“You want me to get a new couch?” Theo asked.
“I thinkyouwant 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 isexactlywhat’s been missing from your house.” She grinned.
“Definitely.” Theo removed the snake and tossed it into the cart. “Nowwe’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 andlittle 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.”
