8. Theo
THEO
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Jackie Anne: Anyone know why the power’s out on the square?
Comments:
Hu Gh: It’s squirrel season! Go see if one’s on the ground!
Tammy Jane: Not again. I refuse to be the one to scrape it up this time. You go and get it, old man.
Hu Gh: These knees were NOT made for scraping!
Dean Briggs: I’ve got it. I wanna see what the electrical company out here uses anyway.
Hu Gh: Bring it over to me. I have a recipe for squirrel and biscuits.
Henry Connor: You’re really not supposed to eat electrified squirrels.
Hu Gh: I AIN’T DEAD YET AND DINNER WON’T DO IT TO ME NOW!
I wasn’t sure how it happened, but Piper and I fell into a rhythm over the next few weeks.
She came in later in the day, when the shop was slow.
If Kelsey was there, she’d talk to her for a few minutes before going to her corner table.
If it was just me and her, conversations would wait until the shop was closed.
It was like she knew I didn’t want people sniffing out any kind of friendship between us, and she respected that.
Piper either worked on her next book or read one from the library, oftentimes for hours. She seemed content to be in her corner, but she really focused when it was just the two of us.
For some reason, she liked being around me, of all people. Not only that, but she felt safe here. That felt like a win.
After locking the door right at four, Piper was leaning back in her seat, completely lost in a book. I could’ve told her what time it was.
I didn’t.
Kelsey was gone for the day, and I started my closing routine, taking it slow. I was exhausted, so I helped myself to the rest of my coffee while I worked. I got through half of the cup before I had enough energy.
I started with the espresso machine, then cleaned the counter. Piper only noticed me when I was sweeping.
It was early for her to come out of her thoughts. Normally, she was entirely lost in whatever was in front of her until I got near her corner.
“Oh darn. Lost track of time again.”
I was only at the entryway, but I paused to glance at her. “Be careful, or I might start to think you’re doing this on purpose.”
“And what if I am?” she asked. “Will you kick me out?”
“No,” I muttered.
I knew that if I looked at her, she would be smiling over at me.
“Still, I appreciate you letting me stay. And just . . . everything else.”
I blinked in shock. I’d barely done anything to warrant any sort of thank-you.
Piper’s cheeks went pink. “The touching thing. I’m used to all kinds of reactions. You just . . . accepted it and have continued to since you found out.”
“Is that not what others do?”
“They try, but I’ve had a few friends treat me differently. Like I’m fragile or something.”
“You’re not fragile.”
“It’s nice to hear that. And it’s nice that you’re just . . . kind. The people I’ve met here so far seem to be like that too.”
All I could do was nod. After living here for years, it was easy to forget what the rest of the world was like. Sure, everyone in Strawberry Springs annoyed each other, but we all cared about each other too. I was somehow included in that, no matter how much I tried not to be.
But shitty people were everywhere. I did remember that. I was a part of that for way too long. If Piper had just moved here, then that kind of life was still on her mind.
“Don’t thank me for doing the bare minimum. I’m happy to.”
She let out a breathy laugh. “Still, it’s weird.”
“It’s an adjustment, but you’ll get used to it.”
“Is everyone like this?”
“In different ways, but mostly.”
She nodded. “That means I need to get to know them. I hope they don’t think I’m rude for going so slow.”
“Maybe they do. Maybe they don’t.” I shrugged. “They’ll get over it. Trust me, it’s not the weirdest thing that’s happened here.”
“What is the weirdest thing that’s happened here?”
There were way too many things I could say, most of it in the Facebook group. But after working as the town handyman, I knew too much.
“How good are you at keeping secrets?”
“Very.” Piper leaned in, eyes alight. “Is this something really good?”
“Let’s just say I’ll never forget it.” I gestured to the table.
My left knee was killing me, and there was enough space for us to sit without touching.
She hesitated, and just as I was about to offer to stay standing, she nodded and pointed for me to join her.
I grabbed my cup and walked to her table.
Sitting was the relief I needed. I’d never admit it to Kelsey, but she was right. I was working too much.
“I’m jealous you have coffee and I don’t.”
“I’d offer it, but I don’t think you’d want to drink after me.”
“The coffee’s so good I’m considering it.” She propped her head up on her palm. “But what I really need is this story. I’m ready for some small-town gossip.”
She would fit in just fine.
“There’s this lady named Kerry. Long story short, she wants to know everything about everyone.”
“I’m pretty sure I’ve heard of her.” She laughed. “I bet you two get along well.”
“I try to stay out of her way, but she’s weaseled in to try to get info on me. Sometimes she’d find work for me to do at her house back when I was the town’s handyman. Most of the time it was something she could easily do herself.”
“You were the town’s handyman? Did you wear cute little overalls?”
“Very funny. No. I wore this.”
“Still cute.”
“I’m too old to be cute,” I muttered as my cheeks grew warm. “And anyway, you said you wanted the story.”
“I do.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “I am so sorry for calling you cute.”
There was no way she meant it, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.
“One time, she gave me a bullshit call to clean out her drain, which she was always doing.”
“Is this where you tell me she had a crush on you?”
“This is where I tell you she forgot to take a very . . . personal, phallic-shaped item off the wall.”
The heat in my cheeks intensified as I gauged her reaction. Maybe I shouldn’t have said this to her, but it was out there now.
And I couldn’t take it back.
Piper’s eyes went wide for all of three seconds before she erupted into laughter.
My shoulders relaxed. At least I hadn’t made her uncomfortable.
“Please tell me what you did.”
“What any man of my standing would. I told her I’d never tell a soul if she left me alone.”
Piper’s jaw dropped. “You blackmailed her?”
“I did. And it worked. Mostly. The coffee shop’s fair game, but my personal life isn’t.”
“Okay, that’s a good one. I bet she was mortified.”
“Very much so. She still barely looks me in the eye.”
She laughed. “That’s amazing. And a good way to keep your life private.”
“In a way, I was lucky to see that . . . as traumatizing as it was.”
“I bet there’s so much going on that I’ve missed.”
“Have you joined the Facebook group yet?”
“No. What’s in it?”
“Everything.”
Her eyes went wide. “Everything?”
“If you want gossip, you join that.”
“Then I need to be in it. Though, I’m surprised you’re even on there. You seem like a private guy.”
“I am. I don’t do social media usually, but I made one for when people needed me.
Plus, it’s entertaining. I could send you the link to it, if you .
. .” I trailed off. Would she feel threatened if I asked for her number?
I only needed it to send her the link for the neighborhood watch group, but I could easily imagine what else I could use it for.
“Hand me your phone,” she said. “I’ll put my number in it.”
That wasn’t the worst it could have gone, but I couldn’t look at her as I slid my phone over.
“Dude, this thing’s ancient. What is this, an iPhone 4?”
“Six,” I muttered.
“Leave it to an old man to have an old phone.”
Now my gaze snapped to hers. “I’m surprised you even know what it is. What, were you in diapers when it came out?”
Piper’s eyes lit up, and I had to resist the urge to smile. She liked it when I teased her. It made me want to do it more.
“For your information, I was not. But I bought my first phone when I was eighteen, so this actually does feel old for me.” She shrugged and went to the contacts.
So she was isolated as a kid. It wasn’t uncommon, but she at least had freedom now. She must’ve done it the second she legally could, just as I had.
“Okay, here you go. Don’t abuse it.” She slid the phone back to me. “Or maybe do. I have to wonder if you also text like an old man.”
“And how do old men text?”
“Typos. Lack of punctuation.”
“I know basic grammar.”
“Do you know the difference between they’re, their, and there?”
“Yes.”
“Hot.”
She said it right when I took a sip of coffee, and I nearly spewed it. “Wh-what?”
“Got you.” She laughed. “What, can you not accept a compliment? It’s true.”
I needed to tell her that I didn’t date, so there was no chance for anything between us. But I was still recovering from her surprisingly effective flirting. It was all I could do to send her the Facebook group.
Piper didn’t say anything else as I sent the message. She focused on joining. When she got in, she blinked. “No membership questions?”
“No what?”
“Usually when you join a group, they have questions to make sure you’re real.”
“It’s not like that here,” I replied. “The group isn’t searchable. You have to have a direct link to it. That’s enough.”
“What about scammers?”
“What scammer wants to join a tiny Facebook group?”
She considered it. “Wow. This is different than I’m used to.”
She leaned forward as she scrolled, and I tried not to stare. She still kept her distance from me, but this was the closest we’d been. I wouldn’t take it any further, but I enjoyed it.
“Oh, I see what you mean about Kerry. Does she always talk this much?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“What do you post?” she asked. “I’m looking you up.”
“Wait, don’t—”
She’d already done it. “Oh, wow. Did someone really have you handle a plumbing backup?”
I shuddered just thinking back to that day. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”
“Okay, then what about when Jackie meant to put a review of the shop up and made a post instead?”
“That’s still there?” I asked. “What the hell are the admins doing?”
“It’s cute,” she replied. “And this helps me know people better. Thanks for sending it to me.”
There was something about the way she said thank you. It was soft, like she rarely said it.
“You’re welcome. Just don’t dig too far. You might regret it.”
“Should I introduce myself?” she asked. “Would people appreciate that?”
“Definitely. Just be prepared for the comments. And maybe don’t mention you come here.”
“Why? You don’t want people to know I like the coffee?”
“No. You’ll get hounded.”
Her honey-brown eyes went wide. “Is Kerry that determined?”
“Very much so.”
“Note taken.” She sighed. “Maybe I’ll work myself up to it then.”
“Take your time.”
“I’ll make sure no one knows I hang out here all the time. Or that you take forever to close so you don’t kick me out.”
Jesus. For a woman so shy, she really knew how to embarrass the hell out of me. “I don’t do that.”
“Whatever you say. Thanks again, Theo. I’ll see you tomorrow.”