Page 98 of Apparently, I’m Trouble

I had to steer us somewhere safer. “What’s your favorite color and why?”

“Uh–” He pulled back, surprised by the sudden change of subject, but answered, “Green, because most of the dragons I liked were green.”

“Such a nerdy answer,” I teased.

“Well, what’s yours then?”

“Purple. Lavender, actually.”

“Huh. I would’ve thought red.”

I squinted at him. “Why red?”

He grinned, and the dimples. Oh universe, help me. “Because you’re hotheaded.”

I scoffed. “Excuse me, I’m a delight. Take that back.”

“Nope. Lavender is too calm a color for you.”

I pouted and leaned back in my chair. “Yeah, well. Maybe I tend to fly off the handle a bit.”

“Maybe? I’d say definitely.”

“Yeah, yeah. Favorite book then?”

“Has to be The Way Of Some by Almondo Racquel.”

“Ah. An epic fantasy classic.”

He frowned at me. “You’ve heard of it?”

“I might know the ins and outs of all things Shakespeare, but I do read other books.”

“Would one of Shakespeare’s plays be your favorite then?”

I laughed. “God, no. Once you reach your fourth term teaching students the same text, Shakespeare starts to sound like nails on a chalkboard. But there is this one book, Confessions Of A Poet. And if you tell Lilly, I will deny, deny, deny, but the reason I love it is because of the romance. There’s something about people finally liking themselves when they find it. I eat it up every time.”

He made an appreciative sound, and I watched his throat bob.

How did this man look so good in this awful weather? He didn’t even have a pit stain on his shirt.

“Is your favorite movie a romance too?” he asked.

I grimaced. “I want to say no, but it’s You’ve Got Mail, so yes.”

His expression dropped. “That was Tash’s favorite.”

“I know. Kira told me. Oh.” I sat up and pulled a handkerchief out of my tote. It was folded neatly inside the bookstore’s patterned tissue paper. The moment I saw it, I had to get it.

Theo studied it as I held it out. “What’s this?”

“It’s a handkerchief. I picked it up at the bookstore. Could you give it to Kira for me?”

He took it warily, like it might actually bite him. “Why?”

“Because there’s a quote stitched into it that says, ‘A handkerchief is a Kleenex you don’t throw away.’ Kathleen said it in the movie. Kira said…” At the look on his face, I trailed off. “Did I… overstep? Should I–”

“No. You didn’t.” His gruff voice told me otherwise. But then he said, “I like that you care about Kira.”