Nina nodded. “Sleep well.” Then she left.
The longer she and Jack stayed here, the more the lines were getting blurred. For all of them. A few more casual nights with Theo, and Nina worried she was going to kiss him. That would ruin the agreement they’d made and their tentative friendship. Worse, it might throw their situation into jeopardy, and she couldn’t risk Jack’s future on what was surely nothing more than a fleeting crush. It had just been too long since she’d been close with a man. That was all.
So, Nina went to bed by herself and read until she was so tired, her eyes could barely stay open. Then she drifted off to sleep, hoping Theo wouldn’t find his way into her dreams.
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 wasworriedyou’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 anarm 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.”
