Chapter 6 #2
“Sure, I do. Well, not cooking, but interior design and that kind of thing. The problem is, I love my work so much more. It isn’t worth it for me to spend time on almost anything apart from work.”
“Right.” Nina started walking again, pushing the cart in front of her. They entered the first section, which had displays of kitchens and dining rooms. “You’re the CEO of Epsilon.”
“And the founder,” Theo added, which Nina found both impressive and a little arrogant.
“And what does Epsilon… do?” Nina twirled a hand through the air. “I’ve heard of your company, but I have no idea what it actually does.”
“We do a little bit of everything,” Theo explained.
“Mostly, we create programs to analyze and learn from large sets of data. For instance, we can help a car brand discern why they have great sales in one region but are lagging in another, or identify ways for air-traffic controllers to streamline take-offs in order to be safer and more cost- and time-effective.”
Nina nodded slowly. “So, you do a little bit of a lot of things.”
“Yes, in a way. Or, I’d say that Epsilon’s services are applicable in a wide range of fields.”
“And that’s very time-consuming for you,” Nina concluded.
“Exactly.”
There was more Nina wanted to ask. She wanted to know why Theo had chosen to essentially hire her and Jack instead of actually starting a family of his own.
She wanted to know why this client was so important to him that he was willing to go so far out of his way.
She wanted to know if he’d always been this arrogant, or if that had come from founding such a successful company.
Instead, she said, “I like the look of this couch.”
“You want me to get a new couch?” Theo asked.
“I think you want you to get a new couch,” Nina said. “Yours is white, and that’s not going to last with Jack around.” She pulled the cart to the side and flopped onto a dark green couch with soft upholstery and extendable footrests. “Ah…”
Chuckling, Theo sank down beside her. “It’s not bad, actually.”
“I know.”
“Oh, and it’s cheap.” Theo glanced at the price tag. “Done. We can have someone bring it over and set it up tomorrow.”
“Don’t you want to look at more couches?”
“No.” Theo got up and held out a hand to pull her to her feet. “I trust your judgment. What else do we need?”
“This.” Nina grabbed a large plush snake from one of the couches and draped it around Theo’s neck. “Beautiful.”
He laughed. “Why is a furniture store selling stuffed animals, exactly?”
“Beats me, but this snake is exactly what’s been missing from your house.” She grinned.
“Definitely.” Theo removed the snake and tossed it into the cart. “Now we’re talking.”
Nina laughed, and they started walking again. It had been a long time since she had spent a Saturday like this, with few plans and little to do beyond redecorating. As if he’d read her mind, Theo said, “It’s weird not to be at work.”
“Do you usually work on Saturdays?”
He nodded.
“Me too. I wake up early and try to do an hour or two while Jack’s sleeping.”
“That must be hard.”
“It must be hard to go to the office all day, too.”
“No,” Theo smiled. “I love it. But it’s nice to do this instead.”
“I…” Nina bit her lip. “I don’t want to offend you, but why are you here? It seems like you could have left this to me and Jack and gone to work.”
“I could have. But I figured we’d better spend a little time together so that people will believe we’re a real family.”
Nina nodded. “That makes sense.”
They continued through the shop, adding a few more small pieces to the cart.
The couch was the only big piece of furniture Nina thought they needed, so most of what they bought came home with them in the car.
On the way back, Jack regaled them with stories about his adventures in the kid zone, which made Nina smile.
When they reached Theo’s mansion (it didn’t feel right to call it a house), Nina and Theo got right to work hanging fairy lights in the living room, replacing the curtains, and adding rugs and pillows.
Jack tried to help at first, but soon Nina suggested that he draw some pictures for the walls, as his help mostly just meant getting in the way.
Jack flopped happily on his stomach on the new living-room rug with a box of crayons and a stack of paper and got right to work, drawing portraits of superheroes and villains and skyscrapers.
“He really likes superheroes,” Theo commented as he helped Nina put the curtain rod back up. They were both standing on chairs to reach.
“He does,” Nina agreed. “I think, if he could, he’d wear a cape and costume every day.”
Theo chuckled. “I can imagine.”
“This looks good,” Nina said, nodding to the curtains. “Do they look straight?”
“I think so.” Theo got down and held out a hand to help Nina down, though she didn’t take it. They surveyed the curtains from a short distance and nodded.
“Excellent.”
“What’s next?” Theo asked.
“Let’s maybe put away some of these expensive vases and artworks and put something else out,” Nina suggested. Theo sighed, but he nodded.
“Okay.”
“It’s better for you, too,” Nina said encouragingly. “There’s much less chance of things getting broken if they’re put away.”
“I suppose.” Though Theo seemed grumpy at the prospect, he helped Nina put the expensive pieces in a closet and replaced them with plants Nina had brought from home.
“Are these things very meaningful to you?” Nina asked as they shut the closet.
“No, it’s just… I like having my own space,” Theo said. Nina, who’d mostly spent the last five years sleeping on a couch in her own house, tried to be sympathetic, but it was difficult.
“Well, it’s just for a few months,” she said.
“I suppose so.”
Back in the living room, Jack was gathering up his pictures.
“Look, Mom!” He handed a picture of himself in a cape and mask to Nina.
“That’s great!” Nina said.
“And this is you!” Jack added, handing a picture of a supervillain in a dark suit and mask to Theo. Theo chuckled.
“Thanks, Jack. You know, I’m not a real supervillain, though.”
“I know.” Jack held up a hand to his mouth and whispered loudly, “It’s just for pretend, okay?”
“Okay.” Theo glanced at Nina, and they both smiled. Nina’s heart gave a little flutter. She’d forgotten how it felt to be the only two adults in a room with a child. It formed a special kind of connection, a connection she’d never had the chance to share with Jack’s father.
“Can we have a snack?” Jack asked.
“Of course.” Nina ruffled his hair and went to fix something to eat.
She was having a surprisingly nice time decorating the house with Theo.
He was arrogant and picky about his space, but he was also funny and tried his best with Jack.
Maybe that evening they could talk and get to know each other better.
That would help Nina feel comfortable with their ruse.
She returned to the living room with a plate of apple slices and peanut butter to find Jack on his stomach on the floor, drawing, and Theo nowhere in sight.
Nina handed Jack his apple slices. “Where’s Theo?”
“He said he had to work.” Jack popped an apple slice in his mouth and crunched. “Thanks, Mom.”
“No problem.” Nina ruffled his hair and sank onto the sofa, trying not to feel disappointed. Theo had disappeared quite suddenly when they’d been having a nice time — or at least she’d thought they were.
It was fine. All this was just for show, anyway, and there was no point trying to bond with Theo. They were very different people with different goals in life, and their paths were only crossing briefly.