My American Angel (Shower & Shelter Artist Collective Book 6)

by Brooke St. James

"Don't tell her who you are if she doesn't already know," Zoe said, sticking her head out of their apartment door.

  "Your wife is bossing me around," Theo said with a deadpan expression aimed at Lane.

  Zoe knew Theo loved her and was just messing around. "You knooow I'm right," she said, teasing him. She closed the apartment door, and Theo and Lane shared a smile as Lane retreated toward his apartment.

  "Forward me her information, please," Theo said.

  "I will. I'm planning on it."

  "Right now?" Theo asked.

  Lane smiled. "Sure."

  "Thank you."

  Theo went into his apartment and picked up his phone immediately. He knew Lane would be quick to send the information and he was extremely anxious to get it.

  Lane sent a text to Theo that simply contained an email address. Caroline's name, first and last, were clearly written in her email address, and Theo's heart leapt at the sight of the name written out. He couldn't believe he was a push of a button from reaching out to the girl who had been a legend in his memory for so long.

  He wrote an email right away. He kept his message fairly vague just in case it was the wrong girl. He wasn't sure how it could be anyone else, but he wanted to feel it out. He emailed her from a personal Gmail account that didn't have anything to do with S&S.

  Caroline,

  I got your name from a man at the library in Montréal. I believe we might have met when we were kids. Did you travel to Montréal one summer when you were ten years old? Would you have come in contact with a boy named Theo who lived down the street?

  Theo

  He wanted to write more… he wanted to add details like the part about how her great-grandfather taught him to play chess, or how he remembered hiding behind bookcases and under desks, and running from her older brothers. He wanted to say a lot, but he kept it simple. He had no idea how she was coming into this or if she was even the right person. He pressed send on that email, and it was an hour later when he heard from her.

  Theo,

  I cannot believe I called a library in Montréal, Canada and they were able to put me in touch with you. I am really surprised that I was able to do that. I was telling a friend about that trip to Montréal recently, and you came to mind, so I decided to call. You must still live close to the library if the man knew you. I'm still down in south Florida. I'm wearing flip-flops to work today. I bet that's really different from where you are. Anyway, I just wanted to say I had fond memories of that summer. I hope your life turned out great. I think it's awesome that we were able to connect.

  All the best,

  Caroline

  Her email was so noncommittal and final sounding that it made Theo antsy and irritated. He typed another email to her that simply asked if he could please call her on the phone.

  He heard back within minutes.

  Her email included her cell number, and Theo clicked on it the instant he saw it.

  It began ringing, and he held it to his ear.

  Chapter 4

  Caroline

  "You have a New York number," was the way I answered the phone. It was an unconventional greeting, but I had expected to see a Canadian number and it was just the first thing that popped out of my mouth.

  "That's because I'm in New York," he said.

  His accent was so perfectly American that a wave of worry washed over me. I was quiet as I contemplated whether or not this person could be the Theo I knew as a child.

  "I think I might have the wrong… the person I was trying to contact spoke French."

  Just then, the same deep voice that had been speaking perfect English said a whole phrase in French. I had no idea what he was saying, of course, but the ease at which he transitioned from one to the other made me realize that this might indeed be the Theo I knew. My heart began pounding. I listened to his phrase in French, and then I just sat quietly on the other end, feeling too shaken up to think of what to say next.

  "This is gonna trip me out if you're the same Theo I met at the library when I was a kid."

  "I am him," he said. "I'm the only Theo at that library who was ten years old twenty years ago. And I met a girl named Caroline back then, so I'm almost sure I'm the right guy. It would be pretty amazing if there were two of us that match those specs."

  "I don't know what to say," I said. "I didn't think I would actually be able to get in touch with you, and it's just a trip hearing you speak English so well. I'm speechless. It's unbelievable to me that you could be the same guy."

  "Would it help if I said something else in French?"

  "Yes," I said (just because I wanted to hear him again).

  He said a couple of sentences in perfect French. I understood the word for library, and he said my name as well. My whole body was clinched tightly with excitement as I listened to him. I unintentionally held my breath.

  "Are you there?" he asked after a few seconds of silence.

  "Yes."

  "Is that enough to convince you?"

  "I think so," I said. "It's just still hard to believe."

  "If you need more proof, I could also tell you that I brought a pocket knife into the library, and we carved our names into a desk."

  "I remember that," I said. I spoke softly because I felt breathless. "I thought you were the coolest person ever for doing that."

  "I still have that desk," he said.

  "You do?"

  "Yes. I salvaged it and a few other things when we built the new library. I also saved the table and chess set your great-grandfather used to use all the time, if you're interested in that."

  "Really?" I asked. I was stunned, honestly. "Do you work at the library or something?" I asked.

  He let out a little laugh. "No, I'm in New York," he said.

  "I know. I remember you saying that. But you also said when we built the library, so I just assumed you were—"

  "I don't work at the library, but I do stay connected with them somewhat."

  "I guess that's how Charles was able to reach you."

  "Yes it is," Theo said with a smile his voice. "What is it that you do, Caroline?" he asked.

  "I work at my family's seafood market," I said. "We have a business right on the water. We sell fish, basically."

  "And this is a business you started with your husband?" Theo asked.

  His question took me off guard, and I cleared my throat. "It was my mom and dad who started the business," I said. "My brother and I both work for them, and we have shares in the company, but it was my parents who started it." I paused for a second and then somewhat awkwardly added, "I'm not married. I was going to be, but I'm not. It didn't happen. It was supposed to happen yesterday. I'm sorry for saying that. I'm giving you too much information because I'm nervous."

  "Why are you nervous?"

  "Because I didn't think I'd get in touch with you. I wasn't expecting to be talking on the phone to my fake Canadian boyfriend right now."

  "Why weren't you married yesterday?" he asked, blowing past my fake Canadian boyfriend comment.

  "Because I broke up… we broke up. We broke up a long time ago. Yesterday was just supposed to be the day we… I'm embarrassed that I even mentioned it. It's not a big deal. Are you married?"

  I clinched my eyes and my fists shut, making myself stop talking! I was so full of nerves that I had to take long, deep breaths to keep from panicking as I waited for his answer.

  "I'm not married," he said. "Nor have I ever been."

  While we were conveniently on the subject of getting married, I was tempted to bring up our pact, but obviously I couldn’t. I fought against the urge. "And you live in New York?" I asked.

  "Yes," he said. He made a short humming sound like he was about to add something but then decided not to.

  "Were you going to say something?" I asked.

  "No, I was just going to say that I still go to Montréal sometimes."

  "I haven't been back since the last time I saw you," I said.

  "That was a long time
ago," he said. "I bet we've both changed since then."

  "I still remember what you look like," I said.

  "Me too," he said. "I don't remember a ton of things from that far back, but I remember you."

  "Did you understand anything I said to you back then?" I asked.

  "A little," he said. "But mostly, no."

  "Because I told you I was gonna call when I was thirty," I said. "That's why it crossed my mind to call you."

  "I don't remember you saying that," he said. "I remember trying to listen to you, but I was unpracticed in English, and I kept being distracted by your face. Why did you say you were going to call me at thirty? What made you choose that number?"

  "I saw it in a movie," I said since I couldn't think of anything better to say than the truth.

  "What happened in the movie?" he asked.

  "I don't remember."

  "What did you think would happen when you called me?"

  "I don't know. It's crazy that I'm actually talking to you. It kind of reminds me of a message in a bottle—you never think it will actually happen to you, but now it is."

  "What are you saying?" he asked in a sweet tone as if honestly trying to understand.

  "I actually have no idea," I said. "I don't think the two are similar at all. I just felt like they were for a second. I still do actually. Basically, I think of you as a message in a bottle even though I can't explain why."

  "What do I say?" he asked with a smile in his voice.

  "You mean if you were a message, what would you say?"

  "Yeah."

  "You tell me," I said. "What would you say?"

  "I'll have to think about that for a minute. I'm just finding out that I'm a message."

  "Take your time," I said.

  "In the meantime," Theo said, "I think it's only fair that you text me a picture."

  I put Theo on speakerphone so that I could text him a recent picture. I had one I liked of myself from about a year before where I was really dressed up for a wedding, but instead I sent a recent one my brother had taken of me and my dog. We were out on my parents' dock, and I had my hair in a ponytail and my feet dangling off the edge.

  "What kind of dog is that?" Theo asked as soon as the picture came through.

  "He's got the body of a boxer with the brindle markings and everything, but his head's more like a lab or blue heeler or something. He's a mutt, basically, but I love him. Elroy."

  "I can only see the side of your face in this picture," he said. "There's more of Elroy than there is of you."

  "You go first, and then I'll send another," I said.

  "Do you want a picture of me?" he asked.

  "Of course I do. It's only fair."

  I was staring at my phone when the text came through. I could see from the thumbnail size of it that Theo was handsome. He looked exactly like I thought he would. He looked exactly like an older version of the ten-year-old I knew. I tapped on the picture, making it come to full-size. Goodness gracious, I couldn't even bear to look at it. I glanced at it briefly before holding the phone to my chest and squeezing my eyes closed.

  "Are you there?" Theo asked.

  "You gave me a picture of your face," I said.

  "I sure did."

  "You look just like you."

  "I hope so," he said.

  "I mean, really," I marveled, staring at it. "You're him."

  "I told you I was him," he said.

  It was a mind blowing experience, seeing his face in the picture and hearing his voice come through the speaker. I almost felt like his photograph could see me, I caught myself straightening my posture as I stared at his face. His hair was darker than it had been when we were kids. I still had pretty light hair, but it used to be platinum blonde, and now it was more like brownish-blonde with lighter tips thanks to a little help from my friend from high school who now owned a salon.

  "You look the same," I said, still marveling at his picture."

  "I wish I could say the same for you," he said. "But unfortunately, I'm only able to see Elroy in this picture."

  I laughed. "That's not true, but I'll send you another one."

  I scrolled through my photographs, trying to decide which one to send. I decided on one my mom had taken of my brother and me at the store. I chose it because it was one of my most recent pictures and you could clearly see my face.

  "Is this your brother?" Theo asked as soon as a text went through.

  "Yes."

  "I think I recognize him. He terrorized me."

  "He terrorized you because he thought you wanted to kiss me."

  "I did want to kiss you," Theo said. "And I did kiss you. His plans to stop me didn't work."

  "Nope," I said. "They sure didn't."

  We were silent for several long seconds. I became nervous and considered about three different topics but was unable to decide on one.

  "What did you think you'd say when you turned thirty and called me?" he asked. "Is this the conversation you had in mind when you were ten years old?"

  I couldn't tell him the truth about my original plan, which was that we would be married. "I guess I just thought I would call you and say hey what's up," I said.

  "Just 'hey, what's up? We used to be ten and now we're thirty. Here's a picture of what we look like now', and that's it? Do you want to maybe at least plan to exchange pictures again when we're 50?"

  "Yeah, no, I'm sure that's not really what I was thinking," I said.

  "What were you thinking?"

  "I'm sure I was basically planning a full ride into the sunset with you," I said, laughing a little at myself.

  "A full ride?" he asked, teasing me. "Not just a partial ride?"

  "A full ride," I said. "But don't worry; I don't expect that now. I actually didn't expect you to contact me back, or for any of this to be happening."

  Theo and I talked for about an hour after that.

  I sent him a better picture of me, and he said sweet things about my appearance and the fact that I was the same girl he remembered from all those years ago. I was relieved that he remembered our encounter so well. It was a little bittersweet learning that he didn't understand much of what I said, but he remembered a lot, and we laughed about hiding from my brother and the librarians, and the way Theo cut his finger with the pocket knife and tried to act like it didn't hurt.

  We asked each other questions about our lives now, sometimes giving silly answers and sometimes giving serious ones. Theo was open with me about some things, but he gave vague answers to some of my questions that had to deal with his job. I had the feeling he was a good person, but there were definitely a few things he was keeping private. I almost felt like maybe he worked for a government agency, like some special ops, top-secret, 007 stuff.

  In spite of the fact that I knew I wasn't getting full disclosure from Theo, I had fun catching up with him. It was interesting to hear about some of the places his life had taken him and some of the situations he had been in. He also spoke in French a few more times upon my request.

  "I've got to go," Theo said out of nowhere. "I'm supposed to get dinner with a few friends, and I'm already running late."

  "Oh, I'm so sorry," I said.

  "No, it was my choice to talk to you. I got dressed while we were talking. The problem is that I pushed it to the last minute, and now I really have to just hang up the phone."

  "Okay, well, I'm really glad we connected," I said. "I had fun talking to you."

  "I did too," he said. "I think we should have a replay of Montréal, don't you?"

  "What's that mean?"

  "It means I think we should see each other again."

  "Are you suggesting one of us get on a plane and go to another city?" I asked.

  "I suppose that will have to happen, seeing how there is quite a bit of distance between us. Why, does it seem crazy?" he asked.

  "A little," I said.

  "Are you up for it?"

  "Yes."

  Chapter 5

&n
bsp; "So, you're gonna hook up with him after twenty years?" Katie asked a few days later when I was having dinner with her and my brother.

  "She didn't say anything about hooking up," my brother said, looking at his wife from next to her in the booth.

  Katie squinted at him. "She knows what I mean," she said. "Meet up. I was just asking if she was gonna meet up with him, Will."

  Will peeled open an edamame pod and skillfully popped the three beans into his mouth with one side of the casing. Katie knew I loved sushi, so she and my brother usually called me when they went out for it. My nephews, Ben and Jack, were 6 and 3, and they preferred mac and cheese, so they stayed at my parents' house.

  "Are you?" Will asked, looking at me. "Are you meeting him in person?"

  I shrugged. "I think we might," I said.

  "I thought you just said he already made plans," Katie said.

  "I know," I said.

  "Then why did you just say you think you might?" Will asked. "Is he coming here or not?"

  "He is. I'm just nervous about it, so it's crazy for me to say it out loud."

  "What are you nervous about?" Katie asked.

  "Everything. The fact that I haven't seen him in twenty years. Plus, he leaves stuff out when I ask him certain questions."

  "What the heck does that mean?" My brother asked with a protective expression. "I hope you're not inviting some wack-o over here."

  "I hope not either," I said. "I can tell he's really smart, so that makes me feel a little better."

  "Smart wack-o's are the scariest kind," Will said, eating a piece of nigiri. "They're the ones who play mind games." He made a really serious expression at me, and I rolled my eyes at him.

  "You let him watch too many movies," I said looking at Katie.

  "Why do you say he leaves stuff out when you talk to him?" She asked. "Do you think he's being dishonest with you?"

  "No," I said. "If I distrusted him I would never agree to meet." I paused for a second and then added, "He is slightly elusive, though."

  "How? Why? What does he do that's elusive?" Katie asked.

  "How many times have you talked to this character?" Will asked.

  "Twice." I said. I turned to Katie to answer her question about being elusive, but Will cut in again.