“Where?”
“Huckleberry Hollow. That diner with the pie.”
Now he turns. His eyes scan my face—the rumpled hair, the dazed expression I haven’t managed to hide—and I watch understanding dawn.
“Your date.”
“Took her to the creek. And dinner.” I lean against the counter, trying for casual. “And kissed her in the parking lot.”
Theo sets down the spoon. “Youkissedher?”
“Why does everyone sound so surprised? I’m capable of kissing people.”
“Because this morning you were talking about ‘appropriate distance’ and ‘managing expectations’ and—what was the phrase—’not letting emotional impulses override rational judgment.’“
“I said that?”
“You said that. With your serious doctor face.” He crosses his arms, leaning against the opposite counter.
“Plans changed.”
“Clearly.” He studies me for a long moment. “How was it?”
“The kiss?”
“All of it.”
I think about the ice race. The banter. Her laugh when I fell on the ice. The way she tasted when I finally stopped fighting and just let myself want her.
“She’s different,” I say. “Same, but different. Stronger. More confident. She knows who she is now, in a way she didn’t at eighteen.” I pause. “And she still makes me laugh harder than anyone I know.”
“That’s saying a lot. You don’t laugh easily.”
“I know.”
Theo’s quiet for a moment, turning back to stir the pasta that doesn’t need stirring. “What does this mean? For us. For the pack.”
The question I’ve been avoiding all night.
“I don’t know yet.” I run a hand through my hair. “We didn’t talk about that. We just spent time together. Tried to remember what it was like before everything fell apart.”
“And?”
“And it was good. Really good.” I meet his eyes. “But I’m not making promises on behalf of anyone else. You and Nate have to figure out what you want. This can’t just be me dragging everyone along.”
“No one said anything about dragging.” He taps the spoon against the pot, sets it on the rest.
“I know. I just...” I exhale. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself. Today was one day. One really good day. But one day doesn’t fix ten years.”
He nods slowly. “Fair enough.” He pauses. “I’m glad, though. That it went well. You deserve a good day.”
“Thanks.”
“Even if you’re terrible at managing expectations.”
“I kept my distance. For like three hours.”
“That’s not how distance works.”
