Just One Look (Castleton Hearts)

“Okay.”

“Don’t come if you’re only doing it to be nice to me.”

That made her smile. “I’m not nice to anyone.”

“You’re so full of shit,” I said, shaking my head at her, but I was smiling too.

Theo’s phone went off and she growled. It was a sound that went right to certain parts of my body, and I was glad I had the counter to lean against.

“I have to get going. There’s another delivery and I’m going to miss my window if I don’t get the fuck out of here.”

“Do you have any food allergies?” I asked as she stood up and then took her cup to the sink.

“No,” she said, rinsing the cup and then turning around to face me. “I’ll see you around six thirty?”

“Sounds good,” I said, and she nodded and headed for the door.

“Thanks for the delivery,” I called, watching as she got in the van with Clint and pulled out of the driveway.

I had about five hours to panic, cook, and panic some more.

Of course, I wanted to impress Theo, but I also didn’t want to take a chance with a new recipe, so I went with my honey garlic lime chicken thighs, crispy parmesan potatoes, and a cucumber, watermelon, and feta salad. The salad was best when left to sit for a little bit, so I made that first, marveling at how my expensive knives cut right through everything like butter.

I didn’t have a grill yet, but my new oven was pretty spectacular anyway.

There wasn’t much to clean up to get the house ready, so I didn’t stress about that, but I still wandered around, wishing the place was more finished.

Part of me expected to get a text from Theo saying that she wasn’t coming, but when six thirty rolled around, I heard a roar and saw her battered blue truck parking right in front of the cottage.

She got out and I saw that she’d changed clothes from what she was wearing earlier.

The night was still hot as hell, and Theo had swapped out her flannel for a black t-shirt that, well, it was definitely one size too small. Those seams were barely hanging on.

My mouth went dry as she let Scout out of the truck and he bounded up to me, wiggling in delight.

“Hi, sweet boy,” I said, getting down to greet him as he showed me his excitement at seeing me again.

“I have something for him,” I said, being careful not to say the word “treat.”

“You didn’t have to do that, but I’m sure he’ll appreciate it,” she said. Her jeans were ripped to hell and straining to contain those thighs. Getting through dinner without thinking too much about them was going to be a monumental challenge.

“Come on in,” I said, letting Theo and Scout into the house. Scout immediately ran around, sniffing and inspecting everything.

“I don’t have a bed or anything for him, but I put down some towels,” I said, pointing to a corner of the living room where I’d folded up some old towels for Scout.

“You are really spoiling this dog,” Theo said, but I could tell she was pleased.

Scout found the towels and sniffed and looked up at us like “is this for me?”

“It’s okay, lay down, Scout,” Theo said, snapping her fingers. Scout did a little circle and then laid down.

The oven went off, and I rushed to bring the chicken and potatoes out of the oven.

“The chicken just has to rest for a minute,” I told Theo.

“Where are the plates?” she asked.

I pointed to the cabinet and she went to grab them, then found silverware.

“I’ve got napkins in that other top drawer,” I said as I stirred the salad again and tested it.

Theo got them out, and then went to the fridge as if she lived here.

“Beer?” she asked me.

“Sure,” I said.

By the time I was ready to serve, Theo had set us up in the living room and it was nice to have someone who just helped without even thinking about it.

I let Theo serve herself and then filled my plate before taking it and my beer into the living room.

“Be it ever so humble,” I said, looking around.

“There’s a lot of people who have lawn furniture in their homes as regular furniture,” Theo said. I guess that was a good point.

“I ordered that couch you showed me,” I said, setting my plate on my lap. “Thanks for the rec.”

Theo nodded and took a bite of the chicken. I held my breath for a second.

Theo closed her eyes as she chewed and then opened them and looked me.

“Verdict?” I asked.

“Delicious.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes, seriously.” She cut another piece and ate it with a satisfied sound before going for the potatoes.

“Holy shit, what did you put on these?” she asked.

“That’s my little secret,” I said. “If you’re nice to me, I might tell you.”