“Burn it?”
“Yeah. There’s a firepit in the backyard. Zachary suggested we burn the whole bed, but I thought that was a little much, especially here in town. I don’t want to bring the fire department down on us. But the bedding?” He raised it up a little.
I snort-laughed. “That’s ridiculous. And I love it. Let’s do it.”
“Awesome.”
I put my painting supplies down while he took the armful of bedding out to the backyard. He’d already prepped the firepit with wood, so we could enjoy a little fire once the rest of it burned away.
We piled everything onto the wood, and he handed me a small box of matches.
“You do the honors.”
I took out a match and struck it. “Here goes nothing.”
Reaching out, I held the flame to a piece of sheet. It caught, and Theo lit another match to start the fire on the other side.
Soon, the whole pile was in flames. We stood back as the heat beat against us, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“This was a great idea,” I said. “Who knew it would be so satisfying? It’s like my old life is going up in flames.”
“It was time.”
“It sure was. Is it possible for me to say thank you too much? Because thank you.”
He gently nudged me with his elbow. “You’re welcome. Like I said, this is what friends are for.”
Friends. He was right, it was what friends were for. And that was what we were. And it was great. I was so grateful to have Theo as a friend. He’d come through for me when I desperately needed him. Friendship didn’t get much better than that.
I was free.
But there was a little part of me, deep inside, that wished he’d put his arm around me as we stood by the fire. Who longed for the feel of his strong body, his thick arms, his warm embrace.
I had to let that go. Wishing for something I couldn’t have was only asking for heartbreak.
CHAPTER 28
Theo
The scentof vanilla and sugar swirled around me as I walked into Angel Cakes Bakery. My sister-in-law Harper ran it, and her treats were off the charts. Just a few days after we’d retrieved Pen’s stuff from the jerk’s house, she’d mentioned cinnamon rolls sounded good. It had been on my mind to get her some ever since.
Just being a good roommate.
“I’ll be right with you,” Harper called from the back.
“Take your time. It’s just me.”
The exposed brick wall was painted white, and a pink scalloped border ran around the perimeter of the room near the ceiling. A shelf next to the door had bread and bagged cookies, and the pastry case was filled with temptation—cookies, cupcakes, brownies, and, luckily for me, cinnamon rolls.
Score one for Theo.
Harper came out from the kitchen dressed in a white Angel Cakes apron. Her blond hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and she wore a pink floral headband.
“Hey, Theo,” she said. “Great game last night. Congrats on another win.”
“Thanks.” I couldn’t help but smile. We’d won the night before. “Owen sure played a great game.”
A proud grin stole across her face. She was married to Garrett, Owen’s dad, and had a close relationship with her stepson. “Football is officially my favorite sport. I love watching him play.”
