something she felt I would be good at. I took the ball and ran with it from there—moving around to several different field offices around the country, till ending up here in Phoenix.”

“Interesting.” Lexi leaned back in her seat. She felt a bit jealous of his late wife, as unreasonable as it was, who seemed to be a remarkable woman in her own right. Cooper deserved to prop her up, just as Lexi felt she did when it came to Jonathan. But both were ghosts from their pasts and there was no reason for either of them to view their late spouses as competition for the living, as they each forged ahead in life and whatever new twists and turns were in the making. “You seem to have made the right choice,” she perceived in what she picked up from him as a special agent.

“Yeah, I think so.” Cooper fixed her face. “I could say the same thing about you as an architect who’s obviously leaving her mark on Maricopa County, from what I saw at your studio.”

“Thanks.” Lexi smiled and mused, mutual admiration and respect is a good start to friendship and potentially more. “Just trying to apply what I’ve learned to help my clients get whatever they’re looking for in architecture.”

“Good for you—and them.” Cooper rested a long arm on the table. “Apart from your professional achievements, what does Lexi De La Garza like to do in her spare time?”

Lexi didn’t need much time to think about it. “Jog, swim, hike, exercise in the gym, cook, read books, shop… Let’s see, what else… Video chat with family, listen to music, watch movies—especially romantic comedies—and reality TV shows, anything related to the holidays on television, and travel when afforded the time. That’s about it.”

“I’d say that covered a lot.” He chuckled. “Sounds like a pretty well-rounded life you have.”

She laughed. “I guess it is. I’m thankful for that,” she said, considering how low she had been when Jonathan died. Lexi met Cooper’s eyes. “What about you? What does an FBI agent—this one—do when off the job, apart from attend a support group for the widowed?” She could guess that working out to maintain his superb physical conditioning was likely at the top of the list of his activities.

“I like to exercise to stay fit, too,” he confirmed her strong suspicions. “Be it at the gym, at home, or outside in different capacities—including jogging, stair-climbing, weightlifting, and the good old-fashioned treadmill. Beyond that, we also have in common reading for pleasure, music, films—especially international mysteries and thrillers—some travel, sports and keeping in touch with what family I have left. I’m not too good in the kitchen, but still like to at least try to cook a meal whenever the mood suits me…and there’s someone to cook for—”

“Hmm.” Lexi pondered this while finishing off her drink. “Sounds well-rounded, too.” She imagined that he was probably better in the kitchen than he was letting on.

Cooper flashed a crooked grin. “Yeah, I suppose.”

“Well, I should probably get going,” she told him, even though she felt comfortable enough with him to talk all day. But she didn’t want to take up any more of his time, in case he needed to get back to his FBI duties.