Page 65 of Henhouse
“But they’re not the only ones, are they?” Pamela snipped. Heat flooded Theo’s face.No, they weren’t the only ones.A lot of girlfriends and hookups and just-for-one-night romances crossed his threshold. But he was never flippant about it. He cherished his time with each one of them, however short-lived, and he wouldn’t apologize for it. Womanizing and predatory weren’t even close to fitting. More like passionate and curious. In all his relationships, he had been looking for the love of his life, and she was currently being humiliated around her own dinner table.
“They all said pretty much the same thing though, that they thought there was something there until you broke it off, out of the blue, and usually after you got what you wanted.”
The buzz of a bulb in the chandelier on the verge of burning out filled Theo’s ears. His pile of pasta congealed past the point of beingappetizing. He laid down his fork, uncertain how to save the night. They’d decided he was using Effie before he’d even arrived. The insult to Effie was far greater than it was to him. They couldn’t see how in command of herself she was, how radiant. He was at her mercy, not the other way around.
“None of them so much as blinked in surprise when it ended. Did they tell you that even if we slept together and I knew we weren’t going to see each other again after I was upfront about it? That, at least in Hannah’s case, I knew the name of her childhood dog, what movies made her cry, and what fictional men made her swoon all in a matter of three weeks of dating? How about you all stop trying to make me look bad or shame me or whatever the hell this is and realize that all you’re accomplishing is making your sister—your daughter—uncomfortable.”
Everyone looked to Effie who had indeed gone red. Something like guilt colored Louisa’s expression.Good. Even if Pamela refused to cow, at least someone in this room deigned to look ashamed of the ambush.
Theo never talked about his past dating record, not because he didn’t want to be honest, but because he wanted, with his entire heart and soul, to keep that exact look off Effie’s face. He knew she already compared herself to Talia, and it was hard enough to convince her he didn’t need to have sex with her to want to be with her. He didn’t need her to have a list of names to stew over alongside. He turned back to the table, but he clung to Effie’s hand. Half-moons branded into his skin where her nails dug into his flesh, like if she squeezed hard enough they wouldn’t see her embarrassment.
Theo stood and Effie followed his lead. “Not that it’s any of yourbusiness, but I’ve dated a lot looking for someone to spend my life with. Effie has shown me how fully you can be with someone, and I’ve never been fucking happier.” And he fully meant it.She was worth taking it slow because there was no rush in living their romance. He hadn’t ever hadthatbefore.
He led her out of the dining room, but he didn’t miss the satisfied smile on Dorothea’s lips as they escaped.
Effie and her dad were excellent planners. They plotted their summer adventures at the end of May, making what Effie dubbed Summer Funtime Must-Do Lists. They filled their ten weekends together with trips to Old Orchard Beach, minigolf dates, day trips to Polar Caves, Whale’s Tale Water Park, and Storyland. They budgeted downtime, to snuggle on rainy days and read good books, as well as little treats like ice cream walks and sunset sandcastle building. They’d barely finished plotting the Summer Funtimes of 2009 when her dad had left for Cape Cod. She stopped planning after that.
Effie was reminded of that list that she’d torn to shreds while she sat in Theo’s apartment. She had the sinking feeling that she’d started to make too many plans again. Effie scrubbed the thought away as anger toward her family took its place. Her muscles quivered at the rage and shame that clung to her like splattered paint. She knew they were apt to meddle, but she didn’t believe they could be so cruel, however well-intentioned they thought they were being. Her warring feelings pressurized in her skull waiting to crack with thunder at any minute.
The storm subsided upon sight of an antique tray set with aporcelain teapot and matching cup and saucer that Theo laid before her. It looked wholly out of place atop the cheap coffee table he no doubt had since college. “What’s this?”
He sat beside her and smoothed her jagged nerves with the caress of his hand on her knee. “You said your favorite teas taste better in porcelain.”
“So you went out and bought a porcelain tea set?”
“Well . . . yeah.” He was flummoxed and Effie didn’t blame him, but she wasn’t used to people justdoingthings for her without her having to ask explicitly.
“And the first thing you did when we got here was go brew me a pot of tea.” To soothe her even more, set her body back to neutral, make her feel—
“Technically us, there are two cups.”
If Effie weren’t so splintered by their dinner she would have been overjoyed by how he took care of her. He lifted the teapot and poured. Steam curled around the lip of her cup, drawing her attention to the roses painted on the delicate china. “I know Rose is your middle name, but are they your favorite flower?”
Seems like something you should know. We have been dating for nine weeks.Effie left the barb unspoken, not wanting to succumb to her lesser inclinations. It wasn’t Theo’s fault her family had verbally assaulted them and given her names for the faceless others who came before her. Others that a more rational, less volatile mind wouldn’t think twice about. So instead she murmured, “They’re not, but I do love them. Lady slipper orchids are my favorite.”
“I don’t mean to be rude or impolite, but aren’t those kind of funny looking?”
Effie laughed. She supposed they were kind of funny looking, shaped like little pouches, moccasins, or slippers if the legends about them were any indication. But odd as they were, Effie found them beautiful. “They’re also delicate and beautiful and rare.”
“I know something else like that,” Theo flirted, his eyes beneath heavy lids full of something Effie wasn’t confident she could handle—like he was drunk on her with one look. He leaned in and kissed her. It was soft and tender, comfort after the night she’d had. When she pulled away and grabbed her teacup, he invited her to curl up against him with an open arm. She scooted beside him, knees tucked into her chest.
“I also like that you have to go looking for them. They grow in dappled sunlight in the forest, and if you aren’t paying attention you could miss them entirely.”
“What is it that makes them so rare?”
“I don’t know exactly, but they take a while to mature, and they’re fragile. Because they’re considered endangered you aren’t supposed to pick them . . . or uproot them.”
“Even if uprooting it would give it more space to grow?”
“They don’t usually survive transplanting,” Effie said, twisting the hem of her bell-bottomed linen pants between her fingers. Hunting lady slippers had been on that 2009 list.
“I see,” Theo murmured, pensive.
It felt so good to let him take care of her, but the feeling battled against years of comparison in one particular area of romantic life. Years of doubting that good things could last too. The room felt too small, too hot. Effie’s eyes burned with unshed tears. She didn’t want to feel this way, didn’t want to succumb to fear or envy about Theo orabout what it would mean to finally one day be in love the way she’d always dreamed. Her voice was thin, but she dared to speak the spark of desire, saying, “But I haven’t ever tried it myself.”
“That makes sense; it is frowned upon.”
“It could be downright illegal,” Effie teased, trying to will herself back to the place where it only felt easy and good and right to sit beside Theo.
