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“Hmm. I’m a sucker for the cheap ones. Those old-school party pizzas.” I mimic a chef’s kiss and he chuckles.
“Mom always had pizzas stocked for me when I was in high school. So my love of them started a while ago.”
“Was your mom not around often?” he asks, sliding the pizza onto a stone he pulled out of a narrow cabinet near the oven.
“Meh, kinda. She and my dad were very preoccupied with my brother. So they were traveling or out lots of nights with him. Plus, I was self-sufficient.”
“What’s so special about your brother?” He’s leaning back against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest, so relaxed, and I love that we're here in his kitchen just talking.
“Are you a football fan?” I wade into the water before jumping into the deep end with this conversation.
“I have Renegades season tickets,” he answers. Awesome.
“Well, my brother plays in the NFL. He was a free agent out of Denver and was just picked up by Indy.” I know I’m beaming from ear to ear. I always get that way when I talk about Cash.
“Wait. Cash Winters.” Theo’s eyes light up with the recognition. “That’s your brother? Shit. I can see it now.” He’s shaking his head.
“That’s my brother. He’s never been a starter, but he has what it takes, just needs to find the right team. I have a good feeling about the Renegades.”
“That’s fucking fantastic. I watch college ball too, so I watched him when he was playing for Cincinnati,” he says and damn it, if I didn’t already have a massive crush on this man, hearing his praise for my brother just did me in. Just as the oven alerts us to it being preheated, my phone buzzes in my bag.
Leaning over, I pull it out and see it’s my mother. I inwardly groan but shove my phone back in my bag. I’m not ruining my night with a conversation with her.
I must not have hidden my disdain because Theo says, “Uh-oh. Not someone you want to talk to?”
“My mother,” I tell him.
“Just taking a shot in the dark here, but I’m guessing you have mommy issues.” His smile tells me he’s joking, but I can also tell he wants to know why I had the reaction I did to my mother.
With a sigh, I tell him he’s right. “My mom was obsessed with Cash’s ability to play ball. His passion was exciting. I was her boring child.”
Theo cocks his head at this. “You are anything but boring, Cassie.” His tone is gruff and almost defensive.
“I mean, I never found a genuine passion like Cash did. I wanted to try it all. Dance, swimming, tennis, choir, theater, and cheer. I just wanted all the experience. I never settled on anything long enough to become fantastic at something.”
Theo makes a noise as if he understands now.
“My parents were so focused on Cash and what he needed to succeed, I just kinda did my thing. I was fine with it. There was always something going on. I was never bored, but sometimes I feel like my parents just forgot about me. Out of sight, out of mind, kind of thing.”
“You’re the least forgettable person, so I doubt that’s the case.”
I chuckle. “You’re laying it on thick, Theo. Keep doing it,” I tease. “But I’m not being dramatic when I say they forgot about me. No joke, I came home for winter break my junior year and my key didn’t work to get in the front door. They had changed the locks. A car pulled up into the driveway, a young family. The father got out of the car and after a minute of talking to him, I learned my parents had sold the house and these were the new owners.”
“Shit,” he mutters.
“My parents had up and moved and didn’t mention it to me.”
“That’s… that’s… wow,” is all he can manage. I laugh because sure, it’s funny now.
“Cash had started at Cincinnati and, well, I guess my parents couldn’t handle the two-hour drive. So they followed him.”
“No one told you?”
“Nope. I think I was most pissed at Cash, but he was in football mode and we chat a lot.”
“I take it they were in Denver too?” he asks.
“Yeah, but they moved back here just a few weeks ago.” I twist the cap off the bottle of water and take a sip.
