Page 54 of With Us

After I finished, I swept up the area, bringing any boxes and garbage where they needed to be. I grabbed my hoodie from my locker and checked my phone.

Theo:So leave. It’ll give me more time with you.

Me:I’m done. Artichoke crisis resolved. Do you think it’d be in bad taste for me to throw myself a hero party?

Theo:Come outside, I’ll give you something better.

A tremor ran through me at his innuendo loaded response. We hadn’t had time to have a repeat performance of the night he’d slept over. I was getting impatient.

Impatient and antsy and built up andneedy.

Hustling through the store, the doors slid open just as Bill called my name.

I ignored him. Just kept walking, increasing my pace slightly as I stepped into the warm air. When I saw Theo standing next to his car, I sped up more. “Get me out of here before he tries to make me sort the ears of corn by number of kernels.”

He threw open my door, closing it behind me before getting in on the driver’s side. “Good day, huh?”

“Oh, just the best.” Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back against the headrest and inhaled. Exhaling, I rolled my head to look at him as we pulled out of the lot. “I’m ready for my hero party.”

“Coming right up.”

When I realized we were heading in the opposite direction of my apartment, I started laughing. “I was kidding. My hero party was going to be showering the pesticide stink off and flopping face first into bed.”

“What time do you work tomorrow?”

“Not until one.”

“Did you get Sunday off?”

When he’d come in to Java Brew earlier that day, he’d asked me to take Sunday off for family dinner. As overwhelming as his family could be, I really wanted to see them again.

I shrugged. “I wasn’t asking the jerk face, so I left a message for Jerry. He’ll be in tomorrow, and I’ll find out then.”

“Send me a text so I can let mom know.” Theo parked in front of a twenty-four-hour diner and turned to me. “I’m thinking a greasy burger, a thick shake, and a piece of pie as big as your head.”

“My head isn’t that big.”

“Fine. A piece as big as Luc’s.”

“I’d be careful mentioning Luc and food in the same sentence. I think he has a food sense that might start to tingle.”

Theo laughed, reminding me for the millionth time how much I loved when he did it. “I’m going to tell him you said that,” he teased as he opened his door.

“Don’t you dare.” I got out of the car, turning to face him as he got near me on the sidewalk. “Do not tell him I said that.”

“Why?”

“I want him to like me.”

“Oh?”

“He’s your best friendandyour business partner, or whatever the technical term is. Of course I want him to like me.”

Putting his arm around me, Theo kissed the top of my head as we headed toward the restaurant. “Don’t worry, he does.”

“Good.”

Following the sign, we sat ourselves at a booth in the back corner away from the few other diners, most of whom were teens, drunk, or drunk teens.

---