Page 3 of Theo (Stone Brothers #6)

"My last date was ten years older than me with a receding hairline.

" Mindy sighed. "Something he managed to hide in his dating profile picture, along with the fact that he worked for a stationery making company.

I mean, no one in this century writes letters on stationery.

Anyhow, he spent the whole date talking about how he was saving to buy a pop-up greenhouse for the balcony of his apartment.

Lofty goal indeed. He was nice enough but then he picked his teeth at the table. That assured me we were not a match."

"Did you tell me about that one?" I asked.

She tilted her head so it rested against mine. "Uh, you've been a bit preoccupied planning the royal wedding."

"Joan has been doing the planning. I'm just there to nod in approval at everything she suggests, even when I don't approve."

Mindy giggled and took my hand. "All right.

I'll give you that. The future mother-in-law is a check against the long list of the groom's agreeable attributes.

She is every bit the dragon lady you described.

I saw her berating one of the staff because the poor guy had filled the champagne glasses too high.

Can you imagine having a life that provides you with everything a person could want and then getting uptight over glasses being overfilled? "

"I can't. Oh, Mindy, I'm not sure I'm cut out for this life."

"You're good at everything you do, Lacey. You'll be good at this, too."

My phone buzzed. I pulled it out and groaned quietly. "I'm being ordered to come out of hiding." I flipped through to the photo of Theo. "Look what came up on my social media."

Mindy took hold of the phone. "Oh wow, those are the Stone boys you always talked about in college. They're like frosting on the finest damn cake. And Theo looks really happy. You miss him, don't you?" I'd confided in Mindy everything about my past and she'd done the same.

I hadn't expected the question, and it hit me like a blast of air. "Shit, Min, I guess I do. He was so much a part of growing up—my first kiss, my first—" I felt my face warm. "I was crazy about him."

"And now you're crazy about George." She sat forward and looked over at me. She lifted her red brow at me in question. "Right?"

I nodded unenthusiastically. "Not crazy but then I'm not a teenager anymore. You know how heightened emotions were back then. I used to cry about the stupidest shit and get giddy about even stupider shit."

"I still do," Mindy said. "The other morning, I burned my toast and then I burned my fingers on the blackened toast and tears welled in my eyes. I shit you not. Pathetic, right? Well, let's get the royal bride back out to her courtiers."

"Please, enough with the royalty analogies. I'm having a hard enough time out there as it is."

"I'm sorry, and no more analogies." She stood and held out her hand for me to take. The voices had grown louder, which meant more people had arrived. I wasn't ready to face them yet.

"I'm right behind you, Min. Need to do a few quick breathing exercises."

"All right, then I go into the den of lions alone." She looked back. "Better analogy."

"Much more accurate."

Mindy's dress flowed lazily around her legs as she walked out.

"You look beautiful, by the way," I called to her.

She paused, looked back and blew me a kiss. I pretended to catch it in the air.

I was alone again, in the stark, empty room.

I pulled out my phone and scrolled back to the picture of Theo.

His thick, dark-blond hair was still long and mostly out of control.

I used to love running my fingers through it, pretending to comb it for him.

Once I even gave him short braids. He wore a short beard and mustache now, and it made him look older, more mature.

Another abrupt text came through from George. It was just four question marks, but I could feel the heat of anger jumping off the screen.

"Coming," I texted back. Then I slid my thumb over to my contact list. It popped open.

I'd never deleted Theo's number. There was no need.

We hadn't spoken in several years. Before I could stop myself, my fingers flew over the keyboard.

"Why did you break my heart, Theo Stone?

" I wrote. Before I could realize that it was a stupid idea, I hit send.

I stared at the phone for a second, ready to kick myself for sending it.

He'd probably think I'd lost my fucking mind after all this time.

There was no response. He'd probably just block me after that.

I put the phone in the pocket of my dress and stood up.

I took a few deep breaths and willed my feet toward the door.

My phone buzzed. I pulled it out and read the text.

"Uh, I think you've got that backwards, Ace. You broke my heart, and it'll stay broken until the day you mend it."

A flood of past emotions came back as I stared at the text. I took another deep breath and pushed the phone back into my pocket. My heart was doing that fluttery dance it used to do whenever Theo came near me. I hadn't felt that same flutter since I left town.

"Oh stop, Lacey, you're not a teen anymore. No such thing as flutters. Now, go and face the lions," I said quietly as I reached for the door.