He clears his throat, standing up quickly. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
When Theo pulled up his GPS and started typing in the address Luca had given him, I offered to take him instead. He agreed, and now we’re driving toward town.
“It’s quiet here,” Theo says, glancing at the fields as we speed down the one and only highway in town.
“It is,” I agree.
“I like it. There’s all this space, and it’s so pretty.”
I can’t help but smile. “In a few weeks, the wildflowers will start blooming. It’s nice.”
Theo hums, and I pull into the diner parking lot, putting the truck in park.
He just sits there for a second, eyes forward.
“You nervous?” I ask.
He nods. “Sort of.”
“Deb and Luca are great.”
“Deb?”
“Austin’s mom. She owns the diner.”
He frowns. “That’s right. I think Luca mentioned something about that.”
“You ready to go in?”
Blowing out a breath through pursed lips, he nods. “As ready as I’m ever going to be.”
I turn the truck off, then climb out, and when I make it to the front, Theo is still sitting in the passenger seat. His nervousness makes sense to me, especially given what happened here with Damien. Part of me can’t see how Luca stomachs being here, but I’m happy for him. I hated having to question him in the hospital.
I know Austin would never hurt someone without due cause. Hell, he’s a firefighter. If anything, he’s more likely to stop harmthan cause it. Luca’s bruised face and Austin’s haunted eyes when I told him Damien had died still haunt my memories.
Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I step around the truck and open the passenger door.
“Come on.” I hold a hand out. “It’s gonna be fine. We’ll eat lunch and then head back to the farm. I don’t know about you, but I could use a nap.”
He tries for a smile, but it’s shaky and wrong, more a grimace than anything else. “I’ve felt good today; I’m kind of afraid if I take a nap, I’ll wake up wanting to go right back to sleep, or I just won’t wake up at all.”
Well, shit. “Okay, then. No nap. How about we feed Lila together again?”
“Okay,” he breathes, swallowing hard.
He glances at me, and I smile at him. “You’ve gotta get out of the truck first.”
He sighs. “Yeah, I know.”
Holding my hand out, I raise an eyebrow at him. He watches me for a second, then places his hand in mine, and I help him down from the truck.
“Do you want me to go in first?” I ask softly, and Theo nods quickly, his throat bobbing with a hard swallow.
It’s such a small thing to do, but if it makes him feel better, I have no problem with it at all.
I’m pulling open the door when Theo whispers a near-silent “Thank you.”
Chapter 7
