Page 31 of Truth or Spare

Theo wasn’t deflecting and being evasive solely to get on Matteo’s nerves. He genuinely wasn’t sure what his intentions were with Dewey and Oslo. But Theo was enjoying the man he was becoming and didn’t want his brothers or the von Hessen dynasty interfering until he was certain.

His days at the bowling alley and in the Winnie with Dewey and Walter were like a safe, happy bubble and Theo wasn’t ready for it to pop. He knew it would eventually and that everyone would see him differently, but Theo would keep his real life at bay and enjoy his time incognito in Oslo for as long as he could.

There was another call and Theo pulled a face when he recognized Leo’s office number at Schönbühel. “Na, I don’t know what Matteo said, but I am fine,” Theo answered, receiving a distracted snort from Leo.

“Are you being held by a cult?”

“Nee.”

“Have you seen our aunt’s blaue Handtasche?”

“No, I have not,” Theo said slowly, acknowledging the secret phrase they had established as children, in case one of them needed rescuing but couldn’t risk asking for help.

“Good to hear. Servus,” Leo said briskly.

“Baba,” Theo replied, then hung up.

Perhaps Theo should have asked Leo for advice about Dewey and what would happen if he fell in love with an American and decided to stay. Leo would probably say that it was time to have arealconversation with Dewey but there was one experience Theo wasn’t keen to have a go at: rejection.

Dewey wasn’t interested in fame, titles, or wealth. If anything, Theo suspected they would be a turnoff and make him less interesting in Dewey’s eyes. He was a simple, decent man with a demanding life, filled with real concerns and important responsibilities. Dewey worried about things like hours and overtime and direct deposits while Theo worried about little things like crows feet and his wardrobe and outsmarting Matteo.

They were not the same.

No matter how much Theo pretended, the truth was always waiting, like a bill in an envelope that had yet to be opened. And he wouldn’t blame Dewey if he took one look at what was insideand threw it back in Theo’s face. He barely had enough patience for the Theo he already knew and had come to tolerate. Finding out that Theo was even wealthier and more out of touch with reality probably wouldn’t make him more appealing to Dewey.

“Hey, Theo,” Dewey said as he worked. “If you wouldn’t mind, make sure all the toilets are flushing before anyone gets here. I did a load of towels this morning and I heard some scary sounds coming from the plumbing. We might have a blockage between us and the street.”

“Nicht die Bohne, boss!” Theo gave him a salute as he rose, then paused. “What might cause something like that?” he asked with an apprehensive wince.

Dewey shook his head. “Who knows? The plumbing is so old in this place, a wad of paper towels or some birthday napkins could rupture something and shut us down.”

“Ach so... Are paper towels not supposed to be flushed?” Theo asked and Dewey dropped the tool he was using as he snapped upright.

“Please tell me youdid notflush some paper towels.” His eyes were huge and he looked terrified.

“Nein!” Theo said, even though he had flushed nearly a whole roll the evening prior.

Their skincare products had arrived and Theo had given Cassie a quick tutorial in the bathroom, during his break. The alley had been quiet and Dewey was nodding off in his office, so Theo didn’t see the harm. Cassie was overwhelmed with all the products he’d ordered and didn’t want to use them incorrectly.

“How about you let me take care of it? I’ll call whomever you recommend and this one’s on me.” He offered Dewey his biggest, brightest smile as he held up his phone.

“It’s on you? We’re not talking about lunch, Theo. Call Randy. His card is taped to the side of the register. We’ll see what he says and go from there.”

Theo held up his thumb. “Super! I’ll handle it from here,” he said before he turned andcalmlywalked to the front desk. He located the card and the number and was relieved when a gentleman answered. “Good morning, sir! My name is Theo and I’m calling from Brooks Family Bowling. I think a rupture may be imminent. I don’t care how much it costs, please get here as fast as you can.”

Chapter Fourteen

“Looks like Randy Ford is a big fan of Theo’s now,” Dewey said, blinking at the parking lot as Randy high-fived and hugged Theo. “Is Randy crying?”

“He’s gonna make a mint,” Keith predicted as he peered around Dewey’s arm. A big square had already been torn out of the middle of the parking lot so that seemed like a safe assumption.

“Go play your game and mind your own business.”

“Can’t. Ball’s stuck.”

“Probably too much oil on that belt again. I’ll have to switch it out after you’re done with this game.”

Dewey retrieved Keith’s ball and returned to the front just as Theo came in from the parking lot. “Must have been good news. For Randy,” Dewey added.

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