Just One Look (Castleton Hearts)

My parents followed me up to the second floor, and I showed them my bedroom and the bathroom, which weren’t that impressive, but I was still proud. Dad bonked his head on the ceiling where it slanted into the eaves.

“Kendra, it’s perfect. Memma would absolutely love it,” Mom said.

“Really?” I asked.

“Really,” she said, kissing my temple. “Now, what does a mother have to do to get a cup of coffee around here?”

I made my parents some coffee and a snack as we waited for Theo to get back. Later, I’d take them over to the showroom and Theo could give them a tour, but I didn’t want them to invade Theo’s space yet.

My heart rate sped up a little when her truck pulled into the driveway and she let Scout out.

Of course the dog ran right into the house and went straight for my parents. They both adored dogs, and Scout was no exception. He got lots of pets and attention before Theo walked in. Her face was a little pale, so I went to her, squeezing her hand to reassure her that she was going to be fine.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Theo said, holding her hand out to my mom.

“It’s so wonderful to meet you,” Mom said. I could see her straining as she held herself from giving Theo a hug right off the bat. I’d asked her not to do that.

Theo shook her hand and then Dad’s as well.

“Are you hungry?” I asked Theo.

“Starving,” she said.

“Do you want to eat here, or go to the Grille?” I asked. Maybe being out in public would take a little of the pressure off Theo.

“Here is fine,” she said. “I’ll help.”

Her jawline was a little tight, so I gave her a kiss on the cheek. “They’re not going to bite you,” I whispered in her ear.

“I know,” she replied, and I felt her relax just a tiny bit.

Theo came into the kitchen and helped me work on dinner as my parents sat at the dining table and I carried most of the conversation. Mom and I had discussed not bombarding Theo with a million questions right off the bat and so far, she was sticking to that promise.

The longer Theo was in their presence, the more she chilled out and I was really proud of her.

“Oh, I meant to ask you if you’d go over the ad I’m going to put in the paper to see if I can hire a sales manager,” Theo said. This was the first I was hearing about it.

“When did you decide to do that?” I asked, carefully slicing some zucchini. The barbecue chicken was already baking in the oven, and I’d be adding the zucchini soon, and Theo was in charge of the tomato, beet, and shaved asparagus salad.

“I decided a while ago, but I finally decided to do it. I had the check from a huge order clear, so I figured it was time.” She smiled at me.

“That’s very nice of that person who bought all that furniture from you,” I said. “You should probably thank them.”

Theo leaned in to speak in my ear. “Oh, I plan to, in so many ways.”

I blushed and looked over at my parents, who were talking about something between themselves.

“Don’t say things like that in front of my parents, you perv,” I hissed back.

I set the knife down and Theo squeezed my ass.

“Kendra? You okay?” Mom asked when I yelped.

“Yup, fine,” I said, shooting a glare at Theo.

I put on some music and set the table and then we all sat down together.

“This is so lovely,” Mom said. “It’s so nice to be with you again.”

“I know, Mom, I know. I’m going to try and come down more. Right now, I still have time but when I open the bookstore, all bets are off,” I said.

Mom nodded and cut her chicken. “Oh, I know. I’ll just have to come up and visit more. I’d love to stay for a while at that charming inn.”

I absolutely didn’t mind having my parents in my house for a few days but having them here for longer than that would definitely be too much. The cottage was small, and the walls were thin. I didn’t want to put my sex life on hold when they were visiting.

“That would be great. I’d love to have you.”

Mom reached across the table and squeezed my hand.

“So, Theo, Kendra told me all about the night your nephew was born, it sounds like it was exciting,” Mom said, turning to Theo.

“It wasn’t as exciting as when his sister was born. They were at the grocery store and her water broke just as they were rushing out to the parking lot.”

I shuddered. I couldn’t imagine.

Mom laughed. “My water broke at home with this one, thank goodness.”

My face went completely red. “I told you that I was putting a ban on birth stories,” I said.