Totally fine since I’m thrilled with his decision.
“Well, what do you think? Should we pick up a couple of pizzas and head over to Miss Kiki’s place? See if she wants to hang out with us tonight?”
Theo’s entire being lights up. “Yes!”
“Your wish is my command, kid.”
It doesn’t matter that I’ve seen her three times already this week. I never tire of her… and that idea scares the hell out of me.
I stop by the local pizzeria, grabbing a large pie, an order of garlic knots, and—because I apparently have zero self-control regarding the two people currently running my life—three oversized brownies for dessert.
Yeah, Theo’s going to sugar crash hard later, but it’s worth it. You’re only a kid for a minute.
It’s a quiet drive up into the hillside, and the dark settles in thick once we leave the town behind. Trees crowd in on both sides of the road, and a thin layer of fog clings to the ground, drifting across it in slow, ghostlike swirls.
Theo presses his face to the window, taking it all in. “It’s really dark out here.”
“Sure is,” I reply, turning onto the gravel road that leads to Kiki’s place.
By the time I kill the engine in front of her cabin, Theo’sgone quiet, his eyes wide as saucers. This is all new to him. Unfamiliar sounds. A different kind of darkness.
He reaches for my hand the second I help him out of the truck, and I hate to turn him down.
“Hey, bud, I have to carry all the food, so you’re gonna have to walk in front of me, okay? Just don’t stop short unless you want to eat pizza off the ground.”
He nods, his expression serious as he clutches his backpack of dinosaurs to his chest.
Who knows? Maybe that plastic stegosaurus will stand guard if something jumps out of the woods.
I bite back a smile at the thought and nudge the truck door shut with my hip.
The front porch light flickers as we edge closer, cutting out for half a second before kicking back on.
Yeah, I need to fix that.
Of course, it’s hardly the first thing. Whenever I come here, there’s a laundry list of repairs—a loose board, a sticking door, a lightbulb that needs replacing.
Kiki never asks, but I fix things for her regardless. That’s what you do when you care about someone, right? Make their life easier.
Every time she tries to pay me, I refuse her offer and negotiate something else.
In the beginning, when we were just friends, it was a beer at the bar or control of the remote.
Now… it’s something far, far better. Yep, I’m definitely the one coming out ahead on that deal.
We climb the steps, and I shift the food to one arm so I can knock.
“Okay, remember,” I murmur to Theo. “This is a surprise. Kiki might be busy.”
He nods, bouncing a little on his toes, his excitement palpable.
I give a sharp rap on the door, and it opens a few seconds later.
Kiki stands there, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, wearing soft leggings, an oversized shirt, and a smile that undoes me every damn time.
“Hi!” Her eyes widen as her gaze volleys between Theo and me. “What are you two doing here?”
I lift the pizza boxes. “We were missing you. Thought maybe you’d be up for pizza and a movie.”
