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“Yes,” Kristen said. “I’m okay.” She straightened and wadded up the bloody tissue, quickly stuffing it back into her pocket. She offered Theo a wide smile, hoping that would let him know he could move along.
He gestured for her to go first up the steps that led back to the picnic area. Kristen couldn’t think of a reason why she wouldn’t go that way, so she went. His footsteps came behind her, a fact that sent her pulse into a whirlwind.
“It’s Kristen, right?” he asked once they’d both reached the top of the steps. He gave her a smile that seemed genuine and kind.
“Yes,” she said. “And you’re Theo.” She glanced over at him, finding him ducking his head as he smiled.
“Yes.” They walked down the sidewalk together, and Kristen found herself taking in the glorious June evening. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked, probably at the dog park on the other side of her building.
“Listen,” Theo said. “I notice you go walking on the beach, same as me.”
“Sometimes,” Kristen said. Sometimes she went walking with AJ in the morning. Jean had been joining them this summer, as had Alice. Robin punished herself by running, and far too early for Kristen’s liking. The older she’d gotten, the more sleep she’d needed. Especially since Joel’s death, Kristen felt far older than she ever had previously.
“Maybe we could synchronize our walking schedule,” he said, his silver eyebrows going up.
Kristen’s mind screamed at her to say yes. Of course she wanted to go walking with Theo. He seemed interesting, and he was handsome, and she hadn’t reacted to a man like this in a long, long time.
“There you are,” someone said, and Kristen turned away from Theo, realizing she’d stopped walking. So had he.
Her son rushed toward her, pure panic on his face. He scooped her right into his arms, saying, “The door is locked, and we thought maybe you’d fallen inside.” He stepped back and held onto Kristen’s upper arms, his eyes searching for injuries. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” Kristen said, somewhat surprised at his worry. Clara, Scott, and Jean came around the corner too, and Kristen’s embarrassment doubled. “I just…saw that feral cat.” She threw a look at Theo. “I’m fine.”
He smiled, and his teeth certainly looked real. He ticked all the boxes for Kristen, especially as he kept her secret about twisting her ankle and scraping her knee. It was what toddlers did, and she really was fine.
“Clara’s exhausted,” Reuben said. “Do you have the key? I’ll get the house unlocked and everyone settled.” He focused on Theo for longer this time, his eyes harboring questions when he looked at Kristen again. “Then you can finish your conversation.”
“We’re finished,” Theo said. “No intrusion.” He waved his hand like Kristen’s children’s worry over her was nothing, but it sent a hot poker of embarrassment through her once again.
“I don’t have my key,” Kristen said slowly. Theo paused in his exit, and Reuben’s eyebrows bushed over his eyes again.
“The door’s locked,” her son said. “The sliding door too.”
“We’ll have to call the front office,” Kristen said. “I must’ve hit the lock in my haste to find the cat.”
Reuben looked like he had something to say about her chasing down feral cats, but he held his tongue. Thankfully. Kristen didn’t want to get into anything with him in front of Theo, and she had no idea what that meant.
“I’ve got a key,” Theo said, sending shock through her.
“You do?”
He started walking again, and she practically leapt to get to his side again. “Yeah,” he said. “I work in the front office sometimes. I can get in and get you a spare.” He gifted her with another brilliant smile, and Kristen swore her muscles melted right off her bones.
“Mom?” Clara asked as they approached one another.
“Hello, dear.” Kristen set aside her hormones, a bit surprised they worked after all these years. “I’m sorry about this. How was the flight?” She put one hand on Clara’s shoulder while the other brushed the hair off her daughter’s forehead. She looked one breath away from a complete break-down, and Kristen found Scott hovering back near the corner.
“It went well enough,” Clara said.
“I’ll only be a few minutes, Kristen,” Theo said, touching her forearm. “Be right back.”
“Thank you, Theo,” Kristen said, and she watched him walk away for a few steps before she looked at her daughter again.
Everyone had gone silent, and a charge rode in the air she hadn’t felt in a while. Her gaze moved from Clara’s narrowed eyes to Reuben’s, which held a calculating look. Jean wore a bright smile on her face, and it looked like she might start laughing at any moment.
“What?” she asked just as Clara opened her mouth.
She stopped, breathed again, and asked, “Who was that, Mother?”
