“Are they?” Nina asked. “Are all of your dreams really about work? Because I think there’s more to you than that. I’ve seen how much fun you have playing with Jack. I’ve seen you—” She cut off abruptly, then continued in a way that made Theo wonder what she’d been wanting to say.“Really enjoy your life outside of work.”
“I do,” Theo admitted. “I guess… maybe I have some things to think about.”
Nina smiled at him. “Maybe you do.”
He reached out, one hand tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. Theo wasn’t sure what had possessed him to do it, only thattouching her face like this felt just as right as holding her hand or putting his arm around her had that afternoon. Nina stiffened for a heartbeat but then relaxed into his touch.
“Sorry,” he said, letting his hand fall.
“That’s okay.” Nina cleared her throat. “I…” she trailed off, “I just want to thank you one more time.”
“It’s me who should be thankingyou,” Theo said. “You’ve helped so much with Charles Ackley. I would never have gotten this far without you. And it’s been nice having you both around. I never thought I was a family kind of guy, but this has been… good.”
“Even though we made you take down all your expensive, fragile artwork?” Nina teased. Theo laughed.
“Even so.”
Nina leaned back on the couch, pulling a blanket over her legs. Theo settled in beside her, stealing an edge of the blanket for himself. He was in no rush to get back to work.
“Tell me more about what you were like growing up,” Nina suggested.
Theo smiled, “Are you trying to picture me as a kid?”
Nina nodded, “Exactly.”
“What do you want to know?”
“I’m not sure.” She waved a hand, “Anything.”
“Once, when I was about nine years old, I had a pet ladybug for a few months. I kept it in a jar with holes in the lid, and I had to catch aphids to feed it. I thought at first that they just ate leaves,” Theo said. Nina began to laugh, her eyes crinkling with delightas she bent double. It sounded like the laugh of a princess in a fairy tale, which reminded Theo of how he’d thought she looked like Snow White when they’d first met.
“Why are you laughing?” Theo chuckled, too, her laughter contagious. “It wasn’t that funny.”
“It was,” she giggled. “I can just imagine you as a kid with a pet ladybug. It’s adorable.”
“I am pretty adorable.”
Nina laughed again. “Okay, so that’s not exactly what I was imagining, but I like it.”
“Good,” Theo smiled. “I’m glad I made you laugh. You look completely different when you do.”
Nina frowned slightly. “I feel mildly insulted.”
“No, no. It’s a good thing. You always look beautiful, but when you laugh…” He was the one to trail off now, though he’d already letbeautifulslip out. He needed to be more careful, or he was going to throw his last ounce of caution to the wind and kiss her.
He wanted to kiss her. He wanted nothing more than that.
“When I laugh, I look like a tomato,” Nina suggested. “I always blush when I laugh.”
“Sure. That’s what I meant,” Theo said, though it wasn’t at all. “Tell me about you whenyouwere a kid.”
“I don’t have any stories as good as the ladybug one,” Nina said. “But let me see.” She tapped one finger against her lips as she thought, drawing Theo’s attention to the movement. Once again, he fought the urge to kiss her.
He couldn’t stop thinking of the feeling of her lips brushing his cheek, that afternoon in the Ackleys’ garden. It had been such a simple, innocent gesture, yet he couldn’t forget about it.
“I can’t think of anything,” she said after a moment. “Sorry. I guess I must sound boring.”
“You? Boring?” Theo smiled. “Never.”
