4. Theo
THEO
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Jackie Anne: @Dean Briggs My air is acting up again. Can you come look at it for me?
Comments:
Dean Briggs: Did it break for real or do you just want to see me?
Grace Day: She definitely wants to see you again.
Dean Briggs: Shouldn’t you be jealous?
Jackie Anne: It’s really broken! I swear! But you should wear the cowboy hat.
Grace Day: HA! Told you. And it’s fine. I’m not jealous. Jackie is harmless, even though she’s had a crush on you since you came into town.
Jackie Anne: That’s right! I’m a harmless little window-shopper. And my apartment is hot. Please help!
I wasn’t supposed to look twice at Piper, and at first, I managed it.
Then Kelsey went over to her table and I broke for a moment.
And Piper’s nerves were written all over her face.
My teeth immediately gritted. Not looking at her while she ordered helped, and I thought I was in the clear.
Knowing she was nervous, I wanted to help. Now I had to fight every urge to go talk to her.
I’d seen nearly everyone in this town deal with something. And they always figured it out on their own. I never had the urge to help like I did with Piper, but there was something about her that felt so familiar.
That was impossible, and I was pretty sure I was being led by my dick.
Kelsey made it back to the counter and I could see the way she glanced at me before starting on her own work. They were definitely talking about me.
Keep your mouth shut.
“Is she okay?” The words came out before I could stop them.
Kelsey paused and turned to me with a raised eyebrow. “Do you care?”
“N-no.”
She hummed and I braced myself.
“Really?” she asked. “Good. Because you made her nervous.”
“Dammit,” I muttered. “I knew the way I look would—”
I paused when she smirked in my direction. “Seems like you care.”
“I don’t, but she won’t come here if she thinks I have bad customer service.” It was a weak excuse, but it was the only one I had.
“Trust me, that’s not the issue,” she said. “You made her nervous because she thought she upset you.”
“I—she didn’t. That’s just how I act with everyone.”
She nodded. “I told her that. But I had a feeling she thought it was her fault. And I was right.”
Dammit. That wasn’t what I wanted.
“But it’s you,” Kelsey said at my silence. “That never bothers you, right?”
I could tell by her tone that she was begging for me to deny it. She knew that it did bother me.
“It doesn’t.” I shook my head. “Could you finish cleaning the coffee machine?”
“Gonna go smooth things over?”
“No,” I replied. “You probably already did that.”
“But—”
“Why do you care?” I asked. “I thought you didn’t get involved in town drama since you want to leave eventually.”
She went still. “Touché.”
And with that, she turned to resume her work.
I let out a breath. That wouldn’t work forever. But it did the trick for now.
Since Kelsey was busy, I finally let my eyes slide over to Piper, who was working on a laptop. Whatever Kelsey said must’ve helped. Piper wasn’t fully relaxed, but she didn’t seem like a ball of nerves like she had been just moments before.
It was better this way. Kelsey and Piper could get close. Or maybe Piper would get to know the other women in town. I would fade into the background like I always did.
Forcing myself to look away, I turned to the front just as Jackie walked in.
“Hi,” she said with a warm smile.
“Want your usual?” I asked. Behind me, I had a feeling Kelsey was already starting it.
“Yes, please. I need a little pick-me-up for the shop.” Her eyes moved to Kelsey. “Speaking of, when are you gonna let me refresh your dye?”
“Probably next week on my day off,” she replied. “Thank you for offering to do it.”
“Well, you know I’m cheaper than in the big cities.” She waved her hand. Kelsey had tried to resist using the services in town, but Jackie had worn her down. A lot of the people here were like that. “I should spruce myself up. Dean’s coming over tonight.”
Kelsey laughed. “Good luck getting him from Grace.”
“I would never break them up. He’s just so good-looking.” She let out a long sigh and then looked at me. “You are too, Theo.”
“Don’t start,” I said.
“I know, I know. No dating. No friends.” She waved her hand again. “But you should know that you’d have options if you wanted them.”
My mind immediately went to Piper.
I shook it off before anyone could notice.
I told Jackie her total before she gave me a polite smile and went to talk more with Kelsey.
By the time she’d done that, Piper had packed up and left.
Jackie was gone soon after, leaving just Kelsey and me.
“You know,” Kelsey said, “you should do something fun on your day off.”
“I don’t take days off.”
“You could. I think I could manage the shop for one day.”
She could. Despite how much she’d struggled to work for her mother, she did fine here. She’d taken orders multiple times and knew every item on the menu.
Still, I brushed it off.
“I want to be here.”
“You’re probably breaking labor laws or something. You need a break.”
“Tammy works just as much as I do.”
Kelsey’s eyes narrowed. “Low blow, bringing my mom into this.”
“But she does. And I like being here.”
She crossed her arms. “Don’t you have some kind of life?”
“Yes. Here.”
She only stared at me before letting out a low groan. “I don’t get you.”
I only shrugged. That was by design.
And it meant everything was working just as it should be.
I’d just locked the door when I heard a woman’s voice yell out.
My first thought was that someone was getting robbed, which was absolutely ridiculous since there was no crime in Strawberry Springs.
Still, I was the only one outside.
I hurried behind the shop, only to see blonde hair and a trash bag.
“What the fuck? It just ran out!”
It took me one second to realize who it was.
“Uh, Piper?”
She yelped again and turned to me with wide eyes. The trash bag was still in her hand, and she wielded it like a weapon.
I raised my hands. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”
She blinked in my direction before a scurrying sound made its way out of the dumpster she stood near.
“It’s still there,” she hissed. “I think it’s watching me.”
“Did no one warn you about the raccoons?”
“No, they didn’t! And why would they need to warn me anyway? Do they attack?” She backed away as her voice only went higher. “Do they bite? I don’t want rabies!”
“Okay, hang on a second. The raccoons are friendly. Most of them anyway. Jackie keeps them as pets, I think.”
Piper slowly turned to me, jaw agape. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No. It’s all over the Facebook group.”
“What? This has to be a prank. Are you messing with me right now?”
“Just give me a second.” I said it slowly as I walked to the dumpster. I flipped the lid open only to see multiple sets of eyes staring back at me. “Oh, it’s a family.”
“Yeah. What am I supposed to do with those beady little eyes watching me?”
“Hang on. I’ve got this.” I went through the back door of the shop to where I kept cat food. I laid some out on the ground in a trail toward Jackie’s shop. “Now we back up.”
“What? How do—” She paused and then shook her head. “You know what? Fine. I’ll play along.”
Piper and I both moved to the side.
Two raccoons and a baby came out and slowly moved in the direction of the food.
“What the fuck?” Piper whispered.
I hushed her. Just her whisper freaked out the raccoons. We fell into a tense silence as we watched the group of them scurry away.
“It’s handled,” I said.
“Thank you.” Her voice was back to normal. “I probably overreacted there.”
This is where I should’ve walked away. I’d done so well today.
And yet I couldn’t.
“You didn’t. I acted the same way the first time I saw them too.”
“So, everyone is just fine with them hanging around?”
“Kind of. We tolerate it for Jackie.”
“And who is Jackie?” Piper asked.
“A hairstylist. She owns the salon a few doors down and lives above it. She came in as you were leaving and always gets a pumpkin spice latte.”
“Got it,” Piper replied with a nod. “I bet I’ll have a use for that coffee order someday.”
At her slow smile, I looked away and rubbed the back of my neck.
“Probably not. It’s just what I choose to remember about people.
” I’d learned far too much about them when doing handyman work, but I couldn’t complain.
Even when they didn’t have to, everyone here paid well.
The STM grant had given me a stipend to buy the most expensive of the equipment, but the townsfolk were the reason I could afford the rest of the opening costs.
“It’s a good thing to remember,” Piper replied as she adjusted her handle on the trash.
“Let me get that for you.” I reached a hand toward her, but she dropped the bag and backed away immediately.
She must’ve really not wanted to go to the dumpster. I didn’t blame her.
After throwing away her trash, I brushed off my hands before turning to her once more. Her eyes were wide with that same fearful expression I’d seen her first day in the shop.
“Do I scare you?” I asked slowly.
Piper blinked, looked at me, and then at my hand. “You shouldn’t.”
“But I do.”
She sighed, shoulders slumping.
“Sorry,” I said. “Do you want Kelsey to take your order from now on?”
“No,” she said immediately. “It’s not you. Or only you. Please keep taking my order.”
My eyebrows pulled together. There was something deeper, just like when I first moved here.
I opened my mouth, but then closed it. I needed to get out of here and fast.
If I stayed, I would want to know everything about her. Why I saw myself when I looked at her.
“Okay,” I said and forced myself to turn away. “Have a good night, Piper.”
“Wait, I feel like I should explain myself.”
“It’s fine.” I paused, but didn’t turn around. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“You really don’t wanna talk to me, do you?”
Her question hung heavy over us. “Sorry,” I managed to say.
“What did I do?” Her voice was small and I finally turned back to her.
“It’s not you.” I swallowed. “It’s that if I start, I won’t stop.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Her lips pulled into a frown.
“It is when it’s me.”
I didn’t wait for her to answer. All I could do was turn and hurry to my car. I didn’t even take a breath until I was in the front seat and completely alone.