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I snickered. “It’s not his fault.”
He sighed. “I know. And today, I’m glad that he made the effort. He could’ve totally kept himself out of it all and been fine.”
“So, you invited him to dinner?” I asked.
“I felt like it was my obligation to feed the kid,” Dad admitted. “I told his pop I’d watch out for him…and I try to whenever he allows me to. But that’s not often, and when I look like I’m trying to take care of him, it ruffles his feathers.”
“Why have you never talked about him before?” I asked as I walked to the end of the patio.
That was when I saw Theo making his way to the back door.
I turned and looked at my father, who’d followed me over.
“Because Logan can charm the pants off of anybody,” he admitted. “And I don’t want one of those people to be my daughter.” He stared at Theo making his way toward us. “Your mother means well.”
“Well,” I sighed as he paused to talk to Rowen, who’d arrived at some point during our pow-wow. “I wish she’d stop. Because I left Hostel on purpose. I didn’t think it was nice to stay when he obviously had feelings for me and I didn’t return them.”
At first, I thought I might have, but it was only later as I began to heal completely that I realized what I was doing. Using him as a way to feel safe.
“There’s no spark there at all?” he asked.
I shook my head and grinned when I saw Rowen blush at something Theo said.
“Maybe your mom is looking at the wrong sister with Theo,” Dad suggested.
I was thinking that, too.
“Theo’s really old-fashioned though,” I said. “He won’t go there because he’ll think it isn’t right.”
Dad walked to the door. “Do you want him to leave?”
I looked at him smile at Rowen, then shook my head. “No. But I’m going to make it clear that I no longer have feelings for him. Mom might get mad.”
Dad grinned. “Let me handle my woman. You handle everything else. And we’ll talk more after everyone leaves about what we’re going to do to keep you safe.”
I smiled then.
“Thank you,” I said softly. “I really appreciate that.”
Dad wrapped me in a tight hug and pulled me inside with him, causing Rowen to look up with a blush, and Theo to take a step back from her.
I smiled at both of them.
“Rowen,” I said as I walked inside. “I missed you!”
Rowen got up and hugged me, as was our usual.
“I saw you at lunch,” she laughed.
And I had.
Though, it’d been by accident of course.
We’d both gone to our favorite burrito place on our lunch breaks and had eaten together standing next to our cars.
Despite Rowen and I not being blood sisters, we acted like we were twins.
I always knew when something was wrong with her, as she did with me.
Which she’d confronted me about at lunch today.
So, she knew exactly what our father had been talking to me about when she’d arrived.
“You did,” I agreed as I let her go. “Theo, did you know that my sister is single?”
Theo’s brows went up.
Rowen pinched me.
“What?” I asked. “Theo, you have my permission to take my sister on a date.”
Rowen let out a short squawk just as Derek came toward us, taking in the scene while taking a sip of his beer, and said, “What’s going on?”
“What’s going on is you’re late to the conversation,” Dad said. “Like always.”
Derek let out a burp then walked toward Logan and extended his hand. “Derek Roberts. You are…”
“Logan Gibbs,” he said.
“Nice outfit,” Derek quipped.
Logan grimaced as he smoothed his hand down his chest. A chest that was spectacular, and muscled, and…yeah, I really needed to get it together. I couldn’t keep zoning out like that. My parents and siblings would definitely notice.
“Yeah…I really think so, too,” Logan quipped.
Derek snorted and turned to Theo, offering him his hand. “Theo, not that it’s not nice to see you, but what are you doing here?”
“Why didn’t you ask the random man in our kitchen what he was doing here and instead focus on Theo?” Rowen asked, sounding slightly offended.
“I had a feeling the random man dressed in uniform was here because of our father, the chief of police. Deductive reasoning, sis. You should try it.” He paused. “But Theo being here, on the other hand, only makes it awkward seeing as our sister no longer dates him and doesn’t wish to date him ever again.”
The bluntness of Derek was definitely one of my father’s traits. However, where my father knew not to say the things that came to mind, Derek just blurted them out and lived with the consequences.
“I was in court today, and I had a meeting with the big boss with Texas Game Wardens. They’re trying to transfer me to West Texas, and I don’t want to go,” he admitted. “We’re talking about whether I want to resign or not. He doesn’t want to lose me, so he’s trying to decide if he asks one of the more senior game wardens to move, or just allows me to leave,” Theo explained. “I told him either I stayed here, or I was checking out.”
