“That’s not really true though, is it? Because it hurt you and it hurt Ari. Now she has to grow up without a mom around. It’s just selfish.”
“Well, you won’t find any arguments here. I agree with you. Anyway, that’s just the way it is for us. She has a lot of wonderful female influences in her life, and for that, I’m thankful.”
I nodded, and we spent a few minutes walking in silence. Theo kept us on the dirt track that lined the beach, one that was too small for a car, and I realized this was a walking path to the diner.
No wonder he said it wasn’t far.
“I have to ask. How did you end up here?”
“Huh?” He peered over at me. “In America? Or here specifically?”
“Either.”
He laughed. “My dad is American. He went to Oxford for college after he graduated here and met my mum. He got a job at the university after that and married her then. My grandparents on her side had a lot of property in the UK, and when they died, it all fell to them. I think I was fifteen when they decided to sell up and move to America.”
“Ouch. I bet that was rough.”
“I went from one year of school left to three. Yeah, that was shit.”
Dipping my head, I laughed.
“So they sold all the houses and came here, where my Dad’s family owned the beach house. They invested the money into building more like it, and here we are.”
“Where are they now?”
“Back in England. They come back every winter and spend six months here, so I get a little more time then, but I don’t like to impose on them. They split their time between Creek Keys and Key West.”
“And you own all the houses?”
“Yep. Dad was going to sign over fifty percent of the properties to me, but Mum told him that they were all mine, or none of them. The one at the far end—not the one you’re in, the one we passed a few minutes ago—is actually the only one they still own, but they pay me to maintain it.”
“That’s pretty cool. Are they full all year round? The houses?”
“For the most part. I’ve cycled renovations on them all so one is done at a time—or not done, in the case of yours.”
“That leaky bath because of the bloody plumber, right?” I grinned.
Theo chuckled, leading me to some rocky steps. “That bloody plumber indeed. He’s supposed to be coming this week, so I’ll let you know on that.”
“Good to know.”
“Here. These last few are rough.” He went ahead of me and stopped at the top, then held his hand out for me.
Welp.
I put my hand in his, hoping he didn’t notice the shiver that darted up my arm and left all my hairs standing on end. Carefully, I made it to the top and slipped my hand away before I did something stupid.
If he noticed, he didn’t let on. Instead, we walked the few feet to the diner’s front door, and Theo held it open for me to step inside. With a grateful smile, I entered the diner. I was immediately hit by the rich scent of all different types of food, and my stomach rumbled.
I flattened my hand against it. Thankfully, it was too noisy for Theo to have heard, but it did confirm that a small packet of Doritos was not enough for dinner.
A large one, however…
“Well, if it ain’t my favorite person and my new favorite person here, havin’ themselves a dinner date!” Charity bustled over to us, and before either of us could open our mouths to tell her it wasn’t a date, she grabbed two menus and motioned for us to follow her.
Great.
Now she thought it was a date.
Now everyone would think this was a date.
“Here you are,” she said, taking us to the same table I’d sat at when I arrived in Creek Keys. “Y’all sit and I’ll be right back to take your drink orders in a second.”
“She’s a whirlwind,” I said, watching as she left.
“She’s something all right,” Theo said, pulling a chair out for me. “Sit.”
“Well, aren’t you the perfect gentleman?”
“Shh. Don’t tell everyone. It’ll ruin my reputation.”
“What reputation?”
“The one where I’m a rough-around-the-edges gentleman.”
Laughing, I picked up my menu. “Oh, please. If anyone thinks you’re that, I’ll eat my socks.”
“Get ready to grill your socks, Elle.” He raised his eyebrows in a challenge right as Charity came back. “Charity, settle something for us. Am I a perfect gentleman or a rough-around-the-edges one?”
She looked at him, then at me, and frowned. “Child, the only thing rough around the edges about you is that beard of yours that needs a trim.”
Theo pinched the bridge of his nose.
“As for a gentleman, well I don’t know about that either,” she said with a wink tossed in my direction. “Now stop askin’ me stupid questions with stupid answers and tell me what y’all want to drink. I’m rushed off my feet.”
“I’ll have a strawberry margarita, please,” I said.
“Yeah, baby. Theo? I assume, if you’re on a date, that it’s a Coors Light.”
“It’s not a date,” we both said at the same time.
“Mmhmm,” Charity replied, writing on her notebook. “I think y’all doth protest too much.” She left with a flourish.
“Well, that’s the first time I’ve heard that quote said like that,” Theo muttered. “Not that I’m surprised about who said it.”
I fought back a smile. “She’s a human hurricane. Does she ever listen when you tell her something?”
“Well, that depends.”
“On?”
“On whether or not she wants to hear what you’re telling her,” he finished dryly. “She wants to believe this is a date, and unless you want to get into a fight, I’d give it up.”
“You sound like you have experience with it.”
“The woman has been trying to marry me off for the last four years. At least.”
“Have any of those attempts been successful?”
“Not even remotely so.” He wiggled his left hand at me to show me the bare finger. “I couldn’t be more single. I don’t have the time to date, especially not in the summer when Ari is at home.”
“Ain’t no excuses for the winter.” Charity swept back in like a breeze and set both our drinks down in front of us. “You’re just a stubborn old mule who doesn’t know a good woman when he sees one.”
“We are not doing this,” Theo said firmly.
I picked up my glass and hid my smile behind it.
“Maybe you’ll marry this one. She’s nice. I like her.”
“Charity.”
“I’m just sayin’, child, you’re not gettin’ any younger.”
“I’m not even thirty. Besides, there are men out there who are eighty who are having babies. Also, I have one.”
Charity snorted. “Ain’t nobody but golddiggers wanna sleep with an eighty-year-old man, honey.”
She made a good point.
“Unless you’re eighty yourself, but you’re probably gonna put your back out. Lord knows I did that last week planting my tomatoes.”