Hart Siblings Book Two: Loving Theo

I had always craved more than what my hometown could offer. I wanted to explore, to experience new things—and I was grateful that my job made that possible.

Right then, I was sitting on a beach at a Caribbean resort, soaking in the view. My work took me to resorts across the globe, where I captured photos and wrote reviews in exchange for the stay.

The only downside? Being away from my family, especially my little niece and nephew. That was why, even with the ocean in front of me, I was video chatting with them, bringing a little piece of home wherever I went.

“When are you coming back to the States?”

“Tomorrow—my flight is in the morning.”

Etta was always trying to get me to visit. My brothers didn’t really care, but she was relentless.

Guilt-tripping me with pictures of her kids usually did the trick.

“Not for a bit. My boss has already lined up the next assignment.”

“Don’t be so dramatic. I swear, after this next trip, I’ll come visit.”

“You better. Anyway, I got to 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.

She replied in seconds.

Etta had never really traveled much—definitely not to beaches like this. Maybe I would surprise her and Reece with a vacation for Christmas.

God knew she deserved it after that last loser she dated before Reece came along. He was a train wreck.

Reece would probably take her, if they weren’t so busy popping out kids.

One of the best things about the Caribbean was how easy it was to get back home. I didn’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 knocked on my boss’s door. He at once called 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 wrote about local gems and cozy cafés—her stuff was good, sure, but it always read like she was afraid to leave her zip code. It was frustrating, honestly.

She had 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 meant staying put.

Nadia didn’t travel. Ever.

“Speaking of Nadia—”

My boss stood as the door opened and waved her in.

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

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

“All right, 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 blinked. “Like, actually traveling together?”

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

“Well, you’re going to have 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 asked.

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

“Why can’t he just get a girlfriend or something?” Nadia snapped.

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

“I’m not doing this.”

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

“This isn’t about you,” she said 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,” Bill said.

She hesitated. She glanced 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 lifted slightly. “Double?”

“Double.”

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

Bill turned 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 looked at Nadia—“that’s between you and Theo.”

Nadia stormed out of the office. 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 is 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 said, giving her a smile, hoping it would help.

I understood she didn’t want to travel, but she was more than defensive; she was 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.