Page 30 of Rumor Has It

“And the rumors?” she asks. “Not the ones about the two of you. I mean the other ones. You know, about his…”

I’m assuming she trails off because, yes, we both know what rumors she’s talking about. But what am I supposed to say?Yes, as a matter of fact. Theo is packing around an anaconda in his shorts. Lucky me!

All I can do is press my lips together as my entire face warms, and that’s pretty much the same as confirmation. Kelly Ann’s entire face lights up as she lets out a little cheer like she’s so happy for me for winning the dick lottery.

My phone buzzes on the table, breaking up this celebratory moment.

EMMA

You and Theo?!

Wow, news travels fast.

How did you know that?

EMMA

Garrett told Wade. Wade told me.

Of course he did.

I’m not upset at all that Theo told Garrett. That’s one of his best friends. And I’m sitting here doing the same with Kelly Ann so it’s no different. But boy, does gossip get around in this town.

Parker walks into the break room, his face lighting up as he sees us. “Hey, I heard about you and Theo. Congrats! I’ve been rooting for you two for a long time.”

I’m not even going to act surprised that he knows. “Thank you,” I say. “But let’s not jinx it. It’s the first date.”

“Right,” he says. “Like that matters at all.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“You guys have been friends for so long, this is hardly going to feel like a first date. It probably won’t even feel like a tenth date,” he says. “You guys might as well be married.”

“Don’t say that,” Kelly Ann says. “There’s plenty still left to discover.”

“Please,” he says. “You guys will move in together by next month.”

Oh my god. What? Is he right? Are we just going to morph into this whole couple because of our friendship? Are we going to be picking out goddamn china patterns tomorrow?

I hadn’t considered how different a date with Theo will be, since it’s not like we can start off by asking each other questions a normal new pairing would.

We already know so much about each other. The good, the bad, and the truly horrifying. What else is left? Sure, we’ve never spoken in romantic terms. I don’t know how he is on a date, but I know him well enough to know he’s a gentleman. He’s the guy who opens car doors, walks on the outside of the street, holds doors open, and kisses the back of your hand.

My stomach flutters just thinking about his lips brushing against my skin again. And that’s enough for me to put my small panic about our first date aside for the time being.

Besides, I’m more concerned about what I’m going to wear.

TWENTY-ONE

THEO

Telling one friend something means you’re telling all your friends something, unless explicitly noted. Which is why I’m not surprised that after I told Garrett, it wasn’t an hour before Parker texted me. As did Wade. Honestly, it’s fine. I don’t care at all. I just prefer to find the humor in it.

After work, I came straight home to shower and get ready for my first official date with Ellie. I swear, a week ago I never pictured this scenario going down. Nor did I ever think it would feel so natural. Or at the very least, I don’t feel weird about it.

The only good date restaurant in town is a small Italian place on Main Street called Tapas. And yes, it’s truly authentic. An Italian family moved here some years ago and opened it. And let’s just say, they’re very popular. It’s generally by reservation only unless you want to risk waiting for ninety or more minutes.

Luckily, I know a guy. And byguy, I mean the owner, Sal. He brings his fancy Maserati to me on a regular basis, and in return, he blesses me for knowing how to work on them. Otherwise, he’d have to drive a couple of hours to somewhere with more than one auto shop. Anyway, Sal was happy to accommodate us, and for that, I will be blessing him next time he brings his car in—meaning I offered him a free tune-up.

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