Chapter 30
RAQUEL
It had been a week since I’d last seen Theo. Naturally, I wasn’t counting, but if I had been, it would’ve been seven days, nine hours, and approximately thirty-two minutes.
Okay, so maybe I am counting. Sue me.
I wasn’t trying to keep track, but I felt terrible about the fight and it was like my body was refusing to let me forget. Every morning when I woke up, I just had this innate sense of how long it’d been, and every hour of the day, I somehow knew another hour had passed since.
In the meantime, I’d dropped into the motel three times looking for him, but he hadn’t been around any of the times I’d been here and Frieda had been completely useless on the information front.
The old woman knew exactly where he was. I knew she knew, but every time I asked, she would simply take a drag of her cigarette and tell me he was helping neighbors and such who appreciate his good will.
I knew a dig when I heard one, and apparently, Frieda blamed me for pretty much everything Theo going wrong.
At least I’d finally fixed his bike. Somehow, in the thick of this mess, I’d managed to finalize my design, but I was very fucking aware of the irony. I’d spent all week painstakingly rebuilding the engine that was eventually going to carry him away from me.
Avery hadn’t said anything about it, but I knew he’d noticed. He’d just been so busy working with the bank that I doubted he had the energy to give me any shit about it. On the other hand, he’d managed to float payroll for the past two weeks, but so far, that was it.
We hadn’t recovered the money, but at least his efforts meant we had breathing room to keep everyone employed while he fought to save the business. That was definitely more important than rubbing it in my face that I was giving the man I loved the one thing he needed to be able to get out of town.
Plus, both Avery and I had Dad to deal with. He wasn’t helping with the business at all, still raging and slipping in and out of lucidity. He barely spoke to Avery these days unless it was to yell at him and he wasn’t particularly keen on accepting help from me either.
While I didn’t know if it was medically possible for the situation with our finances to accelerate his condition, he sure seemed to be getting worse.
Watching it happen was terrifying, like standing on train tracks and seeing the headlights coming toward you from miles away, but not being able to do anything to stop it.
As I pulled into the motel parking lot and shut off the truck, I felt so stuck that I wasn’t even sure what I was doing here anymore. I stared at my steering wheel for several long minutes, but it didn’t suddenly start giving me any answers.
If Theo is here, what am I even going to say? Sorry I found out you’re basically billionaire royalty and panicked? Sorry my brother turned Google into a weapon and fired it at you? Your family sounds insane, but I still miss you and I’d like to try anyway?
None of those felt right, even if they were all accurate.
After a few long minutes of just sitting there, I decided that the first step was finding out if he was even here, so I finally climbed out of the truck. Frieda was sitting outside the office, smoking a cigarette as I strode across the parking lot toward her.
The scent of cigarette smoke drifted to my nostrils air as I drew closer, but she didn’t speak, just sucking on her nicotine and watching me pout. When I finally reached her, I didn’t even try to make small talk.
I’d done that the other three times I’d dropped in here, and since she seemed to be holding a grudge against me, I figured I wouldn’t waste our time today. “Do you know where Theo is?”
She took another drag and exhaled slowly, then lifted one shoulder in an exaggerated shrug. “He’s running errands for me before he packs up and leaves. Avery called over to let him know the bike is done, so he’ll be on his way soon.”
Instantly, I felt sick to my stomach. Obviously, I’d known the bike was fixed and that it meant his reason for staying was gone, but for all my worrying about what happened next, I’d never let myself imagine him actually leaving.
Until right now.
I swallowed hard, turning away from her to watch the breeze sweep dust across the parking lot. Theo was out running errands for her, and when he got back, he was going to pack up his stuff and leave. It was a damn bitter pill.
I didn’t know how much he’d come here with, but I couldn’t imagine it would’ve been much more than a backpack. Even accounting for whatever he might’ve bought in town, I was pretty confident packing wouldn’t take him very long.
All of which meant that he might be gone as soon as tomorrow, and I’d still be here, not knowing how to move forward, but judging by the ache spreading through my chest, I was going to have to figure it out.
My legs threatened to give out at the mere thought of coming back here tomorrow only to find out he’d already left, and I sank into the empty chair beside Frieda with all the grace of a dying camel. She gave me a sideways glance and took another drag from her cigarette.
“He’s a good one, darling,” she said quietly, her voice husky around the smoke before she blew it out. “That boy could’ve made you happy.”
I heard the drone of a motorcycle coming down the street. When I looked up, Theo was turning into the parking lot on Martha, apparently having already collected his bike from the shop.
Just the sight of him made me feel like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. A deep sense of comfort and belonging settled into my bones as I watched him park. He killed the engine and pulled off his helmet, his gaze instantly finding mine.
His eyes lit up, the same way my own probably had, but his expression remained carefully neutral. Maybe even a little stern, like he’d spent the last week practicing not looking happy to see me.
My heart rate kicked up a few gears as he swung a leg off the motorcycle and unzipped his riding jacket.
I watched him closely, trying my best to remember that I was still supposed to be angry.
He’d kept something massive from me and I hadn’t even found out from him, but over the last few days, I’d realized I didn’t blame him for it as much as I probably should have.
He walked toward us and I stood without even really meaning to. Then he stopped a few feet away and slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Those vibrant green eyes held mine, but he didn’t say anything.
Frieda sat quietly, uncharacteristically not offering any input as I felt her look from me to him. Finally, Theo nodded toward the walkway leading to the motel rooms.
“Can we talk?” he asked carefully.
I nodded. “Yeah. Sure.”
He glanced at Frieda, offered her a small smile, then turned and walked toward his room.
I fell into step beside him, still not really sure what to say, so I just kept quiet for now, but as we rounded the corner, I looked back at Frieda over my shoulder, finding her watching us walk away with a knowing smirk on her lips.
It was pretty obvious she thought we were about to work it all out, but I honestly didn’t know. Theo was a Westwood and she’d said it herself. They were a world away from the people of Quartz Pass. People like me.
I’d accidentally gone and fallen in love with American royalty and I hadn’t even known it until it was too late. Unfortunately, I was no princess and I couldn’t fight the feeling that he’d finally realized it.