27. Thea
27
THEA
My rag moved across the bakery table in circles as I looked for any sign of crumbs or spills, but my mind was a million miles away. It was on Shep. His tall, muscular form moving through my house. The way his muscles bunched and flexed as he worked on the bathroom. How his tees rode up when he stretched while drinking his coffee in the morning, exposing a hint of one of those V things.
Three days.
Shep had been living with me for three days, and I was about to combust. He, on the other hand, seemed perfectly fine. I’d caught his gaze lingering on my legs or lips a time or two, but he hadn’t made a single move.
I’d thought with our pseudo-date at The Pop, things were moving in that direction, but all of a sudden, it was like he was back to treating me like spun glass. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate his carefulness—because I did. It meant he cared. I was just ready for…more.
“Pretty sure you’re taking the varnish off that table at this point.”
I jerked up at the sound of Sutton’s voice.
She laughed. “What is going on in that head of yours?”
I couldn’t help the flush that rose to my cheeks. “Sorry. Distracted, I guess.”
Thankfully, there were only two patrons in the bakery at the moment, and I was pretty sure they were both tourists—no one to remember my embarrassment.
Sutton grinned. “I know that kind of distraction. How is your new roomie?”
My cheeks just got hotter.
“That good, huh? Let me live vicariously.”
“It’s not like that,” I hissed under my breath.
Sutton’s brows lifted. “I thought you were rectifying that situation.”
“He’s not—I’m not sure if he’s interested in me like that. Sometimes, I think he is. But others…”
“Trust me, honey. That man is interested with a capital I.”
My stomach twisted. “I’m not so sure. He hasn’t even kissed me.”
“Do you want him to?” Sutton asked, cutting right to the point.
“Yes,” I answered. It was as simple as that. Only I wanted him to do a hell of a lot more than kiss me.
Sutton straightened, her hands going to her hips. “This is the twenty-first century. Women run billion-dollar companies, the government, heck, they fly to the freaking moon. We sure as hell can make the first move.”
I took an instinctive step back, shaking my head. What if Shep rejected me? What if I messed it up and made things awkward for the next couple of months he was living with me?
“Thea,” Sutton said. “He likes you. But he probably instinctively knows you’ve been through some hard stuff and doesn’t want to rush you.”
“He knows,” I whispered.
Sutton’s face softened. “You told him?”
I nodded.
“I love that you felt comfortable sharing that with him. Shep is one of those miraculous good ones. That means he’s going to take it slow.”
“So slow I’m about to crawl out of my skin,” I grumbled.
Sutton burst out laughing, then pitched her voice low. “Honey, that’s what a vibrator is for. Take the edge off.”
“I’m pretty sure I’d have to buy a jumbo pack of batteries.”
Sutton only laughed harder, and it was infectious, bringing me under, as well.
“You two look like you’re up to no good. I want in.”
I turned at the voice that sounded like it smoked five packs a day. Lolli, Shep’s grandmother, stood just inside the door, clutching a wrapped package in one hand and a purse in the other—a bag that looked like a bejeweled version of a pot leaf.
It fit. Lolli Reynolds was a character and a half with her hippie dresses and necklaces that weighed half her weight. But she was also the apple of our cook, Walter’s, eye.
“Hi, Lolli,” I greeted.
She beamed at me. “My darlings. How are you both?”
“Good,” Sutton said, moving to give her a hug. “You?”
“Fabulous. I’m planning a trip to Peru. Going to do one of those ayahuasca journeys. Open my mind.”
My brows about hit my hairline. “Isn’t that the drug that makes you hallucinate?”
Lolli made a tsking noise. “Psychedelics are the future. You should join me. I can sense you need some energetic opening.”
“I think I’m good with those pathways staying closed,” I muttered.
She just shook her head and handed me the package in her hand. “I won’t even punish you for being a buzzkill. This is for you.”
“Me?”
Lolli nodded. “A thank-you for letting Shep stay with you for a couple of months. I know he didn’t want to stay with us because Nora hovers. Or maybe”—she waggled her eyebrows—“he was hoping this living arrangement might have other perks. ”
Sutton put her arm around Lolli’s shoulders. “My thoughts exactly.”
My face flamed.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, dear. Sex is a very natural thing,” Lolli said.
Dear God, someone kill me now.
“Did someone say sex?” Walter asked as he made his way out of the kitchen, a gleam in his eye.
I was going to crawl under the table.
“Not to you, you old coot,” Lolli shot back.
“You say that now,” Walter challenged, “but you don’t know my moves.”
“Walter!” Sutton chastised, laughter filling her voice.
“Let me take you out,” Walter pressed.
Lolli just shook her head, her countless necklaces jangling. “You can’t pin a woman like me down.”
“I don’t know, you might like the kind of pinning I do.”
“Jesus,” a new voice muttered. One I’d memorized. Shep made a face as he looked between Lolli and Walter. “Someone find one of those Men in Black mind wipe things and erase the last sixty seconds from my memory.”
“Now, Shep,” Lolli warned. “Like I told Thea, sex is perfectly natural?—”
“Please, make it stop,” I muttered.
Sutton just burst out laughing.
“You are not helping,” I growled at her.
Walter clapped Shep on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. My intentions are good. I’d marry your grandma tomorrow if she’d let me.”
“Never going to happen,” Lolli snapped.
“Why don’t I open this,” I said, cutting in before anyone could start talking about moves and pinning or anything else.
Lolli clapped her hands like a little kid. “Yes. Please.”
I started ripping the brown butcher paper.
Shep strode forward. “Lolli, tell me you didn’t. ”
My hands stilled as Lolli waved Shep off. “Oh, hush. Don’t ruin the surprise.”
“Surprise?” I was suddenly very wary.
“Don’t listen to my stick-in-the-mud grandson. I came up with this one just for you. I know how partial you are to your greenhouse goodies,” Lolli said.
That had a little of the tension easing out of me. How bad could it be if it had to do with my greenhouse?
Shep pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry for what’s about to happen.”
I ripped the paper off, letting it fall to the floor, and took in the canvas covered in countless glittering gemstones. It was one of those diamond art painting things. The image Lolli had created was a field of different gourds. But as I stared at it longer, my jaw dropped.
Sutton clamped a hand over her mouth to try to hold in her laughter. “Penis pumpkins,” she choked out.
My face was on fire. The canvas was covered in dick gourds of every size, shape, and color, but all distinctly phallic.
Shep pinned Lolli with a glare. “Why can’t you be a normal grandmother and knit sweaters or something?”
Lolli drummed her fingers across her lips. “I could come up with an interesting snowball pattern…”
“For fuck’s sake,” Shep muttered.
A laugh bubbled out of me and quickly spiraled into a sound I had zero control over. A snort broke free, and I slapped a hand over my mouth.
Shep’s eyes were on me, and I saw such warmth in them, tenderness even.
“See?” Lolli challenged. “She likes it. But that isn’t the only reason I came in.”
“You came in to accept my marriage proposal,” Walter cut in.
Lolli just rolled her eyes. “Nora and I would love for you to come to dinner?—”
“Lolli,” Shep warned. “Don’t push her.”
“I’m not pushing,” Lolli snapped back .
My laughter quickly died away. A huge dinner would be a lot for me, but I wanted to get to know Shep’s family. Though maybe he didn’t feel the same.
Shep’s gaze cut to me the moment I stopped laughing. It shouldn’t have surprised me that he read my expression. He was so damn good at it.
In three long strides, he was in front of me. “Don’t think I don’t want you there, Thorn. I want you wherever I can get you. Why do you think I’ve been coming to the bakery every day for months? I don’t even like sweets.”
My mouth dropped open, and Sutton made a strangled sound.
“Now that’s a little better,” Lolli mumbled.
Shep shot her a warning look. “I think you’ve caused enough chaos for one day.”
“It’s not even noon,” Lolli argued.
Shep turned back to me. “See you at home.” And with a wink, he was gone.