Just One Look (Castleton Hearts)

“Hi,” she said.

“Hi,” I said, not knowing what else to say. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Mia. Are you Kendra?” she asked, her hands on her shorts as she tried to twirl them like a skirt.

“Oh, you’re Mia,” I said, seeing the Harmon family resemblance, even though Mia’s hair was more of a strawberry blonde instead of reddish brown.

“It’s nice to meet you,” she said, and I could tell this was a line she had practiced.

“It’s nice to meet you, too. Is your mommy or daddy around?” I hoped she hadn’t escaped from her parents.

“They’re over there,” Mia said, pointing to another table. My heart dropped to my feet as I glanced over and made immediate eye contact with Theo. Of course, she was here.

Mia waved at her parents and they waved back.

“Come on,” she said, and a second later my hand was clamped in her child-sized hand and she was dragging me over to say hello to her parents and Theo.

Shy, this kid was not.

“I brought her,” she announced, and I waved, feeling like a total dork.

“Hi,” I said, unable to make eye contact with Theo.

“Hi, I’m Kim, Mia’s mom and Theo’s sister-in-law,” said the woman sitting between Clint and Theo. She had lovely blonde hair and it was clear where Mia had gotten her smile from.

“It’s so nice to meet you,” I said.

“Likewise. I’ve heard so many lovely things about you.” I wanted to look at Theo and ask her, but I couldn’t.

“Blah, blah, blah,” Mia said, earning her a sharp look from her mother.

“Mia, that’s rude.”

“Sorry,” she sang, bouncing on her toes. “Do you wanna play tag with me?” The question was directed at me.

“Oh, um, maybe later?”

Mia sighed heavily. “Fine.”

Another little girl ran over and grabbed Mia’s hand and then she was gone in the blink of an eye.

“How do you keep up with her?” I asked to no one in particular.

“It’s a challenge,” Kim said with a laugh. “Chasing her around is my cardio.”

Clint got up to get another drink and asked Kim if she wanted anything. She rubbed her belly and I remembered that she was expecting her second baby very soon.

“I’d love a Jack and coke, but I suppose I’ll settle for a lemonade,” she said.

“I’d get you one if I could,” Clint said, and she squeezed his arm as he went over to the bar. Kim watched him go, a smile on her face.

“Would you like to sit with us?” Kim asked, and I didn’t miss it that she nudged Theo.

“Oh, no, I’m good,” I said. “I think I’m going to grab a cupcake. Nice to meet you.”

I knew I was running away, but I didn’t know how else to gracefully extricate myself, so I just bolted.

I got another plate and looked at the dessert options.

“There’s one of those chocolate cupcakes left,” a voice said in my ear. I would know that voice anywhere. I would know Theo’s voice in a room filled with a million other voices.

I reached out and took the last chocolate cupcake and added it to my plate, along with a few other things, but I was really focused on that cupcake. And Theo.

I turned around and finally met her eyes. “Long time, no see. How’s the furniture business treating you?” Boring small talk seemed safest.

Theo rolled her eyes. “Oh, is that how it’s going to be?”

“I mean, I don’t know what you want from me, Theo,” I said. Theo took my arm and pulled me into the shade of a bush so we could have some semblance of privacy at this barbecue.

“You’re going to make me drop my cupcake,” I said, trying to hold onto my plate and not spill anything.

Theo took the plate from me. “There, I’ll hold it for you.”

“I’ll be really mad if you drop my cupcake,” I said.

“Then I won’t,” she said, holding the plate steady. I trusted her grip far more than mine, but I wasn’t saying that out loud.

“What do you want, Theo? You said we couldn’t be friends or anything anymore, then you went radio silent, again, and now you’re acting like I’m the one with the problem. Get your shit together, woman.” I was only partially joking.

Theo picked up the cupcake and held it out to me. “I fucked up. I’m sorry.”

That was unexpected.

“You’re giving me my own cupcake as a peace offering?” I asked.

“It’s a gesture. A cupcake branch, if you will,” she said. “Come on, Kendra, please? I thought being friends with you was bad, but not talking to you was worse.”

Her words made me feel warm all over.

“So, you’re crawling back to me asking to be friends again,” I said, smirking. I wanted to make her suffer just a little bit. She deserved it.

“I’m not crawling. I’m asking. And I’m apologizing for fucking up. Can we be friends again?”