Page 16 of Crumbling Truth
He only grinned. “You looked very deep in thought during our seven minute commute home. Dare I ask what had your mind so occupied?”
“Your mother’s meddling,” I replied.
“Ah, yes,” he mused. “She’s something, isn’t she? I thought the pot pie was a bit heavy-handed for her. What else did I miss?”
I sighed and turned off the engine. “Oh, just her telling me how handsome and intelligent and single her eldest son is. I swear she knew exactly what she was doing, too, because she’d drop one compliment and then change the subject, so I could never be sure if she was actually trying to make a point about you or if she was just excited about you coming back here.”
“Oh, no, please tell me she didn’t,” he groaned, covering his face with both hands.
Embarrassing him hadn’t been my intent, but it didn’t seem unfair either, exactly. After all, he’d witnessed my awkward moment in the gym. I decided to roll with it.
“Come on, surely you can’t blame her for bragging, not with such a stud muffin for a son.”
He choked out a laugh, but his eyes were aglow with mischief when he dropped his hands. I imagined he must have gotten into a great deal of trouble as a child.
And out of it, most likely, with that cheeky grin of his.
“I refuse to believe my mother used the term ‘stud muffin,’ but if that’s how you see me, I’m not going to argue.”
“Touché,” I conceded. “I guess you’re not half bad.”
“You know what I’m even more curious about, though?” When I raised a brow in his direction, he said, “I feel like she went out of her way to avoid giving me any details about you. Granted, my assumption that you were an old lady was my own, but it’s like she made it a point not to mention your age or occupation or the fact that you’re drop-dead gorgeous. Why would she only play matchmaker on one side?”
My cheeks flooded with heat at the casual compliment, spoken as though everyone in Spruce Hill agreed with his assessment. I’d heard them at each stupid event Steve had dragged me to, the people who congratulated Steve on seeing past my looks in order to find the good inside. As the years went on, I recognized more and more of how he’d manipulated me into thinking I was lucky to have him.
Theo was waiting patiently for me to respond. I stared at him for another second, then gave myself a mental shake.
“I don’t know. She’syourmother, why don’t you take a guess?”
“I’m not sure, but I’ll be thinking about it, believe me. I don’t like feeling like a puppet.”
I scowled. “You think I do?”
Across his face bloomed a smile so sweet my chest ached with it. “No, Esther, but between the two of us, we’ll solve this mystery. Come on, then, let’s get cooking.”
“You’re cooking, I’m supervising, remember?”
His low chuckle roused a thousand butterflies in my midsection. I had to force the reaction down as we headed into the main house, considering the situation instead. Even if I weren’t personally involved, Anita was the last person on Earth I’d expect to play matchmaker.
Given what she knew about my life? It seemed even less likely.
Unless…I stopped so suddenly that Theo ran right into me, his entire front pressed into my back as he caught my hips so I didn’t pitch forward with the impact. The heat of his body radiated against me, soaking into my limbs.
“What is it?” he asked, sounding slightly panicked.
I turned slowly toward him as I mulled over the idea that had occurred to me. “What if she wasn’t trying to tempt me with that information, but to warn me?”
“Warn you against my numerous charms?”
He sounded doubtful, and I couldn’t really blame him. The more I thought about it, though, the more sense it made.
“I don’t date, Theo. I barely socialize. My late husband was a charming narcissist who had everyone in town fooled except for me, because I lived with him, and your mother, because she’s ridiculously insightful. She was probably the only person in Spruce Hill he couldn’t win over. He hated her for that.”
Theo’s dark brows drew down. “And if you weren’t expecting my devastating good looks, would my presence have upset you?”
I rolled my eyes at the description, however accurate, then decided I owed him honesty since I’d brought it up. “Yes.”
“Esther,” he began, still looking troubled. “I’m not like him, I hope you know that.”
