CHAPTER 18
NINA
Nina woke up in Theo’s bed. The first light of dawn was beginning to peek through the window, where the curtains had been left open. Nina rolled over, reaching for Theo, only to find the space beside her cold and empty. Her hand brushed a piece of paper on his pillow, and she blinked at it, sleep still clouding her eyes.
Had to go to work,the note read.Didn’t want to wake you.
Nina bit her lip. Memories of the night before came rushing back — starting with the conversation she and Theo had shared on the couch. It had been the first time Nina had felt truly seen, not as someone who had given up on her dreams or who was lazy, but as someone who would do anything for the people she loved. It was the first time she’d truly seen Theo, too. Finally, knowing he’d been raised by a single mom, she understood all the sides of him.
Nina smiled at the memory of their conversation — and at what had come after. It had all felt right. So very right. She’d held herself apart from Theo for Jack’s sake, but maybe that had been silly. Last night, she’d seen how much she and Theo really caredfor each other. And Theo clearly cared for Jack, too. Maybe this was the start of a new chapter, one in which the fake relationship they’d built became real.
Nina heard a sound from the direction of Jack’s room and quickly sat up. No matter what last night meant, she needed to get up quickly before Jack found her in Theo’s room and started asking questions. She slipped on Theo’s robe, which was hanging on the door of his ensuite bathroom, and peeked out into the hallway. The coast was clear, so she hurried across to her own room, where she quickly got dressed and combed through her hair, which was still tangled from last night.
As she combed, she remembered the feeling of Theo’s hands in her hair and blushed.
It wasn’t strange that she’d woken up alone. Theo often left very early for work, sometimes at five in the morning. When Nina got up to work before Jack’s wake-up time, she often heard him getting ready to go. Part of her wished that he’d stayed, though, just this morning. It would have been nice to wake up beside him, in his arms, just like she’d fallen asleep.
Maybe this was what Theo had meant when he’d talked about a great love story being in her future. Maybe he’d meanthim.Or maybe she was just tired and giddy and reading too much into things. She was sounding like such a hopeless romantic.
Nina went to wake Jack, who was playing with action figures on his bedroom floor, and got him started on his morning routine. Thank goodness he hadn’t wandered out of his room and found her in Theo’s.
They ate breakfast together, and Nina texted Theo asking if he was coming to Jack’s drop-off, as he usually did. No reply. He must have been in a meeting.
“Ready to go?” Nina asked Jack.
“Where’s Theo?”
“He has to work today,” Nina held out her hand, and her son took it, “but I’m coming to drop-off.”
“Okay,” Jack smiled up at her, “I have choir practice today after school.”
“I remember,” Nina said. They headed out to the car. “Are you excited?”
“Yeah,” Jack beamed. “Singing is fun. And we have the performance in just a few weeks.”
“I can’t wait,” Nina said.
“Neither can Theo,” Jack said. “He promised he’d come.”
Nina smiled. “I’m sure he will.”
Drop-off went smoothly. Nina chatted briefly with Jenny Ackley, who was dropping the kids off today, then headed home. There, she settled in to work.
The company that had posted the freelance graphic-design position she’d applied for had written back with a job offer, so Nina got started on that. The client, a small real estate agency, was looking for a whole new design package, from a new logo to updated stationery and business cards. It was fun and engaging work, compared to Nina’s usual phone sales, but her mind kept wandering. Every few minutes, she checked her phone for messages from Theo, but there was nothing.
They often texted throughout the day, either general updates on their plans or little observations — but nothing. Theo hadn’t even replied to her message asking about whether he’d come to drop-off. Nina began to worry, though she tried not to.
After lunch, though, she texted again asking if Theo would be coming to dinner. When she left to get Jack from school, he still hadn’t replied. Again, Nina tried not to read into it.
That evening, Jack was a ball of excitement, full of stories about choir practice and the fun game of dodgeball they’d played in PE. Nina listened and tried to be enthusiastic, but her mind was elsewhere.
She’d hoped her night with Theo was the beginning of something new, but maybe she’d misread the situation. Maybe for Theo it hadn’t been anything serious. Maybe he’d thought it was just a fling, like he apparently had often before he’d met her.
Chill out,Nina told herself firmly. Theo often got buried in work and forgot to reply for at least a few hours. There was no reason to believe this was anything else. When he got home from work, they’d talk, and everything would be fine.
Towards dinnertime, Nina’s phone finally buzzed with a reply from Theo. She grabbed it a little too enthusiastically and read his reply.
Stuck working on the Ackley pitch. Don’t wait to eat dinner.
