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

by Brooke St. James

  "What do you mean?" I asked.

  "You said your brother could grill burgers, or… and then you didn't finish."

  "Because I thought it might be a little much to ask for you to meet my family. I've got two little nephews who are all over the place, and my brother's a little protective of me. Plus, they'd probably call my parents who would undoubtedly drop by. There would definitely be an impromptu dinner party if I told them you were coming."

  "What's wrong with that?"

  "I didn't think you'd be up for that."

  "Sure I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

  "Will's gonna give you a hard time," I said.

  He smiled and shrugged as if he was the most confident person in the world. I knew from the conversation we just had that he was big into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and I knew he thought he could take my brother in a fight if it came to that.

  I smiled at him. "He's not gonna fight you," I said. "He's just gonna give you a hard time verbally."

  Theo nudged his chin at me with a little smile. "Jiu-Jitsu works for that, too," he said. I squinted at him, and he said. "I can handle your brother," as he stood up and stretched. He reached his hand out to help me up, and I gave him my hand, feeling thankful for the contact even though I was completely capable of standing up on my own.

  Theo held onto my hand as we walked across the deck and down onto the sandy shore. We hadn't discussed going for a walk, but I followed his lead because I would follow his lead just about anywhere.

  "Do you remember what I told you about getting that four thousand dollars before I left Canada?" he asked as we walked. "I remember you telling me that's what you started out with."

  "Do you remember what I said about it?"

  "That looking back, you thought you got tricked or something?"

  He held onto my hand as we walked. "I was wondering if you caught that," he said. "I wanted to tell you not to mention that part of it to anyone else if you don't mind. It's common knowledge that my journey to America started with four thousand dollars. I told that much on the documentary. I told about the hotel Bible and everything, too. I've just never said to anyone that I thought the guy cheated me. Nobody's ever heard that part of the story. You're the first, and it would really mean a lot to me if you just kept it to yourself. I still haven't figured out how I feel about that guy."

  Theo carried himself like a man who was in control, but there was an edge of vulnerability to his voice when he spoke about that subject, and the sound of it made me bring his hand up to my chest. I held it next to my heart as we walked slowly on the shore.

  "What did he do?" I asked.

  "I can't say for sure," he said. "I haven't confronted him about it or anything. But I'm pretty sure I got taken for a lot of money. I thought the guy was trying to help me. He scared me about the foster system, and then he pumped me up to go out into the world and make it."

  "He must've done a pretty good job of pumping you up," I said.

  Theo shook his head. "He might've just done that so he could take my parents' money."

  "Wouldn't he be accountable to someone?" I asked. "Wouldn't they come looking for you?"

  "No one came looking for me. And as for that man's accountability, I don't know what to think. I'm kind of scared of what I'd find if I tried to talk to him. I might become enraged and try to hurt him or something, and he's got to be really old by now. I thought about confronting him, but it is what it is, and I am who I am."

  "I won't tell anyone," I said.

  I was holding Theo's hand with both of mine and I absentmindedly played with the little scar on the edge of his finger. "I had that desk and some other furniture sent to New York," he said. "I needed some bookcases for storage in the collective, so I salvaged that desk and a few other things. I wouldn't have taken that desk if it hadn't had our names on it."

  "It took you forever to carve that," I said. "I was so nervous being the lookout."

  "That wood was harder than I thought, and plus you have a really long name. I had to go back when you left town and make it deeper because I barely got to scratch the surface while you were there."

  "I wish I could see it," I said.

  "Come to New York."

  I smiled and shrugged. "You never know."

  "In the meantime, I'll send you a picture of it when I get home."

  I felt a sharp pang in my chest at the sheer mention of him going home. I was heartbroken already, and he was standing right next to me. I had to remind myself to enjoy the moment for what it was.

  "I guess you should call your family and let them know I'll be joining you for dinner," he said as we continued to stroll down the beach.

  It was a busy stretch of shoreline, and we could hear the sounds of people talking and laughing. We could still hear the band that was playing at the restaurant even though we had wandered off. I let go of his hands so that I could grab my phone. "I'll call her right now," I said.

  Theo stood next to me and watched the action on the beach while I talked to my sister-in-law. "How did it go?" she asked as she picked up the phone. Her voice was laced with excitement like she was expecting all the details right then.

  I smiled at Theo hoping he couldn't hear her. "Good," I said casually.

  "Are you still with him? She asked, taking the hint.

  "Yes."

  "Is he right there?"

  "Yes," I said. "We are thinking about having burgers with y'all if Will still wanted to do that."

  "Really? Of course. Is he coming over?"

  "Yep."

  "The guy from the library?" she asked.

  "Yep."

  "The one from Canada?" she asked. "The one you kissed?"

  I didn't answer those last questions. She was being dense on purpose because she knew Theo was standing right next to me. "So, we'll come over later," I said.

  "Okay, so we'll see you guys at what time?" she asked.

  "Six? I'm full right now, so it's hard for me to even think about dinner."

  "You'll be hungry by then," Katie said.

  "What can we bring?" I asked.

  "Nothin'," she said. "I'll send your brother to the store. Just bring your new beau."

  "Make my brother behave, please," I said.

  "I'll try," she said.

  "All right, we'll come over a little before six. Thank you. Text me if you change your mind and want us to bring something."

  I hung up with Katie.

  "Do you want to come with me to check out the house where I'm staying?" Theo asked. "I was thinking we could go get the car I left at the library and park it at the house I reserved in Stuart. I think it's supposed to be really nice. It's got a pool and everything if you're into that."

  I smiled. "I'm into that. Do you mind if we run by my house to grab a swimsuit and let Elroy out?"

  He nodded. "Let's do that first, and then we will go to the library to pick up my car."

  ***

  "Which one's yours?" I asked as I pulled into the library parking lot an hour later.

  I drove a little VW car that was neither old nor new. It was just a little white Jetta that got me from one place to the other. Theo insisted that Elroy could come along, so he was riding in the backseat.

  "It's the black one," Theo said.

  "The Range Rover?" I asked, feeling surprised.

  I knew he had a rental car, but I didn't even know they rented Range Rovers. "Can you rent a Range Rover?" I asked.

  He smiled. "You can rent anything."

  "We should've driven that instead of my car," I said.

  "I'm glad we took your car," he said. "I like your car. And you know where you're going."

  "Yeah, but I can still know where I'm going while I drive that thing," I said, pointing at the swank SUV.

  I had parked next to his rental vehicle in the library parking lot, and Theo looked at me from the passenger's side of my car before he got out. The seat was pushed back all the way, and even still, he was too big for my little car. He smiled at me a
nd reached for the handle like he was about to open the door. Elroy had his head out of the window in the backseat, sniffing the unfamiliar air around the library. I watched as Theo got out and then closed the door. Elroy was in the front seat before the door was even closed, and Theo stooped so that he could stare at me from outside.

  "He barely waited for my butt to be out of the seat," he said.

  I laughed. "He thinks he gets to ride shotgun."

  Theo reached through the open window and patted Elroy on the head. Elroy whined and put his paws on the door as if he wanted to go with Theo.

  "Does he want to ride with me?" he asked. He looked at Elroy. "Do you want to ride with me?" Elroy proceeded to jump out of the window. He always waited for me to open the car door, but this time, he jumped straight out of the window.

  "Elroy!" I said, peering out of my car to see if he was all right. "I've never seen him do that. Is he okay?"

  "He's fine," Theo said, looking down at my dog. "Can he ride with me?"

  I watched as Theo opened the driver's side door of the Range Rover, and Elroy jumped in. He sprang from the foot panel to the driver's seat, and then moved effortlessly into the passenger's seat. He tilted his head at me as if jumping out through the window to ride with Theo was a completely normal thing for him to do.

  I shrugged and gave Theo a dumbfounded look. "I guess he's riding with you."

  Chapter 9

  Will and Katie invited half of Florida over for dinner that night. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but there were more people than I expected. My parents were there, and so were Mr. & Mrs. Nichols. They were an older couple who lived nearby and was close to our family. Mr. Steve had retired from a career at the power plant and now he worked at the market, smoking fish with my dad and brother. Steve and Brenda had four grown kids, and two of them (college age boys, Zack and Colby) were also at Will and Katie's.

  They had a big, open living room, and we were all sitting around after we finished our dinner. My brother had a giant television and all the latest games and gadgetry. His boys weren't even old enough to appreciate all the gaming options Will had in that living room.

  We had all been talking with the TV on in the background, but Will turned on a racing game called Mario Kart where four players raced cars or motorcycles on various tracks. It was one of the only games I knew how to play, so I was glad it was the one he chose. My six-year-old nephew, Ben, also knew how to play, and he started jumping up and down when he saw the words come across the screen.

  "I'm gonna play, I'm gonna play," he yelled. "I'm gonna be Bowser in the baby stroller!"

  "Why don't you get Mom to make you some ice cream?" Will suggested, handing remotes to Zack and Colby. "Daddy's gonna race one with the grownups, and then we'll do a little round on 50cc for you and K.K." (My nephews called me K.K. even though Caroline started with a C.)

  "Thanks a lot," I said sarcastically to my brother for his comment about Ben and me needing a slower track.

  "I was just messing with her," Will said, winking at me but talking to Theo as he handed him the third remote. "She can beat me at this game."

  "I'm sitting this one out, though," I said. "I'm gonna go help Katie in the kitchen." I smiled at Theo. "You don't have to play."

  He looked at the screen, which showed Zack and Colby in the process of choosing their character. He smiled. "I'll play a round with them."

  I had been right next to Theo since we arrived at my brother's house, so I hadn't yet had the chance to speak with any of my family about him. My mom and Ms. Brenda were outside with Will's three-year-old, so Katie was the only one in the kitchen when I made my way in there. She handed her son the ice cream sandwich he had been promised and told him to go outside to meet Grams. Just as soon as he started to walk off, she looked up, regarding me with wide eyes and an intense expression.

  "What?"

  "Him!" she whispered intensely.

  "I know."

  "Me and Will knew that guy right when you walked in," she continued. "Colby, too."

  "Theo? How?"

  "Yes!" she said. "We recognized him right when you got here. We saw this whole miniseries about him on Netflix. I can't believe you didn't see that. He's got this famous gallery in New York. Will and Colby looked it up and showed everybody a few minutes of the show when your dad was outside showing y'all around. It's obviously the same guy. He looks just like him, and his name's Theo. I mean who else could it—yes, baby, you can have some ice cream, too," she added in a cooing tone.

  I glanced over my shoulder to see my mom coming inside with an offended three-year-old on her hip. "I told you all we had to do was come ask, and she'd give you one!" my mom said, taking the sandwich from Katie and handing it to Jack. He held onto it with his toddler fingers as my mom peeled the wrapper from the top of it with one hand. She looked at me once the paper ripped. "Your brother thinks your friend is the person from a film he saw about—"

  "I know," I said. "Katie was just telling me that."

  "Is it him?" my mom asked.

  "Probably," I said. "He talked about doing a documentary."

  "Well, if it was the same guy, surely you'd know about it. This thing Colby and Will brought up was the real deal," she whispered, looking impressed. "It was on Netflix. Professionally done. It looked like a real movie. It was all about how he bought a whole building in New York City and turned it into a compound. Can you imagine? A whole building! You don't think it could be the same guy, do you?"

  "It's gotta be him," Katie said. "It would be too big of a coincidence to have someone else named Theo who looked exactly like that."

  "Well, I think we should ask him," my mom said.

  "It's him," I said. "He's got a collective in New York, and he's mentioned being in a documentary."

  We all glanced into the living room to make sure everyone was busy playing or watching the game, which they were.

  "You didn't tell me all this," my mom said, focusing on me with a hurt expression.

  "I didn't know. I just found out all of that this morning. I didn't even know it was that big of a deal that you and Will would know about it."

  "All he had to do was search the internet, and it came up," my mom said. "They knew the name of the place and everything. It was something about shaving and showering. I don't know what that means."

  "It Shower & Shelter," Katie said. "I watched it when it first came out. I can't believe that's the same guy."

  "I really didn't know it was that big of a deal," I said. "He told me he's been in the documentary, but I didn't realize you guys would have seen it."

  She shrugged. "Will watched it too. It was good. It was just one of those that came up on our recommended, so we checked it out."

  "I better get you outside with this," Mom said. I could tell she was reluctant to leave, but Jack's sandwich was starting to drip. "I think he's nice," my mom added.

  "He is nice," Katie said. "That was the point of the whole documentary. Do you think it could really be the same guy?" she asked, staring at his back in amazement. Theo was leaning to the side as his character hugged a curve on the game.

  "It's gotta be the same guy," I said.

  "And you met him when we went to Canada?" my mom asked. She wore a somewhat confused expression as if she was still putting all the pieces together. Jack's sandwich was really beginning to drip by then, so Mom grabbed a couple of paper towels and headed outside with him, looking regretful that she wasn’t able to stay and listen to what we were saying.

  "What'd you do all day?" Katie asked. She smiled at me like she was anxious to get down to the nitty-gritty, and I laughed at her.

  "I met him at the library, and then we went down to the Tiki Bar for lunch. He's staying in Stuart at this gorgeous place he found on Airbnb. It's someone's guesthouse. We went over there and went swimming in his pool. Elroy loves him."

  "You went swimming?" she asked smiling and wiggling her eyebrows like it was the best thing she had heard so far. "Did you see hi
m without a shirt?"

  I laughed and pushed at her shoulder. The memory of Theo without a shirt caused a sensation in my lower abdomen. I remember the way he flirted with me in the pool and how good he looked with wet hair.

  "Oh my gosh, you did see him without a shirt, and you're dreaming about it right now!" she said, teasing me. "Does he know about Justin?" was the very next thing she asked. She asked it with a smile as if that were an obvious next question, but it took me off guard and I gave her a sideways stare.

  "Why would you ask that?"

  She shrugged. "I just wondered if you told him there was a Justin."

  "I mean, he knows I was supposed to get married, but I haven't really said much. That was a long time ago. Why are you asking that?"

  "Because you and Justin were in a long-distance relationship," she said. "It was a guy who lived in a different city that broke your heart."

  "You don't have to remind me of that," I said.

  "I'm just making sure you warned him that we're sensitive to scumbags who try to date you in Florida and go be with whoever on the side."

  She was being serious, but I just smiled at her and shook my head. "Katie, what happened with me and Justin isn't even a factor," I said. It was a little bit of a lie, but I didn't want her or my brother worrying about it since I did enough worrying for myself. "And I'm not even there yet with Theo. I'm not even thinking like that with him. I'm just finding out right now that he's more famous than I thought he was, apparently. All I know is he's staying till Monday. Beyond that, there's no commitment. No plans."

  "I just hope he knows you have a whole group of people down here who have your back."

  "He can see that," I said.

  She and I stood there and stared at the boys as they finished a race, yelling at how close it was. They all laughed and high-fived each other, commenting on who was the best and who was the worst and smack talking the way guys do.

  "Did you kiss him?" she asked.

  I glanced at her with a smile that confirmed her question.

  "At the library?"

  I nodded, making a silly face and let her know I was withholding information.

  "And other places?"