“I like him,” Jack said, bouncing on his toes as they reached the ground floor and exited the elevator.
“Yeah?” Nina asked.
“Yeah,” Jack nodded.
“Well, good, because I think we’ll be seeing more of him for a few months,” Nina said. They crossed the gleaming lobby and exited onto the street outside. The park was just a few blocks away. They’d been delayed by this whole thing, but there was still time to play a little before going home and making dinner. Then, Nina would have to start packing, as strange as that was.
“Cool,” Jack said. He looked up at Nina. “Doyoulike him?”
“Um…” Nina squeezed Jack’s hand. “Yes. I do. He’s going to help us with something, which is very nice of him.”
“Okay.” Jack climbed onto a low wall around a raised flower bed beside the sidewalk and walked along it, his free hand windmilling for balance. He looked so happy and carefree. Nina wished she could be as trusting and content as her son was, but all she could do was worry about what the next few months weregoing to look like. What exactly had she signed them up for? Had it been the right choice?
CHAPTER 5
THEO
Theo couldn’t stop smiling. Finally,finallythings were going his way. With the help of Nina and her son, he’d be able to land Charles Ackley’s business — and probably other high-profile clients, too. He wouldn’t be excluded from the wealthiest circles anymore.
That night, he drew up a contract with one of his company’s lawyers before heading home. He lived in Beacon Hill, a wealthy neighborhood in Boston, in a large freestanding house. It was one of the first things he’d purchased when his company had taken off. After a childhood spent in small, dingy apartments, this mansion was his dream. He’d bought a similar house for his mother on the coast.
Everything in his house fit his taste. The walls were a pale cream and uncluttered. All his furniture was modern, with clean lines and bright white upholstery. The kitchen, hardly ever used, gleamed with the latest appliances, and his hardwood floors were always shining and polished. Stepping into his house meant an escape from the pressures of his work.
Theo went upstairs to the floor with his bedroom. He had four spare bedrooms, one of which he used as an office. Another he kept aside for his mother to use when she visited. The other two rooms would be for Jack and Nina. He made a note to tell his housekeeper to put sheets on the beds, though he didn’t know what else they would need. It would certainly be an adjustment living with people for the next few months, but it would be worth it. Anyway, how much trouble could it be living with a woman and child?
Next, Theo wrote to Holyoke Academy to begin the admissions process for Jack. The first step was a simple form and scheduling an interview, which he did.
Humming to himself, he ate a simple dinner of salmon, rice, and broccoli prepared by his chef and went to bed. He couldn’t wait for Nina and Jack to arrive the next day so that they could finally get started. In just a few weeks, he was sure, he’d be sitting across from Ackley at last.
The next day,Theo left work early and got home just before five o’clock. He was hanging up his jacket when the doorbell rang. He opened the door. On the other side stood Nina and Jack, Jack bouncing up and down.
“Hi!” he said, waving to Theo. “We came here in a big supervillain car!”
“He means the limo,” Nina clarified. Her expression was drawn, and she looked worried. She held Jack’s hand with one of hers and a large suitcase with the other. Behind them, the limo was just pulling away.
“It was so cool!” Jack practically shouted. “Mister Theo, Mom says we’re going to come live here. In this house!”
“That’s right,” Theo agreed.
“It’s totally a superhero house!” Jack wiggled excitedly. “Or maybe a villain’s house!” Then he let go of Nina’s hand and brushed past Theo into the entryway. Theo turned his attention to Nina.
“Please, come in. Let me take your bag.”
“Thank you.” Nina glanced at him, then looked away. “You really didn’t need to send a limo. Although Jack loved it.”
“I’m glad he did, and it was no trouble.” Theo helped Nina carry the suitcase over the threshold into the entryway. “Is this all you brought?”
“Our apartment is nearby, so I can go back anytime and get more things,” Nina said. Just then, there was a faint crashing sound from somewhere deep in the house. Theo winced as he imagined one of his expensive pieces of artwork crashing to the floor. Nina winced, too.
“Let me go check on him,” she said, hurrying down the hall. Theo hurried after her. Jack was kneeling in the hallway, surrounded by shards of one of Theo’s vases.
“Don’t move!” Nina said. “Careful. There’s broken glass.” She lifted her son out from the middle of the shards and set him on safe ground. Then she turned to Theo. “I’m so sorry about this. Let me help you clean up.”
“It’s fine.” Theo managed a smile. “Things break sometimes.” Inwardly, though, he was starting to worry. He’d thought Jack breaking his phone was a fluke, but maybe the little boy wasprone to breaking things. That vase had cost an exorbitant amount of money and had been shipped from Europe at great expense. It was unique, and practically irreplaceable.
“Still, let me help clean up.” Nina looked down at her son. “Jack, you need to be more careful, okay? No running in the house. Please apologize to Theo.”
“Sorry, Theo,” Jack said. His blue eyes pinched, and his face scrunched with regret.
