Page 38 of The Problem with Falling
“So as far as the ceremony… I’m not good at decorations or anything. My cousin’s son, Jensen, said he’ll handle the floral displays since he’s into landscaping and bouquets and stuff. I’m hoping to leave everything else up to you if that’s okay. I have no problem paying for everything, but picking it all out leaves me a bit clueless.”
“Luckily, decorations are my specialty. Plus, your yard has the best backdrop with the lake. I’m thinking just a ton of lanterns and strings of lights and color. Lots and lots of color.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do. Maybe for the table spreads, though, we can do a lot of rainbow things since PaPa calls Grandma his rainbow.”
I smiled. “I think it’s cute that you call him PaPa.”
“It’s all I’ve ever known. Calling him anything else would feel odd.”
“How are you doing when it comes to his health? I know Molly said it’s been hard.”
Theo’s eyes softened, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. “I try not to think about it. Thinking about it doesn’t change anything.”
“It’s okay to feel sad about it, though.”
His mouth tightened, and his grimace and discomfort returned. “We don’t have to talk about it, Willow.”
“Oh, right, okay.” I felt bad because it was clear he was closing himself off again, and my question about Harry was the reason for it. I shouldn’t have asked him. I should’ve just been thankful for conversations about fish.
I bit my bottom lip, hoping to bring back the flash of Theo filled with light. “So…” I sang, patting my hands against my thighs. “What other kinds of fish are there in Westin Lake?”
It was as if a switch was turned on because the light returned to Theo’s eyes as he shifted around in his seat. “Well, there are bluegills, perch, and largemouth bass. Sturgeons are rare, but they can be found in the bigger lakes. Crappies and muskies…walleyes are always good ones to catch…”
He kept talking about fish, and I kept smiling at him, pretending he wasn’t speaking a different language. He continued talking for the remaining thirty minutes of the drive, and I didn’t think about turning on the radio for a second.
Note to self: Ask Theo about fishing. Makes him less grumpy.
We shoppedfor decorations and tried more food than two people should’ve tried together. The day seemed to be going very well, and Molly would be pleased to know that her grandson and I were getting along. Sure, Theo wasn’t chatty or anything, but he was less moody. His frowns didn’t seem as permanent, either.
Everything was going swell. I talked a lot. He listened. It was all great until we stopped in downtown Westin Lake to pick up a pizza for dinner. Right outside the restaurant, I ran into Peter while Theo was inside grabbing the pizza.
“Well, I’ll be. The woman who stood me up,” Peter joked the moment he saw me. “But as a victim of Matt Turner’s goodies, I don’t blame you for passing out.”
I raised an eyebrow. “How did you know about what happened?”
He gestured around Main Street. “News travels fast in Westin Lake. We don’t have much to talk about outside of each other.” He slid his hands into the pockets of his black athletic pants. “So do I get to cash in my IOU card for us missing our hangout? I’m having a party over at my place next weekend. More dancing will take place.”
“I’m always down for dancing.”
“Great, then it’s a date.” He said those words right as Theo walked out of the restaurant. The moment Theo saw Peter, it was as if all his good vibes for the day instantly evaporated. His body language did a one-eighty as he tensed up.
“Hey, cuz,” Peter said, moving toward Theo, and slugged him on the shoulder before he wrapped his arm around Theo, pullinghim into a sideways hug. Theo’s discomfort was apparent, but Peter didn’t seem to care. “I stopped by Grandma and PaPa’s place this morning. They said you ran off to Green Bay for their anniversary party supplies. You should’ve invited me. I’d love to be involved. Then again, if you were just trying to get alone time with the beautiful woman, I get that, too.”
Theo’s jaw tightened before he shrugged Peter’s grip off. “I-I-I di-didn’t th-th…” Theo shut his eyes for a moment.
Peter smirked and crossed his hands over his chest. “Sound it out, cuz. So what did you both end up getting today?” he asked Theo.
Theo took a deep breath. He started talking and continued tripping over his words, unable to get his sentence out. As he tried and failed, I cleared my throat.
“We ended up getting lights and a few table rentals. We also tried different catering and picked out a menu for the event,” I told Peter.
Theo grumbled under his breath and, out of nowhere, snapped at me. “Don’t fucking do that,” he growled, throwing me off completely. “Don’t fucking speak for me,” he snapped.
Peter narrowed his eyes in disbelief. “Whoa. Don’t talk to her like that. It’s not Willow’s fault you couldn’t complete a sentence.”
“I c-can comp-pl-pl…” Theo’s face was flushed red. “Fuck off, Peter,” he pushed out before marching off toward his truck.
I stood there confused about what had just transpired, uncertain what to say.
