“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 thatevening 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 leastshe’dthought 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.
CHAPTER 7
THEO
Nina was biting her lip, her hands clasped so tightly on her lap that her knuckles were white. She looked nervous. Very nervous. She kept stealing glances at the door, as though a monster were going to come through.
Jack, on the other hand, was playing with action figures on the floor. He made loud explosion noises as the toys flew into the air and crashed to the ground, and he looked perfectly content.
“Don’t worry,” Theo said. Nina glanced at him, her eyes widening as though she’d forgotten he was there. “We’ve got this.”
Theo had come home early from work for the Holyoke Academy interview. He’d found Nina straightening the house up and distributing toys around, and he’d encouraged her to take a seat and relax before the interviewer arrived. Now, he worried his advice had been counterproductive, because she just looked more nervous than before.
“I hope so.” She managed a smile, but her expression was still tight.
