Authors: Pamela Yaye
“She's nothing like Chloe,” he said. He hadn't compared them, but Teddy was her own person. Maybe that was why he couldn't identify her. Adam thought of their kiss. For days afterward, he couldn't get the feel of her in his arms out of his mind. He liked the way her body folded into his as if she belonged there. As if she wanted to be there. As if it was the right place for her. And he wanted nothing more than to go on holding her.
In the time since he decided to never marry again, he hadn't met anyone who captured his mind days after meeting the way Teddy had. Pushing himself up straight on the sofa, Adam became very serious. He scrutinized Quinn for a moment before asking, “Have you ever been in love? I mean, really in love? Have you ever wanted a woman more than you've wanted anything else?”
Quinn pointed the remote control at the television and clicked it off. “This is going to take some time.”
For a long moment Quinn stared at Adam. The two brothers were close and rarely held anything from each other. Adam wanted to tell him about the pact, but not yet.
“You think you're in love?” Quinn asked, breaking Adam's train of thought.
“No.”
“Then what
do
you think?”
“I'm not sure. I think I might be going through some kind of phase.”
“Phase?” Quinn grunted. “You're way too old for phases.”
“Has it happened to you, Quinn?” Adam asked seriously.
His brother hesitated. Then said, “Once.”
“With who? What happened? Why didn't I know about this?”
“You have your own life and mainly you work after dark.”
“I work with world markets. They're open late,” Adam said. “What about the woman you were in love with?”
“Obviously it wasn't the can't-live-without-you love, since I am still here. And this conversation is not about me,” Quinn countered. “Does Mom have anything to do with this?”
“Not much. She's always meddling in my love life.”
“Well, you haven't been seeing anyone on a steady basis,” Quinn said. “And that's a cue for her to take control.”
“So she finds me dates. Blind dates.”
Quinn smiled. “So that's what this is about. She got you a date and you're having feelings for her.”
“Not totally. I mean, Teddy is a nice person. I'd have dated her on my own if Mom hadn't interfered. But I'm not in love with her.”
“What about Veronica and Chloe? Weren't you in love with them?”
“I thought I was. Veronica was all flash.”
“And Chloe?”
“I'll never know.”
* * *
The parking lot was nearly empty when Teddy returned from her last appointment. She usually loved it when there was a lot of activity going on, but she was in no mood to deal with overzealous mothers or brides who wanted a wedding the size of a Hollywood star on a budget that wouldn't support a B-level film. For the past three days, Teddy felt as if she'd been on a merry-go-round. She had rushed from one meeting to another, juggling details, approving orders and trying her best to put Adam out of her mind. The work was nothing compared to thoughts of Adam. The effort resulted in a headache as both sides of her brain warred with each other.
The offices of Wedding by Diana had recently moved from a scenic but cramped building in downtown Princeton to more spacious surroundings on the fringe of the township. They had a large parking lot and easy access to the major thoroughfares. The offices were brighter and much better organized, although Teddy knew that happened because they had moved and put everything in a new and neat place. Maintaining it would be a chore, but Diana was good at that.
Opening the glass double doors, Teddy balanced the bundles in her arms and headed for her office. A peal of laughter had her stopping just inside. The receptionist looked up and smiled. Teddy was used to hearing happy female voices when she returned from afternoon appointments. She wasn't used to hearing male laughter unless Diana's husband, Scott, had dropped by. This was a decidedly female domain. More laughter rang out. Her heartbeat quickened as she recognized the low masculine sound. Adam! What was he doing here? Again here he was, unannounced and throwing her emotions out of kilter.
Dropping her portfolio and packages in her office, she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and entered Diana's office.
“Hello,” Teddy said.
All conversation stopped. Adam stood up. His smile brightened when he saw her and for a moment Teddy almost forgot she was angry with him. This was her workplace and she didn't need him dropping by and confusing her. She had too many details to remember and he was somehow invading her thoughts and making it difficult for her to concentrate.
“You didn't tell me Adam was a stand-up comic,” Diana said, a smile brightening her face.
Teddy looked from Diana to Adam. His humor with her hadn't been comedic.
“He's been regaling me with stories about some of his clients' questions while he waited for you.”
“Sorry I'm late.” Teddy acted as if she had expected him all along, which she hadn't.
Adam said goodbye to Diana and followed Teddy to her office. “Did we have an appointment that I don't know about?” she asked the moment she closed the door. “Because I don't have you on my calendar and I'm very good at keeping track of the people I'm supposed to meet.”
“I couldn't wait any longer,” he said.
“For what?” Teddy frowned. Confusion had to show on her face.
He took a moment to look around. Wedding portraits hung on the walls. Fabric books sat in a corner. Samples of netted veils hung from a rack near a conference table.
“To get your answer. I thought this setting might generate a positive response.”
“And that's what you want?”
“I think it could benefit us both.”
For some reason, Teddy thought he was referring to their kiss.
“And...my mother called,” he finished. “Are you done for the day?”
The question was an abrupt change in subject and just as abruptly her heart lurched. There were a few hundred details that needed her attention, but they could wait until morning. She nodded.
“Why don't we go somewhere and talk?”
Teddy looked at the pile of bundles she'd brought in with her. Usually she would spend time organizing them. She'd check the notes she'd made during her meetings and put them in the proper files or set up her to-do list for the next day. Yet, when Adam asked about her time, her heartbeat increased. She wanted to go with him.
A moment later they said good-night to Diana, whose face hid a smirk, and left the office. Ten minutes later, they sat at a small table in a local bar where the waitress addressed Adam by name.
“Come here often?” Teddy teased when the woman left to get their drinks.
He smiled and appeared uncomfortable.
“You don't have to answer that,” she said, teasing still in her voice. “This is a small town.”
“I'm sure there are places where you're recognized,” he told her.
“Many of them,” she admitted. “My job requires it.”
“Mine, too,” he said. “Really,” he repeated at her skeptical look. “Depending on the market, my hours can be unpredictable. Often this is the only place to get food after midnight.”
“No snack bar at the company you own?”
“By midnight it's empty and I prefer more than a diet of potato chips and chocolate.”
Teddy didn't reply. He reminded her of chocolate, the kind that was dark and bittersweet, but with a good measure of milk. For a moment, she wanted to taste him, see if that body had the same feel and texture of melt-in-your-mouth chocolate. Teddy had once planned a chocolate wedding. Everything from the cake to the trays that held the multiple sugary concoctions had been made of chocolate: dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate. Some with nuts. Others with designs made of dried strawberries, raspberries or blueberries. She imagined Adam fully sculptured in a rich, milky flavor that would make her teeth ache.
“White wine,” the waitress said, setting a glass in front of Teddy and snapping her mental musings. She set a beer glass in front of Adam, poured the honey-colored liquid into the cooled glass and left them with a friendly smile.
Teddy sipped the dry wine.
“What's it to be?” Adam brought up the subject she'd been dreading.
“You're sure this will work?” Teddy wavered in her decision. She'd spoken to Diana, but thinking of her mother had set her pulse on edge.
“How can it fail?” Adam asked. “Going on a few harmless dates will play right into their plans.”
“And the girlfriends?” Teddy asked, intentionally using the plural. “Suppose we commit to this and the one woman you want above all others walks into your life? How are you going to explain me to her? Or the change in women to your mother?”
She'd seen the expression on his face change. There was a woman in his past. The proverbial one that got away.
“That's not likely to happen,” he said.
“What about me? My one and only could show up unexpectedly.”
He tried to cover his surprise, but Teddy saw the eyebrow rise over his left eye before he forced it back in place.
“Is there a chance of that?” He leaned forward, cradling his beer in both hands, and spoke in a low voice.
“It could. I don't live in a convent.”
He waited a moment as if he was weighing his options. He had no options. “I wouldn't hold you to the terms. I'm sure your mom would be even more pleased to know her daughter had found the
right
man.”
Teddy understood the implication.
He
wasn't the right man. This wasn't going the way she expected it would. She felt as if she'd somehow hurt Adam, although she didn't know how.
“In that case,” Teddy began, “knowing that a true romance with someone else can and would complicate things, we agree to end this pretense early should that happen.” She stared at him. “Agreed?”
“Agreed.” Adam raised his glass and clinked it with hers to seal the deal.
“So, how do we begin?” she asked.
“We've already begun.”
The kiss they'd shared came to Teddy's mind. She didn't know if he was into public displays of affection, but her brides and grooms had no problem letting the world know they'd found that special someone.
“We need to get to know each other, so if our parents quiz us we'll have similar stories.”
“Similar? Not the same?”
He shook his head. “When my dad tells a story, my mom is always correcting his details.”
“Does that happen in reverse, too?”
“You bet it does and it's amusing to watch.”
For the next two hours, over a variety of tasty appetizers, Teddy and Adam enjoyed their first date. They exchanged stories about siblings, colleges attended, pros and cons of their jobs, past jobs, foods they liked and disliked, favorite colors, pet peeves. Teddy found him extremely easy to talk to and his humor wasn't as dry as she'd originally thought it was.
As the waitress replaced Teddy's third glass of wine with a cup of coffee, Teddy brought up the subject every serious relationship couple should know aboutâpast relationships.
“Why did you and your last girlfriend break up?”
Adam coughed and shifted in his seat. Teddy had asked her question after he finished a sip of coffee. She expected his reaction and was not disappointed. She had to stop herself from laughing at his surprise.
“Why is that relevant?”
“For several reasons,” she said, leaning toward him. “It'll give me insight to your character if you're totally honest. And it'll tell me some of the pitfalls I should avoid. It can also tell me some qualities your parents will compare in me. But we'll get to parents later. Let's stick with the girlfriend for now.”
Adam leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He wore an ecru Irish knit sweater that contrasted with the darkness of his skin. “Her name was Veronica and we weren't compatible.”
“I'm sure there's more to it than those few words. And your reluctance to discuss her tells me the end of the story is still unfolding.”
“It's over,” he said. “We didn't really like each other. She didn't make an effort to get to know me.” He paused. “She never delved into my likes or dreams the way you have in the past few hours. And you're doing it on a pretense basis. With her it was supposed to be real.”
“So how did you become a couple?”
“With my hours it's hard to meet and maintain relationships. Hence, my mother.” He stopped a moment to flash her a grin.
“Your mother introduced you to Veronica?”
“I met Veronica at a party given by a business colleague. She was fun, lots of laughs, beautiful. I ran into her several times randomly. One day we agreed to meet. From then on, we were a couple.”
“And then you found her with another man.”
Adam gasped. “How did you know?”
“I had a few clues. Your hours. The fact that you never said anything about being in love. It was either another man or you didn't meet the approval of the king. The king being her father. And since you also omitted a king, it had to be a man.” Teddy gazed at him, but he said nothing. “And now you've sworn off my entire sex?”
“Something like that,” he admitted.
“Veronica couldn't have been the first. But you must have felt something for her that she didn't feel for you. Something deep and fearful.”
Adam cleared his throat. “Can we change the subject? I believe it's your turn now. Who's the one who got away in your past?”
“I haven't met him yet.”
“And how old are you?” he asked with a humorous, skeptical eye.
“Thirty, why?”
“I know there's been someone special in your life, other than the
they're-all-special
types. Which one stood out?”