“It’s okay,” Theo repeated. He grabbed a dustpan from the nearby hall closet, which Nina took from him to sweep up the shards. Once the hallway was clear, he cleared his throat. “How about I give you both the tour?”
“Sounds great,” Nina said, taking Jack’s hand. “Stay with us, okay? No running off.”
“Okay, Mom,” Jack said. He sounded a little grumpy, but he didn’t run off again.
“Here’s the kitchen,” Theo explained, leading them to the end of the hallway. “And here’s the dining room. Of course, feel free to use the kitchen anytime.”
“Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream!” Jack sang under his breath. Theo glanced at him. The little boy was bouncing with barely contained energy.
“He’s just excited,” Nina said quickly. “The limo ride was a big deal for him, and he’s looking forward to starting a new school.”
“Row, row, row your boat!” Jack repeated.
“Let’s sing later, buddy,” Nina said gently. “We should pay attention to the tour so that we know where everything is in the superhero house.”
“Okay.” Jack stopped singing, though he still bounced with excitement.
Theo showed them the sitting room, the living room, his home office, and the bedrooms upstairs. They circled around to the garden and the patio, then went back inside for a look at the home gym and study. Jack seemed to be trying hard to contain himself. When they finished, Theo helped Nina carry her suitcase upstairs.
“How about you take some time to settle in?” he suggested. Jack had already pounced on his new bed and was bouncing on his bottom. “I’ll get some work done.”
“That sounds good,” Nina agreed. Theo left, leaving the door open behind him, and headed to his office. He started working, but about a minute later, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” he called. The door swung open, and Jack entered. His head was barely visible over the edge of Theo’s desk.
“Is this your secret lair?” the boy asked in wonder.
“No.” Theo was starting to get annoyed. He understood that kids had a lot of energy and asked a lot of questions, but he hadn’t anticipated just how much that would require of him. He’d assumed Nina would keep a closer eye on Jack.
Jack edged further into the room. “Your desk looks like a panther.”
“Okay.” Theo looked back at his computer, “I have some work to do, okay?”
“Okay.” Jack made no indication of leaving. He examined every inch of the office with the focus of a young Sherlock Holmes, offering his commentary on everything from Theo’s pens (“They look like rockets!”) to the remote that opened and closed the blinds (“Just like a supervillain!”) After about five minutes — though it felt like five hours — Nina appeared.
“Jack, come on. Theo’s trying to work.” She took Jack by the hand and led him out of the office. Theo tried to focus on his work, but even through the closed door, he could hear Jack singing and occasionally shouting things like “Oh, no! They’re coming! Pow, pow, pow!”
After a while, he gave up on work and left the office. During the thirty minutes Theo had been trying to focus, Jack had somehow spread toys all around the house.How had all this stuff even fit in the suitcase?He went from room to room, picking up little action figures. The pillows on his couch had been placed on the floor, and Jack was jumping from pillow to pillow. He saw Theo and his eyes widened.
“Careful! The floor is lava, and the evil robots are coming!” he shouted.
“Where’s your mother?” Theo asked. Shouldn’t Nina be stopping her son from trashing his house like this?
“She’s unpacking.” Jack jumped to the next pillow, then thrust one arm out. “Pow!”
Theo shook his head. “How about you go find her? You’re making a mess.”
“Why didn’t you fall over?” Jack asked, sounding annoyed. “I saidpow.”
Theo sighed. “I don’t have time to play, okay? Go find your mom.”
“I’m here.” Theo turned to see Nina in the doorway. She’d put her hair up in a bun, and her hands were on her hips. “What’s up?”
“Your son is making a mess,” Theo pointed out.
“He’s playing,” Nina corrected. “Kids do that. But Jack, how about we clean this up and go play outside for a bit?”
“Fine,” Jack said, sounding annoyed again. He threw the pillows haphazardly onto the couch and ran to get his shoes.
