Page 49 of Meet Me in Aveline

I capped my pen and shoved the letter into an envelope. “Coming, Mother!”

I wore the itchy plaid skirt and even forced a smile or two through dinner at all the appropriate times until dessert when my mother suggested Theo and I take a walk around the property. I couldn’t object without sounding rude, but that didn’t stop my face from turning into a scowl as we stepped outside.

We walked in silence, and I kept my eyes focused on the ground in front of me, watching my feet take each step as though I were afraid I would trip if I didn’t. We were silent, and I was thinking we may spend the entire walk without saying a word when Theo spoke up.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

I looked up, meeting his eyes for what was probably the first time that night. He was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a blue, button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He was quite handsome… in a preppy boy sort of way.

If you liked that kind of thing.

Which for the record, I did not.

“What are you sorry for? You haven’t done anything,” I replied.

“Well, it’s just… I can tell you don’t want to be here with me.” Theo looked down at his fingers, and I closed my eyes, immediately feeling like a total jerk. It wasn’t Theo’s fault that my parents were more enthusiastic about us dating than I was.

“No, Theo. That’s not true.”

“No?” He looked up at me and I noticed the dimple on his cheek again. “It kind of seems like it. I feel pretty stupid to be honest. I thought it was a lost cause after you didn’t return any of my calls after our date, but then when we were invited here tonight, I kind of hoped you had changed your mind.” Theo straightened up and ran his hands through his sandy-blonde hair. “And I probably shouldn’t have admitted that because now I sound desperate and pathetic.”

And now I felt like not only a total jerk, but the biggest jerk in the entire world.

“It’s not that. I’m sorry I made you feel that way, Theo. It’s just—”

“There’s someone else, isn’t there?” he cut me off, and I looked at him with my eyebrows furrowed.

How did he know? I hadn’t told anyone about Tuck except Julia, and there was no way she would have told anyone, much less Theo.

He chuckled at my perplexed expression. “It’s not hard to tell. You have that look about you.”

I crossed my arms delicately over my stomach, holding them at my elbows. “What look? I don’t have any sort of look.”

“You do,” he said, smiling at me before lowering his head. “Do I know him? Don’t tell me it’s Cayden Kingsley because I may have to jump off a bridge if it is.”

I shook my head slowly. “No! Ugh,” I scoffed. “Cayden Kingsley? Really?”

“Hey, I don’t know. I’ve been trying to figure out your type for years,” he replied, his hands up in surrender.

“And you thought Cayden Kingsley was it? Jeez-o-pete, I need to work on my image.”

Theo laughed. “Okay, well, if it isn’t Kingsley, who is it?”

“You don’t know him,” I said quickly, lowering my head again and picking at my nails.

“Well, whoever he is, he’s lucky. I hope he knows that.” We continued to walk, and Theo looked over at me again. “I take it your parents don’t know? Otherwise, I’m not sure I would have been invited tonight.”

I lifted my head, my eyes wide, and I grabbed hold of his hand, stopping both of us. “No. And please don’t say anything, Theo. They would be furious and never approve. They expect me to be with…” My voice trailed off at the saddened look in his eyes.

“Me,” he said softly.

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

He smiled and peered down at where I still had a hold of him. I took my hand away swiftly and watched him flex his fingers. “No, it’s okay. I understand.”

We walked again, a cloud of tension filling the air with questions I knew he had and answers I wasn’t willing to give him. It was hot outside, and the tweed material of my dress was not making the matter any better. I was beginning to sweat in places I didn’t even realize I could sweat. Uncomfortable, physically and emotionally.

Theo stopped and turned to face me. “Listen, Violet. Maybe we can help each other out.”

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