“Let’s go?” she suggested.
“Sounds good. How did it go?” he asked her as they got back into the car.
“Um, it was good.” She tucked a strand of hair that had escaped her bun behind her ear and looked down. “I felt a little self-conscious, though. More than a little. All of these women are so successful, and I’m not.”
“Don’t say that,” Theo protested. “You might not have a flashy career, but you’ve done a lot to be proud of. And most of those women came from wealthy families and never had to work very hard for what they have.”
“Lucky,” Nina muttered. She glanced at Theo. “Thanks, though. It just makes me worry about Jack. What if he feels out of place at the school?”
“I think he’ll be fine,” Theo said. “His new buddy likes superheroes too.” He fastened his seatbelt and put the car in drive. “Shall I drop you home?”
“Yes, please. Thanks.”
They started off, but Theo found that he was still thinking about Jack. What if Nina was right, and the little boy felt overwhelmed? What if he had trouble making friends? To his surprise, Theo found that he no longer thought of Jack as a prop for his ruse, but an actual little boy who he cared about.
“Sam seemed nice,” he said. Nina glanced at him and smiled.
“He did, didn’t he?”
“And Ryan knows to watch out for Jack.”
“True.” Nina took a deep breath. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Plus, we have the back-to-school brunch this Saturday,” Theo continued. “We’ll get a chance to scope out Jack’s classmates then.”
“And you’ll get a chance to look for Charles Ackley.”
“Also true.” Theo glanced at her, “Jack’s smart. Like you. He’s going to do fine.”
“You’re worried about him, aren’t you?” Nina sounded surprised — and pleased. Theo nodded.
“A little bit. But not because there’s anything to worry about — just because he’s young and it’s always intimidating to start at a new school.”
Nina nodded. “I remember. I was so nervous my first day of kindergarten that I pretended I was sick. My mom saw rightthrough it, though. Especially when she realized I’d put the thermometer she gave me in my tea to heat it up.”
“Moms usually see through things like that,” Theo agreed. They pulled up in front of his house — their house — and he came to a stop. “Have a nice day.”
“You too.” Nina got out of the car and waved as he drove away. Theo tried to put all thoughts of Nina and Jack out of his mind as he headed in to work, but to his surprise, he found himself distracted all day. He even stepped out of a board meeting early to check if there were any missed calls from the school. There weren’t.
Was this feeling of protectiveness even a fraction of what parents felt every day? If so, Theo was thankful he wasn’t a real father. He couldn’t imagine how time-consuming it would be to worry all the time about a kid’s safety and happiness.
Towards the end of the day, he left work and went back to pick Nina up. Together, they returned to Holyoke Academy to get Jack.
“How was your day?” Theo asked as they drove.
“Good.” Nina paused and sighed. “Well, mostly good. I worked a lot, but I couldn’t help worrying. Jack hated his last school. What if this one is even worse?”
“Want to know a secret?” Theo asked. She nodded.
“I was worried, too.” Theo smiled at her, “I couldn’t focus.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“For some reason, that makes me feel better.” Nina took a deep breath. “Well, let’s see.”
They pulled up in front of the school a few minutes before pick-up and got out. As before, moms and dads in suits or chic designer athleisure were already waiting outside, talking amongst themselves. Theo made a little small talk with a few of the parents while they waited.
