More of the pieces of the Thea puzzle fell into place, and I wanted to junk-punch Davis for triggering her.
“Excuse me,” Davis bit out. “This is a private conversation.”
I expected Thea to cower or retreat, but she surprised me. Her cheeks pinked, and she squared her shoulders. “Then maybe you shouldn’t be having it in public, at Rho’s place ofwork. Or maybe you shouldn’t be having it at all because it sounds like none of this is your business.”
Davis’s jaw went slack as he stared at her for a moment. Then his gaze cut to me. “This is who you’re choosing to spend time with? She clearly has boundary issues and is prone to inappropriate outbursts.”
Thea’s fists clenched at her sides again. “Looks to me like you’re the one withboundaryissues, buddy.”
“How dare?—?”
“Davis,” I cut him off. “We aren’t dating anymore. We were never serious or exclusive. I don’t need you poking into my life or questioning who I spend time with. I think it’s best for both of us if we keep our distance for a while. I hope you find the person who will make you happy.”
“Spend time with?” he gritted out.
God, was that all he heard?
“You need to leave,” I said. My voice was calm and firm, but a trickle of unease slid through me at Davis’s persistence. It felt completely out of proportion given the time we’d spent together.
His eyes narrowed. “You’ll be begging to make this up to me in a few weeks.”
Thankfully, he turned on his heel and stomped off, just like a toddler throwing a tantrum.
I sighed, my shoulders slumping as I collapsed onto our soil display. “I’m so sorry. I swear I’m not usually a drama magnet.”
Thea’s gaze was still locked on Davis’s retreating form. Finally, she forced her focus away from him and toward me. “You need to be careful.”
“He’s annoying but harmless,” I assured her. “He’s just used to women in our town falling at his feet.”
She shook her head, her hair spilling over her shoulders. “You don’t know that. Just promise me you’ll be careful.”
The panic in her eyes had me hurrying to agree. “I will. If he keeps bothering me, I’ll talk to my brother.”
Thea’s brow furrowed. “The contractor?”
I chuckled. “No. But Shep would put the fear of God into him if I asked. I have three other brothers. The oldest, Trace, is the sheriff. He’d be more than happy to give Davis a little warning.”
Thea’s entire body stiffened at the wordsheriff, but she turned to grab another bag of soil, fighting through her reaction. “That’s a lot of siblings.”
I could tell she didn’t want to stay on the subject. Something about it had stirred up demons for her, and I knew how that was. I pushed off our pile and grabbed another bag. “Four brothers and two sisters. Since I was thirteen, anyway.”
Thea stilled, a bag halfway to our pile. Her eyes asked countless questions, but she didn’t voice them.
I appreciated that she didn’t want to push. I didn’t especially like dwelling on that time in my life. But maybe if I opened up to Thea, she’d eventually feel comfortable enough to tell me what she was running from. “My family passed away in a fire when I was thirteen. I didn’t really have any remaining relatives—not any that wanted me anyway. My best friend’s family took me in. They were already fostering others.”
Empathy washed over Thea’s expression as she dropped the bag of soil onto our pile. “I’m so sorry, Rho. I can’t imagine how hard that must’ve been.”
“It was. But I am incredibly lucky that I landed with the Colsons. They gave me a family when I needed it the most, and that has never stopped. A lot of foster kids aren’t nearly as lucky.”
Her lips rolled over her teeth as she nodded. “I’m glad you had that.”
Thea jerked, her eyes going wide as someone grabbed me from behind, pinching my side.
I shrieked, whirling to find Shep’s lopsided grin peeking out from below his ballcap. “You were in another world,” he said with a chuckle.
I smacked his chest. “It’s rude to sneak up on people.”
“Just keeping you on your toes.” Shep’s gaze moved from me to Thea, who had taken a few steps back. His eyes roamed over her face, stilling on her mouth for a beat longer than necessary. “Hi. I’m Shep.”
