Page 35 of Thanks for the Love
He peers behind me into the smoke-filled house.
“I was on the phone and totally forgot about my dinner,” I mutter.
Seriously, what else could happen? My life has turned into a comedy since I moved to Miami, and Theo’s had a front row seat.
Theo follows me inside and helps me fan the smoke away from the smoke detector. The alarm is still going off, and my head is beginning to pound.
After a few minutes the ringing finally stops, and I dramatically fall down in a chair.
“Well, that was fun,” Theo says.
I shake my head. “Lila is going to wish she never let me move in.”
“Nah,” he says, waving his hand.
Does anything faze this man? The only time I’ve seen him worried was when I hurt my wrist.
“Um, hello, I could’ve burned down her house.”
He tries to hide his smile. At least he’s amused.
“She’ll understand. You’re not the first person to set off a smoke detector,” he reminds me.
“Yeah, well now you understand why I’m such a pro at ordering takeout.”
Theo looks at the pot of burnt spaghetti and makes a face.
“So, does this mean you’re free for dinner?”
My stomach does a little flip, but my brain instantly steps in. I told myself I would slow down when it came to Theo.
The sound of the garage door pulls me out of my thoughts.
“What’s that smell?” Lila calls.
Theo looks at me and cringes. It’s too late for him to leave, so he casually leans against the counter.
“Is something burning?”
As soon as she sees Theo, she scowls. “Oh, great.”
“It’s totally my fault,” I exclaim. “I’ll buy you some new pots and pans.”
“I’m not worried about that,” she says, eyeing Theo.
I launch into an explanation about the phone call from Amber and forgetting the pasta.
“She actually called you?” Lila asks, sounding as shocked as I felt getting the call.
“Yep,” I say. “She felt the need to call me with some news from back home.”
I don’t go into the details of the engagement.
“Wow. She’s rotten to the core,” Lila insists.
I glance at Theo, who’s remained quiet.
“Anyway, Theo heard the alarm and came over to check on us.”
