And for a moment, I remembered the conversation I’d overheard on Friday. The comment she’d made to Theo about me beingyoung. Andbeautiful.
I suppose I should feel flattered that a woman as elegant as Mrs. Vanderbilt thought I was beautiful. But something told me she hadn’t meant it as a compliment then.
And she definitely didn’t seem thrilled about it now.
Charlotte shifted happily on my lap, clearly oblivious to the strange undercurrent floating around the room.
So, ready to make my exit before the questioning could continue, I glanced over at Theo.
He was standing frozen near the kitchen entry with Charlotte’s bags still in his hands.
“Would you like me to take those bags upstairs for you, Theo?” I offered. “I’m sure you’d love to chat with your in-laws for a bit.”
“Oh, um…” Theo hesitated for a second. Then, seeming to decide it was a good idea, he held the bags out toward me. “Sure. Thank you.”
“No problem.”
I took the bags from him and turned back to the Vanderbilts.
“It was really nice to officially meet you both.”
“Nice to meet you as well,” Mrs. Vanderbilt said. “It’s always good to meet the woman Theo is trusting to take care of our granddaughter.” There was a pause before she added, “Andlivingwith them.”
And though her smile remained perfectly pleasant, something about the look in her eyes as she said it made my stomach tighten.
36
THEO
“Hurry and getthose pajamas on, bug,” I said as I lifted Charlotte out of the tub and wrapped her in her hooded unicorn towel. “I’m going to go downstairs and pop some popcorn for our movie.”
“Otay!” she said the moment I set her down, darting down the hallway in a streak of pink towel and wet curls.
I chuckled and grabbed another towel to wipe the stray puddles off the floor before heading downstairs.
Nora was sitting at the kitchen island when I walked in, looking down at her phone.
“Hey,” she said, glancing up when she heard my footsteps.
“Hey.”
I pulled the stovetop popper from the cabinet and measured out a scoop of kernels before pouring them into the pan with a drizzle of oil.
“Sorry about earlier, by the way,” I said, turning to Nora after switching the stove to medium-high heat. “My mother-in-law can be a little intense when she’s meeting someone new.”
“It’s okay,” she said, giving me a knowing smile. “She caresabout Charlotte. It makes sense she’d want to make sure she’s with someone safe.”
“That’s still no excuse for the third degree.”
“Eh.” She shrugged lightly. “I survived.”
Charlotte came racing down the stairs a minute later in her pink floral pajamas. “Is the popcorn ready?”
“Almost,” I said. “Wanna help me stir it?”
“Yes!” she said, grabbing her little kitchen stool, knowing the routine well.
Once the popcorn was ready and we’d seasoned it with a few sprays of oil and our favorite ranch popcorn seasoning, I grabbed the big bowl and led the way down to the theater room.