Page 129 of Where Roads Lead

I snorted and then exhaled in relief as the last remnants of anxiety dissipated.

“You know, being friends sounds really great.” I beamed. “Thank you.”

“Great.” He grinned, and then his smile turned knowing. “So…as a friend…you’re into him, aren’t you?”

“Into who?” I asked, voice high-pitched and squeaky as if I’d just sucked all the helium out of a balloon.

He smirked, turning his gaze directly to where Will sat by the fire, glaring at us.

Geez, he really hates the idea of me dating his friend.

“Will?” My balloon voice apparently wasn’t going away anytime soon. “What? No. He’s just—” The look on Theo’s face made me pause, my expression curling up in a wince. “Am I really that obvious?”

“No, but he is.” Theo laughed. “I have to tell you. I was really slow to catch on, because, hell, I’ve never seen the guy have so much as a crush on anyone in the last five years. It just wasn’t even in the realm of possibility for me. But after tonight?” He snorted. “Well, yeah. I’d say the two of you are pretty damn obvious.”

He thought Will liked me?

“No, no, no. You’ve got it all wrong. I like Will,” I admitted, pointing a finger at myself. “And Will?” I looked in his direction again, his face illuminated by the glow of the fire. “He likes…helping people. And well, I happen to be people.”

“Helping people.” Theo nodded and laughed. “Right. Specifically, girls with red hair. Green eyes. An addiction to coffee… Does that sound about right?”

Did Will like me?

“I don’t know,” I said doubtfully, playing it all over again in my mind. He knew I’d wanted to kiss him, and he still left that night, anyway. He could’ve brought it up the next day, but instead, encouraged me to go out with his friend. Signs were at best inconclusive, and I wasn’t getting my hopes until I heard it from him firsthand.

“You guys are hopeless,” Theo said, looking somewhere past my shoulder and laughing to himself. “Come on, I’ll walk you home.”

“No need,” Will said, suddenly appearing in the dark beside us. “I’m heading out anyway. I can give her a ride.”

I stared at him in shock. Everything about his words seemed sensible and calm, but the rigidness of his body, the intensity in the narrow set of his eyes, made me think he was anything but.

“Oh, are you sure?” Theo asked, a teasing gleam in his eyes. “I mean, it’s rude to let another man drive my date home, after all—”

Will didn’t let Theo get another word out.

“I’m sure.” He smacked him on the back harder than I thought a friendly tap would entail. “I’ll get her home safe.”

Theo shrugged, took a tentative step away from us, and winked in my direction.

He passed me to head back to the bonfire, leaning close so only I could hear his last comment.

“You’re welcome.”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Will

Ithink I kidnapped my friend’s date.

I’m not sure what it was about the redhead I’d borderline forced into my truck that turned me into such a maniac, but it was clear that since she’d gotten to town, I’d transformed from normal guy to raging psycho in the course of two months.

She was sitting silently in the seat beside me, so I was pretty sure she was pissed about how I’d acted.

I would be too in her position. But I couldn’t help it. Really, I couldn’t. I tried my hardest all night to let them do their thing, but as soon as they went off in the dark on their own and the sound of her laughter floated through the air, my body acted of its own accord.

I was on my feet and headed toward them before Ava’s words of warning could even process in my mind.

And you know what? I didn’t regret it.