Chapter 2 #2
But unfortunately, it might be too late to convince Arthur of that.
My phone buzzes on the desk, and my sister’s face brightens the screen.
I try to sound like nothing’s wrong as I bring the phone to my ear. “Hey. How are you?”
“Has Mom made it there yet?” Mia asks in a rush.
My brows furrow. “What do you mean? I’m at work.”
“Yeah, I know. I am too.” I roll my eyes, picturing my sister at work—which means she’s curled up in the corner of her couch with her laptop, in her most comfortable loungewear. There’s probably an iced latte nearby. “She’s not there?”
“No. Should she be?”
“Perfect. I want to hear what happens when she arrives.”
I rub my temple. “Mia, what the hell is going on?”
“What’s going on,” she replies, sounding annoyed, “is you’re keeping secrets from me, and you better believe I’m going to get you back for this.”
A familiar voice echoes from the clinic’s lobby. “—need to chat with him before his first patient,” Mom says, and I can’t make out Jenna’s reply, but then Mom’s voice sounds closer as she adds, “Thank you!”
“She’s here,” I announce warily.
A squeal of excitement leaps through the phone. “You’re in deep shit, big brother. Now put me on speaker and pretend I’m not here.”
I follow her instructions (mostly because I’m too curious not to at this point) and set the phone on my desk right as Mom appears in the doorway.
“Theodore Alexander Nikolaou,” she says sharply.
Oh shit. My middle name. Must be serious. “If this is about the gutters, I promise I’m going to get to them this weekend.”
She crosses her arms and glares down at me, looking exactly like she did every time she found out I’d gone to detention for fighting.
But I haven’t been in a fight in . . . well, I guess I almost was last night.
If Maddox hadn’t been there to calm me down, I think I would’ve really enjoyed the crunch of Philip’s nose against my fist.
Instead, I found his phone under our table—where it must’ve fallen out of his pocket when he tumbled to the ground—and being the mature, twenty-nine-year-old that I am, I turned the phone off and hid it behind the dumpster at the bar.
A sick sort of pleasure warms my chest at the thought of him searching for it.
Fuck him for crashing into Fable and not even bothering to apologize.
I couldn’t stand him in high school and turns out I still can’t.
“You know exactly what this is about.” Mom’s eyes narrow. “When were you going to tell me you’re dating Fable?”
My brain stumbles. I open my mouth. Then shut it. Then open it again. Surely, I heard her wrong. “What?”
“You and Fable. Together.”
Standing quickly, I pull her farther into the office. “Mom, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Cathy sent the photo an hour ago,” she explains as she sits down. Cathy? What does that busybody have to do with this? “I tried to give you time to tell me yourself, but I called your sister, and she had no clue.”
“Hold on. I’m lost—”
“Then I called Mary and she didn’t even know!”
I shake my head. “You called Fable’s mom before you called me?”
“Well, of course. We’ve been dreaming of this for years.”
I drag a hand down my face. “There’s apparently been some sort of mix-up.”
“Show him the picture,” Mia calls through the speaker.
Mom’s expression softens. “Aw, is that my baby?”
“Yes. Hey, Mama. Hand him your phone.”
She pulls it out of her purse and offers it over the desk. I type in her passcode, and the screen immediately reveals the image. It’s a grainy shot, taken in the bar last night, but there’s enough detail to make out that it’s clearly me, with Fable in my lap and my fingers on her chin.
My mind transports me right back there, where I can see every freckle across the pink apples of her cheeks.
That sparkle of the gold hoop decorating her nose.
Those honey-blond strands framing her face.
The way her hazel eyes snared mine. The feel of her in my lap, her jean-covered hip against my palm.
That tiny glimpse of the flowers tattooed on her wrist.
We look . . . fuck, we look like we’re together. It must be the lighting.
“I should’ve FaceTimed,” Mia grumbles. “Mom, what is he doing?”
“Smiling at the picture,” she replies, and I immediately clear my throat and hand the phone back.
I don’t know what’s going on here, but I need to rein in this situation before it goes any further. “I haven’t been keeping any secrets.”
Well, that’s a slight lie. The crush I had on Fable managed to stay a secret.
For the last eighteen years, that information has stayed locked inside a cage in my chest. More like in a cage, in a vault, hidden behind a brick wall.
Or two. I figure if I don’t give it any attention, it won’t come back to life.
Arthur’s voice trails in from the hallway. “Theo, I was hoping—” He stops in the doorway. “Oh, hello, Eva. How are you?”
Mom grins proudly. “I’m great. It’s a wonderful day, isn’t it?”
As I study her expression, I’m suddenly—terrifyingly—aware of what she’s about to say. It’s like I’m watching in slow motion as a wildfire jumps the firebreak and spreads.
“I just found out my son is dating Fable Oaks.” She clasps her hands under her chin. “We’ve been waiting so long for this day.”
Yep, there it is. Fuck.
I look to Arthur in time to see a flicker of movement in his brows.
It’s subtle, but I’ve spent enough time with him to know he’s processing something.
He looks to me. “I had no idea. You and Fable, huh?” There’s that flicker of his brows again.
At first, I don’t know what to make of it, but then he says, “Well, I saw Dave last night at our birding club. How dare he not tell me? That’s great, Theo. ”
And the puzzle pieces seem to slip into place. The Oaks family.
You’d have to work pretty hard to find a more beloved family around here.
Dave and Mary Oaks are pillars of this town.
They’re involved in every community event, are first to volunteer anytime someone needs a hand, and according to my mother, they’re a part of countless group activities.
I don’t know how they have time to run their farm in between.
Their oldest daughter, Tessa, is the outgoing organizer.
She ran the entire holiday festival at the age of fifteen—when the original committee leader came down with the flu—and has been doing it ever since, even though she lives in Chicago.
Millie, the middle daughter, started a pollinator garden in every park in town and makes a point of checking on all of them when she comes to visit.
And Fable, the youngest, the town sweetheart.
Could usually be found with her nose in a book or a soccer ball at her feet.
Sometimes both. She’s the only Oaks sister who lives here now, and everyone knows her.
Everyone loves her, exactly as they have since we were little.
They’re an integral part of the community.
The community that Garrett has put roots into.
The same community that matters so much to Arthur.
I only have half a heartbeat to decide how to respond. It’s not enough time to fully process what I’m even saying before the words are already coming out of my mouth. But when Arthur steps farther into the room and offers me a “Congratulations,” I don’t correct him or set the record straight.
Instead, I say something that immediately makes me wonder if I’m losing my mind. Something Fable will probably kill me for.
I reply, “Thank you.”
The clinic is a mad rush for the next few hours.
Garrett and I see patients back-to-back, then we work together on an emergency surgery through lunch.
And all the while, I’m scouring for a few spare minutes to try to get a hold of Fable.
I don’t even know if she’ll answer my calls, but I need to get to her before Arthur runs into her somewhere.
Or my mother does. Or her mother does. This has probably already spread further than I meant it to.
I’m jogging back to my office to finally grab my phone when Arthur calls my name, and I skid to a stop.
He’s sitting at his desk, the papers I printed spread out in front of him. “Come on in.” He pulls off his glasses and points them toward the empty chair.
The seat creaks as I drop into it, nerves prickling beneath my skin. “Everything okay?”
“I’ve been thinking about what you said this morning.
Looking over all of this.” He sweeps the papers into a neat stack.
“And you’re right. Things have improved since you started working here again.
The office is running more smoothly thanks to your work with Jenna on the schedule, and I’m seeing the evidence of it in the financials. ”
“Thank you,” I reply, unsure what else to say.
He gives me a stern look, hands folded together on the desk. “Please be honest with me. Are you staying in Fern River? Is this where you want to be?”
The questions surprise me. I hold my breath, gauging my answer. Is this where I want to be?
I used to be sure it wasn’t. I used to take every opportunity to be somewhere else.
But this time, something’s different. This feels like the closest I’ve ever been to finding home.
“Yes. Yes, sir.” I nod. “It’s where I want to be.”
He studies me for a long moment. Finally, he says, “I’ll consider allowing you and Garrett to buy the practice together.
But nothing is decided yet. I want to know for sure that you’re sticking around here.
I’ll be frank, settling down with Fable is a great start, but I need to know you want to stay permanently.
I don’t want to leave Garrett in a bind by trusting you. ”
A tentative spark of hope ignites in my chest. “Right. Absolutely.”
“I’d like you and Garrett to take charge on the adopt-a-thon next month. Coordinate with the shelter. Plan the events and get involved in the community part of it. Show me you can be a good team, then I’ll decide about the practice.”
I nod. “I can do that.”
“I’ll talk to Garrett,” Arthur says. “Make sure he knows the plan.”
“Thank you.” I stand and reach across the desk to shake his hand. “I won’t let you down. I promise.” That spark of hope flares brighter. I might have a chance with this.
But as I leave his office, the reality of how I got that chance settles like a lead weight in my stomach. Accepting his congratulations about Fable was one thing—but this suddenly feels much bigger. I’ve just fabricated an entire relationship to make myself look better in his eyes.
And my only chance at making this right involves talking to Fable. And crossing my fingers she doesn’t try to murder me for what I’ve done.