Just One Look (Castleton Hearts)

Theo clenched her jaw for another moment and sighed.

“Thank you for the coffee. My brother took me to get my truck already, so I’m set.”

I waited for more, but that seemed to be it. Where was the woman who’d sung a duet with me last night? She seemed to have vanished in the night, and sharp-tongued Theo was back.

I was about to turn and leave when she spoke and surprised me. “Do you want to see your bed?”

“Oh,” I said. “Yeah, sure.”

“Be careful,” she said, her voice gruff as she let me into the workshop. The floor was covered with sawdust, but I didn’t mind. There were several other pieces in process, and the smell of varnish was almost overwhelming.

My bed was in one corner and although it wasn’t finished, it was exactly what I wanted.

“Wow,” I breathed.

“It’s not done yet,” Theo said, as if I’d insulted the bed.

“I know,” I said. “Still, it’s perfect.”

I couldn’t wait to see it in the room with a mattress and new sheets and a lovely comforter on it. And pillows. I wanted pretty accent pillows.

Theo followed me as I walked around the bed, looking at it from every angle. I wasn’t watching where I was walking and ended up tripping over an electrical cord.

“Didn’t I tell you to be careful?” Theo said, as she grabbed my arm to stop my fall. “Fuck, I shouldn’t have brought you in here.”

“I’m okay,” I said as she continued to hold me. Her hands were strong and warm as they gripped me.

“I’m okay,” I said, my voice quieter. Theo wasn’t letting go.

Scout barked and we both jumped, and I almost fell again, but grabbed onto the bedpost as Theo let go of me as if I was on fire.

“It’s dangerous in here,” she said. “You should go.”

I nodded and pushed myself away from the bed.

“Thanks for showing me,” I said, staring at the floor as I headed for the door. I couldn’t seem to make a breakthrough with Theo. Last night had been so unexpected, but it was like a dream. Today was back to reality of a grumpy Theo that saw me as a nuisance.

Scout followed me out, his tail wagging.

“Do you have any ideas on how to make your mom not grumpy?” I asked, leaning down to pet his velvety ears.

I heard Theo’s feet crunching on the gravel of the path.

“She’s not always a grump,” Theo said, and I looked up at her.

“Like last night?” I asked. “What happened to her?”

“She has a headache from being hung over,” Theo said.

“I thought you weren’t hung over,” I said, standing up. Scout sat down at my feet, looking up at me with big, sweet eyes.

“Yeah, well, I lied.” I could see her starting to thaw a little bit, and I took a chance.

“Since we had such a good time eating together last night, how about having dinner with me again? I don’t have a kitchen, so I can’t even cook or anything, but I can offer you cheese and crackers or a microwaved container of mac and cheese.”

Theo shook her head. “Pass. I’ll cook.”

“You will?”

“Well, I’ll grill,” she said. “How do you feel about cheeseburgers?”

I couldn’t stop smiling. “I love them.”

Chapter Seven

Theo said she would take care of everything, but I insisted on going to the store to pick up a few things while she finished up in the shop and closed up the showroom for the day.

I grabbed a few bags of chips, some buns, and drinks and headed back to Theo’s cabin. I was dying to see it inside. Would it be messy? Somehow I didn’t think so.

Scout was outside when I made it back to Theo’s and I had to hold the bags out of his way so he didn’t sniff them.

“Sorry buddy, this is human food,” I said, stepping up onto Theo’s porch and knocking on the door.

“It’s open!” Theo yelled, and she was back to grump.

“I come bearing chips and alcohol,” I said, walking into the space. The walls inside were natural wood, but the furniture wasn’t like what she made in the workshop, which surprised me. It was a little bit more modern than I’d expected, and done in slate, beige, and white.

There were a few abstract paintings on the wall, all done in splashes of black and white and gray.

“Did you paint those?” I asked, walking toward the back of the cabin and into the open kitchen, setting the bags down on the white granite counter.

“I did,” she said, picking up a plate of uncooked burger patties.

“I’m not going to lie, I was expecting a moose head from the exterior,” I said.

Theo snorted and I felt like I’d won some sort of prize by getting a reaction out of her.

“No, I got rid of him. We sold him to a very nice couple and he’s hanging out in their lake house. I don’t think he misses me,” she said, and I followed her outside to the grill on the side of the porch. She lifted the lid and checked the heat before adding the burgers. She also had zucchini, corn, and mushrooms to add later.