Chapter 15
THEO
Nina was looking nervous again, her hands clasped together and her expression grim. In the back seat, Jack was the opposite, singing along to the radio and kicking his legs in the air.
“It’s going to be fine,” Theo told Nina. He’d found her nerves worrying at first, but now he found them strangely adorable. He wanted to scoop her into a hug and promise her that everything was going to work out perfectly.
Really, he found almost everything about Nina appealing these days, from her bad taste in movies, to her teasing, to the way she smiled at him.
After their movie night the day before, he’d even come close to leaning in and kissing her, though luckily she’d gone to bed before he could.
It was for the best. If he let himself kiss her, he wasn’t sure how he’d ever move on.
Last night, he’d dreamed of pressing her against the wall of the living room, her lips soft and warm on his, her blue eyes looking up at him, full of desire. He’d dreamed of her drawing a sharp breath as he kissed her neck and wrapping her arms around him to pull him closer.
In the morning, he’d taken a very cold shower and spent every spare minute of the morning working until it was time to leave, because every time he looked at her, he remembered that imagined kiss.
“I know,” Nina flashed him a smile, “it’s just that this is a big day. It’s basically the whole reason I’m here.”
“Don’t think of it like that,” Theo suggested, “this is just an afternoon with friends.”
They were on their way to a barbecue at Charles Ackley’s house.
It would be Theo’s first semi-official meeting with the man he hoped to sign an important contract with.
As big as the day was, Theo wasn’t nervous at all.
He’d always known that once he got face time with Charles, he could win him over.
The only problem had been landing the meeting, and that part was over.
“Honestly, I’m not sure these are the kind of people I’m usually friends with,” Nina glanced at him, “but I’ll do my best.”
“Try not to worry,” Theo joked, and Nina laughed.
“I was worried you’d say that again,” she joked back.
“Well, don’t be.” Theo winked, and she laughed again.
She was still laughing when they turned off the main road and onto Charles Ackley’s driveway.
It stretched across a meadow lined with apple trees, which were in full fall colors and decked out in round, red fruit.
At the end of the driveway, past a large wrought-iron gate, was the Ackleys’ home.
Even Theo had to admit that it was more of a mansion than a house.
There were actual turrets at the top. Turrets! Even Theo had never gone that far.
They pulled up to the turnaround in front of the house, where Theo parked. He gave Nina one more encouraging smile as they got out of the car and climbed the steps to the house. As he went to ring the bell, he felt Nina’s soft hand in his, and he looked at her, surprised.
“We’re a couple, remember?” she said quietly.
Theo was about to reply when the door swung open. A teenage girl in jeans and a sweater answered. She smiled at them.
“Hi, I’m Lizzy Ackley. Please come in.”
“Nice to meet you,” Theo and Nina chorused.
Lizzy led them back to the patio, where Charles, Sam, a young boy of about ten, and a woman who must have been Charles’s wife were waiting.
There was an open fire in a pit in the middle, and the boy was roasting sausages.
Charles was manning a barbecue loaded with meat and veggies, while his wife and Sam wrapped potatoes in tinfoil and placed them on the coals of the fire.
“Theo!” Charles smiled broadly, putting down his tongs and striding over to shake Theo’s hand. “We’re so glad you could make it. Barbecuing is our Saturday tradition, as long as the weather holds, and today’s unseasonably nice.”
It was true. Especially with the fire going, everyone was plenty warm in sweaters or long-sleeved T-shirts.
“It’s great to see you,” Theo said automatically.
“Let me introduce you to my wife, Jenny, and our middle son, Michael. You’ve already met Lizzy and Sam.”
There were a few moments of introductions, with handshakes and lots of friendly smiles.
Despite the casual atmosphere, Theo could practically feel the anxiety radiating off Nina.
He put an arm over her shoulders to calm her, and she leaned against him.
He caught a whiff of her shampoo, which smelled like herbs, and it made his head spin.
“Have a seat,” Charles’s wife, Jenny, said, leading them over to a circle of wicker chairs.
Some had blankets on them, but it was still warm enough that they weren’t necessary.
Theo and Nina sat side by side on a wicker sofa, and Theo took her hand again.
Perhaps it wasn’t necessary, but now that he’d started, he didn’t want to stop.
“Can I go show Jack my treehouse?” Sam asked his mother excitedly.
“Of course. Go for it.”
“I’ll come,” Michael said.
“Me too!” Lizzy ran after the boys. Theo was surprised. He wouldn’t think a teenaged girl would be all that excited about playing with a bunch of younger boys, including her brothers, but pretty soon all the kids were playing tag on the treehouse and surrounding play equipment.
“You have a lovely garden,” Theo remarked.
The Ackleys’ property stretched across a sloping grass meadow down to trees at the far end.
It was easily twice the size of a football field and big enough to hold a treehouse, a swing set, a pool, and a vegetable patch currently filled with round, orange pumpkins.
“Thank you,” Jenny sat across from them with a smile. “We love being out here, and the kids do, too.”
Charles sat beside her, putting his arm around her. “Now, tell us more about the two of you.”
Immediately, Nina stiffened. This time, Theo gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She leaned against his side, and he shivered from the closeness as a suppressed memory of last night’s dream flooded his mind.
“There’s not much to tell,” he said, “it was love at first sight.”
“Aww,” Jenny beamed at them, “how sweet! Tell us everything.”
“Well,” Theo said, but Nina spoke up.
“Let me tell it.” She flashed him a smile and squeezed his hand.
“We’d seen each other around town a few times, but the first time we really got to talking, we actually ran right into each other.
Jack broke Theo’s phone, but Theo was so kind and understanding.
He bought us ice cream, and we’ve been together ever since. ”
It was very close to the truth. Theo nodded along, though he was a little surprised that Nina had seemed so eager to tell the story.
Usually, when she was nervous, she was less chatty.
Still, he enjoyed hearing her speak. It was easy to believe that their spontaneous meeting really had led to a whirlwind romance instead of a business deal.
If things had been just a little different, maybe it would have.
More than a little different, Theo reminded himself. Even though it was fun to pretend otherwise, he wasn’t a romantic guy.
“That sounds like a scene from a romance novel,” Jenny said. Her husband smiled at her fondly.
“How did the two of you meet?” Theo asked, hoping to change the subject from him and Nina.
“Jenny and I went to college together,” Charles explained.
“So, we met longer ago than I should probably say.” He winked, and Jenny whacked his arm playfully.
“We dated in our sophomore year but fell out of touch when we left college. It seemed like our paths were just too different. Then we reconnected when we both went to our five-year reunion, and we got married a year later.”
“Now, that sounds like a romance novel,” Theo said. He grinned, “Not that I would know.”
“And how long have you been together?” Charles asked.
“Not long,” Nina said at the same moment Theo said, “About a year.”
They exchanged a look. Nina bit her lip, but Theo gave her a reassuring smile.
“It’s been about a year, but it’s hard to believe sometimes. It feels like we’ve known each other forever but also like it hasn’t been that long yet.”
“I know the feeling,” Jenny said. “Charles and I have been together for about twenty years now, and it still feels like we just met.”
“But enough about us,” Charles said. “Let’s talk about the reason we’re here today.”
Theo sat up a little straighter. He hadn’t been sure that Charles would bring up the business deal during the family barbecue, but he was excited that it was happening. Finally. Months of effort had come down to this moment, and he would make the best case of his life.
“Let’s,” he said. “I was hoping you’d want to talk about—”
“Our sons,” Charles said. “It seems like Sam and Jack are on the way to becoming best friends.”
“Right!” Theo nodded. “They’re very close.” He tried not to feel disappointed that Charles wasn’t ready to talk business. The time would come, eventually. Just not right now.
“I had a childhood best friend myself, and we’re still in touch today,” Charles said. “Plus, I think Jack’s a good influence on Sam. He’s been much more diligent about his homework because he says Jack told him that ‘superheroes always study hard.’”
Nina and Theo laughed. “That sounds like Jack,” Theo said.
“Has he always loved superheroes?” Jenny asked. For a while, the conversation steered through easy topics, mostly their kids, what they were planning for Halloween. Theo felt that Nina had started to relax beside him, and he squeezed her hand. Perhaps they were past the dangerous part.
“I have to say,” Jenny said, “I haven’t seen a ring on your finger, Nina.”
“Oh!” Nina flushed. “No.”
“Not yet,” Theo put in. He leaned closer to her, inhaling her warm scent as he nudged Nina’s shoulder with his own. “Maybe soon.”
“What are you waiting for?” Charles asked. “A family is the most important thing you can have. If my business fell apart, I would be sad, but only for a day or two. If I lost my family, I’d never recover.”
“Agreed,” Theo said quickly. “Since Nina and Jack came into my life, everything has changed. I used to be all about work, all the time, but now I see how much more meaningful life is when you have someone to share it with.”
Nina glanced at him, her brow furrowed slightly.
Maybe Theo’s words had seemed overly dramatic, but he’d been telling the truth.
Things were different now that Nina and Jack were in his life.
He wasn’t just saying all this because of their act — though it was better for Nina to believe he was.
She couldn’t know how he really felt about her, or their ruse would become much harder to maintain.
She might even leave early, and he didn’t want that.
Theo still didn’t have the time or energy for a real girlfriend or a real family. He would just enjoy this temporary one while it lasted. And then, once he had his deal with Charles, and Nina and Jack were gone, he’d do his best to forget how much he really had enjoyed it.
If he couldn’t, he wasn’t sure how he’d ever let them go.