Page 60 of Library or Lattes?

“How come you weren’t so polite when we first met? Enchanted?!“ I gave Theo a side-eye and nudged him with my shoulder.

“Well, I was going through some stuff, wasn’t I? And you were just there all … peppy. Which was absolutely not how I was feeling.” Theo smiled at me, and it was contagious.

When we turned the corner, though, there was a line outside Pepe’s.

“Ugh. There never used to be a wait here,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Not until that influencer made Oak Falls famous.”

“Hmm,” mused Theo. “All these people coming to Oak Falls and you’re trying to leave.”

“Well, you weren’t exactly stoked to be here either.” I pushed him playfully.

“True. True. But I’ve actually started to kind of like this place …” He leaned in toward my ear and whispered so low that the feeling of his breath on my neck made me shiver. “Well, the people …”

We opted for takeout after a long wait, and Theo didn’t forget my request for fortune cookies.

I cracked mine open. “Adventure awaits in distant lands. Oh, spooky!” I nudged Theo knowingly.

Distant lands. London. Like the universe was reminding me: You could be leaving. Soon.

“What does yours say?”

Theo opened his with a sigh: “What you seek is closer than you think.”

He looked right at me, and I didn’t even need to ask the question … What do you seek, Theo? My heart swelled as his blue eyes found mine.

Theo cleared his throat. “Hey, Doc, why don’t I come back to your house and look at those beams now?” he offered, then looked away briefly. Was he embarrassed about being kind?

I appreciated his thoughtfulness, even though it was complicated with Pop. I would make it work, and this was a good way to rip the Band-Aid off about introducing Theo. “Are you serious? That would be amazing. Like so helpful. I mean, I haven’t spoken to Pop since I stormed out on him, but this might be kind of an olive branch?”

Pop was exactly where he’d been the last time I’d seen him. On top of a chair, examining the beams.

“Hi,” I said, smiling, aware that we both needed to apologize.

“Oh, Willa, hi. And who is this?” Pop seemed confused as he got off the chair and looked at Theo.

“This is Theo Carmichael. He’s staying with his brother, Alfie, for a while,” I said, and they shook hands.

“Oh, of course. Jo mentioned that. And Patty, and old Joe, come to think of it …” He grinned cheekily. “How is Alfie? I haven’t seen him around in a while.”

“He’s fine. Just busy with work and kids.”

Pop laughed. “Those two will keep him busy. I have a terrible feeling that those kids might be the reason Sylvia keeps getting stuck in all those awkward places …”

“Sylvia? Is that their friend who lives next door?” Theo asked. “She keeps getting stuck? They’re always playing hide-and-seek with her.” His face was horrified, but Pop and I grinned at each other, tension fading.

Pop put his hand on Theo’s shoulder. “Sylvia? No, she’s Agnes Burrows’s cat, and Elsie and Cohen, well … I’m not saying it’s their fault exactly, but they do like to chase her …”

“Oh, thank God it’s not some little kid they’ve been torturing. But I’ll speak to them—even a cat doesn’t deserve unwanted twin attention.” Theo seemed relaxed in a way I had never seen before. As if he and Pop had known each other for years.

Then Theo got down to business. “So … Willa was telling me you had a problem with your beams? I was wondering if I could help at all. I spent a lot of time on my uncle’s building sites and I’m hoping to be an architect so I’m really interested in all that stuff, and can always offer another pair of hands …”

Pop looked at me, then back at Theo. I nodded, but Pop shook his head. “That’s a very nice offer, Theo, but don’t worry yourself, money’s a bit tight at the minute.” He cleared his throat, the way he did when he felt uncomfortable. I knew how embarrassed he must be, and now I wished I hadn’t put him in this position.

“Oh no, Mr. Taylor, it would be for my experience. I don’t want any payment for it. You’d actually be doing me a favor.”

Theo’s eyes were bright and he looked so enthusiastic that I saw Pop visibly relax.

“He fixed that drafty window at the library for Jo, for free,” I added.