Loving Theo

I’ve always craved more than what my hometown could offer. I wanted to explore, to experience new things—and I’m grateful that my job makes that possible. Right now, I’m sitting on a beach at a Caribbean resort, soaking in the view. My work takes me to resorts across the globe, where I capture photos and write reviews in exchange for the stay. The only downside? Being away from my family, especially my little niece and nephew. That’s why, even with the ocean in front of me, I’m video chatting with them, bringing a little piece of home wherever I go.

“When are you coming back to the States?”“Tomorrow—my flight is in the morning.”“Yeah, okay, but when are you actually coming home?”Etta’s always trying to get me to visit. My brothers don’t really care, but she’s relentless. Guilt-tripping me with pictures of her kids usually does the trick.“Not for a bit. My boss already lined up the next assignment.”“Seriously? You stillhaven’t met Noah in person, and he’s six months old. He’s gonna be in high school before you show up.”“Don’t be so dramatic. I swear, after this next trip, I’ll come visit.”“You better. Anyway, I gotta go—Reece is working late, and Caroline just dumped cereal all over the couch. Love you.”“Love you too.”

I snapped a picture of the sunset and sent it to her with a message: Wouldn’t it be hard for you to leave this?She replied in seconds: Yep.

Etta’s never really traveled much—definitely not to beaches like this. Maybe I’ll surprise her and Reece with a vacation for Christmas. God knows she deserves it after that last loser she dated before Reece came along. He was a trainwreck. Reece would probably take her, if they weren’t so busy popping out kids.

***

One of the best things about the Caribbean is how easy it is to get back home. I don’t have to spend an entire day flying or dealing with multiple connections. This time, I only had a quick layover in Atlanta and still made it to the office twenty minutes early. I knock on my boss’s door, and he immediately calls out for me to come in.

“You’re early.”

“I figured there wasn’t much point in heading to my rental just to get comfortable and then have to come right back.”

“Well, we’re still waiting on Nadia, but while we’ve got a minute—I wanted to say your last piece was a hit. The readers loved it, and the resort said bookings spiked the week after the article went up. Keep it up and a permanent raise might be in the cards.”

“That’s great to hear. Wait—when you said we’re waiting on Nadia… you mean Nadia Monroe?”

“Yep.”

Nadia Monroe. She writes about local gems and cozy cafés—her stuff’s good, sure, but it always reads like she’s afraid to leave her zip code. It’s frustrating, honestly. She’s got real talent, just no desire to stretch it.

“This have anything to do with my next assignment?”

“It does. You’ll be collaborating with her.”

Shit. That probably means staying put. Nadia doesn’t travel. Ever.

“Speaking of Nadia—”

My boss stands as the door opens and waves her in.

“Theo, this is Nadia Monroe. Nadia, meet Theo Hart.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” she says, her voice flat, like she’s already over this whole thing.

“Alright, now that you two are acquainted, here’s the assignment: you’ll be posing as a married couple, reviewing romantic getaways across the country.”

“Wait—what?” I blink. “Like, actually traveling together?”

“You know I don’t travel, Bill,” Nadia cuts in, arms folded.

“Well, you’re going to for this one. You two are the only available male-female team not already tied up with another project.”

“How long are we supposed to be gone?” I ask.

“That’s up to you. But you need to cover at least five locations.”

“Why can’t he just take a girlfriend or something?” Nadia snaps.

“Because I want both perspectives,” Bill says, unbothered. “You’ll both be writing about the destinations, the experiences, the food, the towns—everything.”

“I’m not doing this.”

“Wow,” I say, half-laughing. “Didn’t realize I was so hard to travel with—we haven’t even left yet.”

“This isn’t about you,” she says sharply.

“I can’t, Bill. You know I can’t leave for that long.”

“And I told you, Nadia—I’ll make sure Nathan is taken care of.”

She hesitates. Glances at me, then back at him.

“You know how complicated this is.”

“It’ll be good for you. And it doubles your pay.”

Her eyebrows lift slightly. “Double?”

“Double.”

She lets out a long breath. “Fine. But I need time to get things in order.”

Bill turns to me. “Theo?”

“I’m good.”

“Perfect. The two of you come up with a plan—where you’re going, how long it’ll take. As for getting your life in order,” he looks at Nadia, “that’s between you and Theo.”Nadia stormed out of the office, and I quickly followed her.

“Nadia, wait!” I yelled.

She stopped and waited for me.

“What do you want?” she snapped.

“I need your contact information.”

“Oh. Hand me your phone.”

I unlocked it and handed her my phone. It took her a few seconds before she handed it back to me.

“There, just text me when you want to meet up.”

“I was hoping we could get to know each other.”

“Look, Theo. I’m not here to make friends; I’m here to make money. I want to do the assignment, and that’s it. After this all done, I don’t want to see you again.”

“Well, we still need to get to know each other; we have to act as a married couple.”

I gave her a smile hoping it would help. I understand she doesn’t want to travel, but she’s more than defensive; she’s rude.

“We’ll talk later. I don’t care where we go as long as we are not gone too long.”

“I will text you this evening.”

She rolled her eyes and left. She left me wondering who she was, what her deal was, and how I would deal with her as my fake wife for a few weeks.