Chapter Ten
Esther
Long after Theo left that night, I was still thinking about the molten heat in his eyes when I told him I could handle my closest friend assuming we were having the very hot affair she’d recommended.
I was still thinking about it the next day when Sofia texted me about meeting up for drinks that weekend.
Drinks at Botticelli’s Sunday night? Bring lover boy.
Staring down at my phone as I paused in the middle of scooping out a batch of cookies, I sighed, washed my hands, and sent a text to Theo to see what he thought.
He didn’t answer right away, so I focused my attention on getting the tray into the oven.
Just as I set the timer, a knock sounded at the front door.
Out of habit, I checked the peephole, and the sight of Theo in a blue plaid shirt and worn leather jacket knocked me back half a step before I swung the door open.
“Hey,” he said, his gaze dipping to my neck before lifting back to my eyes. “You’ve got flour just…here.”
One thumb brushed over my collarbone, warm against the cool air outside and sending tendrils of fire along my veins. I forced myself to hold still, though I couldn’t prevent my lips from parting as I stared silently back at him.
“I haven’t had anyone to talk to all day except the cat, so I figured I’d come over instead of texting back. Am I interrupting something?”
“Oh. Just baking. Come on in.”
I stepped back to let him through and pretended not to notice the way his shirt molded to the muscles of his back and shoulders as he shrugged off his jacket and hung it on the hooks by the door. He lifted his head like a wolf scenting the air.
“Cookies?” he asked, lips curving into an eager smile.
“Behave yourself and you can have some fresh out of the oven.”
With a deep, rumbling chuckle, he winked at me. “Esther, I’d do just about anything for your cookies.”
“I’m not sure shameless flirting constitutes good behavior,” I said dryly as I led the way back into the kitchen.
“What about offering to help with anything you need? I’m an expert at dishwashing.”
I huffed out a laugh and waved at him to sit at the table while I scooped dough onto one last tray. “Just relax, I’m almost done. So. Are you ready for another date?”
When he didn’t immediately respond, I glanced over my shoulder and caught him watching me. Heat blossomed under my skin, even when his gaze drifted to my face. There was something soft and inviting in his eyes, but his expression was serious.
“Absolutely,” he said quietly. “Are you?”
I blinked at him for a beat, then nodded. “Yeah, drinks won’t be that big a commitment, right? I think if I put her off, she’ll badger me about Thanksgiving. I’d rather make an appearance that we can escape from easily than get roped into a meal that will stretch for half the day.”
“Mrs. Jimenez takes holidays very seriously,” he said, grinning. “I think half a day might be underestimating her.”
“I’ll tell Sofia we’ll be there,” I said as I turned back to the cookies.
Theo stayed quiet as I pulled the first tray from the oven, but he cocked his head at me when I turned to face him.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yes, I just…I don’t know what to wear to a place like that.”
His eyebrows shot up and he rose to his feet, moving toward me.
He paused a few feet away, leaning against the counter, and said, “I’m probably not the best judge of that, but I can ask Ollie if you don’t want to involve Sofia.
I’ve seen you dolled up and casual, and believe me when I say no matter what you wear, you’re going to be gorgeous. ”
“Thank you.” I cleared my throat and moved a handful of cookies from the cooling rack to a plate before handing it to him. “Can I get you a drink?”
“Water is fine,” he replied.
The gentleness of his tone threatened to unravel me, but I managed to keep my hands steady as I filled two glasses from the filter and nodded for him to sit back down at the table. I took the seat across from him, careful to keep my knees from brushing against his.
“They’re best when they’re still warm,” I told him, grabbing a cookie off the plate.
That was all the invitation he needed—he lifted one to his mouth, closed his eyes as he took a gooey bite, and released a guttural sound of satisfaction that had me clenching my thighs under the table.
Right before he opened his eyes again, I dropped my gaze to the plate and shoved the cookie into my mouth.
“You’re right,” he said. “These are even better than the first ones I tried, and I thought those were the best thing I’d ever tasted.”
“You have a pretty strong sweet tooth.”
He shrugged. “Guilty as charged.”
“So. What else should I know about you besides that, if we’re going to convince our closest friends we’re dating?”
“Or banging,” he muttered.
A startled laugh burst from my lips. “Or banging.”
“I don’t think anyone is going to quiz us, Esther,” he said gently. “Especially because they know us both and it’s going to be obvious this is temporary.”
The reminder should have doused me with ice water, but instead it made me square my shoulders and nod.
Temporary. Right. I could do this. I wanted to do this. Maybe a fake relationship would help prepare me for another real one.
Someday. Down the road. When I was ready.
“Yeah. Still. I’m afraid Sofia is going to question me and I’ll just freeze up,” I said.
He ate another cookie, rubbed a hand over his beard to check for crumbs, and leaned back in his chair.
“Crash course, then. I’m thirty-eight, I have a degree in business management, and I co-own a landscaping company with a guy named Billy.
I used to help my dad out when I was in high school and fell in love with the prospect of both being my own boss and creating beautiful gardens for customers. ”
I nodded. “And I assume you don’t have a girlfriend down in North Carolina?”
“Definite no. I wouldn’t have agreed to come up here for two months if someone was waiting for me back home.”
The desire to ask about his aversion to relationships welled in my chest so strongly that I had to clench my hands together in my lap. “Right, okay. Any hobbies?”
“I played on a sort of bar league adult soccer team for a while, but when the business took off, I couldn’t commit to enough practices,” he replied. “You?”
I shook my head, then shrugged. “I like to read. I do some yoga, but I decided against classes because I got tired of everyone staring at me when I showed up.”
“This fucking town.”
My eyes widened at the vehemence of the words. “It’s not that bad.”
With a humorless laugh, he leaned his elbows against the table and said, “Esther, even when you want to get out of this house, you’re sent scurrying back because every busybody in Spruce Hill feels the need to be up in your business.”
“I don’t scurry,” I protested, scowling.
“You know what I’m saying. Why do you stay here?”
I took a sip of water to put off responding, then sighed.
“The memories aren’t all good, obviously, but I never fit in when I was growing up.
Spruce Hill is the first place that’s ever felt like home.
Leaving feels like…letting Steve win. I love my customers, I love your parents. This is my refuge.”
His gaze swept over my features and I caught the moment he recognized my sincerity on the issue. “Okay.”
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t mind being alone, Theo.”
“You’re not alone now.”
“I guess you’re right,” I replied, then bit my lip. “You really think we can pull this off?”
He laid his hand on the table, palm up, and waited until I hesitantly laid my hand on top of it. The warmth of his fingers curling around mine was both unsettling and reassuring, summoning up all kinds of feelings I thought I’d locked away long ago.
“Esther, Queen of Sweets and goddess of cookies, I have the utmost faith in us.”