“I’ll come,” Michael said.
“Me too!” Lizzy ran after the boys. Theo was surprised. He wouldn’t think a teenaged girl would be all that excited about playing with a bunch of younger boys, including her brothers, but pretty soon all the kids were playing tag on the treehouse and surrounding play equipment.
“You have a lovely garden,” Theo remarked. The Ackleys’ property stretched across a sloping grass meadow down to trees at the far end. It was easily twice the size of a football field and big enough to hold a treehouse, a swing set, a pool, and a vegetable patch currently filled with round, orange pumpkins.
“Thank you,” Jenny sat across from them with a smile. “We love being out here, and the kids do, too.”
Charles sat beside her, putting his arm around her. “Now, tell us more about the two of you.”
Immediately, Nina stiffened. This time, Theo gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She leaned against his side, and he shivered from the closeness as a suppressed memory of last night’s dream flooded his mind.
“There’s not much to tell,” he said, “it was love at first sight.”
“Aww,” Jenny beamed at them, “how sweet! Tell us everything.”
“Well,” Theo said, but Nina spoke up.
“Let me tell it.” She flashed him a smile and squeezed his hand. “We’d seen each other around town a few times, but the first time we really got to talking, we actually ran right into each other. Jack broke Theo’s phone, but Theo was so kind and understanding. He bought us ice cream, and we’ve been together ever since.”
It was very close to the truth. Theo nodded along, though he was a little surprised that Nina had seemed so eager to tell the story. Usually, when she was nervous, she was less chatty. Still, he enjoyed hearing her speak. It was easy to believe that their spontaneous meeting really had led to a whirlwind romance instead of a business deal. If things had been just a little different, maybe it would have.
More than a little different,Theo reminded himself. Even though it was fun to pretend otherwise, he wasn’t a romantic guy.
“That sounds like a scene from a romance novel,” Jenny said. Her husband smiled at her fondly.
“How did the two ofyoumeet?” Theo asked, hoping to change the subject from him and Nina.
“Jenny and I went to college together,” Charles explained. “So, we met longer ago than I should probably say.” He winked, and Jenny whacked his arm playfully. “We dated in our sophomore year but fell out of touch when we left college. It seemed like our paths were just too different. Then we reconnected when we both went to our five-year reunion, and we got married a year later.”
“Now,thatsounds like a romance novel,” Theo said. He grinned, “Not that I would know.”
“And how long have you been together?” Charles asked.
“Not long,” Nina said at the same moment Theo said, “About a year.”
They exchanged a look. Nina bit her lip, but Theo gave her a reassuring smile.
“It’s been about a year, but it’s hard to believe sometimes. It feels like we’ve known each other forever but also like it hasn’t been that long yet.”
“I know the feeling,” Jenny said. “Charles and I have been together for about twenty years now, and it still feels like we just met.”
“But enough about us,” Charles said. “Let’s talk about the reason we’re here today.”
Theo sat up a little straighter. He hadn’t been sure that Charles would bring up the business deal during the family barbecue, but he was excited that it was happening. Finally. Months of effort had come down to this moment, and he would make the best case of his life.
“Let’s,” he said. “I was hoping you’d want to talk about?—”
“Our sons,” Charles said. “It seems like Sam and Jack are on the way to becoming best friends.”
“Right!” Theo nodded. “They’re very close.” He tried not to feel disappointed that Charles wasn’t ready to talk business. The time would come, eventually. Just not right now.
“I had a childhood best friend myself, and we’re still in touch today,” Charles said. “Plus, I think Jack’s a good influence on Sam. He’s been much more diligent about his homework because he says Jack told him that ‘superheroes always study hard.’”
Nina and Theo laughed. “That sounds like Jack,” Theo said.
“Has he always loved superheroes?” Jenny asked. For a while, the conversation steered through easy topics, mostly their kids, what they were planning for Halloween. Theo felt that Nina had started to relax beside him, and he squeezed her hand. Perhaps they were past the dangerous part.
“I have to say,” Jenny said, “I haven’t seen a ring on your finger, Nina.”
