Cooper sighed. Of course he had led Sarah in the completely wrong direction. "Ain't got me land legs yet," he muttered absently. "Also I'm jet lagged as hell. Guess I'm still used to crossing the ocean on a ship."<br/><br/>And then, crazily, there was an instant where he felt himself starting to say he wouldn't hear talk like that about Sarah. He caught himself before he had done more than draw breath. What did he have to say on the subject, after all? He barely knew her to be honest. And yet ...<br/><br/>He shook his head and gave Mel a somewhat sheepish nod. "Thanks. Poor thing's half starved." He set off resolutely back to the pool. Time to nail the lid shut on his last hope of not appearing a complete fool.<br/><br/>The sun was grazing the horizon as he rounded the pillars and came out onto the pool deck. The slow fade of a summer evening had muted the scene's colors until Sarah's shining golden hair was the only note that stood out in the sea of blues and grays. Coop smiled at the sight of her and, without thinking about it, strode up behind her, rested his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.<br/><br/>"So I was only off by 180 degrees," he chuckled. "Dining room's on the other side of the hallway. Duh." He lifted his gaze to the distant beach and smiled. "Pretty evening, isn't it?"