Chapter six

Theo

“Finally,”

Aiden shouted when I entered Church Street Brews. He sat alone at a corner booth by the door with a small “reserved”

sign on the table. The Friday-night crowd had already filled the rest of the bar. “I’ve been getting death glares since I got here. Think fast,”

he said and tossed me his truck keys.

“Thanks, man,”

I said, putting them in my leather jacket before I peeled it off and hung it on one of the hooks on the side of the booth. The thought of him or Cal, or really anyone, potentially drinking and driving tied my stomach in knots. Aiden knew I had a better chance of enjoying the evening if I had his keys.

I slid onto the bench beside him and gave him a fist bump. “Where is everyone? I thought I was late.”

“Poppy’s finishing the cake, and Lauren is helping her bring it. Rowan, Cammie, and Cal are coming from the office. Rowan’s back was giving her trouble, so Cal wanted to work on her or something. Your usual?”

Aiden asked, quickly changing the subject. We’d grown pretty attached to Rowan and seeing her in pain bothered us both.

I nodded.

“What should I get Hell Cat? I figure the rest of the ladies are good with mango margaritas, but I don’t want a repeat of last summer.”

“No, we do not,”

I said. The last time Poppy drank fruity drinks she had too many and got sick. I paced her studio all night while she slept it off on a futon just to make sure she didn’t have alcohol poisoning. Cal and Aiden both gave me shit for it, saying I would have rolled them on their sides and slept on the floor or gone home. “Whiskey on the rocks for Poppy.”

“Yeah, that stuff tastes so bad she won’t drink too fast.”

Aiden raised his hand and our usual server at Church—who happened to be Max’s sister—hurried to the table. “Hey Brandi. We’ll take a pitcher of whatever IPA is freshest, a whiskey on the rocks, a Liquid Death, and a pitcher of frozen mango margaritas. And a mixed app platter,”

he added, smirking at me. “Just in case the lightweights need something more than cake to soak up the booze.”

Cal, Rowan, and Cammie joined us a few minutes after Brandi left.

“Sorry we’re late,”

Cal said as he slid into the booth beside Aiden in the corner.

“Not like we could start the party without the man of the hour,”

Aiden said, giving Rowan a wink as she sat beside me.

“Hey, Theo,”

she said, smiling. She lowered her voice and added, “I thought Cammie would be more comfortable sitting beside me or Cal.”

Cammie gave me a little wave as she slid in next to Cal. I considered it progress. When she wasn’t working at Cal’s office or Karma, Cammie acted jumpy around men. Since Cal had basically adopted us both as his honorary siblings, she’d been around me enough to relax a little, but Rowan’s thoughtfulness made my chest warm. I couldn’t have picked a better partner for my best friend.

“Here’s your drinks,”

Brandi said, carrying a large tray to the table. “Apps should be out soon.”

Aiden pushed a twenty across the table like he always did whenever she brought him anything. “How’s Max?” he asked.

“Good. We finally got the insurance approval to start occupational therapy,”

she said, folding the bill into her apron. “Theo, before you go, my Max drew Big Max a picture today. Would you mind taking it to him? I’m scheduled until Monday, and the kidlet is impatient for his uncle to get it.”

“I’d be happy to,”

I said. Hearing Max’s name made me think about my impending homelessness. I wanted to be mad at him, but I couldn’t argue with his reason for evicting me.

“Congratulation, Cal!”

Lauren shouted, poking her head around a group of college-aged guys clustered by the door.

“Open your eyes and move,”

Poppy snapped.

They parted and Poppy hurried to the booth carrying a huge black cake box.

Lauren slid in beside Rowan after greeting everyone. Poppy squeezed into the last remaining seat beside Cammie. She was so far away; I couldn’t even say hello without shouting.

“The suspense is killing me,”

Cammie said, gripping her hands together.

“Calm your tits, woman,”

Poppy said. I watched her delicate fingers untie the string that held the box closed. She loosened each edge of the box before folding down the sides to reveal a bright pink three-tiered cake with a detailed model of Skye pulling the protective paper off an exam table. The sides of the cake were covered in colorful flowers and butterflies, each dusted with something glittery. It was incredible and, apart from Skye, looked nothing like the type of cake I’d imagined for Cal. He laughed and Cammie clapped her hands.

“Um,”

Rowan said, taking in the cake. “That’s an interesting color palette and—is that a unicorn?”

Cal laughed harder.

“I’ve been telling him he needs to get used to girlie shi—stuff if he’s going to live with you,”

Poppy shouted. “You’ll have floral throw pillows all over his space before the ink dries on the marriage license. I also figured Cammie would like the colors.”

“I do,”

she said with a huge grin. “I feel like I should have gotten you something, Cal. Especially after the raise you gave me.”

“You’re worth every penny,” he said.

“If you’re going to quit Karma, please give me a head’s up,”

Lauren said looking slightly panicked. “I don’t know what I’d do without you in the evenings and weekends.”

“I love working at the cafe,”

Cammie said. “And I love working with you, Cal. To the best PT in the state!”

We all cheered and toasted. After we ate the appetizers and cake, which was some chocolate concoction I couldn’t resist tasting, and had a couple rounds, the girls retreated to the bathroom. When they returned, they reshuffled to different parts of the table, and Poppy somehow ended up beside Aiden. Every muscle in my back tensed when he pulled her into a side hug and kept his arm around her.

“How’s my Hell Cat?” he asked.

“Primed to scratch you.”

Aiden laughed. Poppy smiled at him. I shifted and my boot accidentally connected with Aiden’s leg.

“Watch where you park those boats, man,”

Aiden said, letting go of Poppy so he could rub his shin.

“You OK, Theo?”

Poppy asked, those endless green eyes finally capturing mine.

She hadn’t said it very loud, but Aiden and Cal stared at me like two overprotective mama bears.

“Is there a reason he shouldn’t be?”

Aiden asked loud enough for Lauren, Rowan, and Cammie to pause their conversation and look down the table at me.

Poppy narrowed her eyes. “You didn’t tell them?”

“Tell us what?”

Cal asked.

“It’s nothing,”

I said. “We’re celebrating you tonight.”

“That’s right,”

Cal said, crossing his arms over his chest. “And I’d like to know why you’ve looked like you wanted to throw up all evening. I thought maybe you weren’t feeling well.”

“Yeah, I was wondering if he caught the stomach bug going around,”

Aiden said. “I’ve already had it, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to sit near him.”

“And no one thought to tell me he looked contagious?”

Lauren said beside me. “Is that why you’re over there, Poppy?”

“He’s not contagious. He just got evicted.”

Poppy put her hands over her mouth and shot me an apologetic look.

“What?”

Cal and Aiden shouted together.

Now Poppy looked like she wanted to throw up.

“It’s OK,”

I said. I wished I could take Poppy’s hand to let her know I wasn’t upset at her, but I’d already touched her too much this week for my own good. “Max needs the apartment for someone else.”

“When do you have to move?”

Cal asked.

“By the end of the month,” I said.

“The hell you do,”

Aiden shouted. “Evictions have rules. He can’t just toss you out.”

“He wants to help a guy,”

I said. “Who am I to say no to that? I owe Max everything.”

“You could stay in my guest room,” Cal said.

Aiden shook his head. “You don’t want to stay there. Imagine all the sex noises you’ll hear.”

“Gross, Aiden,”

Poppy said, shoving his shoulder. “That’s my sister you’re talking about.”

“You know I’m right, Hell Cat.”

“As much as I hate to agree with him, he probably is,”

Lauren added.

Aiden smiled at her and she flipped him the bird, which made Rowan, Poppy, and Cammie all gasp.

“That’s the most un-Lauren thing I’ve ever seen,”

Rowan said.

“Back to Theo,”

Cal said, redirecting everyone’s attention to me. “Have you started looking at apartments?”

I nodded. “No vacancies anywhere in town. At least not for me. I have appointments at a couple places in Jericho tomorrow, but I have less of a shot there than here.”

“Bad credit?”

Cammie asked. “Been there.”

“Felon,”

I said and took a sip of my carbonated water.

Cammie’s mouth dropped open, and she looked around the table.

“You didn’t know?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“Don’t,”

Poppy snapped. “You’re a cool chick, and I know you’re like family to Cal, but if you treat Theo any different, I will drag you out this bar by your hair.”

It shouldn’t have been sexy, but I fought the urge to pull her over Aiden and into my arms. Over the years, Cal had gotten into several fights because someone said something to me he didn’t like. It pissed me off every time, but for some reason, watching pint-sized Poppy charge to my defense made me want her even more.

“Geeze, Poppy, take it down,”

Cammie said. “My daddy’s serving a life sentence, and I love that man to bits.”

She leaned across Lauren’s lap to grab my hand. “I was just shocked I hadn’t heard about it since everyone in this town loves to gossip. I know better than most, the label doesn’t make the man.”

Judging by the surprised looks around the booth, Cammie had kept that little tidbit about her family to herself. She could have said any number of things to settle Poppy’s wrath and end the awkwardness, but she’d shared a hidden piece of her story to put me at ease. I squeezed her hand before I released it, and she leaned back to her seat.

“It’s pretty shocking you hadn’t heard about me,”

I said. Not shocking, absurd. Cammie moved to Peace Falls a year and a half ago and had spent countless hours with Cal and Lauren. I couldn’t believe neither of them had mentioned my past. Hell, a few years ago, I couldn’t walk down the sidewalk without hearing people whispering about it.

“Well, now I feel like a bitch,”

Poppy said.

“Only if you mean a female guard dog,”

Cammie said and blew her a kiss.

Poppy nodded, but she seemed to curl into herself.

“Come on, Hell Cat,”

Aiden said nudging her shoulder. “Let’s see if you can still kick my ass at darts when you’re not completely wasted.”

“Oh, this I have to see,”

Lauren said. She and Cammie scooted out of the booth as Rowan and Cal stood aside to let Aiden and Poppy out.

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

Cal asked, taking the seat Aiden had left beside me with Rowan glued to his side.

“It’s nothing for y’all to worry about. You’re planning a wedding and have your own businesses to run. You don’t need to deal with my shit on top of all that.”

Cal shook his head and gripped his hands together.

“Don’t be pissed. I’ll figure something out.”

“I’m not pissed,”

he said. “I’m hurt.”

I glanced at Rowan, expecting her to be as surprised as I was, but she was nodding in agreement. “I’m the one getting evicted. How is that hurting you?”

“Because I’m supposed to be your best friend,”

Cal said. “You should have told me.”

“I just found out last night.”

“You had time enough to research the entire Peace Falls rental market, but you couldn’t shoot me a text? I get that what you and Poppy have is special, and I’m glad you at least told her—”

“Don’t,”

I said, forcing the word through gritted teeth. “We’re just friends.”

Even if it felt like more to me, I’d never cross that line with Poppy. No matter how much I liked her, I had to keep my distance. “Max talked to me right before class last night, and Poppy helped calm me down like Skye does.”

Rowan narrowed her eyes. “How convenient. If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go watch my sister, who unlike Skye has opposable thumbs and can play darts.”

My stomach sank as she scooted out of the booth. “That didn’t come out right, did it?”

Cal smirked. “Not the smartest thing you’ve ever said. But you and I both know how much you love my dog. Rowan doesn’t realize that any comparison to Skye should be taken as a compliment. Which by the way, proves my point. Poppy is more than a friend.”

“She can’t be.”

Cal sighed and rubbed his forehead. “You should have told Aiden and me about the eviction. Between the two of us, we’re bound to know someone who can help. Aiden has a realtor on speed dial. Ever think of buying something?”

“I doubt I could get a loan.”

“Maybe not in two weeks, but that doesn’t mean never. Like I said, you’re more than welcomed to my guest room.”

“Thanks but looks like I’ve landed on your fiancée’s bad side.”

Cal waved his hand. “She’s fiercely protective of Poppy and Chris, but she forgives easily.”

“Thank goodness for that,”

I said. “Even so, you and Rowan have enough going on without adding a houseguest.”

“The offer stands.”

I nodded. I could feel my emotions building: panic that I was about to lose my home, guilt that I’d upset my friends, and sadness, always the bone-crushing sadness that I’d ruined so many lives, including my own. I craved physical pain to still my racing thoughts and blunt the anguish. A single slice of a razor blade. Maybe two. But I’d promised Cal and Aiden last summer I was done cutting, and I meant to keep that promise, even if it upped the number of panic attacks I had. And I’d do everything in my power to keep them from seeing me fall apart. “I think I’ll head out. I don’t want everyone focused on me.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, brother, I’m sure. Call me when you’re ready to leave, and I’ll drive you home.”

“Won’t be necessary. Aiden can crash with me, and Cammie and Lauren already had plans to stay at her place. We can all walk. We’ll be too drunk to feel the cold.”

We both climbed out of the booth, and he gave me a crushing hug. “I’ll tell everyone you got the runs and had to leave.”

“Fuck you,”

I said, pounding his back.

“Here,”

he said, handing me his keys. “Did Aiden already give you his?”

I nodded and put Cal’s keys in my jacket pocket. “Thanks, brother. Tell Aiden I’ll pick him up tomorrow whenever he’s ready and drop off your keys.”

“Will do. I’ll make some other excuse for you ditching us, but you’ve got to admit, the runs works pretty well.”

“Good night,”

I said and smiled at him despite how tense I felt.

I watched Cal weave through the bar to the back where a small crowd had gathered to watch Poppy and Aiden go head-to-head at darts. I wanted to join them and wrap my arms around Poppy between throws. Maybe drive her to my place after I dropped everyone safely home and spend the rest of the night worshipping every precious inch of her body. Instead, I slid into my jacket, feeling the comforting weight of Aiden’s and Cal’s keys, and listened to my dad’s voice remind me that I didn’t deserve to be that happy.