Page 29 of Change of Plans

“So what do you think?” Theo asked at last, sitting back as he finished his pitch. “Do you think we can work together to make this convenient and safe for everyone?”

I held my breath, glancing between Theo and Jameson. Theo looked like he had the whole thing in the bag.

I couldn’t read Jameson. He continued to rub his face like he was thinking. He spent a lot of time staring at the laptop, but he glanced to Gilbert now and then, as if assessing whether he could take my brother in a fight.

Gilbert stared back at him, eyes narrowed like he was daring the man to cause trouble. There was more going on there. I knew my brother well enough to know when someone had gotten under his skin. Kyle Jameson had definitely touched one of Gilbert’s nerves. Regardless of what changes were made to the construction site plans, I had a feeling the eight months of the project would be a rollercoaster.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Jameson said, “Alright, I’ll consider it.” We all stared at him, hoping for more. Jameson sighed and said, “You made a lot of good points. And I think you’re right that moving the construction entrance would be easier on the businesses here without too much of an impact on the residents.” He stopped again, then said. “I’m willing to move the construction entrance.”

I wanted to shout and fist-pump for joy. “Thank you, sir,” I said, beaming and reaching for Theo under the table.

Theo immediately grasped my hand, which made my day.

“If we’re done here,” Gilbert said, still grouchy. He got up and moved his chair back to its table, then stalked off to the office.

“He’s charming,” Jameson said, scooting to the end of the booth and standing. Theo and I got up as well, and as soon as we did, Jameson reached for Theo’s hand to shake it. “I trust your judgment in this,” he said. “I chose your designs for the expansion because I thought they were the best of the ones submitted to me. You’re a talented architect, Callihan. I think we can work well together.”

Jameson shook my hand as well, even though he didn’t have to. Gilbert might have thought the man was a jerk, but I decided then and there that he wasn’t so bad.

After Jameson left, I really needed to get back to work. But before I did, I turned to Theo with an excited smile and practically shouted, “We did it!” before throwing my arms around him in a hug.

It was way overexuberant, but Theo didn’t seem to mind. He went tense for a half second before hugging me back. “We did it,” he echoed me. I moved to let go of him, but he held on to me, though at arm’s length. “Are we good?” he asked.

I smiled probably the biggest smile I’d ever smiled, which was saying something. “Yeah, we’re good,” I said, lowering my voice to a more tender level. “I think we were always good, I just let some old shit get in the way of something new and promising.”

“I probably did the same thing,” Theo admitted, lowering his head in that sexy, bashful way he had again. He glanced up at me with the sweetest blush and asked, “So, do you want to try the whole dating thing again?”

Joy and desire swelled all through me. “Absolutely,” I said. “That’s what I want more than anything.”

“Maybe dinner on Friday?” Theo asked, his growing smile making his green eyes sparkle.

“Yes. All the way.”

“Good,” Theo said, letting go of me at last. “It’s a date.”

CHAPTER 10

Theo

It wasn’t every day you got a second chance to go on a first date with a guy you really liked. I floated right through the rest of the week, knowing Diccon and I could try again on Friday night and hopefully get things completely right. I was determined to make the night as fabulous as possible, partly because I needed the chance to rewrite history, but mostly because I was convinced Diccon was someone I could have something with for a long time to come.

“Wait, weren’t you here last Friday, too?” the cute server at Closed Mondays asked when I arrived fifteen minutes early and started my vigil of looking out for Diccon by the restaurant’s front door.

“Yeah,” I said, shoving my hands sheepishly into my jeans pockets and blushing.

“So good you’re doing it again?” the server asked with a cheeky grin.

I laughed and rolled my eyes. “More like there was a glitch last Friday. But we worked it out, and tonight is a second chance to get things right.”

“Got it,” the server said, saluting me, then heading off to check on one of his tables.

I shouldn’t have felt so self-conscious. Things had been good between me and Diccon during the week. I’d gone in for my coffee every morning as usual, we’d had our bit of banter and flirtation over how boring my coffee order was every morning, and I’d worked at the table by the window on Monday and Tuesday. By Wednesday, Chuck had found us a temporary workspace, and last I’d heard, we would be back in the office on Monday.

I couldn’t believe time was passing so fast. The one thing I didn’t want, though, was for it to pass me by. So I kept an eye out for Diccon, shifting nervously from foot to foot as each new couple or group came through Closed Mondays’ doors, in anticipation of him.

At last, I spotted Diccon strolling up the street, dressed in the same soft pink shirt he’d worn last Friday, the one that brought out the color of his eyes and made him look hot and boyish at the same time.

Of course, I’d also had the idea to dress in the same outfit I’d worn the Friday before. When Diccon pulled open the restaurant door and saw me standing there in a nearly exact repeat of last weekend, he laughed.