Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
“Oh my God!” I screamed as I glanced down at my phone. A gorgeous diamond ring filled up the whole screen. I jumped up and down, happy that I was alone in my bedroom so no one else could witness my freak out.
Although, honestly, I didn’t really care. My best friend was about to get engaged to the love of her life, so some celebration was absolutely necessary. I resisted the urge to call her, to revel in the secret only I knew. I chewed on my lower lip, holding my finger over her contact. I dropped the phone. There was no way I’d be able to play it cool right now. I was pretty sure if I ruined the surprise, Cole would hate me forever.
Speaking of Cole—now that my heart rate was back to normal, I texted him back.
COLE
What do you think?
ME
ARE YOU KIDDING? ITS PERFECT. SHE’S GOING TO CRY
COLE
You think so?
ME
Yes, trust me. Alex is going to be a MESS. I’m so happy for you guys!!!
COLE
I’m doing it during the soft opening next weekend. Alex doesn’t know you’re coming, right?
ME
She has NO idea. I blamed Theo and said he needed me in the city for the partners’ visit in a couple of weeks. She didn’t even blink.
COLE
Sounds good. Remind him he’s expected to show up too.
I laughed, sure that Theo had completely erased the event from his mind. It had been a draining, laborious six months renovating the Fox Creek Lodge and Campgrounds, but Alex and Cole were finally ready to show off their hard work. They’d asked all their friends and family to come for the weekend to help them work out the kinks before paying guests arrived. When I showed Theo the invitation, he scowled at me, not understanding why they expected him to attend. Apparently, he intended to be a silent investor—emphasis on the silent part.
I wasn’t about to let him out of it that easily. Besides the fact that I was ecstatic to see my friends after being gone for so long, I was excited to show Theo more of my hometown. He barely left the hotel the last time he visited, and it was time we changed that. As much as it shouldn’t matter, I wanted him to love Saint Stephen’s Lake as much as I did .
Just as I started to make a mental list of things to show him, Devyn stormed into my room, her arms crossed around her chest. “You can’t be serious.”
“What?” I asked, toying with my cuticles. Maybe I had also implied that Devyn would be coming with me, even though she hadn’t been to the lake in over five years.
“Don’t play dumb with me, Calla,” she sneered. “I just got an email from Alex’s boyfriend, filling me in on all the details of this weekend.”
I shrugged. “You and I both know you need a weekend away. Besides, Alex is my best friend, so according to sister law, you need to support her too. This soft opening means the world to her. Please come with me?”
She tapped her long nails against her arm, suddenly looking a lot like our mother. I didn’t dare voice that out loud, not if I wanted to see tomorrow. After a long stare down, Devyn finally rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
“Really?” I squeaked, jumping up to hug her.
“But I have ground rules.” She pulled back to look me in the eye. “We go to the lodge, and that’s it. No Isadora, no wandering through town, and sure as fuck no Lost Tavern.”
I gasped and dramatically hit my chest as if she’d struck me. “That is so rude. You know I always need a burger when I’m home.”
Devyn narrowed her eyes at me. “Fine. You go. But you better bring back one for me too.” She tapped on her phone. “Did you order a car yet?”
“Not yet.” I shifted on my feet. “I was thinking…what if we drove up with Theo?”
“Your boss?”
“Yeah…” I tried not to give away anything. I knew I had to tell Devyn what was happening eventually , but right now, I was living in my blissful ignorance, pretending that nothing could go wrong. The moment I told her, she’d voice all the reasons it was a bad idea. No, thank you. I wanted to hold onto this moment a little bit longer.
“He’s heading up for the weekend too, and you know he’s got a couple of nice cars hidden away.” I toyed with a sweater on my bed, avoiding her stare. “It could be fun.”
Devyn narrowed her eyes at me, trying to decipher the true meaning of my words. Maybe it was a bad idea to put all three of us in an enclosed space, but I didn’t care. I wanted more time with Theo.
It had been almost two weeks since our incredible weekend together, and we’d barely gotten any time together since. I’d spent a couple of nights at his place while Devyn was pulling all-nighters at her office, but even then, he’d been so stressed about the partners coming that we talked more about work than anything else.
As much as I admired his work ethic, I was also greedy for more of his undivided attention. Maybe this weekend would give us that chance, away from the city and all the pressure of hiding our relationship at work.
Devyn shook her head, walking back through my door. “I hope you know what you’re doing there.”
“Please explain to me again why you’re picking all the music when this is my car?”
Theo tilted his head, smirking at me as he pulled off onto the highway. I shrugged. “It’s not my fault you have horrible taste in music. Even for an old man, this stuff is terrible.”
“It’s classic rock,” Theo argued.
“A nice way of saying old .”
“Children,” Devyn called from the backseat, lifting an AirPod from her ear. “Some of us are trying to nap back here. Both of you admit that you have terrible taste and drive in silence for a while.”
I rolled my eyes as Theo chuckled. Somehow, I’d convinced both Theo and Devyn to take Friday off so we could get to the Lodge a little earlier. The sooner I got to Alex, the better I would feel. I could only imagine what Cole was going through. Even though we all knew Alex would say yes, it had to be nerve-wracking.
When the three of us loaded into Theo’s SUV this morning, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but we’d struck up a comfortable camaraderie. Devyn and Theo got along well, bonding over their mutual workaholic tendencies. Seeing Theo laugh with the only member of my family I liked made his place in my heart solidify a little bit more.
I turned, staring out of the window, wondering if I should try to get some sleep as well. We were only about an hour into our hours-long drive, and from here, it would mostly be empty highways and stretches of land, but I was too excited to close my eyes. It was sad. I’d spent years away from the city and never really missed it. Take me out of Saint Stephen’s Lake for a couple of months, and it was like I was missing a limb.
“What’s going on in your head over there?” Theo asked, keeping his eyes on the road.
“I miss home,” I admitted. “Don’t get me wrong; New York is great, but it doesn’t fit quite right—like wearing a shoe that’s two sizes too small.”
“Do you think you’ll move back?”
He asked the question casually, but I could see his grip tighten on the steering wheel. I’d been living moment to moment for so long that I never gave it much thought, but the idea of leaving Theo behind suddenly soured my stomach. “I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “Part of me would love to. But I also don’t know if I could.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve always loved being at the lake,” I answered, turning back toward the window. “But I don’t know if it’s where I see my future. So many of my memories are at the Isadora. If I couldn’t be a part of that…” I shook my head, cutting off that line of thought. “Let’s just say I’d be starting all over again. And considering I’m doing that right now, I’m not looking to do it again so quickly.”
“I remember that feeling. I left home as soon as I graduated high school,” Theo quietly admitted. “Got my diploma, and the very next day, I packed up all my stuff and started my college courses early. I never even thought about going back.”
“Really?” I asked, turning toward him. “What about your mom?”
He chuckled. “She was all for it. My mom wanted me to have every opportunity. She risked a lot to come to America. She was barely an adult herself, but she sacrificed everything to make sure I had the best life possible.” He cleared his throat, twisting his hands on the steering wheel. “Every time I reach a new goal, it’s because of her.”
“You miss her.”
“I do.” Theo’s voice was tight. “Every day. I hate that I wasn’t there for her at the end, but I hope she’s proud of everything I’ve accomplished.”
“I think she is.”
He turned, smiling softly at me. “One thing I know for sure? She would have loved you. She always liked calling me out when she thought my head got too big.”
“Oh, so all the time?” I chuckled .
I reached out and took his hand, letting the comfortable silence take over, not caring if Devyn saw. So much of Theo made sense now, knowing more about his mother and how hard she had worked to prove a good life for him. Clearly, to him, it was a debt he’d never be able to repay.
I wondered what that was like to have a parent support your dreams, to give up everything to ensure you could lead whatever life you wanted. I hadn’t spoken to my mother in months , and while part of me missed her, there was an even larger piece that felt relieved, as if a weight had been lifted off my chest. No more bowing down to her commands, no more fear of saying the wrong thing and being cut off.
Theo exhaled slowly. “All of that to say, I don’t have much experience with the concept of home. But if something calls to your heart, don’t ignore it.” He squeezed my hand. “You are tenacious, Calla. If you decide you want something, the world better get out of your way.”
I looked down at our joined hands, at how perfectly they fit together. Theo had no idea, did he? That home had been a foreign concept to me until he crashed into my life. And while I’d always loved Saint Stephen’s Lake, I was starting to realize that I’d be happy anywhere, as long as I got to be at Theo’s side.
And that scared me most of all.