eighteen dollars and thirty-two cents more than you did today.”
He ducked out of the hole in the ceiling.
“Ms. Witherspoon won the contest for me.” She waved a wad of receipts in the air.
“And I should trust your math?” He went back to the pipe without a reaction, not mentioning the town Christmas party. With a grunt, he pulled a large, rusty length of pipe out of the ceiling and climbed down the ladder, setting it on a tarp he’d brought in. Only then did he make eye contact.
“Of course you should trust me. I ring up bills and calculate tips for a living.” She tried to ignore the fact that he had a five o’clock shadow which made him look incredibly handsome, despite his dirty clothes. There was something irresistibly rugged about him. “So that means you’re taking me out tomorrow night.”
He wiped his hands on his jeans and picked up a section of new pipe. “I don’t go on dates,” he said, on his way back up the ladder.
Lila shoved the receipts into the pocket of her jeans. “Why not?” she asked, stepping over the old pipe and looking up the ladder at him.
He twisted the new pipe into place. “They’re useless.”
“Useless? So you mean to tell me that meeting people and enjoying the company of others is useless?”
“Yes.”
The timer on the oven went off, signaling the casserole had finished cooking.
“Dinner’s ready,” she said, wanting to continue the conversation.
That was the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard. Lila couldn’t imagine how she’d have gotten through the last few years without the companionship of others. The loss of her parents was more than anyone should have to deal with, and the fact that Theo would so flippantly say that being with people was useless made her blood boil. She could see now that getting Theo to enjoy himself was going to take a lot of work.
“I’m at a good stopping point for the night anyway,” he said from the ladder, pulling her back into the present moment. He climbed down, his neck and face full of dust from the sheetrock which he tried unsuccessfully to brush off. “Do you mind if I jump in the shower really quickly?”
“No problem,” she said, still wanting to shake him by the shoulders. If it killed her, she was going to change his mind. But she had her work cut out…
“What is all this?” Theo said, pulling her attention to the doorway, her breath catching on the sight of him in his fresh clothes and bare feet, his hair clean and wet from the shower.
His gaze swept across the small table, which she’d set with a tablecloth she’d found in the kitchen drawer and one of the candles that Piper had made burning in the center. Their plates were dressed with the dinner she’d prepared, and beside them, she’d placed a bottle of wine and two glasses.
“Practice,” she said.
He walked around to her side, and to her surprise he pulled out her chair, although his expression seemed to show irritation. He sat down. “If you’re expecting white tablecloths at the town Christmas party, you’re in the wrong place.”
“I’m not expecting that,” she said. “But tonight isn’t the Christmas party. It’s dinner. You’ve worked a long day and you get to share a meal with a nice person.” She batted her eyelashes playfully, that slight grin forming at the corners of his mouth before he straightened it back out.
“I know how to treat a person on a date,” he said. “I just don’t choose to go on dates.” He sat down across from her, the flame from the candle showing off flecks of silver in his blue eyes.
“Why do you think they’re useless?” she asked, resuming their conversation from before.
“Because I prefer to be by myself.”
She picked up her glass of wine, the rich taste of it evening out her mood a bit. “And why is that?”
He scooped up a forkful of casserole and took a bite, not answering.
“You’re not going to tell me?”
“Will it improve your life in any way if I gave you a reason?”
“Maybe not,” she said, “but it might improve yours.”
“Me telling you my thoughts would improve my life? I don’t need therapy, thanks.” He took another bite.
“Letting someone in isn’t a bad thing,” she told him gently. “I’d listen if you’d let me.” When he didn’t respond, she decided to change the topic. Perhaps she was asking too much of him right now. “I haven’t seen Eleanor yet tonight. Wanna