32. Theo
THEO
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Kerry Winsor: Who’s having a massive bonfire and why didn’t you invite me? RUDE.
Comments:
Mollie Wilson: A bonfire? Is that the smoke I saw on the highway?
Jade Clark: That’s one thing people don’t do enough of around here. We should crash it and bring marshmallows!
SherriffMike Finch: Do NOT go. It’s an actual fire. Firemen are at the scene now. Don’t you people know to call the fire department?
Kerry Winsor: It’s a real fire? I thought it was for fun!
SherriffMike Finch: You all need another fire safety training, don’t you?
Jade Clark: With the hot guys there? Yes, we DEFINITELY do.
Riley
Hi, Theo! I’ve heard a lot of good things about The Reserved Bean. Do you have any free time to meet up so we can talk about a few things? I could find some time to come to you.
The woman who let me franchise The Reserved Bean was someone I didn’t hear from often. She told me when we agreed on this that I would mostly be on my own, and I didn’t mind that.
But when she did reach out, I always wondered if I had messed something up.
And this morning was no different.
I’d been in a good mood after waking up with Piper. We’d talked over breakfast and I got her to her apartment before walking into the shop. It was nice, and I could do with more.
Now I was battling my own panic.
Wanting something was always so dangerous for me because it was usually followed by disappointment. The Reserved Bean was one of the things I’d wanted for so long.
I couldn’t lose it.
The text sat in my phone for too long as I stared at it.
I didn’t want Riley to think I was ignoring her, so I shook off my fear and focused on what I could do to meet up with her.
She had three kids and ran multiple locations.
Having her come out here meant a six-hour round-trip drive that would take up a whole day.
There was no way I was letting her do that.
Theo
I’ll be in Nashville for a few things. We could meet next week.
Riley
That would be great!
I had a sinking feeling Piper wouldn’t love the idea of me sacrificing my day off. She seemed so excited to spend time with me, and now I had something else to do.
Conflict followed me throughout the day, and it mixed with the unease I had about the meeting. Kelsey kept glancing over at me, and I could tell she knew I wasn’t in the best place, but I kept it to myself.
It was afternoon by the time Piper walked through the door. Her smile was wide and I wished I could return it as easily as she did.
“Hi,” she said when she got to the counter. But the second her eyes caught on mine, it faded. “What’s wrong?”
“We can talk about it in a minute.”
Her brow pinched, but she placed her usual order and I followed her to the table.
“If you’re trying to break up with me, I’m afraid the answer is going to be no.”
I startled. “What? Why would I be doing that?”
“You have a very guilty look in your eyes.”
“It’s not that, I promise. I just have some plans next week in Nashville. The franchise owner wants to meet up.”
Piper blinked, considering it for a moment. “Is that all?”
“Well, yes.”
“Oh. I thought it was something way worse.”
“It’ll be on my only day off.”
“I could try to convince you to take another day off, but considering how busy you are—” She gestured to the front. “I have a feeling you’ll want to be here.”
I looked to the front where a line was forming. Kelsey was handling it well, but I knew I needed to get back.
“Sorry,” I said.
She only laughed. “It’s fine. The Reserved Bean deserves this. We’ll make time in other ways.”
“I’ll make it up to you.”
“I know. That’s why I’m not worried about it.” I nodded, trying to match her calm energy. It didn’t work. “Are you worried about it?” she asked.
“A little. And I like spending my day with you.”
Piper’s lip twisted as she considered it. “You know, I could go with you.”
“Are you ready for that?”
“Honestly? I have no idea. But it could be fun to try.”
I knew immediately that I liked the idea of her going with me. I knew things were easier for her with me there, but I didn’t realize how much easier it was for me when she was around.
“Hey, Theo?” Kelsey called. “Are you coming back soon?”
“Shit, I’ve gotta go. We’ll talk about it over dinner, love.” Without thinking, I pressed a kiss to her cheek and went back to the counter.
It didn’t hit me until later just how natural that felt.
The day was so busy that I wondered if I should hire another person.
The baked goods added a wave of people that didn’t like coffee, especially in the afternoons when it was usually slow.
It extended past Strawberry Springs into the smaller towns around us, and I didn’t get to stop until I locked the door.
Kelsey had to stay as well, and she dropped her head onto the counter the second the last customer left.
“What was that?” she muttered.
“Good business,” I said. “Thank you for staying to close even though you weren’t scheduled to.”
“You needed the help. And I’ll stay longer, even if I want to die while I do it.”
“Need help?” Piper’s voice broke me out of my thoughts. She was on the other side of the counter, staring at us with a small smile on her face.
“You know how I feel about you helping with closing,” I said.
“Dude,” Kelsey complained. “We so need it. Let your girlfriend help for once.”
Piper’s gaze cut to Kelsey and her shoulders tensed. “Um, we’re not—”
I cut her off before she could finish her sentence. “Fine. Just this once.”
Piper blinked at the words, turning to me with a raised eyebrow. I knew what she was asking, and I was more than okay with her being called my girlfriend.
“Great,” Kelsey said, unaware of the exchange between us. “I’ll owe you one. Theo too.”
“I’ll get dinner tonight,” I added. “And for the next few days.”
“Sold. Though, I would’ve helped anyway. Be right back.”
“If she wasn’t a best-selling author, I’d say hire her,” Kelsey said. “Though, if this becomes our normal, we need a third person.”
“I was already thinking it.”
Her eyes widened. “Wow. Look at all this growth. Piper’s good for you.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I rolled my eyes. “I’ll count the money.”
Kelsey got to work on cleaning the counters and the espresso machine. Piper came out of the back room with a broom, but I wanted to help her when I was done.
The last thing I expected was for the whole sitting area to not only be swept, but mopped too.
“Holy shit,” Kelsey said when I was finally finished with my managerial work. “How are you so fast?”
“I love cleaning,” Piper explained. “That, and I want food.”
“Did you know she was this good at cleaning?” Kelsey asked.
“She’s helped before, but she’s really excited about food.”
“Well, yes, but you’re so efficient. I’m calling it. You have to train whoever we hire.”
“I’ll do my best,” she said with a laugh. “Now, you need rest, and I have to talk about plans with this one.”
“I’m the third wheel again,” Kelsey muttered. “Fine. But I miss you.”
“Come to the hangouts with the rest of the girls and you’d see me.”
“You sound as bad as them,” she said with a shake of her head. “Stop trying to get me to stay.”
“Sorry. Can’t.” Piper stuck her tongue out before linking her arm with me. “Now because I hang out here all the time, I know we’re done. It’s food time.”
Kelsey got her purse and said goodbye before we all left for the day. I figured we would either go to my place or hers, but Piper dragged me toward the diner.
“Where are we going?”
“You said you owed me dinner, but you’re way too tired to cook. So the diner it is.”
“That’s not a terrible idea. I need a damn burger.”
“Are they good?”
“Only the best. Come on, love.”
Piper had pep in her step after I used the nickname, and I knew I would call her that as often as I could.
Center Point was slow when we walked in, with only Wren and Henry at their usual table. Tammy was talking to them animatedly, as she always did whenever they came in.
“She’s in a friendly mood,” Piper commented.
“Tammy’s always like that with Wren. She’s her favorite.”
“Where do you rank?”
“I’ve always been too scared to ask.”
“What a surprise,” Tammy said as she walked up to us. Her eyes lingered on Piper’s arm that was still threaded through mine.
“Theo needs a pick-me-up. The coffee shop was busy today.”
“I saw. Freya’s stuff does well.” She gave us a smile. “Come on, kids. I’ll lead you to a table.”
“I’m nearly forty,” I said.
“And I’m way older than you,” she said, waving her hand. “Now come on, you two.”
Tammy sat us in my usual spot and got our drinks before returning to talk to Wren and Henry for a bit.
“Think she’s talking about us?” I asked.
“Definitely. But Wren knows something is going on.”
“She does?”
“Yes, and she very much approves.”
I blinked, still baffled at the fact no one had said anything about our age difference. I turned to Wren, who had caught Piper’s eye and waved. Henry did the same too, but he looked how I felt: exhausted. I gave him a nod before leaning back in the booth.
My eyes shut and I took in a moment of silence before remembering Piper and I had something we needed to talk about. I shook my head in hopes of finding energy that wasn’t there before sitting up.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. Long day.”
“It really was. That was more than two people can handle.”
“Already on it, if the business keeps up.” I never thought I would need a third employee, but I had plans in case it happened.
“Good,” she replied. “Now, about this trip to Nashville . . .”
“You can back out if it’s too much. And I’ll have to make sure it’s on a day that I’m sold out of Freya’s stuff so it’s not as busy.” I scrubbed my face.
“I wanna go, if you’ll have me.”
“I’ll always have you,” I said.
“Good.” She sat up straighter. “And I don’t wanna crash your party, but I might wind up doing it. My only experience is with Knoxville, and the town I lived in outside of it. Nashville is way bigger.”
“It is,” I replied. “And I’m probably gonna stay the night in a hotel farther from the city. I hate making that drive all in one day.”
“Okay, so we’d have a place to go.” She slowly nodded. “That’s helpful. Where are you meeting this person?”
“It’s the sister shop of mine. It’s in East Nashville, which is a place where most of the locals hang out.”
“Another coffee shop. I’d love to try it.”
A ridiculous jealousy made my shoulders tighten. “There you go cheating on me again.”
Her laugh soothed it away. “I’ll always love your blend the most. But really, I’d love to see Nashville. Or anything, really. It’s just if I can.”
“Then let’s find a way to make sure you can.”
Piper nodded, color darkening her cheeks. I knew she wasn’t used to having someone who believed she could do whatever she wanted to.
I enjoyed being the first.
“Know what you’re getting?” Tammy asked as she walked up.
“Burgers for the both of us, please.”
“Any changes?” We shook our heads. “And are the checks split?”
Last time, Piper had gotten her own. She’d tried to pay for mine too, but I refused to let her.
“All on me,” I said.
Tammy blinked. “Interesting. You usually don’t do that.”
“She’s different.”
“Wow, way to make a girl feel special,” Piper said.
“You are.”
Tammy watched us like a tennis match and then hurried away, right to Wren’s table.
“They won’t question it now,” I said.
“And how did that feel?” she asked.
“Fucking terrifying,” I replied. “But like someone else I know, I did it anyway.”
Piper’s smile made it worth it. There was no way I was hiding her.
There was no way I ever could.