Page 157 of Wish You Were Mine
Theo didn’t say anything for a moment, and the silence stretched until I wanted to scream.
“I know Owen is a great guy,” Theo finally said with a sigh. “And if it weren’t for the fact that he’s so much older and, you know, your professor, I probably would’ve tried setting you two up myself.”
“So…are you going to tell Dad?” A breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding slipped out. “Because I know we’re definitely in a gray area here,” I added. “But I really don’t want Owen’s job tobe in jeopardy. I promise he didn’t use his position to seduce me or anything.”
“Ew,” Theo said. “You did not just talk about being seduced by my friend.”
I let out a laugh, covering my face with my hand. “You know what I mean.”
“And you expect me to be okay with that?”
“For what it’s worth,” I said gently, “we’ve only, um…kissed. And stuff. He’s been a total gentleman.”
Not that I would’ve turned him down if he wanted to be a little less gentlemanly…
“Well…” Theo made a noise like he was trying to unhear me. “I guess that’s good.”
“So…are you going to tell Dad?”
“Not right now.” He exhaled slowly. “But you probably should, since it would be better coming from you than someone else you might accidentally send another selfie to.”
“Yeah…” I groaned. “Sorry about that.”
At least it was just a cuddle pic on the train and not anything more incriminating.
“I’ll try to figure out how to tell Dad,” I said. “I mean, he seemed to like Owen when we all had dinner together. So hopefully, he’ll remember that when I tell him that I like him quite a bit, too.”
Theo let out a low chuckle. “Good luck withthatconversation.”
“Thanks,” I muttered.
After the call ended, I slowly turned back toward Owen, my heart beating like it already knew how this would go.
I wasn’t sure what I expected. Frustration. A raised voice.
Something sharp.
Something I’d learned to brace for.
My pulse jumped as I met his eyes, already tensing for the fallout.
But instead of reacting the way Josh would have, Owen just arched a brow, his expression dry and unreadable.
“So…is Theo calling your dad now?” he asked, nodding toward the door. “Should I start looking for jobs in another state?”
A laugh caught in my throat. Half relief, half disbelief.
“Not yet.” I shook my head, my shoulders easing the tiniest bit. “But…I’ll probably have to tell him about us now.”
48
OWEN
The sun had dippedbelow the rooftops by the time I parked outside Theo’s house. I sat there for a second, watching the porch light flicker on as the motion sensor caught me.
I didn’t know if showing up here was a terrible idea or a smart one, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that if I wanted to prove myself to Theo—and to Lucy—I needed to do this in person.
So, after giving myself a little pep talk, I climbed out of my car, walked up the front walkway, and knocked. A few seconds later, the door opened.
