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He doesn’t say anything, and I feel the need to fill the space.
“Fred, huh? He’s so cute.”
Fred’s tail sways back and forth when I say his name, his floppy curls lifting with the breeze. He nuzzles into me, and I pet him, laughing as his tongue swipes my cheek in one long lick.
“Fred, back off,” Theo says, pulling him away.
Fred sits politely in front of me waiting for me to pet him again.
“He’s adorable.”
“He’s trouble and ridiculous and yes, adorable,” he says. “Well, we’ll let you have some space again. Come on, Fred.”
“Don’t you need to rest a sec after the hike up?”
“We’ll be okay.”
As he’s saying that, Fred flops down, his front and back paws fully extended. He places his nose on my lap.
Theo groans. “I guess we’re staying for a minute.”
I grin and Theo surprises me by grinning too, but it’s more at the dog than at me.
“Hilary and Abby left as planned?” He sits down a sizable distance from me, and he sounds resigned as he makes small talk.
“Yes. Sorry, they were so pushy about dinner. You don’t have to come.”
He snorts. “Yeah, I knew that invitation wasn’t coming from you, don’t worry.”
“It…I would have loved for you to come over for dinner,” I say.
He gives me a look of disbelief. “There’s no need to lie to me when they aren’t even around.”
“I’m not lying.”
He shakes his head and looks away from me, his profile angry and more beautiful than the backdrop.
“I never thought we’d be strangers,” he says a few minutes later…after I’d been certain he was done talking.
“Me either,” I admit.
He gets up and shakes his arms and stretches, his jaw tight. “But I also never thought I would see you again, so there’s that.”
“Theo,” I start.
He holds up his hand and I stop. “No, Sofie. We’re not doing this. We’re not going down memory lane or reconnecting or whatever the hell this is…” He shakes his head. “We’re adults. We can act like adults when we run into each other, nothing more, nothing less.”
I stand up and his eyes drift down my body, and I feel the heat everywhere they land.
“Theo, can I just say…I’m glad you’re happy and that you’ve found someone.”
I don’t say her name, but I’m thinkinghappywith Amy.
It hurt so much to hear her name mentioned the other night and the insinuations that went with it, but as much as I want to reject the thought of him with anyone, it’s the truth—I’ve always wanted him to be happy.
And safe.
Now that I know he’s safe, thatonlyleaves happy.
