Page 13 of Shelter from the Storm

Theo laughed, but this time, he made sure it was softer. “I’m sure Edith loves having you with her. She’s happiest when she has someone to fuss over.”

Gretchen looked around again, as if seeking an excuse to leave, but Theo wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet, so he jumped in first.

“Nora’s working over at the winery, of course, but she plans to be here Monday morning to meet you. Before you head out today, I can introduce you to the brewmasters, who also happen to be my brothers, Jace and Sam.”

“That’s okay,” she said, intending to refuse. “I can wait?—”

“Sam’s currently running for mayor of Gracemont,” Theo interjected. “So Jace will be taking on the lion’s share of the brewing, once Sam takes office, though I’m sure he’ll still be here a fair amount of the time.”

Gretchen’s eyebrows rose. “Mayor? That sounds like a big job.”

“Maybe in a bigger city, but in Gracemont, it’s less than part-time. Even so, knowing Sam, he’ll work overtime to assure it’s done right, because that’s who he is. He was made to be mayor, and the whole family is proud of him.”

“That’s great,” Gretchen said. “And it’s nice of Jace to step in so that Sam can pursue the position.”

“Well, that’s what family does, isn’t it?”

Gretchen hesitated slightly before giving him a short nod, letting him know in an instant that wasn’t how things worked in her family. The personal information he knew about Gretchen was limited to superficial things he’d discovered from her resume and during the interview. Things like, she was twenty-four years old and she was born in Harrisburg, where she’d lived her entire life. He knew where she’d graduated from high school, and that she’d only had one other job, as the personal assistant to a real estate agent. She said during her interview that her reason for applying for the job was because she was looking for a change—no, the words she used were fresh start—though she hadn’t elaborated on why.

Now, it was all he could think about.

It was easy to see that Gretchen’s walls were so high, he would need to take a slow approach when it came to getting to know her. Lucky for her, as a Gracemont boy, slow and steady came easy to him, as that was the only pace most folks in this town knew.

Theo decided to try the “lead by example” tactic. Perhaps if he willingly shared information about himself, she would follow suit.

“Jace is the youngest of my brothers, but he’s got one of the biggest personalities. He’s also a shameless flirt, but don’t worry about that. He’s harmless. And nowhere near as good-looking as me,” Theo added as a joke, when Gretchen nervously licked her lips.

“It must be nice to work with your brothers,” she mused.

“For the most part, it is. My brothers are my best friends, but we’re also like most siblings. We get into some knockdown, drag-out fights. Probably doesn’t help that we don’t just work together but live together as well.”

“That is a lot of togetherness.” Gretchen was still sitting on the edge of her chair, her hands clenched tightly in her lap. He wished there was a way he could encourage her to relax.

“There are three farmhouses on the property,” Theo explained. “I share one with my six brothers. Well, five now, since my oldest brother, Levi, is essentially living with his girlfriend Kasi these days.”

“Edith mentioned Levi’s new relationship. Said they would probably get married soon.”

Theo chuckled. “You’ve been here what? Twenty-four hours?”

Gretchen nodded.

“I’m guessing there’s not much left I can tell you about me and my family, then. Edith’s probably already covered everything,” he joked.

Gretchen gave him a look that proved Edith had been filling in lots of blanks for her. “She’s a wealth of information. I considered taking notes for a little while.”

Theo laughed at her joke, and this time, Gretchen graced him with a small smile.

Progress.

Though now that he’d managed to break a hairline-thin crack in her thick surface, he wanted to go for broke. Because something told him that she hadn’t laughed in a very, very long time.

So Theo had a new goal.

Well, another new goal, because before he made Gretchen laugh, he was determined to set her at ease.

Once again, she looked ready to escape as her eyes darted toward the window, then toward the door behind her. “I—” she started.

“What about you?” he asked, taking a chance. “Any siblings?”

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