Did that extend to the whole town, though?
Did I really have the kind of magic Kelsey thought I did?
The door opened as I was still trying to figure out what to do. Theo had two cups in his hand and gave me one.
“We can’t put this off forever,” he said.
“I know.”
“I’m sorry. I wish that I’d never ...” He trailed off and shook his head. As he thought about what to say, he lifted his cup and took a sip. He immediately cringed. “God, this is terrible. Mine is ...” He stopped before he said it, eyes falling to the ground.
“Yours is what?”
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t have anything now.”
Watching Theo be so miserable reminded me of how wrong this all felt. Kelsey’s message was fresh in my mind, and it made me speak.
“You could.”
Theo looked up at me. “Piper ...”
“You don’t have to go.”
He let out a long sigh, as if he knew I would do this. “That’s a nice idea. But I ... They’ll hate me.”
“Not everyone does.”
“What do you mean?”
I opened my phone and scrolled to the messages with my friends and then handed it to him. “Look at my group chat.”
He slowly read, his eyebrows pinched. I knew the second he got to the messages where they said they supported him because his eyes widened. He slowly handed me the phone, lost in thought.
“You love the town. You made a life there.” His eyes finally met mine. “Would it be a bad thing to fight for your place?”
His breath hitched, and I thought I’d convinced him, but he shook his head.
“Piper, this is just a couple of people.”
“So? It’s a start. And I bet others care too.”
“Not after this.”
“I see who you are. Shouldn’t you give them a chance to as well?”
“Piper, not everyone is like you. You’re an exception. Way kinder than I deserve.”
I shook my head. “That’s the thing, Theo. I don’t think that’s true.”
He blinked in response. “But?—”
“No, Theo. Hang on a second. You added food to your menu because you found out I sometimes forget to eat. You go to Marjorie and Henrietta’s even when you’re exhausted. You helped the town with miserable jobs even in the middle of the night foryears.”
“That doesn’t erase what I’ve done.”
“You’ve built something else now. A new life. A new reputation. A newfamily. Are you really gonna run from that without giving them a chance to see you for who you are? Or is that who you used to be?”
Theo’s head fell into his chest and his body curled inward. It reminded me of the times Scarlett had called me out with a truth that was hard to hear.
