Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 47254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 189(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 189(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
“We’ll see.”
Becca sneak-hugged me and kissed my cheek, no doubt leaving a red-lipped tattoo. “Try not to worry, love. Everything will be all right.”
My smile was weak as fuck, but I hoped she was right on a few counts. I hoped I could figure out how to turn a bigger profit, how to build my business, and how to get things back to normal between Becca and me without blowing up our friendship.
And I hoped to get another chance to know Theo. I wasn’t greedy. I’d take an hour or two.
Starting with lunch.
Bradford-on-Avon was a quaint village that boasted a small market, a Sainsbury’s, a handful of convenience stores, and a lot of churches—Baptist, Anglican, Roman Catholic, and more. It was pretty and picturesque with winding narrow streets carved into the hillside and well-preserved stone structures covered in ivy.
I loved places like this where you literally walked the same streets the Romans had two thousand years ago, and Saxon warriors did a thousand years later.
Today, it looked like what it was—a sleepy, idyllic town miles away from the nearest metropolis.
The sun battled to break through the afternoon clouds as Theo and I strolled across the bridge, making our way to the restaurant I’d chosen. He’d met me at the train station and talked my ear off about his mom’s dogs, the mince pie she hadn’t mastered, and their Scottish neighbor whom he didn’t understand.
“It’s okay. I don’t think he understands me either. We both smile and nod a lot. It works, ’cause he’s one of my favorite new people.” Theo thanked the waiter for the menu and ordered a glass of white wine before turning to admire our view of the river from our booth next to the window. “Oh, this is nice. Mom said this restaurant is one of her favorite spots.”
I followed his gaze. He was right…it was lovely, even on a cold January afternoon. Bare trees bent their branches like fingers trailing through icy water and stone walls seemed to match the color of the sky, in spite of the sun’s best effort. It was charming.
So was Theo.
I didn’t mind his nonstop chatter, and that wasn’t something I ever said about anyone. I got the impression he didn’t say anything he didn’t mean. And at this stage in life, where I felt like I was supposed to have answers I didn’t, I appreciated his realness.
“I have to ask—what did your mom say when you told her you were meeting an airplane acquaintance friend?”
Theo snickered, choosing a fresh roll from the bread basket. He tore it open and reached for the butter, spreading it liberally before biting into it with gusto. Call me crazy, but that kind of turned me on. Or maybe it was his wide smile and the crinkles at the corner of his eyes.
He chewed and swallowed, primly brushing crumbs from his fingers. “First, she asked if I’d lost my mind, then she suggested calling Giles.”
I furrowed my brows. “She really wants you two to get together.”
“Mom likes tying loose ends into neat bows,” he replied with a shrug. “Giles is my age, gay, and moving to my city. We’ve spent a total of four hours together, but apparently that’s enough to call a minister. Sadly, her enthusiasm isn’t working. I like Giles fine, but he talks too much. And I talk too much. We’re a recipe for disaster.”
“You can’t get a word in edgewise, eh?”
“Nope.” He paused to give me a knowing twinkly-eyed look, adding, “I assured my mom you were a perfect gentleman. I also told her about your bakery and something about marketing, so she probably thinks this is a business meeting.”
I smiled my thanks when a server dropped off our drinks. “Business…right. You know, it’s funny you should bring that up. It’s not why I suggested meeting today, but I wouldn’t say no to some marketing advice.”
“Actually, I was the one who asked you out. For coffee.”
“True, but I—”
“I stalked you,” he blurt-yelled before guzzling half a glass of wine.
I widened my eyes comically, unable to resist teasing him. I mentioned I was kind of a dick, right? “O-kay…”
“Not in a creepy way. I assure you my intentions were mostly pure.” He set the wineglass down with a noisy twonk and rested his forearms on the table. “When I googled you and realized that your newest pop-up was close by, curiosity got the better of me and—”
“You googled me?”
“I googled your bakery.” The splotch of pink on his cheeks went red in seconds flat.
It was pretty damn cute.
Theo was cute. And sweet and eager and…young.
Hey, a ten-year difference might not seem like a big deal, but compared to Theo, I was jaded and old. He didn’t have gray hair, wrinkles, or a bad case of disenchanted apathy.
Being in his orbit felt like tripping on a happy pill. He radiated intoxicating sunny vibes that could make me forget my worries. Christ, I couldn’t remember the last time I hadn’t had to temper excitement with a dose of reality.