Chapter 9 #2
“I know that! What’s worse is, Gretchen came to Gracemont with some pretty heavy baggage. Her upbringing sucked, her mom and stepdad were neglectful and cruel.”
Levi scowled, his feelings about parents hurting their kids matching Theo’s. “I don’t like hearing that. Gretchen is a gentle soul.”
“It was bad enough that she and her brother ended up in foster care,” Theo added.
Sam nodded, glancing at Jace, who said, “She mentioned living in a foster home in passing a couple weeks ago.”
“I’m not even sure if it’s the boss thing or the caveman thing I’m fighting against,” Theo added. “Sometimes, I get the sense there’s something bigger holding her back.”
Maverick moved away from the doorway, perching on an ottoman in the corner. “Something besides her shitty parents?”
Theo nodded. There were a lot of unaccounted for years in Gretchen’s history. She never once mentioned the years between graduation and her arrival here. All he knew was what was on her resume, and that included little more than her work and education history.
“What do you think it is?” Sam asked.
Theo was touched by the concern in his brother’s voice. It was clear it wasn’t just his heart Gretchen had claimed in her short time here. She’d wormed her way into his family’s as well.
Theo rubbed his forehead wearily. “I don’t know. While she’s opened up to me about a few things regarding her past, there’s a big-ass brick wall too tall to scale around the rest of it. She claims she came to Gracemont for a fresh start, but I can’t help feeling like she’s running from something.”
Levi frowned. “If that’s true, she’ll need you to help her through it.”
Theo had every intention of doing that. “I hate that I freaked her out by admitting my feelings so early, but it’s hard to hold back when I can see the future so clearly.
We’re perfect for each other, and every fiber of my being knows we’re supposed to be together.
This thing between us…it’s meant to be.”
Levi nodded as if what he was saying made perfect sense. “If she’s really yours, really the one, you need to grab her with both hands and hold on until she sees what you do.”
Maverick rolled his eyes. “You two are as bad as Dad with this soul mates stuff. What’s wrong with playing the field? Dating a few years or so? This love-at-first-touch thing is?—”
“True,” Levi interjected.
Maverick wasn’t finished arguing. “It was only true for you and Dad because the women fell back. If Kasi had rejected you, then you’d be singing a different tune.”
Levi smirked. “I’ll bet you a hundred bucks when love comes for you, it’s going to take you down just as quick and twice as hard.”
Maverick grimaced. “I’ll take that bet. Because I’m never going to let some woman tie my dick in a knot, never going to fall in love. It’s not in the cards for me.”
Theo didn’t know how to respond to that, and given the way Levi, Sam, and Jace were frowning, it was apparent they didn’t, either.
Sam turned back to Theo. “So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. I mean…what if I’ve already fucked up my chance?” Theo forced himself to voice the one thing that had cost him more sleep than he cared to count this week.
“This kiss was a week ago?” Sam asked.
Theo nodded.
Sam tilted his head. “How has Gretchen acted toward you since then?”
“The same,” he said, that question and its response one he hadn’t considered. “She’s acting exactly the same.”
“She’s not avoiding you? Things aren’t awkward?” Maverick asked.
“No. She’s as friendly as ever.” Theo was the one who’d started acting differently.
“Hmpf,” Levi grunted. “So despite the premature caveman act, she’s staying put. Not running away.”
A big-ass grin broke free on Theo’s face. “She’s not.”
Gretchen hadn’t turned down his invitation to last week’s cookout, hadn’t tried to back out on the driving lessons, hadn’t ceased stopping by his office whenever she had a question or wanted an opinion on something work related.
She wasn’t even attempting to keep a physical distance, leaning over his computer to look at graphics and schedules and playfully slapping his arm whenever he made a joke.
Levi placed his hand on Theo’s shoulder and squeezed. “Then it sounds like the door is still open. And as long as that’s the case…”
“I can start knocking down the roadblocks.” Theo pulled his phone out of his pocket.
“If you guys will excuse me, I’m going to kick the first one over.
” He clicked on his contacts, found Nora’s number, and hit call.
“Hey, Nora,” he said, as he walked out of the living room, catching the smiles on his brothers’ faces. “I need a favor.”
Theo walked into Whiskey Abbey a couple hours later, a lighter spring in his step, thanks to the talk with his brothers and Nora.
Although, he feared he might have permanent hearing damage in his left ear, given the way Nora squeed with delight when he told her why he wanted her to take over as Gretchen’s supervisor.
His cousin, like his brothers, hadn’t been a bit surprised by his confession, claiming she’d been quite amused by the way he constantly made moon eyes at Gretchen every time he thought no one was looking.
And more than that, she started playing matchmaker, giving him ideas for things to do around Gracemont that would be perfect for romantic dates.
“Ahoy, matey!” Levi cried out, when he spotted Theo in his pirate costume. Levi was carrying a pitcher of beer and a couple of glasses. “We’ve got a big table over there,” his brother said, pointing him in the right direction.
Despite the fact it was a Wednesday and everyone in here probably had work in the morning, the bar was packed, no one willing to pass up the chance to kick up their heels.
Social events like this were the exception rather than the norm in Gracemont, so whenever something fun cropped up, most of the locals made their way there.
Theo grinned at Levi’s Han Solo costume, complete with blaster in a gun belt, then snorted when Levi put down the pitcher and glasses, wrapping his arm around Kasi’s waist. She made an adorable Princess Leia.
Then, he took in his family’s costumes one by one, chuckling at some of the more outrageous ones.
Maverick made an amusing Alan from The Hangover , complete with a baby doll strapped to his chest. Grayson was currently acting out his “Where’s Waldo” outfit, standing directly behind Superman Everett, and peering over his shoulder as everyone pretended to be looking for him.
Sam and Jace had nailed their look, bringing the Blues Brothers to life.
Theo laughed out loud when his gaze finally landed on Gretchen, surrounded by his cousins at the opposite end of the table. Walking toward them, he stopped next to her. “Never really pegged you for a mean girl,” he joked.
Gretchen dramatically tossed her hair over her shoulder. “On Wednesdays, we wear pink,” she announced. Sure enough, she, Nora, Remi, and Mila were rocking it in several different shades of pink.
“When we realized Halloween was on a Wednesday, we couldn’t resist,” Remi explained. In addition to her pink attire, she’d created a neck brace for herself out of dowel rods and a foam wreath that was decorated with flowers. “I’m Regina George, obviously. Nora is Cady, Mila is Karen, and?—”
“I’m playing the role of Gretchen,” Gretchen added, giggling.
“Well, shiver me timbers,” he said in a pirate tone. “You all look great.”
“So do you.” Gretchen reached out to tap his eye patch. “How annoying is the patch?”
He shrugged. “Only just put it on in the parking lot. Suspect it will get old long before the night is over.”
While his family had managed to snag a large table, there weren’t enough stools for everyone, so while half the group was sitting, the rest were standing around it.
Theo parked himself behind Gretchen, leaning over her to pour himself a glass of beer from one of the countless pitchers.
For the first time in a week, he made no attempt to avoid touching her or keeping his distance as his chest pressed tight to her back, his arm brushing hers.
She glanced over her shoulder at him, looking confused. Undoubtedly, she mistook the space he’d been giving her as him backing off. Tonight, that was over. He was ready to set the wheels in motion, ready to seduce the socks off Miss Gretchen Banks.
Taking a sip of his beer, he rested his free arm on the back of her stool, playing with her hair.
“Theo,” she whispered, her eyes traveling around the table, checking to make sure no one was watching them.
Theo didn’t care if they were. He’d come clean to four of his brothers, and given the wink Grayson shot him and the knowing grin on Everett’s face, it was obvious the other two had been read in.
He was also certain Nora had filled in Mila and Remi, because those girls told each other everything, secrets nonexistent in their house. And the same held true with Levi and Kasi.
So really, the only person at the table who didn’t know he’d made his attraction public was Gretchen.
“Hmmm.” He teased the side of her neck with one finger. When she shivered, her eyes growing dark with desire, he decided he needed to pull back a little bit, or he was about to become a pirate sporting a very large plank.
“I love this song!” Remi yelled when a Billy Idol classic from the eighties, “Dancing with Myself,” started playing. “Let’s hit the floor and get this party started.”
Mila, Kasi, and Nora were already out of their chairs, but Gretchen hesitated.
“Aren’t you going to go with them?” he asked.
Something crossed her face that he couldn’t quite read. For a moment, it looked like anxiety or maybe fear, but she shook off whatever was bothering her quickly. “I think I will go dance.”