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It had been a truly magical night in every way. There was no reason to spin out of control when Theo had most likely only been out of bed for a few minutes.
Why was I so hung up on Penny? Was I threatened by her?
It was stupid of me to be even a tiny bit worried about Penny. Theo had given me no reason to believe their relationship was anything more than professional.
Besides, a plausible explanation for Penny’s attitude toward me could be simply because she was a bitter bitch. Any time someone didn’t like me, I always blamed myself, fearing that I’d wronged them somehow. Penny hadn’t even given me a chance to offend her.
To allay my fears, I got out of bed putting on one of Theo’s shirts. He was probably up late working. Walking out into the hall, Theo’s voice trailed from his home office.
“You can’t be serious, Warren!” Theo bellowed.
I crept down the hall carefully listening.
“I’m sorry, but I’m dead serious. The Board is going to take a vote on whether or not you should stay on as CEO,” Warren, Theo’s COO, replied gravely on speakerphone.
Seeing Theo at his desk with the strain of worry on his face made all my doubts about his feelings for me rush away. This had nothing to do with another woman. This had nothing to do with me. It all had to do with Theo’s company.
“I’m not giving up,” Theo said firmly before looking up and seeing me in the doorway.
His face lit up into a smile and my chest exploded in happiness at the warmth I saw there. He really did care for me. I’d been so stupid to let my negative thoughts almost get the best of me.
“I’ve got to go, Warren,” Theo said hanging up. He came over to me and scooped me up in his arms. “Did I wake you?”
“No, I just couldn’t sleep without you,” I stammered.
“You want a snack?” he asked, kissing me on the top of my head.
“Sure. I always want a snack,” I said.
“Great. I’m starving,” he said, giving me another kiss, this time on my nose.
I’d always dreamed of the day a man cared for me enough to kiss me on my nose. A nose kiss was such a sweet delicate gesture and Theo did it with such casual grace. I was the luckiest woman on Earth.
He held my hand as we walked downstairs. “You ever have a waffle BLT?”
“No, but it sounds delicious!” I answered, intrigued.
In the kitchen, Theo was upbeat and cheerful, but I knew there was so much on his mind. Warren didn’t sound optimistic on the phone.
Opening the freezer, he pulled out frozen waffles. “Waffle BLT’s are so good and incredibly easy to make. You’ll love them.”
“Can’t wait!” I paused, reluctant to spoil the mood. “Um. So, who were you talking to?”
Theo’s face tensed as he took out a frying pan from a cupboard and bacon from the fridge. “Warren.”
It was best to not reveal how much of the conversation was overheard, so I played stupid. “Oh? Something important? You two were talking so late. Everything, okay?”
Theo clicked on the stove. His face was conflicted before he said, “I don’t want to worry you.” He took my hands in his. “Nor do I want you to feel responsible for any of this.”
It was too late. I already did.
He turned back to the stove and placed four pieces of bacon in the pan. “But, because of everything that’s happened, the Board is going to vote on whether I can stay on as CEO.”
I hugged him from behind, squeezing him tight. “Can they do that?”
He clasped my hand on his stomach and just nodded.
I felt awful. “There must be something that can be done. Something that I can do? I’m the one that started this whole thing any way.”
