THEO
By the time I got home on Saturday night, Charlotte was already half-asleep in my arms.
After leaving Lucy and Owen’s place, I’d gone to my parents’ house and ended up spending most of the day there with Charlotte. Which had been really nice—exactly what I’d needed with so many new thoughts running through my mind.
“Let’s get you to bed, my little bug,” I murmured to Charlotte as I carried her up the stairs, her head tucked against my shoulder, her small hand fisted loosely in my shirt.
A few minutes later, she was tucked in, her breathing slow and even, and I stood there for a long moment, just watching her.
“Sleep well,” I whispered, kissing her forehead. Then I quietly pulled the door halfway closed and headed back downstairs.
The rest of the house was still when I got down to the kitchen.
Nora wasn’t home yet.
I checked the time.
It was a little after ten.
Hopefully, Nora and Lucy were having a good time together.
I was sitting in the living room, just finishing a chapter from the book club book for the next month, when I heard the front door open.
A second later, Nora stepped inside.
“Hey,” she said, pausing when she saw me, like she hadn’t expected me to still be up.
“Hey,” I replied, setting my book down on the end table.
There was a brief moment when neither of us said anything.
Then, deciding to play along with what she’d told me earlier, I asked, “How was your day? Were you able to find everything you needed at the store?”
“I did,” she said, holding up a shopping bag as she leaned against the doorframe. “It was good. I found a new swimsuit and some flip-flops, so that should be nice for the beach.”
“Nice,” I said with a small nod. “And how was hanging out with your hockey friends?”
Her gaze shifted away almost immediately. Like she was deciding whether to stick with the story from earlier.
But then, she looked back at me.
“I actually didn’t hang out with them,” she said, rubbing her hand over her forearm. “I spent the evening with Lucy instead. Which was fun.”
“Oh, that’s great,” I said, relief filling my chest. “I’m sure Lucy loved that. You two haven’t been able to see each other as much now that you’re living here and she’s staying with Owen.”
“Yeah,” she said, meeting my gaze again. “It was good.”
For a brief second, I wondered if Lucy had said anything to Nora about our conversation.
If she knew how stressed I’d been before my sister had helped ease my mind and encouraged me on a few things.
But when she didn’t give anything away, I decided not to go digging.
Though… there was one thing I probably should clear up.
Shifting slightly in my seat, I said, “This might be kind of random, but… just in case it came across differently earlier, Amanda and I are just friends.”
“You are?” she asked, something flickering in her expression.
“She’s great,” I said with a nod, trying to keep my tone light, “but I don’t really see us going on any future dates. I know getting flowers for a woman probably looks a certain way, but I only meant for them to be a ‘hope you get some sleep and feel better’ kind of gesture.”
“Oh…” she said, her mouth parting, like she wasn’t sure what to do with that. “That’s… good to know. It’s always nice to get flowers.”
“That’s what I thought,” I said.
But as the words left my mouth, another thought hit me. Had she initially thought those flowers might be for her?
A small pit formed in my stomach as my mind jumped back to the store.
The way she’d been standing there.
How she’d been smiling when I walked back with the bouquet…
And then, how her expression had shifted afterward.
Was that why she’d seemed off?
Because if that was the case… I scrubbed a hand over the back of my neck. I probably should have gotten her flowers, too.
Or better yet… just gotten them for her.
Especially after the morning we’d had.
But then again… that might’ve been too much since I still didn’t really know where she stood with me.
Sure, Lucy had said Nora used to have a crush on me. And yeah, Nora had made a few comments here and there about thinking I was attractive. But that didn’t necessarily mean anything now.
Hadn’t we talked just a couple of weeks ago about her possibly liking Miles?
For all I knew, Lucy was working off outdated information, and Nora had any number of guys in her world.
My gaze dropped to the shopping bag in her hands. Knowing I should probably shift gears instead of overthinking everything, I asked, “Have you figured out how you’re getting to Ky’s place next weekend?”
“Lucy said I could ride with her and Owen,” she said. “So I might do that. What about you?”
“I’ll probably just drive,” I said. “I’m planning to drop Charlotte off with the Vanderbilts for the holiday weekend on the way.”
“Oh,” she said. “That’s good you’ve got that all lined up.”
“Yeah.” I nodded, then hesitated. My eyes flicked past her for a second before coming back, like I was making sure I actually had the nerve to offer what I was about to offer.
I took a breath.
“And… I mean, I know stopping in Manhattan will add some time to the drive,” I said, trying to keep my tone casual, “but if riding with Lucy and Owen doesn’t end up working out, you’re more than welcome to come with me.”
Then I waited. My heart thudding harder than it should’ve for something that simple.
It was just a drive.
Just an offer.
But for some reason, it felt like I’d just put a lot more out there than that.
When I saw the flicker of surprise on her face—followed by a slight hesitation—I braced myself. Because realistically, why would she want to add an extra couple of hours to her trip when she could ride with her best friend?
But then she smiled. “That would actually be really nice. I wasn’t super thrilled about being a third wheel.”
“Really?” I asked, relief hitting me fast.
“Yeah,” she said, smiling back.
And just like that, the anxiety in my chest eased.
“Okay, awesome” I said, nodding once. “It’s settled then.”