THEO #2
Had she been spying on my lullaby performance? I couldn’t help laughing quietly to myself at the thought.
Unable to resist, I crept up behind her, and leaning closer, I whispered, “I hope your ears aren’t bleeding too badly after hearing my singing voice.”
“Ah!” Nora jumped and spun around, one hand flying to her chest. “You about gave me a heart attack,” she said, gently smacking my chest.
“Sorry,” I said, though an unrepentant grin slipped on my lips.
“I’m sure you are,” she replied dryly. Then she tilted her head a little. “But if you must know, you’re actually a pretty good singer.”
“Says the sister of a Grammy award winner,” I said, raising a skeptical brow.
She laughed softly. “You don’t have to be famous to have a good voice. Some good singers are lawyers, too.”
I smiled, even if I wasn’t completely convinced. For all I knew she could just be buttering me up. “Thanks for doing that for Charlotte, by the way.”
“Of course,” Nora replied easily, like it hadn’t been any trouble at all. “I love that little girl.”
And the way she said it so easily, like it was just a simple fact, made my heart squeeze in my chest.
Because Charlotte could be a lot sometimes.
There was a reason why I’d pulled her out of daycare. A reason her last nanny quit.
But hearing Nora say it so naturally… Well, that was really good for my slightly worried dad-heart to hear.
“That means a lot,” I said quietly.
“I mean it,” she said, touching my arm. “Is she always the perfect little angel? Of course not. What three-year-old is? But I love that spunky girl. She’s amazing.”
I smiled, my lips shaking at the corners as a sudden swell of emotion crossed over me.
Because for a little girl who had already lost so much—lost the mother who should have been there to love her unconditionally—it meant everything to know someone else could see how special she was.
See that even with all the tantrums and power struggles, my little girl was also special and sweet and just wonderful.
“I’m gonna be honest,” I said. “It does my heart a lot of good to know that Charlotte has someone like you in her corner.” I smiled at Nora, hoping she could understand my meaning even if I wasn’t very good with words at the moment. “And I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual.”
Nora’s smile softened a little. “It definitely is. Honestly, I feel pretty lucky. Charlotte is such a fun kid, and this job…” She gave a small shrug. “I kind of feel like I hit the jackpot.”
I chuckled. “Well, for the record, I’m pretty sure Charlotte and I hit the jackpot when you applied.”
We both smiled at that, and for a moment I found myself wishing I had better words. Or some better way to explain just how grateful I was for everything she’d brought into our lives.
I glanced down at my watch.
It was 8:30.
If I was planning on waking up at 4:45 to get my usual workout and morning routine in before work, I should probably head to bed soon.
The only problem was that I didn’t actually want to.
“So,” I said, leaning one shoulder against the wall, “what time do you usually head to bed, anyway?”
“I usually try to go to bed around nine or nine thirty on nights before I come here to watch Charlotte. But…” Nora pursed her pink lips thoughtfully, “since I don’t have to wake up at five tomorrow because I’ll already be here when you leave for work, I guess I can stay up later if I want.”
“I told you staying here would have its perks.”
“It would seem so.” She smiled. Then her expression shifted slightly. “Although, I don’t think your mother-in-law liked that idea very much.”
“Yeah.” I chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of my neck. “I’d like to say she means well, but…”
“But she’s afraid I’m going to seduce you with my wily ways?” Nora said with a teasing grin.
Heat rushed up the back of my neck instantly. Because, unfortunately, those words made my brain go straight to the dream I’d had the night before.
And with that came the realization that I might not be nearly as averse to that idea as my mother-in-law would probably hope.
Nora seemed to notice my sudden discomfort. She gave my arm a light pat. “Sorry. There I go again saying things I probably shouldn’t.”
“No, it’s fine.” I laughed and ran a hand through my hair.
I tried to think of something else to say, something smooth that would steer the conversation in a safer direction. Instead, I just stood there, inconveniently tongue-tied.
“Well…” Nora chuckled. “On that fun note, I should probably let you get some sleep.”
“Uh… yeah.” I nodded. “That is probably what I should do.”
Even though a huge part of me would’ve preferred to find some excuse to keep talking.
For a moment, we just stood there on the landing near the staircase.
One direction led toward the guest room where Nora was staying.
The other led toward my bedroom.
I bit the inside of my lip, briefly considering whether I should say something. Maybe suggest a card game. Or another movie downstairs.
Anything to keep the easy laughter between us going a little longer.
Because the thought of the night ending already felt… disappointing.
But before I could figure out what to say, Nora smiled softly. “Goodnight, Theo. See you tomorrow.” She took a step back toward the guest room.
So, knowing I should probably follow suit, I gave a small nod and said, “Goodnight, Nora. Sweet dreams.”
“Sweet dreams, indeed.” She slipped into the guest room, closing the door quietly behind her.
I stood there for another moment, staring at the closed door, my brain apparently forgetting how legs worked. Because the traitorous part of my imagination decided that now would be a great time to revisit the dream from the night before.
To see if I could recreate it, this time giving it a much happier ending.
I scrubbed a hand over the back of my neck and let out a low breath.
Yeah. That was definitely not a direction I should be letting my thoughts wander.
Especially when the woman in in the dream was my daughter’s nanny… one who now lived with us.