Page 65 of Crumbling Truth
Aside from Anita, Sofia was one of the few other people who always saw through my bullshit and never hesitated to call me on it. For a long moment, I felt her gaze on my face, reading every nuance of my expression. When I finally glanced up, her own had gone soft and a bit sappy.
“Oh, Es,” she sighed.
A laugh that morphed into a sob burst from my throat. “I am such an idiot.”
“Don’t say that. Who knows what the future holds? You deserve happiness, honey.”
“The future holds me falling head over goddamn heels for a man who lives hundreds of miles away and has avoided this town since he was eighteen years old. What could go wrong?”
Sofia came over and wrapped her arms around me, her coat compressing against my body like a marshmallow. “Has he told you why he stayed away?”
From anyone else, I might’ve assumed this was fishing for gossip, but not Sofia. She and Oliver loved Theo like a brother and, though I knew she was curious, the way she’d always respected my privacy convinced me she would do the same for Theo.
“No, we haven’t talked about it. I’m not sure it makes any difference. He has a business down there, a life. The last thing I want is for him to resent me for trapping him back in the town he couldn’t wait to get away from.”
“Have you ever considered that maybe you’re worth it?” she asked quietly.
The question hung in the air between us, heavy enough to suck the air from my lungs, but I was saved from having to answer when Theo knocked lightly at the front door and poked his head in.
“Hey, Sof,” he said brightly, then his gaze landed on me and grew soft, tender. “Hey, Esther. I’m back, but I’ll be out here setting everything up for a bit.”
That look seeped through my limbs with the kind of languor I’d come to associate with Theo. All my protests, all my defenses, melted away under the warmth of it. Knowing Sofia’s focus flitted between us, ready to pounce, I just nodded in acknowledgment. Theo waited until her face was turned back toward me to wink and slip back outside.
“Jeesh,” she breathed when the door was closed behind him. With one hand, she fanned herself. “That was…intense.”
“Tell me about it,” I muttered.
She laughed. “I need to get going, but really, Es, please let me know if you need anything, even if it’s a break from that stud out there. I’ve really missed you, honey.”
Hot shame crept along the back of my neck as I pulled her into another squishy hug. “I’ve missed you, too. Whatever happens with Theo, I promise I won’t go radio silent again, okay?”
“That’s all I ask. You know how to reach me. We’ll see you two at the Carolcade?”
“Yes, we’ll be there,” I promised. “And maybe…maybe we can have dinner sometime soon. You and Chase, me and Theo?”
Her face lit with delight, sending another pang of guilt through my chest. “I’d love that.”
In true Sofia fashion, it took another five minutes to get her out the door, but once she was gone, the quiet felt suffocating even with the music still on. Unfortunately, I had cupcakes ready to go into the oven, so there was no escaping it just yet. I turned off the radio, slid the pans in, and wondered if everything Sofia said was right.
I didn’t reach any conclusions.
When Theo returned a while later, his triumphant expression dimmed when he saw me sitting at the table in silence, my unfocused gaze on the window over the kitchen sink.
“Hey, you okay?” he asked as he shoved his gloves into his pockets and hung his coat on the rack.
Don’t do it. Do not do this. Just answer the question.
I opened and closed my mouth two or three times before finally blurting out, “Why did you leave Spruce Hill?”
His face went blank for a beat, then he sighed heavily and sat down beside me, scooting his chair close enough for our knees to touch. “Does it matter?” he asked gently. There was nobelligerence in his tone, nothing defensive, just a quiet sort of resignation.
“I think it might,” I admitted.
Without knowing what it was that sent him away, I couldn’t let myself consider whether he might ever change his mind about returning. I half expected him to shut down the conversation, which would be an answer in itself, but instead he nodded.
“When we were kids,” he began, “Alex and I were close. We were only one grade apart in school, so for most of our lives, we were more like twins than anything. I met Oliver in kindergarten, but even that didn’t cause a rift between us. It was always the three of us running around together. Brothers, but also friends.”
He paused, so I reached over to lace my fingers through his. I had only Sofia’s vague speculation to go on, leaving me virtually clueless here. From his expression, though, I gathered the truth was more painful than I’d imagined.
