Chapter 13
SIENNA
Sitting at the dining table, I’m surrounded by garlic and herb scents as I run my hand along the oak wood next to my plate. Just at the edge, a few small indents are forming a half circle. I smile at the realization that it’s most likely a small bite mark from when they were kids.
“That’s your boyfriend’s doing,” Leo says from my right at one head of the table. He motions his fork to Theo, who sits to my left. Hearing Theo referred to as my boyfriend kicks up my heart rate in a way that I’m quick to ignore.
My smile growing wider of its own free will, I whip my head to Theo, widening my eyes as a silent plea to hear more.
“You bit the table?” I ask when he doesn’t immediately fess up.
“Hey, I only did it because that fucker told me to.” He points at Alex, who is sitting across from him.
Taking a sip of his water, Alex smiles when he sets his glass down.
“I never told you to do it. I simply bet you twenty bucks that you couldn’t bite a chunk out of the table.
” Roman chuckles from Theo’s left, and I glance at Beth across from me, who looks as though she’s holding back a smile as she watches Alex.
When she catches me watching her, she averts her eyes, suddenly finding her plate more interesting than the conversation.
“Yeah, and I never got my money either,” Theo says.
“To be fair, you didn’t exactly take a bite,” Leo says through a reminiscent laugh.
Theo smiles at his brother. “No, but I left a few marks. That’s worth ten bucks at least.”
“How old were you?” I ask Theo.
“Only nine, but Alex was twelve, so I’m still choosing to blame him.” The laughter dies down a bit as everyone digs into their dinner.
Taking a bite, I resist the urge to moan from the flavors colliding in my mouth.
“This is delicious,” I tell Leo. I’m hoping paying my compliments to the chef can win me some brownie points with Theo’s brothers. He nods at me, giving his silent thanks.
Taking another bite, I attempt to savor every flavor.
I never thought that something as simple as roasted chicken, potatoes, and vegetables could be so delicious.
I’ve always been thankful I got my mom’s cooking skills, not my dad’s, since his food is barely edible.
But I’ve never been able to cook something so simple that’s packed with so much flavor.
Theo adjusts in his seat, and his scent fills my senses when he leans close for a moment. I try to keep my focus on the food in front of me.
It’s completely unfair that one man could smell this good.
Having almost crossed a line with Theo earlier, I’m hesitant about how to proceed with our interactions moving forward.
I have never been more thankful for a phone call from my parents.
I had to take a moment to cool down from the sheer heat that radiated between Theo and me before making my way downstairs for dinner.
Of course, the moment I locked eyes with him, the heat immediately returned.
I can feel it radiating from Theo now, and it’s suffocating.
Trying to brush it off, I remind myself to stay focused. Securing a job by the end of this trip must be my sole focus. No way am I leaving this place without a job lined up. I have no time for distractions.
Even if the distraction comes with a smile as bright as the sun, a full head of lush hair, and a body that has me wanting to break every rule I made before agreeing to this trip in the first place.
“So, Sienna, where are you from?” The question comes from Leo.
“Portland, born and raised,” I answer simply.
“Ah, a Pacific Northwest native like us.” He makes a show of nudging me softly on the shoulder. “I knew I liked you.”
I laugh with Leo, but the laughter dies down when I look at Theo. His jaw is tight as he watches Leo. I can’t quite read the expression on his face, but I feel the need to comfort him. Copying his motions in the driveway earlier, I reach out my hand and place gentle fingers on his thigh.
Theo snaps his eyes away from Leo, instantly relaxing the tension in his jaw when they lock onto mine. Satisfied that he’s relaxed again, I move my hand away and return my attention to my plate.
“So how’d you two meet?” Alex says before taking a bite of his potatoes. Another glance at Theo, and he’s now glaring at Alex. I look at Beth, who stares at me wide-eyed.
When neither Theo nor I respond, Roman turns his attention toward Theo. “Well, where did you two meet? I’d love to hear the story of how my little brother met the woman who has been such a great influence on him.” He punctuates the sentence with a smile so devious it makes my stomach churn.
“We met at—”
“There was a—”
Theo and I speak at the same time, both stopping when we realize we have no story to tell. Looking toward each other, Theo’s eyes lock on mine. He must sense the panic in them because he places a gentle hand on my knee under the table, then turns his attention back to Roman.
“We met through Beth, actually. I had one of my business classes with her during the fall semester. We ended up at the same party, she brought Sienna with her, introduced us, and the rest is history.” He gives my knee a little squeeze, which instantly calms the settling food in my stomach.
I send a smile in Roman’s direction. To be fair, Theo’s story isn’t a complete lie.
“Hmm,” Roman replies before taking another bite of his chicken.
To my benefit, no one questions Theo and me for the rest of the dinner. Instead, his brothers discuss their careers.
Alex goes on to describe the renovations he’s completed on his apartment, located just above the boxing gym he owns. He seems fairly pleased with how his business is performing, and the way he talks sparks my own motivation to pursue a career in the field I love.
The only complaint Alex has is that the older woman next door has moved out and taken her coffee shop business with her.
In his words, “No one makes a better cup of coffee than Betty.”
Leo goes on to talk about the restaurant where he works. He complains about the owner but speaks highly of the customers. Roman doesn’t say much, as he silently listens and only drops one-word answers here and there.
My favorite part of dinner is watching Theo laugh with his brothers. I can’t help but sneak a peek at his smile every time he does. He’s caught me looking a couple of times, but I know I can play it off later as just trying to sell the relationship to his brothers.
Once dinner is over, Roman and Leo head out to the back deck with a couple of beers while the rest of us clean up in the kitchen.
“Ice cream’s in the freezer,” Leo says over his shoulder as he and Roman head out back. “Save me one this time, Theo!”
“Did he just say ice cream?” I look toward Theo, a smile already spread across my face.
“Yeah, and if I know Leo, it’s homemade too. It’s guaranteed to ruin store-bought ice cream for you.” He takes one of the plates Alex hands him from the sink to dry.
“So is anyone going to give us the details on this family Olympics thing you guys were talking about earlier?” Beth asks, putting away the last of the food in the fridge and taking a seat on one of the barstools.
“Yeah, what exactly are the ‘games’ you guys play?” I ask Theo, my curiosity growing. I’m silently hopeful it’s nothing too athletic, but one look at these men tells me otherwise. My lack of hand-eye coordination will not do me any favors in these supposed “games.”
“Let’s see. We always start the summer off by tie-dying shirts. So we have something to wear for the subsequent games, of course.” Theo hands me the last dry dish, and I put it away in the cupboard.
I turn around to look at him, startled at how close he is to me. I know I should move away, put some distance between the two of us, yet my feet don’t budge.
“The four of you tie-dye shirts?” I was expecting something more athletic. Tie-dying shirts is something I could probably accomplish easily enough.
“Absolutely. I made a superhero design one year that turned out amazing.” He leans closer with his last word. For a moment, it feels like it’s just the two of us in the kitchen until Alex speaks up again.
“Your spider symbol looked like a blob, Theo. The shirt was a blur of red and blue.” Theo gives him a small shove, laughing off his comment.
I can’t help but bask in the joy of their playfulness.
From what I’ve seen, Theo and Alex are fairly close.
I’d assume because the two of them are the youngest. There’s something about it that reminds me of the closeness I have with Beth.
The thought pulls me away from Theo, and I finally move my feet to stand next to Beth on the other side of the kitchen island.
Simultaneously enjoying and hating the reprieve I get from being in proximity to Theo.
Theo moves toward the fridge, “We also have a water balloon fight, a best burger competition, we play flag football, and then one final game of Uno.”
I can’t hold back the wince that overcomes my face at the mention of Uno. The success of these games is shocking, given they play the game that could split up any loving family in just one night.
“I know, I know, but trust me, it’s not as intimidating as it sounds. And we usually keep Uno pretty civil.” Theo starts pulling the ice cream sandwiches out of the freezer. They look better than I could even imagine.
Taking turns grabbing a sandwich from the container Theo set on the counter, I take a bite and am immediately transported to dessert heaven. Beth lets out a tiny moan when she bites into hers, and Alex chokes on his at the sound.
“Holy shit, these are delicious. Your brother is basically a food god, Theo,” Beth says to him.
“Trust me, we know,” he says, before taking a bite of his sandwich as well.
After taking a few bites of the ice cream sandwich Leo clearly laced with something addictive, I say to Theo, “Did you want Beth and me to participate? I’d hate to spoil any tradition.” I’d also hate to make an ass of myself in any of the athletically charged games.
Having recovered from choking on his ice cream, Alex chimes in with, “Of course you’ll be joining in. After all, you and Theo must be pretty serious for him to bring you along on this trip. There’s never been a better time to start adding people to the games.”
He takes another bite of his sandwich and turns his attention to Theo. “Unless there’s a reason you wouldn’t want her to join in?” He cocks an eyebrow at Theo.
“Nope,” Theo says to Alex through gritted teeth. He turns his attention back toward me. “It’ll be fun, trust me. I’d love to have you join in. Both of you.”
My gut reaction is to say no, we didn’t sign up for this on the trip. But the sincerity in Theo’s eyes when he says he wants to include us is too sweet to deny.
“Of course, we’d love to.” I give Theo and Alex a soft smile.
On the bright side, maybe these games will help me distance myself further from Theo. After all, how much touching could a water balloon fight or tie-dying shirts require?
When we head out to join Roman and Leo for a quiet night on the patio, I’m feeling good about the prospect of using these games as a distraction from my attraction toward Theo.
That is, until I remember we have to share a bed tonight.