Sophia glanced at Thea, instinctively reaching for her mug again to have something to hold onto. “What do you want to know?” she asked warily.
Thea stared steadily at her. “Anything you want to tell us,” she said softly. “I don’t want you to keep holding it in. I know the danger of holding everything in.”
Dietrich raised his eyebrow again. “Are you suggesting you have your own dark, mysterious past, Thea?”
Sophia thought of the conversation a few moments ago that felt like there were hidden layers. Did her past involve Nathaniel?
The older woman shifted her attention to him. “And what of it, Dietrich? Would you like me to pry into your history?”
Muttering something under his breath, Dietrich shook his head, gesturing back to Sophia.
Sophia considered what she might tell them. They’d surely proved worthy of her trust…so why did she find it so hard to tell them what her life had been like before she’d arrived in the Northlands, nearly frozen to death?
“I was mistreated at my former home,” she said simply. “The cook, who was like a mother to me, grew worried that the lady of the home was becoming a danger to my safety, so she urged me to leave and find somewhere new. I was ill prepared for the journey, and, well, you know the rest.”
They knew how Dietrich had found her, nearly frozen to death in the snow, and had brought her to Thea. They’d been the ones to find her a home with Lord Rendon, and she owed everything to them.
Thea gave her a soft smile. “Thank you for trusting us with your past. I know how hard that can be.”
“We’re always here if you wish to share your own,” Sophia said quietly.
The bell over the door jingled and Caspian and Beatrice walked in. Thea sprang to her feet and hurried behind the counter, the conversation effectively over.
“I know curiosity killed the cat, and yet, I find myself very curious,” Dietrich said quietly.
“I agree,” Sophia said, her gaze following Thea as she greeted Beatrice at the counter.
But there wasn’t time to pry into Thea’s past, because Caspian was standing in front of her. Her heart skipped a beat when he smiled.
Dietrich was wary about him, but Dietrich didn’t like anyone.
He made her happy, and he made her feel safe—how could this be wrong?
“Are you ready to go?” he asked, offering a hand.
“I’ll have to move the cat,” Sophia said, regret lacing her words. “Sorry, Ging.” She leaned over and kissed the top of the cat’s head before picking her up and moving her to Dietrich’s lap.
“I don’t want her,” Dietrich protested.
“You’re stuck,” Sophia said with a grin as she accepted Caspian’s hand and let him help her to her feet. “Thanks for the drink.”
“You owe me one,” he responded.
“Of course,” Sophia said. “Next time I actually plan to come to town and remember my purse, I’ll be sure to get you one.”
“I’m sure you’ll continue to conveniently forget your money,” Dietrich teased as she followed Caspian out the door, though not before turning and sticking her tongue out at Dietrich.
The walk through town was quiet, and Caspian was back to walking at a faster pace, but she didn’t mind.
Thea’s concern for her was touching, but she had to admit, she was just as curious as Dietrich about Thea’s past now.
She hadn’t spent much time considering it before. Surely Thea and the Cozy Cat Café had always been a staple in town. But maybe they hadn’t been.
She’d always known that Dietrich preferred to pretend the past didn’t exist…but Thea?
At least Dietrich had finally addressed the fact that he didn’t trust Caspian. His concern was touching, but she couldn’t help that she was falling for Caspian, and he had given her no reasons not to trust him.
Had she just thought that she was falling for him?
