Nina typed out a quick reply wishing him luck, but her heart sank again. Of course Theo’s pitch was important, and she needed to give him the benefit of the doubt, but still. She’d wanted to see him.
“When’s Theo coming home?” Jack asked as he set the table. “I want to tell him about my choir practice.”
“He has some important work tonight,” Nina said. “Sorry, buddy. But you can tell him all about it tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Jack said sadly.
“How about we have a special mom-son evening?” Nina suggested. “After dinner, we can play any game you want and maybe even watch a movie.”
Jack perked up at the promise of screentime and spent the rest of dinner planning which game they should play. Nina wished she could put aside her worries as easily, but she did her best to have a fun evening with her son and not think about Theo at all.
CHAPTER 19
THEO
Theo stared out the window of his office. The sky was gray, and it was raining, with drops of water sliding down the glass. Theo barely saw any of it. He couldn’t concentrate on the pitch he was working on for Charles. He couldn’t concentrate on anything except Nina.
The night they’d spent together had turned his world upside down. He’d come abruptly face-to-face with just how much he cared about Nina. He wanted nothing more than to spend every waking moment with her and Jack, just playing games and talking. And, after Jack was asleep, spending more nights with Nina and falling asleep with her in his arms, her breath soft, her hair spread across the pillow, her herbal scent filling the room.
Even the pitch that had been his sole focus for months seemed almost trivial. Sure, it would bring millions to his company, but that hardly seemed to matter anymore. What was a few extra million compared to the happiness that being with Nina brought him?
And all of that was terrifying. Blindingly, heart-stoppingly terrifying. Theo had spent years building Epsilon from theground. He’d spent months trying to pitch to Charles Ackley. Now, a smile from Nina and a night with her apparently meant he was ready to throw in the towel on all of it.
His fear made him retreat into the familiar — his work. Over the last three days, he’d barely been home, instead practically moving into his office. It was hard to concentrate, but he did his best. In the few moments he did see Nina, she seemed worried, but she was completely supportive of his work.
If anything, that made it worse. Theo wanted her to be unreasonable so that he’d feel justified running away from her and Jack, but she was just as calm and considerate as ever. Neither of them mentioned the night they’d spent together.
“Mr. Hillman?” His receptionist was standing in the doorway. “Mr. Ackley is here to see you.”
“Of course,” Theo tore his gaze from the raindrops on the window and his mind from thoughts of Nina, “send him right in.”
The receptionist stepped aside, and Charles entered.
“Welcome,” Theo said. “Please, have a seat. Can I get you coffee or tea or anything?”
“Coffee, please.”
They went to the sitting area of Theo’s office, where they took places on couches across from each other. Theo had decided to hold the pitch here, in a relatively informal setting, instead of in one of the conference rooms. He’d thought it would appeal to Charles’s humble roots and down-to-earth personality, and it seemed to be working.
Charles sipped his coffee and smiled at Theo. “How are you?” he asked. “And how are Nina and Jack?”
“I’m doing well,” Theo said, “we all are. Jack’s over the moon about his choir performance in a few weeks.” He didn’t trust himself to mention Nina. “And how are Jenny and the kids?”
“Looking forward to Thanksgiving,” Charles said. “We always have a big family dinner, and everyone’s in charge of a dish. Sam gets to have his own dish for the first time this year — he’s making the cranberry sauce, though I’ll help him with it. He’s very excited.”
“I bet.” Theo smiled.
“Do you have Thanksgiving plans?”
“Probably just a quiet evening with Nina and Jack,” Theo said. Immediately, he could see the scene in his mind: the three of them, sitting around the table, tucking in to plates loaded with turkey and mashed potatoes and talking about everything they were thankful for.
“Shall we get on to business?” he asked quickly, before he could get too deep into the vision.
“Perfect,” Charles agreed.
Theo handed over the materials he’d prepared and launched into a quick presentation of how his company could help Charles’s company. Though he’d had trouble focusing on the preparations, he knew his company well, and he didn’t hesitate. By the end, Charles was nodding.
“That all sounds great,” he said. “Please, send me the case studies and statistics you mentioned. I’d also like a team to come over and meet with your tech team, just to iron out the details.”
