And with a shaky breath, I managed it. Finally, he hugged me back.
His arms landed right in the center of my back, and the tenseness returned. My mind flashed to when someone grabbed at me and I didn’t get a say in when it ended. I squeezed myeyes shut, hoping it would go away and not turn into a panic spiral I couldn’t get out of.
“Piper.” Theo’s voice rumbled through me. It pulled me out of my mind. “Need to bail?”
“Keep talking to me.”
“Why?”
“It’s helping.”
“Oh, uh. Right. God, I’m a terrible talker.”
“Try?” I asked. “Just tell me a story.”
Theo hummed as he considered it, andoh. I liked that sound.
“I do have something from my handyman days. Have you seen anything about the Bell’s Brews closet?”
“It sounds familiar, but I can’t remember anything.” I had a lot more on my mind.
“You might know it as the BBC.”
Despite being wrapped up in someone else’s arms, I laughed. “Is that what that means around here?”
“To everyone but Mark, the owner of Bell’s Brews, no. We all know the meaning.”
“And no one corrects him?”
“Absolutely not. It’s hilarious.”
“I’m surprised you find that funny.”
“Well, it made you laugh, didn’t it?” Theo asked. I could practicallyhearhim smile, but I didn’t want to pull away to look at it and risk losing the hug. He continued. “Anyway, the name is even funnier becausea lothappens in there.”
“What, are the cleaning supplies getting freaky?”
“No, but most people in town do.”
I gasped. “Seriously?”
“Yes. Most people go to the bar to socialize, and they don’t wanna go to the hotel that’s twenty minutes away. It’s so bad that I had to install a lock on the door.”
“Did it work?”
“I think so, but when I installed the lock ... I caught someone in there.”
“Who?”
“Dale, with a footlong sandwich.”
“I’m sorry,what?”
“He was talking to it. I swear he was seducing that thing.”
“Oh my God. Why are the people in this town so weird?”
“There must be something in the water.” He said it softly and his voice was warm. I couldn’t help but smile. “How are you doing?”
