“Fiiine.”She sighed dramatically, then slid off her chair and followed him up the back staircase.
Once I was alone in the kitchen, I started opening cupboard doors, trying to remember where I’d seen the glass storage containers and their lids. Then I checked the cabinet directly beneath the island counter where the food was sitting.
There they were.
That made sense. Keeping them right where they’d be used.
I wasn’t exactly sure how Theo liked to store leftovers, but since he’d clearly been doing something with the food this week, I portioned everything into smaller, lunch-sized containers and lined them up neatly in the fridge.
I was just finishing up, sliding the last container onto the shelf, when I heard footsteps on the stairs.
Theo and Charlotte came back into the kitchen hand in hand. Charlotte had changed into a swimsuit, because even though they didn’t have a pool or hot tub to my knowledge, of course she had.
Theo, on the other hand, had swapped his suit for a plain mauve T-shirt that fit him far too well, paired with casual shorts and slip-on sandals. Comfortable. Relaxed. The kind of outfit that screamedDad enjoying a summer evening in his own backyard.
It was perfect on him.
And while I’d already noticed during dinner how good his forearms looked in rolled-up sleeves, this version of him was somehow just as distracting.
Maybe even more.
And there I went again. Mentally cataloging how attractive my boss for the week was.
Wait.
Not my boss for the week. Just…my boss.
Wow.
Theo Archibald was officially the man I worked for.
Which meant, Ireallyshouldn’t be noticing things like how broad his shoulders looked in a soft T-shirt or how effortlessly he carried himself once he was out of work mode.
I’d already learned the hard way last summer that summer flings with a person you worked with rarely worked out well long term. And I really didn’t need another complicated situation.
Especially when both Theo and I wanted this job to last longer than the summer.
Not that Theo would ever be interested in a summer fling with me, anyway.
Still, I needed to smother the small crush I had on him for good now. And the sooner, the better.
“Hey, you can just leave those,” Theo said, pulling me out of my thoughts when he noticed me loading the dishwasher. “I can get to them once Charlotte’s in bed.”
“Oh, it’s no problem,” I said, waving him off. “It’s only a few things. And I made the mess, so I should clean it up.”
“You cooked dinner for me.” He chuckled dryly, folding his arms across his chest. “That hardly counts as making a mess.”
“It’s fine.” I smiled. “Charlotte’s been excited to see you all day. Go spend time with your girl, and I’ll come out in a minute so we can talk through your summer calendar.”
“Are you sure?” He hesitated, lifting a dark eyebrow as if torn between politeness and knowing how much that time mattered.
“I’m sure,” I said. “Either you let me do this now, or I’ll just tell you to leave them in the sink tonight for your nanny to take care of in the morning.”
“So either way, you’re doing the dishes?” he asked, a dimple appearing in his cheek.
“Yep. Gotta show my new boss that he made a good choice in hiring me.”
“Well, thank you,” he said sincerely. “You’re the best.”