God, was it always going to be like this every time she saw Leah? Would there always be that tightening low in her body? That increase in her heart rate and breathing? That subtle tingle of excitement when her gaze rested on Leah’s form? The simultaneous mix of lovely and freaky was something she wasn’t sure what to do with.
“Hi,” Leah said as Teddi approached. She looked…What was a good description? Words floated around in Teddi’s head until she grabbed at a few. Elegant. In charge. Sophisticated. Beautiful. Dark pantsuit, boots with a slight heel, long black coat, black leather gloves.
“Hi. Thanks for meeting me. I hope I didn’t pull you away from anything important.” They fell into step together and walked toward the zoo entrance.
“Just some paperwork, and I will take any and all excuses to get away from that.” Leah held the door open for Teddi as she added, “Not that I need an excuse to want to see you.”
Teddi met her eyes, smiled, and turned away before that smile became too wide.
“That being said, one o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon is a rather odd time to show me the zoo…”
Gentle laughter bubbled up from deep within Teddi. “True.”
“Hey, Ms. Baker,” said the young woman behind the counter as they approached.
“Hi, Selena. How’s school going?” Teddi took out her wallet, slid out her membership card. “Two of us, please.”
“Last semester was great, but I’m dreading this one. They say the classes are really tough.” Selena punched some computer keys, then handed the card back to Teddi. “Starts up again in a week.”
“You’re gonna do great,” Teddi told her, then thanked her and gestured for Leah to follow her past the front desk and into the rest of the building. “Selena’s a college kid who wants to be a marine biologist. She’s worked here since she was sixteen. Good kid.”
Leah nodded with understanding, then stopped in her tracks. “Wow. This is so different than what I remember.”
Before them were two large doors. The one on the left led outside and to the mammal habitats. It wasn’t a large zoo, but there was a lot to see. Tigers, elephants, rhinos, wolves, giraffes, lions, orangutans. To the right was the door to the indoor habitats. Reptiles, otters, penguins, seals, and Teddi’s favorite place in the world.
“Come with me,” she said, and held out a hand. Leah’s was soft and warm, her grip firm, and Teddi didn’t want to let go, a feeling that freaked her out just a little bit.
The lighting was dim through the doors on the right, blue. They walked along a dark hallway that suddenly opened into a huge area with glass all around. She turned to Leah, grinning. “Welcome to the aquarium.”
Leah’s green eyes were wide as she looked around, taking in the enormous tanks, the glass of the ceiling, and the underwater life that was suddenly everywhere.
“When I walk through those doors,” Teddi said, gesturing behind them with the hand that was not still holding Leah’s, “I feel an almost instant calm. I don’t know if it’s the blue light or the way the sound gets muffled or the peace of watching these beautiful creatures swim, or what, but I feel like my stress just melts away in here.”
“I can see why.” Leah craned her neck in every direction, let go of Teddi’s hand and turned in slow circles, then walked up to the glass to get a closer look. Teddi sat on one of the benches like she always did, but this time, she watched Leah as much as she watched the sea life. Leah moved from wall to wall, tank to tank, obviously in awe. “The colors are…they’re stunning. I always think of underwater things being gray and slimy, but this, this is just beautiful.” After several minutes, she came and sat next to Teddi, laying a warm hand on her thigh. “What has you stressed?”
Those eyes.
Those gorgeous eyes of Leah’s held such depth, such emotion. You can read everything in those eyes. It was a thought that came out of nowhere, echoed through Teddi’s head, and somehow, she knew it to be true. And just like that, she had no choice but to be completely honest. She always wanted to be honest with Leah. And that thought terrified her.
“My job, while I love it, can drive me up the wall.”
“I hear that.”
“Today, I had a vendor make changes without approval, so I had to fight with them. I had a bride-to-be change her mind on her tablescapes—by the way, she gets married this Saturday. I found out one of my decoration vendors went belly-up yesterday, and I have three orders in with them. And I’ve got a caterer trying to raise his prices when he’s already quoted my client.”
“Yikes. That’s a lot.” Leah’s hand was still on Teddi’s thigh. Teddi hoped it stayed there. Forever. A small group of kids filtered into the space, increasing the noise level a bit, but there were only five of them, and their two chaperones kept them occupied by pointing out different sea creatures. Leah’s hand stayed on Teddi’s thigh.
“None of it is unusual, but when it all hits at once? Yeah.”
A beat went by and then Leah said, “I can see why you come here.” She glanced around with a happy expression on her face. “Even with other people here, it’s so peaceful. I might have to borrow it from you from time to time.”
Teddi leaned in to her. “I’ll happily share it with you.”
“You’re kind.”
And then they sat. Together. Thighs touching. Leah’s hand still in place. Shoulders brushing. They sat in silence that wasn’t at all awkward or uncomfortable. It was the opposite, in fact. Comforting. Content. Right. How could that be?
Teddi pushed the thought out of her head. She was here to relax, to feel calm, not to get her brain all revved up. Slow inhale through the nose. Long exhale out the mouth. She did it again.
“Are you meditating?” Leah leaned in and asked.
God, she smells good. Teddi swallowed. “Just doing my best to chill.”
“It’s definitely not hard to do here. You weren’t kidding about that.”
More questions, more observations ran through Teddi’s head, and she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, willed them away. Out. Gone. Slowly, she opened her eyes again. The stingray swam by, huge and imposing and sleek, and the little kids gasped, Leah’s small intake of breath also audible. And just like that, everything was fine. Teddi’s body relaxed—she took a deep breath, her head quieted—because this was right. Leah next to her, touching her, the two of them connected. It was perfect.
“How do you feel?” Leah’s soft voice broke the silence, but not the spell. Not the feeling of contentedness Teddi had. She smiled.
“Much better. Need to get back?”
Regret was plain on Leah’s face. “I’m afraid so.”
Teddi nodded. “Me, too. Gotta face the problems and take care of them.”
They stood together, put on their coats, and headed back the way they came. Comfortable silence reigned as they buttoned and bundled on the way out. It had started to snow again, and Teddi pulled the hood of her wool coat up to protect her hair. Leah walked close by her side, and Teddi enjoyed the feeling of her presence.
Leah’s car was first. “Start it,” Teddi said, “and we’ll brush it off while it’s warming up.”
They worked together, and then Leah said, “Now you.” They moved down the row and did the same thing with Teddi’s car. By the time they finished, both cars were clear of snow and warm.
Leah opened Teddi’s driver’s side door and held it so Teddi could get in. Once she was settled, Leah leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips. “Thank you for inviting me here. It was something I didn’t know I needed.” She stood back up, told Teddi to drive safely, and shut the door.
Teddi sat there in her warm car and watched Leah walk back to hers. She didn’t hunch against the snow or cold. Rather, she walked confidently, head held high, the gentle sway of her hips catching Teddi’s eye and holding it. A ripple of surprise ran through her as she realized that if she could jump out of her car and coax Leah back into the aquarium to sit there with her for the rest of the day, she totally
would.
A slow lean forward, and her forehead rested on the steering wheel.
“Oh, this is bad,” she whispered into the quiet of the car. “This is so, so bad.”
Chapter Fourteen
Stoicism. Leah was good at it. She had to be in her line of work. Most of the time, her job was done in an office with her client. It wasn’t often that she had to meet with both her client and the person they were divorcing, but it did happen on occasion. This Friday morning had been one of those instances where the husband—not her client—called his soon-to-be-ex some horribly offensive names and said terrible things to her. To the point where his lawyer, who was a friend of Leah’s, looked positively mortified and finally had to cut the meeting short, dragging the husband out by the hood of his coat.
Leah’s client sat there for a moment. Quiet. No tears, but a look of sheer pain on her face. Leah stayed with her in silence—not wanting to remember the fights her own parents had had, but unable to control that—until the woman shook herself into movement again. Reassurance was what Leah had to offer, and she gave it, promised her there would be a fair division of the marital assets, no matter what the husband seemed to think. Her client nodded, tried to smile, understood that it was going to be okay. But underneath it all, Leah could see the pain. The hurt. The confusion over how she could’ve possibly loved somebody who would hurt her that badly. It was a thing Leah had seen many times, on her mother’s face so long ago and on those of her clients almost every day, and she still had little to offer in the way of help. All she could do was be supportive and do her job. So she was, and she did, to the very best of her ability.
Back in her office and eating a salad at her desk, Leah gave herself some time to decompress. Meetings like that could take a lot out of her, and she’d learned over the years to take a few moments to just breathe. She stabbed a cherry tomato with her plastic fork and checked her phone.
The group text that included her, Tilly, and JoJo had new messages—they wanted to go out to dinner Saturday night. Kelly reminded her that she’d promised to go visit the florist with her next week. Her mother texted just to say hi. The fourth text was the one that made a smile creep onto her face.
Was thinking about you as I ate my lunch. Thought I’d say hi.
A few seconds went by. Then another text. Hi! With a smiley emoji. Teddi.
Leah typed back, Hi! I’m eating my lunch, too. Hope yours is more exciting than my salad.
She chewed a bite of lettuce, wished she had more dressing, when the response came: Wish mine was pizza. I’ve been craving.
A smile. More typing. You got a wedding tomorrow?
Yep.
What about Sunday?
A few beats went by, then, I’m free on Sunday. I’ll be beat from the wedding, but… Teddi left the sentence hanging. The gray dots bounced. Then they went away. Returned. Bounced. Went away. Bounced. Leah was ready to scream when the words finally appeared: I’d love to see you.
Leah’s face blossomed into happiness. She could feel it. Wet her lips. Typed before she lost her nerve. Come to my place. We’ll watch a movie. Order pizza. Just chill.
A few seconds passed. A few more. Leah stabbed a cucumber slice. Chewed. Stabbed another tomato. And then it came: Yes, please.
Leah gave a whoop and shot her arm into the air in victory. The tomato flew across the office and rolled to the shoes of her secretary, who stood in the doorway, amusement on her face.
“Sorry, Greta,” Leah said sheepishly and wrinkled her nose.
“Hey, if tomatoes are flying, good things are happening.” Greta picked up the tomato and carried it to the trash, then handed Leah the file she’d asked for earlier.
Good things are happening.
They were. They really, really were.
* * *
It was rare that Hopeless Romantic handled two weddings on the same day. Or it was rare now. Back when she’d had three locations, it was fairly common. But now that her business was smaller, she usually kept it to one wedding per Saturday. There were exceptions, though, like today. January 25 was a popular day this year for whatever reason, so she was handling one wedding, and Preston was heading up the other.
Things had run very smoothly. The ceremony had gone off without a hitch. Harlow had taken all the family photos and was now floating around after dinner, taking candids and scene shots. Teddi hovered in the kitchen, making sure the caterer had things under control, watching out the small window to keep an eye on things while she took a break.
“Here.” Her friend Debbie was the head of Deets Catering, and they’d known each other, worked together, for several years now. Debbie shook her head, the beaded ends of her braids clicking together, as she arched an eyebrow and handed Teddi a plate. Chicken salad on a wheat roll. “I got Drake working on the leftover chicken and I haven’t seen you eat a thing. As usual.” She pushed the plate at Teddi. “Eat this. I don’t want to have to carry your ass out of here because you fainted from hunger.”
Teddi took the plate and a grateful bite of the sandwich as Debbie got back to work. Goddamn heaven on a roll. She hummed in delight. A hand in front of her mouth as she chewed, her eyes met Drake’s across the kitchen. “You seriously just made this?” The chicken salad was tender and savory, and tiny bits of celery gave it some crunch. “It’s fantastic.” Drake gave her a shy smile and a nod of thanks.
She finished the sandwich in no time flat and shot Debbie a look of gratitude as she pushed through the door and back out into the venue. Friends who knew her that well—she was lucky to have them.
“Hey, there. Nice shindig you threw here.” Harlow sidled up next to her and they stood and watched.
“Not my first rodeo.” They stood side by side for a moment and watched an obviously drunk uncle dance like he thought he had moves. The bride rolled her eyes, but her smile stayed in place. “Bride’s not about to let drunk Uncle Al mess up this day for her.”
“I was just thinking that,” Harlow said. As they watched, she asked, “How are things?”
“Things?”
Harlow turned to look at her, arched an eyebrow. “Really? We’re playing this game, are we?”
A grin she had no control over. A drop of her chin to her chest. “Fine. You’re right.” The dance floor was lit in shifting shades of pink, purple, blue, and white light, and Teddi let her gaze roam out over it as she searched for words. “Things are…things are good. I think.”
“You think?”
“Well, we’re taking it slowly, and that seems to be something we sort of mutually agreed on without actually saying it.”
“You still relaxing about it?”
Internally, Teddi snorted, but she stayed outwardly calm. “I am.”
“And? How is that working?”
Slow nodding. A flash of Leah’s smile. That warm, pleasant feeling in her gut. And lower. “It’s working.”
“You slept with her yet?”
Teddi shook her head. When Harlow made no comment, she turned to meet her gaze. Which was infuriatingly knowing. “What?” She didn’t snap the word, but it was close, as she reconsidered the joys of having friends who knew her so well.
“Oh, nothing. Just the last time you waited was—”
“Don’t say it.”
“Julia.”
“You said it.” Teddi poked the inside of her cheek with her tongue.
“Don’t get mad at me. I’m just pointing out facts.” Harlow’s voice softened. Well, as much as it could to still be heard over Lizzo’s pumping beat. She reached out and rubbed her hand down Teddi’s upper arm. “I’ve said it before, you obviously like her.”
“I do.” She had no qualms about saying that. It was true and there was nothing wrong with it. What’s not to like about Leah?
“And you’ve been able to move past the whole divorce-attorney-of-your-ex thing?”
No hesitation with this nod. She really had been able to let that go, and she was proud of herself for it.
&nbs
p; “Good. Then I say keep doing what you’re doing.” Harlow paused, and when Teddi met her eyes, she smiled tenderly. “Because you look great. You look happier than I’ve seen you look in a long time.”
Teddi’s blush was probably not plain to see in the dim lighting, but it was there. She felt the heat of it. The joy of it. The smile that blossomed across her face without her permission or control. Because Harlow was absolutely right. She reached for her friend’s hand and squeezed it. “Thank you.”
“Who knows?” Harlow said as she gazed out over those who still remained of the 250 wedding guests. “Maybe we’ll be planning one of these for you down the road.”
Teddi barked a laugh. One sarcastic ha! “No way. I’m never doing that again.”
Harlow turned surprised eyes her way. “No?”
“No, ma’am. Once was enough, believe me.”
Harlow nodded and returned her focus to the dancers. She lifted her camera and took a few shots but said nothing more.
* * *
“Why did I have the impression that you didn’t cook?” Teddi asked. She was seated on Leah’s kitchen counter, wineglass in hand, feet swinging gently, watching Leah stir.
“I really don’t, but let’s be honest. It’s hard to mess up chili.” She tapped the wooden spoon on the side of the pot, then put it in the black spoon rest her mother had given her and set the lid back on it. “A few more minutes,” she reported, then turned so she faced the counter behind her, took two steps, and positioned herself between Teddi’s legging-clad knees. “I like you on my counter.”
“I like being on your counter.”
Kissing. Kissing happened then. Lots of it. Leah loved kissing Teddi more than she even had the words to describe. Everything about it was incredible. Teddi’s lips were the softest, and they melted into Leah’s like they were meant to. Teddi’s mouth was warm and she always tasted so good. Today, it was a mix of wine and just…Teddi. Leah moved her hands around Teddi’s hips to the small of her back and slid her closer as Teddi’s fingers dug into Leah’s hair.
Hopeless Romantic Page 13
