Ugh. Was I going to have to just watch Amanda and Theo flirt the whole time we were in the hot air balloon on Saturday? Watch them having fun while I try to make small talk with the guy who ghosted me at a wedding?
That sounded real fun.
I closed my eyes and let out a breath.
Maybe I should just skip the outing? Pretend I suddenly got sick so I wouldn’t have to watch the guy I was failing to get over fall in love with someone else.
Did it make me a bad person if I couldn’t find a way to be happy that Theo might finally be moving forward after being stuck for so long?
Yes… it probably did.
Because even though I didn’t have any claim on Theo, the thought of him standing in that hot air balloon with Amanda—smiling at her the way he sometimes smiled at me—made me feel a little sick.
I pressed my lips together and turned my attention back to Charlotte, who was now attempting to climb up the slide the wrong way.
Because, clearly, that was where my focus should be.
Not on Theo.
And definitely not on the fact that it was getting harder and harder not to wish he was mine.
I was helping Charlotte put her plate in the dishwasher after dinner on Thursday evening when the door to the garage suddenly burst open and Theo rushed in.
“Sorry I got home so late,” he said, setting his leather bag on the counter. “We had an emergency pop up at work that took way too long to figure out.”
I glanced over at him, and for a second, my brain seemed to stall out.
He wore a fitted black suit with a deep green tie that made his eyes look even brighter. His hair was slightly out of place, like he’d been running his hands through it the whole drive home, and even from a few feet away, I caught the faint, clean scent of his cologne as he moved farther into the kitchen.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, hoping my voice sounded more normal than my thoughts felt.
“It will be.” He let out a breath. “Just had to deal with a client who went off the rails.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal, but then his gaze swept across the kitchen before landing on the fridge.
“Crap,” he muttered. “I just realized I was supposed to get the refreshments ready for tonight.”
“For your book club?” I asked.
“Yes.” He sighed. “I had Jessie make some cookie dough for her famous chocolate chip cookies. They’re super good. But I wanted them fresh out of the oven, so I’d planned to get home early enough to bake them myself…” He glanced at the clock on the wall. “But the guys will be here any minute…”
“I can bake them for you,” I blurted. “I was just going to be upstairs with Lucy and Charlotte, anyway. If it’s just putting them on a tray and baking them, I’m happy to do it.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, like he didn’t want to assume.
“Of course.”
He let out a breath and stepped closer, his hand warm against my shoulder as he drew me in just slightly.
“Thank you,” he said, brushing a quick kiss against the top of my head. “You’re the best.”
For a second, I forgot how to breathe.
“Oh—sorry. I, uh…” he said, pulling back quickly, as if just realizing what he’d done.
“It’s fine,” I said, hoping my voice sounded normal even though it felt like I had a hundred butterflies suddenly flapping around in my stomach.