Page 61 of Claimed By my Frenemy

“Yes, I’ve…been going through some old things.”

“Why?” I want to hear Theo say it, that having me back here has made him think about the past more. I know it’s true for me at least.

“You…make me wonder if I made a mistake. What if I missed ten years we could have had together?”

I look at the faces in the photo, some of them familiar, others blurred by time. “I guess we will never know. Wecan’tknow, so thinking about it… It won’t change anything.”

“You’re right. I know you’re right, but it made me feel nostalgic. Anyway, I was a nerd back then.”

“Back then? You’re still a nerd. You turned your love of numbers into a real estate investment business. That classifies as nerdy.”

“Well, you must be at least a little nerdy because you like me.”

“Do I? Or do I just put up with you because you bring good takeout?”

Theo stands up and leans over my chair, bracing himself on the arms of it. “I think the way you groan when we’re having sex says something about why you like me, yes?” Then, he leans down and gives me a lingering kiss. I can feel my panties getting wet from his words and his kiss.

But he pulls back too soon. He settles into his rocking chair with a self-satisfied smile on his face. “Just remember that I was your first boyfriend, and now, I’m going to be your last.”

His words remind me of something my grandmother wrote in one of her letters. I get up and go inside for a moment, returning with an old letter from my grandmother that I had found in one of the boxes. I hand it to Theo.

“You just made me think of this. I found some letters my grandmother wrote. They were letters to my grandpa. I don’t have his replies, but reading through them reminded me of… well, you’ll see.”

Theo takes the letter and starts to read. As he does, I watch his face soften, his eyes moving over the familiar handwriting. When he finishes, he looks up at me, his expression filled with some sort of admiration.

“She had a way with words. It’s clear how much she loved this place, and your grandpa.”

I swallow around the lump in my throat. “She did. She always talked about how important it was to cherish our roots and the places that shape us.”

“She was right,” Theo says, reaching out to take my hand. “And you’re doing exactly that. Look at what you’ve done with this place. If that’s not cherishing your roots, I don’t know what is.”

We sit there, holding hands, as the night settles in around us. The breeze from the ocean gets cooler as we find topic after topic to discuss. Who knew I would feel so open with Theo after such a short time?

“Do you see yourself living here forever?” Theo finally asks. “I mean, I know you want the bed and breakfast, but do you see yourself always running it, or are you going to hire someone?”

“You know, I haven’t thought it out that far. I’m just trying to generate some revenue after leaving my job to revamp this house. I would feel disappointed if I’m not able to get any guests. But would I have enough to pay someone a decent wage to live here and take care of the place?”

“You could find a college student for the summers. They would get to live at the beach for three months, and you would get a break. And in the fall and spring, you would have some guests, but not be full all the time. It could give you a chance to travel and see other places.”

“Thank you for planning out my whole life, Theo,” I tell him somewhat sarcastically, but I’m also worried that Theo thinks because we are together now that he can make decisions for me.I’m trying to forget the fact that he was so pushy about me selling the house at the beginning, but I can’t help it. Doubts crowd my mind.

Theo’s phone rings, and he takes it out of his pocket. I watch as he stares at the screen for a moment before shaking his head. “I’ve got to take this. It’s my partner. I’ll be back in a second, yeah?”

I release Theo’s hand, and he disappears down the porch steps and partway into the yard as he answers. I stare off in the direction of the beach and try not to listen to his half of the conversation.

30

THEO

It’s Steve.I told Steve about the meeting with the community a couple of weeks ago, and he was enthusiastic about the idea. He approved of my gung-ho way of going after things, but he has no reason to be calling me now.

His tone of voice as soon as I answer tells me something else too—he’s not happy. “Theo, it’s been a few days since we’ve spoken.”

A few peaceful days, I think. Steve and I usually get along, but ever since he came over here to shove an offer at Mia, I haven’t been able to trust him the same way again. “Hey, Steve. Yeah, it has. What’s up?”

“I’ve been reviewing the numbers, Theo. The new plan… It’s not going to cut it. We need to go back to the original proposal.”

My heart sinks. “Steve, we’ve been over this. The community is on board with the new plan. You should have seen the enthusiasm at the meeting last Tuesday.” I take a few more steps away from Mia, aware that she may be able to figure out who I’m talking to and the topic of our conversation.

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