NORA
“You guys excited for your hot air balloon ride on Saturday?” Lia asked, looking between Amanda and me at the park Tuesday morning.
“It should be fun,” I said.
Amanda nodded beside me. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”
Charlotte squealed from somewhere out on the playground, and I glanced up just in time to see her dart past the swings with Lia’s twins chasing after her.
“Oh to have that kind of energy!” Lia chuckled, noticing the girls as well.
“For real.” Amanda laughed.
“Speaking of good energy,” Lia said, shifting in her seat to face me better, “it seems like you and Miles were really hitting things off at the wedding over the weekend. Is there anything you have to tell us about that?”
“Just that if it looked like we were a real couple, then I probably deserve an Oscar for my performance.”
“Huh?” She frowned, her dark eyebrows knitting together, clearly confused by my reaction.
“I was just a decoy date,” I said with a shrug. “Part of some master plan that Miles had.”
“You were just pretending to be all over each other?” Lia laughed. “Are you serious?”
“Sadly, he was just using me to make someone else jealous.” I sighed. Then, waving the idea away, I added, “But it’s fine. Dating America’s favorite quarterback was probably a pipe dream, anyway.”
“Well, it was definitely very convincing,” Lia said. “I was totally bragging to Romeo about how I deserved some credit for helping create such a happy couple since we sent you on that date.”
Then turning to Amanda, she asked, “What about you? Have you and Theo still been texting? Anything real going on there?”
I sat up a little straighter, my interest piqued.
Theo had told me that he and Amanda had texted a little. But… what exactly did “a little” mean?
Was it anything I needed to be worried about?
Not that I had any real claim on him.
Just because I was living with him and Charlotte—and we’d had a few moments over the weekend that made me wonder if something more might be there—it didn’t mean he felt the same.
For all I knew, he could have picked up on my crush, but since he was all in on Amanda, he’d just been downplaying the whole “texting a little” thing to keep my feelings from getting hurt.
“We’ve had a few good chats.” Amanda smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “But that’s about it.” Then, as if to explain, she added, “I don’t think either of us is great at texting.”
“Better to learn more about each other in person,” Lia said with a knowing nod. “Great way to test the chemistry.” She gave a little wink.
“Right.” Amanda laughed and shot her a look that said there was definitely more to that story.
Was there more to the story then?
Ugh. Was I going to have to just watch Amanda and Theo flirt the whole time we were in the hot air balloon on Saturday? Watch them having fun while I try to make small talk with the guy who ghosted me at a wedding?
That sounded real fun.
I closed my eyes and let out a breath.
Maybe I should just skip the outing? Pretend I suddenly got sick so I wouldn’t have to watch the guy I was failing to get over fall in love with someone else.
Did it make me a bad person if I couldn’t find a way to be happy that Theo might finally be moving forward after being stuck for so long?
Yes… it probably did.
Because even though I didn’t have any claim on Theo, the thought of him standing in that hot air balloon with Amanda—smiling at her the way he sometimes smiled at me—made me feel a little sick.
I pressed my lips together and turned my attention back to Charlotte, who was now attempting to climb up the slide the wrong way.
Because, clearly, that was where my focus should be.
Not on Theo.
And definitely not on the fact that it was getting harder and harder not to wish he was mine.
I was helping Charlotte put her plate in the dishwasher after dinner on Thursday evening when the door to the garage suddenly burst open and Theo rushed in.
“Sorry I got home so late,” he said, setting his leather bag on the counter. “We had an emergency pop up at work that took way too long to figure out.”
I glanced over at him, and for a second, my brain seemed to stall out.
He wore a fitted black suit with a deep green tie that made his eyes look even brighter.
His hair was slightly out of place, like he’d been running his hands through it the whole drive home, and even from a few feet away, I caught the faint, clean scent of his cologne as he moved farther into the kitchen.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, hoping my voice sounded more normal than my thoughts felt.
“It will be.” He let out a breath. “Just had to deal with a client who went off the rails.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal, but then his gaze swept across the kitchen before landing on the fridge.
“Crap,” he muttered. “I just realized I was supposed to get the refreshments ready for tonight.”
“For your book club?” I asked.
“Yes.” He sighed. “I had Jessie make some cookie dough for her famous chocolate chip cookies. They’re super good. But I wanted them fresh out of the oven, so I’d planned to get home early enough to bake them myself…” He glanced at the clock on the wall. “But the guys will be here any minute…”
“I can bake them for you,” I blurted. “I was just going to be upstairs with Lucy and Charlotte, anyway. If it’s just putting them on a tray and baking them, I’m happy to do it.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, like he didn’t want to assume.
“Of course.”
He let out a breath and stepped closer, his hand warm against my shoulder as he drew me in just slightly.
“Thank you,” he said, brushing a quick kiss against the top of my head. “You’re the best.”
For a second, I forgot how to breathe.
“Oh—sorry. I, uh…” he said, pulling back quickly, as if just realizing what he’d done.
“It’s fine,” I said, hoping my voice sounded normal even though it felt like I had a hundred butterflies suddenly flapping around in my stomach.
Because Theo had just kissed me.
It had been quick. Just a forehead kiss.
Barely anything, really.
And yet… it suddenly felt like everything.
A quiet, slightly awkward pause settled between us, like neither of us was quite sure what to do next.
Then, as if deciding to just move past it, Theo turned toward the fridge. “Jessie said she left the cookie dough in here,” he said, sliding open the drawer. He searched for a second before pulling out a container and lifting the lid. “Ah, here it is.”
Inside, the dough was already rolled into perfect little balls, and there was a sticky note on top with baking instructions.
“Wow,” I said, leaning closer to look, my face hot as every nerve ending in my body became hyperaware of every centimeter of space between us. “It really is all ready to go.”
“And you’re really okay doing this?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said, taking the container from him. “And you should probably go change. I’ll get these in the oven and put together a plate for you.”
“What would I do without you?” he said, and the way he looked at me made warmth bloom in my chest.
“You’d be serving raw cookie dough to your guests,” I said with a small shrug.
That got a laugh out of him.
He hesitated for a second, like there was something else he might say, but then he nodded. “Okay. I’ll be right back.”
And with that, he headed upstairs.
I stood there for a moment, holding the container of cookie dough, my forehead still tingling from where his lips had been a moment ago.
Then I shook my head slightly and turned toward the oven.
Because I had cookies to bake.
I could daydream later about the fact that Theo had just kissed my head like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“That’s kind of the whole point,” Evan said, his voice drifting down the hall from the living room where Theo’s book club had taken over for the evening. “You strip everything down to what actually matters and let the rest go.”
“Exactly,” Bash added. “It’s about being intentional. Not just busy.”
I paused, spatula in hand, the smell of warm chocolate chip cookies filling the kitchen as their conversation drifted in.
I wasn’t totally sure which book they were discussing, but from the sound of it, it had something to do with cutting out the extra distractions in life so you can focus on what actually matters.
Which, honestly… felt like a really good idea in a world where everything was constantly fighting for your attention.
And I didn’t know what I’d expected from a group of guys getting together for a “men’s book club,” but hearing a bunch of successful, very attractive men casually talking about bettering their lives was really refreshing.
“I think the hardest part is actually deciding what matters most,” Theo said. His voice was calm, thoughtful in a way that made it sound like he meant every word. “And once you do that, everything else becomes a choice.”
I stilled, a warm flutter settling low in my stomach.
Because wow. Just his voice was hypnotizing.
I shifted slightly, leaning back to try and catch a glimpse of him through the doorway.
Just a little more…
But then, my elbow bumped the metal spatula.
It clattered to the tile floor, the sound echoing way louder than it should have in the quiet kitchen.
And just like that, the conversation in the living room halted.
Crap!
I froze before slowly bending down to grab the spatula, like maybe if I moved carefully enough, I could undo the very obvious announcement that yes, someone was in the kitchen.
Had Theo told the guys I was living here?
Or had he been hoping to keep that quiet… like he had with his in-laws?
Because if he wanted our new living arrangement kept quiet, that noise would definitely give us away if someone walked in and found me hiding in the kitchen when Lucy and Charlotte were supposed to be the only ones upstairs.
My phone buzzed a second later, making me jump.
I glanced down at the screen, my heart vaulting straight into my throat.
Theo: Everything okay in there?
Me: Everything’s fine! Just being a little klutz in here.
I was definitely not trying to sneak a peek at you.
I sighed and typed out another message.
Me: The cookies are ready whenever you want them.
I wasn’t totally sure how they usually did things—if they snacked while they talked or waited until the end.
Theo: Perfect. Thanks!
Then another message came through.
Theo: Feel free to take some cookies upstairs for you girls to enjoy.
Yeah… I should probably get back upstairs now that the cookies were done. Lucy and Charlotte were probably already dressed up in the dress-up clothes they’d picked out for our tea party in Charlotte’s playroom.
But—
I picked up my phone again.
Me: I’m happy to bring a plate in for you guys if you want.
Apparently, I was looking for any excuse to step into that living room and see him.
But after getting a small plate of cookies ready to take upstairs, there was nothing. No text.
Okay, time to stop just standing around here. I let out a small breath and grabbed the plate, turning toward the stairs—
Right as Theo stepped into the kitchen.
“These look so good,” he said, the sound of laughter drifting in from the living room behind him as he smiled. “Thanks again for baking them.”
“You’re welcome.”
He reached into the cabinet for a larger plate and set it on the counter before starting to transfer the cookies over.
And even though there was no real reason for me to stay down there, I couldn’t seem to find the motivation to move. Instead, I just stood there at the counter, watching Theo as he transferred the cookies onto the plate.
He’d changed out of his work clothes into a forest-green polo shirt that fit him very nicely in the chest area, the short sleeves leaving his forearms completely on display.
Which… apparently made it impossible not to get distracted by the way his hands moved as he worked.
Because even the faint dusting of golden hair along his arms was distracting.
Since when did I think arm hair was attractive?
Since now, apparently.
I let my gaze travel up higher, taking in his jawline. Which was probably exactly the kind of jaw the Greek gods all had.
It was strong and sharp. And while he normally stayed clean shaven for work, I knew he could also rock a scruffy beard since I was pretty sure I’d seen him sporting one at a gymnastics meet this past winter.
He finished arranging the cookies and looked up.
And just like that, our eyes met.
I glanced away immediately, pretending I hadn’t just been staring at him.
But when the corner of his lips curved up, I knew I hadn’t been nearly as subtle in my ogling as I’d hoped.
Seriously. It should be illegal to be as attractive as he was.
He picked up the plate. “I should probably get these out there before they start wondering what happened to me.”
“Yeah,” I said, nodding a little too quickly. “Good idea.”
But he didn’t move right away.
Instead, he just stood there for a second, the plate of cookies in his hands, his eyes still on me.
And something about the way he was looking at me made my stomach flip again.
Like I wasn’t the only one feeling it.
My breath caught slightly as the moment stretched.
Because for a split second, it felt like he might step closer.
Like he might—
Laughter burst out from the living room.
“You still alive in there, Theo?” Owen called.
Theo blinked, like the spell had broken.
“Yeah,” he called back, shifting his grip on the plate. “Coming.”
Then he glanced back at me, a small, almost sheepish smile tugging at his mouth. “I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah,” I said softly. “See you.”
Then he headed back toward the living room, his voice blending in with the others as the conversation picked back up.
And I stood there for a second longer than necessary, staring at the doorway he’d just disappeared through. Then I shook my head and grabbed the smaller plate. Because, clearly, I needed to get upstairs before I did anything else that made my crush on my boss even more obvious.