Page 20 of Shelter from the Storm

Theo rose and started to follow her to the exit. Her mind whirled over how to ditch him inside the brewery, because if he walked her to the parking lot, it was going to become obvious she didn’t have a car.

“Oh,” she said, as they passed the restrooms. “I think I’ll say goodbye here.” She tilted her head toward the women’s room. “Thanks so much for such a nice afternoon. I’ll see you Monday.”

Theo smiled and said goodbye, and she walked into the restroom, stalling until she felt confident that he was probably long gone.

Gretchen grimaced when she stepped out—because Theo was right where she’d left him, next to the exit, chatting with a server who appeared to be asking for time off.

She hoped the conversation would continue as she feigned an easy, breezy wave and stepped outside.

She was almost to the edge of the parking lot, well beyond all the cars, when she heard Theo calling her name.

“Hey, Gretchen.”

She considered pretending she hadn’t heard, but when he yelled her name again, closer, she was forced to turn around. One look at his puzzled expression, and she knew she’d been busted on the vehicle situation.

“Where’s your car?” he asked, when he caught up to her.

“Oh, um…I walked today. I foolishly thought five miles wasn’t that far.”

Theo frowned. “Jesus. Why didn’t you say so? I’ll drive you home.”

“No, no,” she quickly replied, aware it would be obvious there was no extra car in Edith’s driveway. “It was a nice walk,” she lied.

Theo’s frown let her know he didn’t believe that for a second. “It’s not a safe road to walk, Gretchen.”

“I don’t want to be an imposition.”

He pulled keys from the front pocket of his jeans. “My truck’s parked right over there.” His tone and the light touch of his hand on her back as he turned her in the other direction told her arguing was pointless. Besides, she was so taken aback by how nice his hand felt, she didn’t have time to react.

Of course, as soon as that thought landed, his hand was gone.

She wasn’t sure how to process her feelings, because it had been far too long since a man had touched her in a way that she wanted.

She closed her eyes briefly, giving herself a mental lecture. She could not be attracted to her boss.

Gretchen walked across the parking lot, surprised when Theo opened the passenger door for her. While she’d heard the myth about men who did such things, she’d never seen it happen out in the wild.

Her hesitation must have given her away.

“Dad taught us that a gentleman always opens a lady’s door,” Theo explained with a charming grin.

“Thank you.” She climbed into the truck.

As they headed down the mountain, Theo talked about the improvements they’d made to the road leading to the brewery, chuckling at her surprise when she learned the current road was way better than the previous one.

When he pulled into Edith’s driveway, Theo looked around, not seeing exactly what she knew he wouldn’t. “Where’s your car?”

Before she could think through the repercussions, the truth fell from her lips. “I don’t have one.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry. I should have told you that right from the start.”

“So what was the plan? To walk to and from work every day?” He was aghast, something that made perfect sense, now that she knew firsthand how bad the daily commute would be on foot.

“I thought there would be a rideshare option when I took the job,” she confessed.

“Koda doesn’t get up before eleven,” Theo said.

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