Chapter 5
THEO
Iwas probably the best out of all my brothers when it came to stepping into a new town, a new environment, and pretending I belonged there. Alex arrived, in every sense of the word, prepared for a battle and intent on winning—no matter what it was. He’d win a fucking peace rally if he had to.
Meanwhile, Nate observed like he was psychologically profiling every living being in his line of sight and Zach tried to fade into the background, but he never quite succeeded. Jesse and Will blended, but they still inevitably stood out somehow.
Me? I adapted. It was my strong suit, a useful skill to have for someone who enjoyed wandering through places and getting to see what they were really like as opposed to simply finding out how they treated a billionaire.
A jack-of-most-trades, I found a way to really fit in, which was how I’d ended up surrounded by three older, know-it-all men in the slightly overwhelming Quartz Pass hardware store. I was here for paint, and apparently, all three of these guys had spent their entire lives painting houses.
No matter what, I would be leaving here with the paint I’d come for, but it looked like I would have to get through them first. They all had differing, but very strong opinions about absolutely everything I was doing at the motel, which I’d come to find out was a town staple they didn’t quite trust me with.
“No,” one of them said firmly, pointing a crooked finger at the sample cards in my hand. “You want a flat finish.”
“Eggshell,” another countered immediately. “It’s not about what you want. It’s what he needs.”
“Both of you are idiots,” the third muttered. “In this heat, you use satin.”
I looked between them, then back at the teenager behind the paint counter. He was the only one who actually worked here, but he didn’t seem to have an opinion at all. I groaned as I turned back to the sample cards. “This is the most stressful relationship I’ve had in years.”
All three laughed, then offered their final bits of advice before wandering away to go terrify somebody else. One of the older guys turned to look at me over his shoulder to offer one last piece of advice, though.
“Trust me, Theo,” he said. “Frieda knows what she’s doing. If she sent you with specific instructions, you’d better follow ‘em. Get the flat finish.”
I hadn’t told these men my name, but small towns were incredible like that. Nobody ever minded their business, which meant that by now, the entire town knew my motorcycle had died and that I was helping out Rita while I waited for it to be repaired.
Weirdly, I didn’t hate it, but maybe that was because here, I wasn’t Theo Westwood. I was just Theo with the broken motorcycle and paint samples.
I nodded and sent him a grateful smile. “Thanks. I’ll take that under advisement.”
Frieda had, in fact, sent me with very specific instructions, and just like the guy had told me, I followed them. Even if that meant not leaving the store with the flat finish.
Eventually, I loaded up with six gallons of exterior paint, two rollers, and painter’s tape, and I was on my way to the register when I saw Raquel.
Avery had told me she was his younger sister.
She stood halfway down the plumbing aisle, examining something on the shelf with focused intensity, oblivious to the world around her.
I didn’t mean to stop walking, but it happened anyway. Raquel was a bombshell of epic proportions. Seriously. Stopping and staring is compulsory.
Even in torn jeans and with heavy boots on her feet, her dark hair messily pulled back, she was drop dead gorgeous.
I’d only seen her a couple times, but she didn’t seem to bother with makeup or jewelry.
Probably because the tears on her jeans had come from work and wear rather than having been made by the designer, and jewelry could be dangerous in her line of work.
She was different from most beautiful women I’d met before, which was another reason why I couldn’t stop staring. Where other girls were delicately beautiful, she was as striking as they came, with long black hair and huge, pale gray eyes. Skin so tanned, it even beat mine.
Her face had made me look twice—and then feel creepy about it—and her mouth had been made for either kissing or issuing creative insults.
Just her cheekbones would’ve been enough to put me on my ass, but her actual ass was a work of art.
At the same time, she looked like she belonged in this dusty little town, but was also completely too sexy, too interesting, and too impatient for it.
I realized a second too late that I’d been openly staring at her from behind.
Unfortunately, I only realized it when she glanced over her shoulder and caught me in the act. Smooth, Theo. Really elite work.
One dark eyebrow arched as her eyes met mine, her head tilting just ever so slightly to one side. “Are you following me now?”
I shifted the paint cans in my arms. “This is actually a professional ambush. I was wondering if you might help me understand why three old men just spent twenty minutes lecturing me over paint finishes?”
Her mouth twitched, but she didn’t quite smile. I noticed the same glimmer of suspicion in her eyes that had been there every time she’d seen me so far. “That was Earl, Don, and Harvey, wasn’t it?”
“The paint council? Yes.”
“They do that.” She finally turned to face me, but there was still something cautious about her, like she was assessing whether I was entertaining or a problem. An awkward beat passed as she just looked at me before she spoke again. “Are you settling in okay otherwise?”
The question surprised me a little, but I nodded anyway. “Mostly, yeah. It’s a friendly town. People have been very welcoming for the most part.”
Even as I said it, I braced myself for the questions that were probably going to come now. Who are you really? Where do you come from?
This girl was obviously suspicious of me and I understood that, but I wasn’t in the habit of explaining who I was or who I was connected to. I liked being just Theo with the broken bike.
It truly surprised me when she didn’t go there, just kind of giving me a shrug before carrying on as if she didn’t care about my history at all.
“They’re friendly because they’re curious.
In a town like ours, fresh blood is as good as a headline.
I hope you’re prepared for some next-level matchmaking.
The old biddies are going to be setting you up with their granddaughters all over the place while you’re here. ”
I chuckled. “Thanks for the heads-up. I was wondering why Harvey asked if I was single.”
Raquel groaned. “His wife, Gloria, is one of the biddies. Expect a call from her real soon if you told him you’re unattached. Their granddaughter is only twenty, but Gloria has been trying to arrange her marriage recently.”
Subconsciously, I knew she didn’t mean an arranged marriage the way my family did it, but I felt the blood starting to drain from my face nonetheless. Suddenly desperate to steer the conversation away from me, I smiled and inclined my chin at her instead.
“What about you? No old biddies trying to set you up?”
She let out a scoff and crossed her arms over my chest. “Not anymore. I bought an old horse farm recently and I’ve been fixing up the house on the land. Ever since they learned that my true passion lies in renovation and design, they started leaving me alone.”
I felt my eyes widen. “You bought a whole horse farm? Or would you call it a ranch? Stables?”
Raquel snorted softly, looking a little pinched, like she wasn’t sure why she was telling me all this.
“It was called a horse farm when I bought it, so I’m calling it a horse farm.
And it’s not as glamorous as it sounds. Half the fencing has collapsed, the barn is trying to do the same, and I’m pretty sure the house is going to lose its roof if I don’t get it fixed up before the next big storm.
That’s what I get for choosing to stay in town, I guess. ”
She swiped the box she’d been studying off the shelf and started walking slowly toward the register. I stayed at her side, not really sure why I wasn’t just letting her go.
“You never thought about branching out and moving to the bright lights of the big city?”
“Staying here is a choice,” she said defensively, biting out the words like she was still telling me things without really meaning to. “Bright lights never really did appeal to me much.”
We reached the register and she set her supplies down. I balanced the paint cans carefully beside me, angling myself slightly toward her. “Well, I’m pretty handy if you ever need help with the house.”
The second the words left my mouth, one of her eyebrows lifted and indignation flashed across her features. “Are you offering because I’m a woman and I can’t do it myself?”
Oh. Oh no. I blinked at her, genuinely caught off guard. “What? No. I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I can fix my own house.”
“I believe you,” I said without even having to think about it.
This woman looked like she could rebuild an entire civilization from spare truck parts in a fit of anger.
“It’s just that you mentioned the property needs a lot of work and I know my way around tools, so I thought I’d offer.
That’s all. I was trying to be friendly, not condescending. ”
She held my gaze another second longer before she finally nodded. “Okay.”
It wasn’t exactly warm, but it wasn’t as hostile as before either. Unfortunately, the cashier called her forward before I could say anything else. She paid for her supplies, then glanced back at me once she was done. “Good luck with the paint.”
“Thanks.”
As I shuffled forward to pay for my own stuff, she left and I watched her go, back to staring but at least not caught in the act this time. By the time I got back to the motel, Avery was already there, as promised, helping Frieda tape plastic over the windows.
Well, she supervised from a lawn chair, a strict, cigarette-smoking foreman, while he did all the work. He turned to grin at me as I climbed out of the truck. “There he is. The paint mule returns. We were starting to think you’d abandoned us.”
“Never, but I did run into some people who are very invested in the difference between flat and satin finish. They wouldn’t let me leave until they’d explained said difference in great and painful detail.”
Avery laughed as I carried the paint over. “I should’ve warned you that you might run into some trouble. The Blossomville Extended Stay Motel is a local landmark.”
“And don’t you forget it,” Frieda grumbled. “Are you two going to stand there yapping all day, or are you going to get to work?”
Avery winked at me but picked up the next plastic sheet and kept going. We spent the next few hours sanding and priming the motel siding while Frieda yelled occasional instructions. The building itself was ancient, the wood weathered and the trim faded, but Avery and I worked well together.
I’d liked him as soon as I’d met him. He was a pretty easygoing guy, funny, and competent without acting like a jackass about it.
The sun was just starting to sink when he wiped his forehead with the back of his arm and glanced over at me. We were both coated in dust, but we’d made good headway today.
“I’m grabbing drinks with some friends of mine over at Novo on Main Street after this,” he said. “You want to join us?”
“Yeah, man. That sounds great. I’m in.”
“I’ll text you directions, but you can’t really miss it. It’s the big bar right on the corner. There’s a literal flashing neon sign.” He grinned. “I might even convince Raquel to come if I can drag her away from that dusty old house she bought.”
Despite my best efforts to act normal, I nearly dropped the toolbox I’d been packing. “Yeah, I heard about that. I ran into her at the hardware store and she mentioned it. How bad is the house?”
Avery barked out a laugh. “Oh, it’s bad, but my sister tends to do shit like this instead of talking it out or going to therapy.”
He left it at that, and unfortunately, it only made me more curious about her than I’d already been—and I’d already been pretty fucking curious.