Chapter 9
SIENNA
Eleven days until the lake house.
Sienna
What kind of activities can I expect? Casual summer attire okay?
Theo
Yes and also activewear, a bathing suit, and something you can get dirty
Seven days until the lake house.
Theo
Been thinking.
Wouldn’t make sense if we drove separately. We can take my car.
Sienna
Sounds good. Give us time to go over our backstory.
Remember, Beth and I will be armed and dangerous.
Theo
You sure you aren’t the serial killer?
Sienna
Highly unlikely. Only one in six serial killers are presumably women.
Theo
Idk. You don’t seem like the type of woman who’d let a statistic define what she’s capable of.
Three days until the lake house.
Theo
Do you have any allergies? Leo wants to know. He usually does most of the cooking.
Sienna
No allergies but Beth cannot stomach fish.
Theo
Leo will hate that lol.
Alex will be happy he doesn’t have to eat fish this year, though.
Zero days until the lake house.
Theo
Here. I’m in the Mustang out front.
Theo and I have been texting for the past couple of weeks leading up to our departure for the lake house. You’d think it would have done something to ease my nerves, but my stomach churns as I read his text.
“You ready?” Beth asks as we stand in the entryway of our apartment. I nod, gripping my suitcase handle tighter than necessary before we head out the door.
Stepping out into the parking lot, I see Theo leaning against the side of a dark blue Mustang with one of those double white racing stripes down the center. As if my stomach wasn’t wrecked enough already, the sensation of butterflies fluttering around overwhelms me when I lay eyes on him.
He’s dressed casually, in a loose-fitting T-shirt, linen shorts that hit just above the knee, crew socks, and sneakers.
Nothing too noteworthy other than the fact that Theo makes the outfit look remarkable.
His chest muscles flex beneath the shirt, the loose fit doing nothing to hide them.
The hemline of his shorts shows off the definition of his thighs, and his shirt is a shade of green that makes his eyes glow in the sunlight.
The logical part of me screams to turn around, go back upstairs, and start applying for every job I see. The other part of me, the one I’m hell-bent on ignoring, wonders what his abs look like and prays the wind picks up his shirt so I can catch a glimpse.
“You like what you see?”
My eyes snap to Theo’s when he asks the question. I’m immediately embarrassed that I’ve clearly been staring at his body for way too long.
When I don’t respond, Theo clarifies with a chuckle. “The car.” He motions to the Mustang he’s leaning against. “It’s a 2009 Mustang GT. Just got this baby. What do you think?”
A sigh of relief escapes my lips. “It’s nice, but will we all fit?”
Theo glances down at our bags. I have a respectable, medium-sized suitcase, and Beth stands next to me with the same, along with her backpack and gym bag. She doesn’t plan to go to the gym. She’s only bringing the bag because she ran out of room for all her shoes.
Moving to grab our bags, Theo says, “We’ll be fine. As long as one of you doesn’t mind taking the back seat.”
“I don’t mind,” Beth says before I can volunteer, “as long as you have AC.”
“Oh, for sure.” Theo smiles at Beth, closing the trunk after just barely fitting our bags in next to his. As Theo helps Beth into the back seat, I silently scold myself for the way my teeth clench when he smiles at her.
Once we are all in our respective seats, Theo turns to us. “Buckle up, we’ve got a two-hour drive ahead of us.”
When the engine roars to life, I double-check that my seat belt is buckled. Tightening the seat belt as far as it can go across my lap, Theo must notice out of the corner of his eye because he begins to laugh.
Quiet enough for only us to hear in the front seat, he says in a low voice, “Don’t worry, I’m an excellent driver.”
“I’ll be the judge of that, thank you.” My response prompts his smile to grow wider, and I look out the window to avoid blushing any more than I already have.
Something tells me this is going to be a long car ride.
Forty minutes into the drive and Beth is passed out against the window.
She never makes it through a long car ride without falling asleep in the first hour.
Reaching back, I carefully take her book from her hands and mark her page with her bookmark.
I’m sure to slip the book into her backpack for safekeeping.
When I bring my attention forward, I notice Theo smiling at me.
“How long have you two been friends?” he asks.
“Since kindergarten.”
This is good. We need to focus on getting our story straight, and I could use some conversation to make this car ride go faster.
R&B music has been playing softly throughout the car, and at one point, I rolled down the window for some fresh air. Other than the music and the sound of the freeway, the silence has been suffocating.
“I have a friend like that, Jessie. I’ve known him since preschool. Our moms were best friends,” Theo replies.
“Were?” I chuckle at his past-tense phrasing.
“Yeah.” He pauses. “My parents died when I was six. It’s just been my brothers and me since then. Well, and Jessie’s parents helped out here and there too.”
I feel like an absolute ass for asking. “I’m so sorry, I had no idea.”
My hand touches his shoulder, and when he glances at our connection, I quickly pull away, worried that I’ve crossed a line.
“It’s alright. That’s what this car ride is for, isn’t it? So we can get to know the basics?” I relax when he throws a grin my way.
My phone buzzes, and I force my attention away from Theo to check the incoming message.
Dad
Hey, Pumpkin, I hope you and Beth have so much fun at the lake house! Text when you get there. So proud of you for taking some time off and relaxing. Love you!
Sienna
Thanks, love you too! Text you when we get there.
Wincing, I send the text message, then put my phone away to avoid any further communication from my parents for the rest of the car ride.
“My music choice isn’t that bad, is it?” Theo asks.
“What? Oh no. It’s not that.” I pause, not sure if I should continue to complain about my very minimal issues with my parents after he just told me his have passed.
He continues the conversation when I stay silent. “Then what is it? Like I said, we have to get to know each other a little bit to make this work.”
Sighing, I confess, “I sort of told my parents that Beth and I were renting a lake house with some other girlfriends for the next two weeks instead of telling them the truth.”
He raises an eyebrow. “I take it you’re not the type to lie to your parents?”
I hide my face in my hands. “No, never. My dad has begged me to take a break from job-hunting and use this summer to relax. He thinks that’s what I’m doing when I will in fact be doing the opposite.”
“Well, look at it this way. Yes, your main focus is to get a job, but there will still be plenty of time to relax over the next two weeks. So it’s only a half lie if you really think about it.”
I smile at his attempt to cheer me up. It’s sweet that he would care about my feelings enough to do so. But then again, he’s probably just doing it so I’m not in a weird mood when I meet his brothers for the first time. He’s also getting something out of this deal after all.
A moment of silence spreads between us. Looking at Theo, another wave of envy washes over me as I wish I could be as relaxed as he is right now.
His elbow rests on the window, and his hand keeps the steering wheel in place.
His other hand reaches for his sports drink in the cup holder, and I watch as he brings it to his lips and takes a swig.
His throat bobs as he swallows, and the veins running down his hands and up his forearms flex under his skin as he lifts the bottle. Setting the drink back in the cupholder, the sun reflects off his lips as his tongue darts out to catch the remaining liquid lingering there.
My body heats as I watch the display, and I adjust the air vent so it’s pointed directly at me.
Trying to regain focus on the task at hand, I say, “So tell me about your brothers.”
“Let’s see. Alex is only a few years older than me.
He owns a boxing gym downtown and is by far the most competitive.
We all think it has something to do with the fact that he’s only around six foot, and the rest of us tend to tower over him.
” He smirks as though he’s reminiscing about the many times he’s teased his brother about his height.
Unable to stop myself, I ask, “And how tall are you exactly?”
He straightens in his seat a little as though he is trying to rise to his full height. “I’m six foot five. Why? Does height matter to you, Angel?”
“What’s with the nickname all of a sudden?”
“I have to call you something, don’t I? What would you prefer, sweetheart? Baby? Lovebug?” Another flash of that perfect smile, and I swear I melt a little in my seat. With summer now in full swing, I blame it on the heat and move on.
Visibly making a show of gagging at the last nickname he throws out, I respond, “God, no. I’m not sure I need a nickname. Just call me Sienna.” I punctuate my sentence with a slight nod.
“Whatever you want, Angel.” Theo winks, and I roll my eyes at his blatant disregard of my request. Although I can’t say I’m too mad about his choice of nickname for me.
“You were telling me about your brothers,” I say, motioning for him to continue what he was previously saying before the conversation got sidetracked.
“Right. The next oldest is Leo. He’s a chef at some fancy restaurant that I can’t pronounce the name of. But he’s damn good at what he does, and he always cooks for us on these trips. That is, when he’s not too busy antagonizing Alex.”
“Do you take these trips often?”
He nods. “We took our first trip when I was eight years old. It has become an annual summer tradition since then.”
I suppress my giggle at the concept of four grown men having a summer vacation tradition. But I lean toward Theo as he continues, finding his words more interesting than I had expected.
“A few years back, Leo brought his boyfriend with him. He ended up saying some stupid shit about his cooking, and we immediately kicked the fucker out of the house. Leo hated us at the moment, but thanked us a few weeks later. We had to do the same with one of his girlfriends once, when he showed us a snippet of a song he composed on the piano, and she was looking at her phone the entire time. He hasn’t brought anyone with him since. ”
“Sounds like you’re a hard group to please,” I say, my heart rate picking up at the thought of his brothers not accepting me.
“Not really. I just think we’re all a little protective of Leo. Not sure any of us think there’s a person out there good enough for him.”
Theo lets out a laugh, and I join in, as I watch him watch the road in front of him. My smile doesn’t fade as he continues.
“Then you know Roman. Or at least, you know of him. He can be a stubborn asshole sometimes. He’s thirteen years older than me and basically raised my brothers and me when our parents died. We usually get along, but sometimes, we have our differences.” He shrugs.
I must have the one question I’ve been waiting to ask written all over my face because he looks at me and says softly, “You can ask. It’s okay.”
His small, reassuring smile is all I need to ask, “And your parents? Anything I should know about them?”
Theo shrugs. “I don’t remember them too much, but I’ve seen photos.
High school sweethearts, had Roman the year following graduation, then had the rest of us in later years.
My dad started Kane Construction. One of the many things Roman and I disagree on.
He likes to call it ‘his’ company, but it’s the family company, even if Roman is the CEO.
He’s done great, but I still think there’s room for growth.
That’s why I’m trying to convince him to take me on as a business partner.
To help the business grow to its full potential, you know?
” His slight change of subject from dead parents to work tells me that I shouldn’t ask how his parents died.
That’s not a sore spot I want to poke, and not one I need to.
If this drive is solely to learn more about each other, then all we need to learn is the basics.
Nodding, I respond, “I have a strict ten-year plan that relies on me getting a job by the end of this summer. Not exactly the same as your situation, but I get the feeling of wanting more than what’s already in front of you.”
“Exactly. Sometimes I feel like I’m falling behind my brothers and I’ll never catch up.”
“I understand the feeling. My parents married and had me young too. I’m not sure they realize how much they’ve settled on due to a lack of planning. I refuse to settle for anything less than my dream life, which is why I’m so strict about my plan.”
“And what is your dream life, Sienna Parker?” He glances my way, prompting me to look at the road ahead of us.
“Travel, seasonal clothing, not something off the sales rack, a new car, that sort of thing. I just want a life that doesn’t require me to check my bank account every time I make a purchase, no matter how small. It gets exhausting after a while.”
Theo nods his agreement. “Sounds like a nice life you’ve got planned.”
I smile softly at him, “Thank you. I know I’m technically helping you here, but I appreciate you helping me get a job in return. I’m not sure I could take another rejection letter.”
“Well, anyone who rejects you is a certified idiot in my eyes.” As he responds, he places his hand on my knee, not an intrusion, but as reassurance.
The rough callouses on his hands graze against the top of my bare knee. I mentally send Beth a thank you for suggesting I wear shorts for the road trip. Heat begins to pool in my lower stomach, and a chill is shot up my spine when his thumb lightly brushes across my skin.
When I look up from our connection, our eyes lock, and his hand jolts away from my knee, snapping back to the steering wheel. Both hands are now in a tense 10 and 2 position. Beth begins to wake up from her nap and says she needs to stop for a bathroom break.
“There’s a stop only ten minutes from here,” Theo tells Beth.
Theo’s hands haven’t budged from the wheel, his knuckles turning white from his grip. Neither one of us says a word for the remainder of the drive.