THEO
I pulled away from the curb in front of Nora and Lucy’s house, my hands tightening slightly on the steering wheel as I tried to make sense of what had just happened.
Because something was off.
Had I read everything wrong on the hot air balloon?
I must have.
Because from the way Nora had been so quick to put distance between us… The way she’d casually brought up the hockey guys she used to hang out with all through college… it felt pretty clear she was trying to redraw a line.
Reminding me where I stood in her life and that she wasn’t interested in changing that anytime soon.
I exhaled slowly, shaking my head.
How had I gotten it so wrong?
On the hot air balloon ride, I’d been sure the feelings had been mutual.
She’d leaned into me.
Stayed there.
Looked at me like I was someone she might want… someone she might want to kiss…
But… apparently, that had just been the thin air messing with my head. Because if the last few minutes were anything to go by, starting something romantic with me was the last thing she was interested in.
I sighed, dragging a hand through my hair. This is just great. She was probably thinking now that I was some creepy older guy trying to put the moves on her.
Which was the last thing I needed when she was Charlotte’s nanny.
A young, twenty-two-year-old woman who was living in my house.
I blew out a breath. I needed to fix this.
And if anyone would have any insight into what Nora might be thinking and how I could possibly mend things, it would be Lucy. So reaching for my phone, I tapped on her name.
“Hey,” Lucy said, picking up on the second ring.
“Hey,” I replied, not quite sure how to begin.
I just put the moves on your best friend and it backfired, didn’t exactly seem like the best way to start.
“Uh, what’s up, bro?” she asked when I didn’t say anything immediately.
“Well…” I hesitated for a second, trying to figure out how to even say it. “I think I might’ve crossed a line with Nora that she didn’t want me to.”
There was a pause.
Then—
“Wait,” Lucy said, her voice shifting instantly. “Did you finally ask her out?”
“No,” I said, frowning. “Why would you think that?”
And why did it seem like she thought it would be a good thing?
“Oh, I just… thought…” she started, then cut herself off. “Never mind. What do you mean you crossed a line? Is this, like, a job thing? Did you ask her to watch Charlotte on a weekend or something and now you’re worried you overstepped?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Nothing like that.”
I glanced up, noticing Owen’s apartment building coming into view as I drove past campus. “Hey, are you at Owen’s right now?” I asked, switching gears.
“Yeah.”
“Do you mind if I stop by? I’m in the area, and it might be easier to explain everything in person.” And easier to read your reaction while I do.
“Sure,” she said. “Owen’s not here, but feel free to come on over.”
“Thanks.”
I ended the call and turned into the parking lot, pulling into a spot before heading up the stairs to the second level.
Lucy opened the door before I even had a chance to knock.
“So,” she said, stepping back to let me in to the small living area of Owen’s apartment. “What did you do?”
“Well… I’m not exactly sure if what I did was wrong,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck as I walked inside, barely taking in the industrial-loft vibe of the kitchen and living room.
“Okay…” She crossed her arms, clearly expecting me to continue.
I exhaled and said, “We went on the hot air balloon ride this morning. It was just the two of us since Amanda and Miles bailed.”
“And?”
“And, well… it felt like—” I shook my head. “I don’t know. It seemed like there was something there. We had a moment.”
“A moment?” She arched an eyebrow. “What kind of moment?”
“A romantic moment?” I said, scrunching my nose. “One where I held her in my arms for most of the ride and, uh… imagined for a second that she might be open to a kiss.”
“You kissed her?” Lucy gasped, her blue eyes going wide.
“No,” I hurried to say. “I just thought about kissing her.” I shook my head, holding my hands up. “But I didn’t. I promise I didn’t cross that line.”
Even if I’d been very close to it.
“Oh,” she said, her shoulders slumping.
Wait? Was she disappointed that I hadn’t kissed Nora?
Was that what was happening here?
“So what’s wrong?” Lucy asked, furrowing her brow as she sat down on the leather couch in Owen’s living room.
“I don’t know exactly,” I said, taking a seat on the other end of the couch.
“Things were just really weird. Like, I thought everything was fine after the balloon ride, but then when we were supposed to go back to my house, she suddenly had errands to run and then said something about hanging out with some hockey guys tonight and that I shouldn’t wait up. ”
“She’s hanging out with hockey guys tonight?” Lucy narrowed her eyes like that surprised her.
“Yes.” I nodded. “And she made it seem like it wasn’t just in a platonic type of way. More like, she might be interested in them. Romantically.”
“That’s weird,” Lucy said.
“It is?”
“Yeah…”
But when she didn’t expound on that, I asked. “And why is that weird?”
“Because from all the conversations I’ve had with her recently, it seemed like she still might like you.”
I blinked. “What?”
“I don’t know if I should even be telling you this, but she had, like, a big crush on you last winter,” Lucy said. “I literally teased her all last semester about how the two of you should date.”
“Are you for real?” I just stared at her, none of those words lining up with what had just happened.
Nora had a crush on me?
And not just a recent crush but one that had been around for several months?
“Again, I’m probably breaking some sort of friendship code for even telling you this,” Lucy said, her expression serious. “But, yes. She has said, and I quote, ‘Your sexy corporate lawyer brother is hot.’”
Nora thought I was sexy? She’d actually said that?
“Then why did she act like she couldn’t get away from me fast enough?” I asked, completely thrown. “Why would she suddenly act like I have the plague?”
“I don’t know.” Lucy shrugged. “Maybe she really does have stuff to do.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Are the hockey guys actually in town?”
“I have no idea.” Lucy made a “beats me” face. “I haven’t talked to them in a while.” Then she suggested, “How about you walk me through exactly what happened today? Maybe we can figure out where things went wrong. What she might be thinking.”
So, I told her about the hot air balloon ride. The way Nora had gotten nervous. The way I’d stepped in behind her. The way she’d leaned into me.
The way it had just… felt right.
“Then we stopped at the store,” I said. “I grabbed a stuffed dinosaur and a card for Amanda’s son.”
“Okay…” Lucy nodded, but it didn’t seem like she was picking up on any red flags yet.
“And then I got the flowers for Amanda.”
“Wait,” she said, holding a hand up. “You dropped off flowers for another woman… with Nora standing right there?”
“I just thought it would be a nice gesture.” I shrugged. “Most women I know like flowers.”
Lucy just stared at me. “But does Nora know you’re not interested in dating Amanda?”
I hesitated. “I… don’t know,” I admitted, biting my lip.
But now that I thought about it, it did make me think. Because Nora had been fine all morning. In a good mood. She’d been smiling. Laughing. Comfortable.
Right up until the flowers.
Was that it?
Had getting flowers for Amanda been the thing that soured the outing?
Lucy’s attention shifted to her phone, her thumbs moving quickly over the screen.
A second later, her lips curved. Then she typed something else. She nodded when something seemed to come through again.
“Who are you texting?” I asked.
“Nora,” she said casually, not looking up.
I leaned over, trying to catch a glimpse of the screen, but she angled it away just enough that I couldn’t see.
What is she texting?
A second later, a huge grin spread across her face.
“Well,” she said, clearly amused, “turns out, Nora doesn’t actually have plans to hang out with any hockey players tonight.”
“Did you straight up ask her about that?” I asked, not sure how I felt about her making it obvious that I’d been talking about Nora’s plans with my sister.
“I’m a better detective than that.” She gave a small laugh. “I just asked if she wanted to have a girls’ night tonight, and she said, ‘Yes, please.’”
I stared at her, trying to piece that together. Then I shook my head slightly. “What does that even mean?”
Lucy glanced down at her phone again. “I don’t know yet. But I’m working on it.”
I exhaled, dragging a hand through my hair. “Can you ask her how things are going with me?”
Lucy narrowed her eyes. “Are you asking me to spy on my best friend?”
“I just want to know if she hates me for some reason.”
“Fine,” she said. “I’ll ask how the hot air balloon ride went. Pretend like I haven’t heard anything from you.”
“Perfect.”
She started typing again, her expression focused. A few seconds later, her phone buzzed.
“She said she had a lot of fun,” Lucy reported.
“Okay.” I let out a small breath “That’s good, right?”
Lucy lifted one shoulder. “It’s not bad.”
Her phone buzzed again. She glanced down—and then her brows shot up slightly. “Oh.”
“What?” I asked, my pulse picking up.
But instead of saying anything, she just turned her phone toward me so I could read the message myself.
Nora: Are Theo and Amanda dating? He seemed to really want her to know she’d been missed today.
I went still.
My eyes scanned the message again.
And again.
Because that was not what I was expecting.
Not at all.
I looked up at my sister. “Why do you think she’s asking that?”
But Lucy was already typing.
So, I scooted closer so I could just read over her shoulder.
Lucy: I don’t know. Why do you ask?
We waited. A few seconds later, the reply came through.
Nora: I guess I thought that maybe something was happening between us. You know… romantically. But then he bought her flowers, so I figured maybe it was just wishful thinking.
Wishful thinking?
My chest tightened. It had to mean that she’d thought there was something brewing between us, too.
And she hadn’t been acting weird at her house because she wasn’t interested. She’d been pulling away because she thought I wasn’t.
A slow rush of warmth moved through me.
“You should probably let her know those were just platonic ‘feel better’ flowers,” Lucy said, clearly coming to the same conclusion.
“You think?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
I exhaled, trying to figure out how to do that without making it obvious Lucy had just done all this investigative work on my behalf.
“And,” Lucy added, “you should probably find a way to let her know that you’re okay blurring the whole boss-nanny-boundary thing you two have going on.”
“Easy-peasy, right?” I huffed out a quiet laugh. “That could get messy real fast.”
She tilted her head. “How do you see it getting messy?”
“Well, if we tried something and it ended up not working out, I’d not only be sad… but I’d also have to find a new nanny,” I said. “Which would, in turn, break Charlotte’s heart, too.”
Was I crazy for even considering this when we had such a good thing going?
“I guess you could just date this Amanda lady instead.” Lucy shrugged, an evil grin slipping on her lips.
I made a face before I could stop myself.
And that was all it took for Lucy’s grin to get huge.
“Oh my gosh,” she said. “Just admit you have a crush on Nora.”
I opened my mouth to deny it.
Paused.
Then, despite trying to hold it back, I felt a smile tug at my mouth.
“Fine,” I admitted. “I might have a little crush on your best friend.”
“I knew it.” Lucy let out a soft laugh, looking entirely too pleased with herself. “You totally like Nora.”
I shook my head, still smiling. “But isn’t it weird that I’m eight years older than her?”
“Seven and a half,” Lucy corrected. “Her birthday is in September. Yours is in February. You really don’t have to round up.”
“So… seven years and seven months.” I gave her a look that said that it was still a big age gap.
“Okay, Mr. Precise,” she said, rolling her eyes. “But seriously. You’re both adults.” She leaned over and nudged my knee. “If you like her, you should do something about it.”
“Like what?” I asked, still feeling so out of my element.
“Well,” she said. “You’re both going to be in the Hamptons this weekend, right?”
“Yes…” I said, still not sure where this was going.
“And you’re not going to have to worry about Charlotte while you’re there…”
“Yes…”
“So you should… I don’t know… just let loose. Have fun. Flirt. And if she seems to reciprocate, make a move.”
“But what if it doesn’t work?” I asked. “What if I put myself out there and it just blows everything up?”
The image of Nora’s wary expression from not even an hour ago flashed through my mind. I really didn’t want to see that again.
“I don’t have a crystal ball to tell me what will happen but…
” Lucy shrugged. “Sometimes you have to take a risk to get something really good.” She paused, then added, “But… remember how I was a bad friend and told you about Nora’s crush?
I really don’t think she’ll turn you down if you try something.
If anything, she’s probably just wondering if you’re ever going to see her like that. ”
My chest filled with warmth at the thought of that actually being true.
Until the more logical part of my brain stepped back in.
“That doesn’t mean she’d actually want to be in a relationship with me,” I said, knowing having a crush on someone and actually building a life with them were two very different things. “I have a three-year-old. I’m not exactly someone you casually date.”
“True,” she said. “And I can’t say how everything will pan out. But I do know that she loves Charlotte. So you’re already halfway there.”
And with those words, my mind flashed back to Sunday. To when Nora had said that very thing herself.
I love that little girl.
I exhaled slowly. “Okay…” Then I nodded once. “Well… you’ve definitely given me some things to think about.”
“Good.” Lucy smiled, like she knew that me even considering putting myself out there in any sort of way was a big step. “Just think about it.”
“I will.” I stood, pushing my hands into my pockets. “Thanks for letting me stop by.” Then I added, “And for the pep talk. I needed it.”
“Anytime,” she said, standing as well.
I pulled her into a quick hug.
“Enjoy your girls’ night with Nora,” I said as I headed toward the door.
Lucy laughed. “Oh, I will.”