Page 5 of Aperture

“Love you, too. Muah!” She smacks her lips together in a kiss and turns and heads back the way we came.

I amble forward on my own until I make a stop at the strawberry stand so that I can buy my flat for the week and grab some avocados.

Next, I head to a table with assorted mini pies, cookies, loaves of bread, and cupcakes. I’m just about to pay for my order when I hear the deep timber of a male voice.

“She will take a snickerdoodle cupcake with marshmallow buttercream,” he says.

I look up and into warm hazel eyes and a smile that could advertise teeth whitening strips.

“Hi, Millie,” Theo says. He remembers my name. Again, a blush plays crimson on my cheeks giving away my attempts at cool detachment.

“Theo. Hi. It’s nice to see you again. How did you know I like Snickerdoodle cupcakes?”

“I saw you tear into one from the box I brought to the beach. You didn’t even make it out of the parking lot,” he laughs.

I hide my face in my hands and shake my head in shame. Are my cheeks actually getting redder?

“Well, that must’ve been very attractive.”

“It was adorable,” he teases, leaning in to bump my shoulder.

I see him try to hand the sales girl cash for my order, but I’m the fastest draw in the west with a debit card, so I beat him to it. He cocks an eyebrow at me and shrugs his shoulders in defeat.

“Come on. You can get the next one,” I tell him. He seems much more open and relaxed today than he did at the beach, walking closely next to me and flashing me his adorable, dimpled grin.

We arrive at the next vendor who is selling pickled jalapeños. She’s an older woman with a sweet face and a kind smile.

“I have two kinds,” she tells us. “I make them myself right here in town,” she says proudly. “The first is sweet and savory, and the second is spicy.”

Theo looks at me and pops the savory sample into his mouth with a wink.

“That’s fantastic,” he tells the woman. She smiles with excitement and explains her current two-for-one special. He decides to take one of each. While she’s wrapping up his purchase, we engage in small talk.

“So what do you do for a living, Theo?”

“Besides being the world's best uncle, you mean?” He somehow manages to make a silly dad joke endearing. Must be that dimple.

“Obviously, besides that,” I tell him.

“I’m in sales. I work in the oil industry.”

“That’s really interesting. I’ve never met anyone who sells oil.”

He laughs and shakes his head. “I don’t sell oil; although, I get that people think that. I actually sell equipment and supplies for oil and gas drilling platforms.”

“That sounds interesting.”

“It’s not nearly as exciting as it sounds, and it keeps me away from home for periods of time. I keep thinking I need to change careers so I can be closer to my family.”

I’m surprised by his honesty and it makes me feel like opening up as well.

“I can see that,” I tell him. “I don’t have any family, but it would be hard for me to be away from my best friends and this place. It’s home.” He smiles at me thoughtfully and then we continue to the next booth.

We walk casually for a few more minutes before his cell phone alarm dings, and his eyebrows draw together as he looks at his phone.

“I have a work meeting to get to, but I’d love to spend more time with you. Can I give you my number to contact me if you want to?” He flashes that magnificent dimple.

Inside, my heart is doing jumping jacks, but I manage to tamp it down long enough to say,