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“You have some damn good siblings.”
Theo had the car propped on the jack, but the position required him to keep hold on the car to balance it. “Can you take that wrench and get them off?”
“Yes.” I had to stand directly in front of him, so my butt almost touched his crotch as I bent to remove the parts. It was unsexy, super unromantic, but I couldn’t help but feel a buzz from his heat radiating to me. His spicy cologne wafted toward me, and it took all my effort to not close my eyes and inhale.
The thing about attraction was that it wasn’t up to us. Even though I knew we’d never be anything I could still be attracted to him.
“Nice muscles, Hawthorne. You know your way around a wrench.”
“My dad made sure to teach me the basic things to survive on my own.” I loosened them all before undoing them with my fingers. “He showed me how to change a flat, fix drywall, do basic plumbing, and how to seed a lawn. The last one hasn’t been that life-changing.”
“Not yet at least. You never know when you’ll have a nice big yard with kids and dogs running around.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged as I gripped the wheel and took it off. “That’s not really my vision for the future.”
“What is?” he asked, his voice gentle as he stared at me with the same open expression that had my knees weakening.
“Just a nice condo. Exposed brick, maybe a patio for succulents and herbs.” My life would be at the hospital, working, and I’d just need a place to sleep and relax on off days. I didn’t have fantasies about houses or pets or kids. That wasn’t in the cards for me. My parents did that, and look how it turned out? My dad died, and my mom wasn’t the same person and basically forgot about Quentin and me. Even my brother and I were growing apart.
“I could picture you there. Some cool, artsy lamps hanging down. Some cool ivy or something. Yeah. That tracks with you. Some fancy bookshelves for all your studies. I can see it, Auds.”
My face warmed at his additions, which was silly. He was being kind. That was who Theo was.
“That’s the dream,” I muttered, setting the tire down. “Do you need me to grab the spare, or is it sturdy enough that you can finish?”
“I’ll take it from here. You’re one of a kind, girl.”
I ignored the swoop of my stomach from his words. He didn’t mean them to be anything special. Plenty of people knew all these things. “I’ll check on Em.”
She stopped crying and watched us, her rosy cheeks still red from the tears. “Can you show me how to do that? With Theo moving north next year, who will I call?”
“It’s not too hard.” I pulled out my phone. “There are videos online that explain all the steps in a super easy manner. I try to watch a few a month to prepare myself.”
“Yeah. I should do that. Thank you.”
“Sure.” I shrugged, tensing when she put her arm around me and hugged. She squeezed me hard, and my eyes closed. She smelled like a spicy perfume, and her clothes were soft. Theo had hugged me recently, and besides him, it had been years. And two Sanders children hugged me, and I liked it.
“Okay, it’s on, Emily. It’ll be good.” He stood with his hands on his trim hips, his face set in worry as he addressed us. “Audrey offered to either drive with you or drive you home. What would you prefer?”
“She can drive, please.”
“And you’re good to drive still?” Theo asked me, his lips pressing together.
I nodded. “I’ll get her home. Go pick up your siblings. I’ll just Uber home.”
“No,” he barked out before shaking his head. “I’m sorry, I meant, please don’t. I’ll drive you once I get them all fed. Don’t take a rideshare.”
“It’s no big deal. It’ll be like ten dollars.”
“Audrey, I’m begging you, let me take you to your car. Don’t leave. Promise?”
How could I not agree when Emily leaned into me and Theo stared at me with wide eyes? “Okay, I’ll wait for you.”
He sighed in relief and took off, leaving me with his sister. I wasn’t sure why Theo wanted me to wait, but I would.
Even though it blurred the lines between us, I was having a hard time staying away from him.
12
