I wrinkled my nose. “Do I need to be worried?”
Theo shrugged. “Maybe. She even knows what kind of shampoo and deodorant I use. She followed me around the grocery store the other day and bought some so I’d have it ‘at her place.’ Who does that after a one-night stand?”
“Was it really only one night?” I crossed my arms and stared him down.
Theo face reddened. “Well, I mean, she was willing… and she followed me home.”
“Theo!” I said, groaning.
“What?”
“Just on principle, I should refuse to help you.”
“Okay, then just on principle, these sessions cost fifty bucks each from now on. So you owe me roughly…”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Fine. But drinks are on you this week.”
Theo grunted and threw a medicine ball at me. “Crunches. Two sets of thirty. Then we’re done.”
After our workout, we headed back to the cottage in my Wrangler for breakfast, leaving Theo’s clunker abandoned at Starbucks. He made us egg white omelets with cheese and tomatoes, while I blended up some mango, pineapple, and spinach smoothies. As yummy as the food was, I barely tasted it. Being back at home reminded me of West all over again.
On the way to the Edge, I worked up the nerve to ask him for insight. “So, Theo, if I ask you something, can you keep it just between us?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“It’s about West, and I know the guy code, bros before hoes, and all that.”
“Nah, I wouldn’t do that to you.”
Hesitating, I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel. “What’s the story with him and Aubrey?”
Theo hesitated. “I’m not sure I know the whole story. I know his parents and her parents are close, like, really close. And they always hoped Aubrey and West would end up together. I think Aubrey did too. And West just kind of seemed to go along with the whole thing. Like, he was usually her date for the gala at the end of the summer, or if there was some big social event. But I haven’t seen them together since he moved down here from Chicago last year. So who knows? Plus, I heard she was dating some football player.”
I swallowed uncomfortably. Aubrey and West had a history together. A pretty long history, it sounded like. And Aubrey didn’t strike me as the type to not get what she wanted. West’s story about the football player seemed to check out, but maybe Aubrey was hoping to rekindle things with West on the rebound?
Theo watched me. “Does that mean there’s something going on with you two? Did you hook up with him more than once?”
“No! But I worked with Aubrey on… a little project, and she threw out that West was hers.”
“Bitch was marking her territory, huh?”
“Theo!”
“Well, wasn’t she?” Theo sounded unrepentant. “She’s manipulative, so be careful around her.”
“She do something to you?” His anger sounded a little personal.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he muttered, looking out the window.
“Did you and her…. ever?”
“What? Hell, no. I wouldn’t touch her if my life depended on it.”
Curious about his strong reaction, I studied him. There was a story there, but I’d respect his privacy for now. Besides, we were almost at work. I didn’t have time to pry it out of him. “You know I’m here if you ever need to talk.”
He nodded.
“What’s the deal with West? When I asked who was a good hook-up the other night, you didn’t mention him.”
“’Cause he’s not a good choice. Girls fall for him. Often and hard. And he’s nice enough about it, doesn’t lead anyone on or anything, but something about him makes girls go nuts. They chase him until it’s just embarrassing. I’ve heard the bathroom at the Wreck is a shrine to him. Not that I’ve investigated that particular claim.”
I wrinkled my nose.
Theo glanced at me. “No one would be surprised if you went for him again. Like I said, lots of girls do. It’s ridiculous. I just don’t want to see the aftermath. It’s never pretty.”
Taking a deep breath, I nodded. Note to self — no turning into a West zombie.
Pulling into the employee lot, we grabbed our bags and headed toward the locker rooms. “Hey, Theo, when we get out there, make me an iced coffee, will ya? I need some caffeine.”
He grinned. “I’ll make it a double.”
Work sucked. Kendra called in sick, and the pool was packed. The only time I had a spare second to even think about anything other than lifeguarding duties was during the adult swim break every hour, when I blew the whistle and everyone under sixteen had to clear the pool for ten minutes. And during those breaks, I was trying to help poor Theo.
Chelsea had shown up, all right, and hadn’t budged from her stool by Theo’s hut the whole morning. It was like she was chaperoning him or something. I came over every chance I got, but at this point, I was about to float away from all the drinks he kept making me. We were acting like a flirty couple, but Chelsea did not seem to be taking the hint. Or maybe she just didn’t care. It was hard to tell.
Around one, I was trying to quickly eat the turkey sandwich Theo handed me during my break. “Thanks, babe,” I said, leaning over to brush his hair off his forehead. I could hear Chelsea hiss on the other side of the bar.
Theo pressed his lips together and leaned over the bar toward me. “Why isn’t she leaving? I’ve done my best to ignore her and flirt with you. What am I doing wrong?”
I peeked around him. Chelsea’s eyes were glued to us. “She’s stubborn, isn’t she? We’ll just have to up our game.” Speaking louder, I arched my spine. “Sweetie, my back has a knot in it. Could you help me out?”
Theo rolled his eyes, since Chelsea couldn’t see his face, but managed to make his answer sound suggestive. “Sure thing, Sadie.”
Coming around from behind the bar, he slid up close to me and dug his thumbs into the tender flesh along my spine, rubbing in circles. I arched more and groaned, trying to play it up. “Oh yeah, right there. Your hands are amazing.”
Theo ducked his head and whispered in my ear. “I can’t take much more. I’m going to bend you over the bar and shove my tongue down your throat in a minute if she doesn’t leave soon. Think that’ll get the point across?”
Chelsea fumed at me, the flames from her eyes almost searing me with their intensity. “Theo!” I squealed, swatting his hip. “Not at work.” I giggled and pressed my hands to my cheeks, like he had said something naughty.
With a huff, Chelsea slid off her stool and marched away, shooting one last glare in my direction.
Theo froze behind me, his hands still on my back. “It worked, didn’t it?”
I smiled at him smugly. “What’d I tell you?”
Giving me a quick hug, Theo resumed his position behind the bar. “You’re the best. I owe you.”
Nodding my emphatic agreement, I wadded up the wax paper with the remains of my lunch.
As I walked to the trash can, I almost ran smack into Aubrey, who was rounding the corner with three other perfectly-coiffed clones of hers. I stepped back, indicating for them to go ahead.
Aubrey stopped and removed her sunglasses, looking me over. I crossed my arms self-consciously, well aware that her chic resort-wear looked a lot more polished than my modest red two-piece bikini, messy bun, and bare feet. Her friends stopped behind her.
“Girls,” Aubrey started, tipping her head to one side. “This is Sadie. The photographer I told you about.”
“Sadie? I had a dog named Sadie once,” one of them sniffed. She had on mirrored sunglasses, so I couldn’t see her eyes.
My blood boiled, but I bit my tongue and waited, curious what this was all about.