Page 40 of Henhouse
“A good one, I hope?” He held two steaming to-go cups stamped with the Steeped Dreams logo. She approached on aching feet, sore from standing all day and having to restock after the hurricane of knitters tore through.
“Very good,” Effie said, sighing.
Theo spread his arms to welcome her close. She brought her chest to his and hugged him.God, she could stand there all day.She wondered if he was as affected by a mere embrace or if she was the only one giddy over it. Cautiously, she tilted her head back, opening the way for Theo to plant a kiss on her lips. Effie luxuriated in the warmth of his as they took hers for a brief hello. She wrapped her arms around his waist and slumped against his broad chest. It wasn’t improbable that she would fall asleep right there.
Theo’s lips found the top of her head as he mumbled, “Long day?”
She managed a nod before she pulled back, the absence of his warmth noticeable.How could his presence bring such peace and so many nerves at once?Theo lifted the to-go cups in sequence. “Lemon verbena and peppermint, or chamomile lavender?”
Effie reached for the lemon verbena and mint. “I fear if I drink the other I will fall asleep mid-walk home.” Effie looked around but didn’t see any sign of Theo’s van or his Jeep. “Did you come meet me just to walk me home?”
“Maybe,” he said before taking the hefty tote from her hand and slinging it over his shoulder.
“You’re nice to me,” Effie asserted, but Theo laughed, apparently bemused by her redundant observations.
“Isn’t that kind of the point?”
“I wouldn’t know.” Effie sighed and immediately regretted it. Sheassumed Theo knew she had little experience with romantic relationships, given her confession regarding her virginity, but she didn’t want it confirmed for him. It was embarrassing. She was twenty-three and hadn’t ever had a real boyfriend.
Effie looked to Theo expecting the inquisition. “If you’re waiting for me to grill you about your dating history, it’s not gonna happen. That’s your business.”
“Is that because you don’t want me asking about all of your past relationships?”
Theo snorted a laugh. “Maybe a little. But honestly, I think you need to get out of your head about us. Tell me what you want to tell me and forget the rest.”
Effie pondered for a long moment. For whatever reason, Effie decided it would feel better to let him know the truth about her history. Maybe confirming his suspicions would free her of worrying over it. “I was good friends with this guy, Connor, in like sixth grade. We stayed pretty close through high school. Especially after Hope graduated and I had two more years of torture to endure while she was off at college. He and I talked every night, went to all the school dances together, and didn’t have bigger cliques to do stuff with. We used to make out in his pickup but we were never officially in a relationship.”
“Talking every night and making out means he was your boyfriend, even if he was too much of an idiot to call himself that,” Theo grumbled, something like disgust dripping from his words.
“It wasn’t,romantic, or anything,” Effie confessed and began to wonder if she should be telling him all of this. “It was more an unspoken pact to learn from each other. We’d give feedback after every . . . encounter.”
“Feedback? Like postgame?”
“Yep.” Effie tensed. This was an utterly ridiculous thing to share with the man shewantedto be her boyfriend. But it felt good to unburden herself. If he didn’t think her totally weird and hook a left at the next crosswalk, then she’d know he was being honest about wanting to get to know each other.
“Well, it paid off.”
“It did?”
“You’re a fantastic kisser. I’ll be sure to thank Connor if we ever meet.”
Effie nudged him with her elbow, and he took the opportunity to sling his strong arm over her shoulder as they continued down the street. She still wore a mask of confidence as they walked along, but her nerves battled in her gut.
Theo would never actually meet Connor, but the thought of it made her warm with satisfaction. She hadn’t talked to or thought about Connor in a long time. They used to text each other whenever one of them waited at an airport or a bus station, since it was usually the only time Effie had her phone, and traveling felt like a reason to check in back home. She’d texted him last summer before boarding a flight to Florida with her family to take the littles to Disney World. He never texted back.
If she was being honest, he had played a huge role in her romantic insecurities. She’d always assumed if she was desirable he would have asked her to be his. But Effie learned more and more how much her dad’s advice rang true.If you don’t ask, the answer is no. It never occurred to Effie that it could be safe to let her desires be known. It never felt true.
She looked at Theo, but he didn’t notice. She admired the line of his jaw, the strong column of his neck. The thought of him shirtless and performing any number of the scenes from her romance novels flashed through her mind, unwittingly dumping a fresh basket of nerves down her spine.
Theo quirked a brow. “You okay?”
Effie’s throat went dry; she was ill-equipped to play it cool. She was not Louisa or Hope. She was . . . well, her. But it didn’t stop her from holding on to her last shred of feigned confidence. “Yeah, why?”
“You just shivered.” He brought his hand to the nape of her neck and dragged his thumb from below her ear to her collarbone, in what she could only guess was a comforting gesture, even though it unlocked a rush of desire instead. Everything inside her twitched—with what she didn’t know.Anticipation? Pleasure? Anxiety?
Effie jerked away from his touch. “I’m not good at this.”
“Walking?”
