11. Mia
11
MIA
I can feel Theo watching me from his place leaning against the kitchen counter. I’m just making something simple–omelets–because the truth is, I don’t have a lot of energy to make something else right now, not after dealing with that disaster in the yard.
I finish chopping the peppers and push them into a pile on the edge of the chopping board. “You’re not allergic to anything, are you?” I ask, the idea suddenly popping up in my brain.
“No, no allergies. And I’m not picky if that’s your next question. Put whatever you want in mine.”
“When we were in high school, you would eat anything, but I didn’t know if that changed.”
“No. Why would it? All food is good.”
“Well, teenage boys think those frozen pizzas are good, and then later, they realize they actually taste like the cardboard they’re packaged with.”
“Hey! I may have class, but those pizzas are good on a night when you don’t want to leave to pick something up.”
“You could cook.” A thought suddenly stops me, and I turn and make eye contact with Theo and his charming, brown eyes. “You do know how to cook, don’t you?”
Theo’s eyes shift away from mine, and I can’t tell he doesn’t feel comfortable with the question.
My mouth drops open, and I stop whisking the eggs. “Theo! You’ve never learned how to cook!”
“There are other things that require my attention. I need to focus on my properties, and as you can tell from today, there’s always a fire somewhere.”
“I would say that flood was the opposite of a fire actually, but Theo, does that mean you eat out all the time? How do you stay so…” My eyes drop to his body. I can’t exactly see it, but I can tell his general shape. He’s definitely not overweight. In fact, he’s very fit.
I can tell from the muscles on his arms that he doesn’t just sit behind a desk all day. I wonder what I would see if I were to lift the hem of his shirt.
“So what?” Theo prompts, and my eyes fly back up to his face.
“So… in shape,” I finish lamely, feeling a flush creep up my cheeks.
Theo chuckles, the sound warm and rich. “I make time to work out. It’s a good way to relieve stress, especially when the stress is your neighbor who won’t sell.”
I glare at him. “Don’t bring that up. Just don’t.”
Theo runs his tongue across his teeth and shrugs. I turn back to the stove, pouring the beaten eggs into the hot skillet. “Well, you could add cooking to your stress relief activities. It’s actually quite therapeutic. Have you ever tried it?”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Theo says, moving closer to peer over my shoulder. “That smells amazing already.”
I can feel the heat of his body close to me, and I want him to wrap his arms around me and kiss me like he did the other day. It takes all my self-control not to do it myself.
There’s a hint of sweat on him, but under that, there’s something even stronger- a poignant aftershave or cologne smell that I want to bury my nose in.
I stiffen, waiting for him to make a move, either closer to me or away from me. He brushes my elbow, and then, he’s on the other side of the counter again. I let out a long, low breath and try to get back to the teasing banter we were exchanging before.
“Just wait, and you’ll see. Patience goes a long way.”
“Is that your motto for life?”
I smile, sprinkling the chopped peppers and cheese over the eggs. “Maybe it is. You have to put in the effort for things to turn out right.”
Theo leans against the counter again. I know because I can’t help but glance at him out of the corner of my eye, watching me with a thoughtful expression. “I guess I’ve always been more about quick results. Maybe I need to rethink that.”
I pick at the edge of the omelet with the spatula, trying to see if it’s ready to flip or not. “Maybe you do. Or maybe you just need to learn that some things are worth the wait. You can’t just have everything you want when you want it because you have money.”
I wince after saying it. That was a bit harsh, but it’s how I’ve felt ever since Theo first showed up on my doorstep with his offer. I felt like he was used to getting what he wanted, and he expected me to bend over and say “yes, sir” just because he could pay me cash.
I flip the omelet, pleased with how it’s turning out so far. Then, I sneak a glance at Theo. I can feel Theo’s gaze on me, more intense now. I can’t quite read his expression, but there’s something there. I just don’t know him well enough to understand what.
“You’re thinking. That’s a dangerous thing,” I comment, trying to be playful instead of critical.
Theo smiles, and I like the way it makes the corners of his eyes crinkle. “Oh, I think I’m pretty dangerous no matter what I’m doing.”
I slide the finished omelet onto a plate and hand it to him. “Here, try this. And be honest. If it’s terrible, I’ll know you’re just trying to be nice.”
Theo takes a bite, and his eyes widen. “This is really good, Mia. I mean, really good. I think that cheese you added did the trick.”
I smile, feeling a warmth spread through me at his praise. “Thanks. It’s just an omelet, though. I didn’t make, like, crème br?lée or something.”
“Well, my eggs don’t taste like this. So, you either bought better eggs than me or you know how to cook better than me.”
I’m working on my omelet now, so I can hide my smile from Theo pretty easily. Maybe it’s a mistake. Maybe it’s something I should stop, but I feel as comfortable with him right now as I did before when we dated.
I’m definitely the most comfortable around him I’ve been since he showed up on my doorstep.
“I guess I should stop eating if I want to be able to eat with you.”
“If you’re hungry, go ahead. That is the only bad thing about making omelets. They’re only ready one at a time.”
But when I half-turn and glance at Theo, he’s stopped eating and is watching me again. I feel a prickle down my spine at the thought of his eyes on me. Is he looking at my ass? Or am I imagining things?
When mine is ready, I nod toward the dining room table, and we both take our plates in there.
“Can I get you anything else?” I ask as we settle into our chairs. He sits at the head of the table, and I sit on his left.
“No, this looks great.”
We eat in companionable silence for a few moments, and I can’t help but sneak glances at him. There’s a different side to Theo tonight, one that I’m not sure I’ve seen before. He’s relaxed, almost vulnerable, and it’s making me see him in a new light. I kind of like it, and that scares me.
Our conversation doesn’t start up again until we’re both about halfway done with our omelets. “So, about the bed and breakfast… How’s the planning going?”
I shrug, setting my fork down and wiping my mouth. “It’s a lot of work, but I’m getting there. There’s so much to do, and I want to make sure everything is perfect. I don’t have a specific timeline because I did get a little money with the estate, but I’d like to open it in August and get a few end-of-summer guests.”
“I can help, you know,” Theo offers. “Not just with fixing pipes, but with the planning, the renovations… Whatever you need.”
“I appreciate that, but you’ve got your own projects to worry about.” There’s a tiny part of me that wonders if Theo’s offer is generous or if there’s more to it. What if he’s just making the offer so he looks like a good guy? He’s trying to make me feel more open and comfortable with him, but then, he doesn’t really mean it.
But as I’m thinking these thoughts, I remember Theo kneeling in the mud, getting his hands dirty as he helped me with the pipe issue. Sure, he caused it. But he could have just shrugged and left me to deal with it on my own.
“I can make time,” he insists. “Besides, I owe you after today.”
I laugh softly. “You don’t owe me anything, Theo. But I won’t say no to help. I… I guess I’ll let you know if I need anything.”
Theo smiles, and I love it. A tiny part of me melts. “Good, because I want to see this place succeed. You deserve to make it just the place you want it to be.”
His words send a shiver down my spine, and I realize just how much it means to me that he cares. Maybe there’s more to Theo than I’ve given him credit for.
“If you weren’t here renovating this place, what would you be doing?”
I think of my life back in Raleigh, the life I left behind without much of a second glance. “I had a job in Raleigh. I was working in the finance department of the county water. It was… boring.”
“Boring? What were you doing? What were the duties your job required?”
“Oh, well, I had to process payments from people. Then, people always came in to pay in person even though they should know to pay over the phone by now. And there were a few who would come in, begging not to have their water shut off. They always had a sad story.”
I take another bite of my omelet. “I sound heartless, but it’s just that after days of dealing with it, weeks, then months, I didn’t have room in my heart for any more sad stories. Besides, there are rules about payment, and if we just keep giving them water without payment, then we were losing. I just had to sound sympathetic before telling them it was out of my hands. It wore on me.”
“It doesn’t sound like a fulfilling job.”
“It wasn’t. It wasn’t what I imagined myself doing when I was in high school.”
“I know. I remember.” Theo smiles at me, and I’m sure he’s thinking of my sketchbooks. I wish I knew where they were, but I would have to sort through boxes of things at my parents’ house to find them.
“You know, you’re not so bad,” I tell Theo as I finish my last bite and lean back comfortably in my chair.
He trains his eyes on me in a rather unnerving way, like he can see past my exterior to the thoughts inside.
“You’re not so bad either,” Theo echoes the sentiment. And then, his hand snakes across the table and lands on mine. My heart starts rushing, beating hard, and I’m not sure how I can breathe.
It’s like my body forgets how to function.
I leap out of my chair and grab both of our plates. “I’ll get these washed up!” I shout, hurrying into the kitchen to escape how close I was to kissing Theo again. Or worse… We are alone in this house, and there is no one to interrupt us.