by Judy Angelo
“Well, anyway," Tessa said, taking the focus off her sin, “I promised to call him tonight with the details of our lunch date. I’m thinking of The Lord Nelson."
“Sounds good," Indie said, "and it’s close to your school. Are you sure you’ll be able to spare the time in the middle of the day?”
“As long as I make it Thursday I'm good. My morning session ends at eleven and my next class isn't till one thirty."
“Cool. Okay, got to run,” Indie said quickly. “I promised Stone I’d see him off at the airport today. Catch you later.”
It wasn’t until Tessa hung up that she remembered the real reason she’d called Indie – to borrow her peach and cream silk scarf. It would be the perfect complement to the dress she planned to wear on Thursday. Darn. Knowing Indie, she might just decide to hop on the plane with Stone and then where would she be? Quickly, she pressed redial. Busy. Oh, well. A voice message would have to do.
Tessa made the reservation at the restaurant then dialed Wolf’s number. As the phone rang her pulse began to pick up pace. She must really be looking forward to this lunch for her heart to hit the racetrack at the thought of speaking to Wolf to set up their date. Or pseudo-date. The phone rang five times and then went to voicemail. She was actually happy to hear his recorded message. She wasn’t quite ready to have a conversation with Wolf. Not right now, anyway. She left the information about the date and location of their meeting and then hung up.
The next couple of days were so hectic for Tessa that she didn’t even have time to think about the date. In fact, on Thursday morning it was after she’d thrown on one of her standard navy blue skirts with sleeveless top and matching jacket that she remembered the lunch. She threw open the car door, dashed back into the house and raced up the stairs back to her bedroom.
Dress, dress, dress, where are you? Her fingers flew through the clothes in her closet until they landed on the one she was searching for. Black, with a thin beige line of embroidery at the hem, it was simple but elegant enough to transition her from serious schoolteacher to charming lunch companion.
Moving at warp speed she slipped on the dress, pulled on a tailored black jacket and slipped her feet into pumps with heels that gave her extra inches and showed off her slim calves. They’d do nothing for her back, though, except maybe cause a heck of an ache while she was standing in front of her classroom full of students. But, like any woman worth her salt, she would suffer through the agony of high heels because that was the price you gladly paid to attract the attention of the opposite sex.
She stole a quick glance in the mirror. Not bad, but she was missing something. Oh yes, Indie’s peach and cream scarf. Shoot. That would have been the perfect touch. She frowned as she realized that after she’d left that voice message Indie hadn’t even returned her call. Boy, as soon as they get married they forget about their friends. Grrr!
Anyway, too late now. This look would have to do.
Tessa tore back down the stairs – which was more like fast tiptoeing, seeing that she was in high heels – and out the door, hopped into her Audi which she’d left running, backed out and roared down the street somewhat faster than she was supposed to be going on a neighborhood street. Please don’t let me get a ticket.
Of course, when she got to school everybody noticed that she looked different. It started with the teachers in the lounge.
“Ooh, somebody’s got a date today.” Jackie Hepburn grinned at her as she gathered up a pile of notebooks. “Who’s the lucky man?”
Tessa could have pinched her. Trust Jackie to start something. Now the whole staff would be teasing her.
“Yeah, Tessa. What’s up with the fancy dress?” Redhead Fred was all too willing to jump on the ‘Tease Tessa’ bandwagon. He welcomed anything that would distract him from his work. Where Fred was concerned, a dose of Ritalin would be very much in order.
Next it was Paula then Karen putting in their two cents until Tessa had to grab her papers and notes and escape to her class. “Nothing special, guys,” she called out as she fled the staff lounge. “Just a quick business lunch.” She didn’t miss Fred’s sarcastic, “Yeah, right.”
Tessa had thought her fellow teachers had been pretty vocal in their comments but it was when she got to her first group of students that she knew what ‘vocal’ was. As she walked into the classroom the wolf whistles were so loud she had to slam the door shut behind her before the principal heard and came running to investigate.
“Lookin’ good, Miss T,” Karl Janssen yelled from the back of the room and of course, like good little minions, the rest of the boys started woof-woofing until she had to put a stop to it.
“Okay, class, that’s enough.” Tessa practically had to bark the words to be heard over the din. Then she looked directly at Karl, the renowned ringleader and master troublemaker in this group. “Thank you for your compliment, Karl, but now it is time for class. Understood?”
“Gotcha,” he said with a nod even as he gave her a bold stare that started at the tips of her toes and traveled all the way up her person to stop at her chest.
Tessa almost threw the blackboard eraser at him, she was so annoyed. Instead, she drew in some oxygen and turned her back to the class as she picked up a stick of chalk and got ready to write the day’s topic on the board.
She had to remember that these boys were not so much boys but, at eighteen, fully grown men with an awareness she hadn’t had at their age. Young men with hormones kicking into overdrive. They’d be testing her, trying out their manliness, trying to look macho in front of their peers. Knowing this, she did her best not to deflate any of them in front of their friends.
Tessa taught two sessions before her morning segment ended and as the bell rang to signal eleven o’clock she sagged with relief. Never again would she dress up and come to school, no matter who she was having lunch with. Whether priest, politician, or president they’d have to receive her in her basic black, gray or navy skirt suits because being harassed at school because you dared to look good was just not worth the trouble.
At ten minutes after eleven Tessa was already in her car and heading down Plains Road toward The Lord Nelson. She got there with a whole ten minutes to spare. She’d told Wolf to meet her at eleven thirty for lunch so she slung her purse over her shoulder and took her time as she strolled to the main entrance of the restaurant.
As she stepped out of the sunshine and into the softly lit lobby she blinked as her eyes adjusted to the subdued lighting. Her brows raised when she saw that, standing less than ten feet away, was Wolf. Talk about an early bird.
But he looked like no bird she’d ever seen. No, Wolf Spencer was all man, dressed casually in dark gray slacks and a blue Oxford shirt open at the collar to reveal the tanned skin of his neck. Strange how he always seemed so tanned – in South Africa, at the dinner at Indie's house, and even now. It was only the beginning of February, for goodness sake. Where’d he get the chance to soak up so much sun? Or was he the product of the tanning booth?
“Tessa. Good to see you again.”
Her thoughts were snapped off when he came forward and extended his hand in greeting. It swallowed hers whole. “Hi, Wolf. You’re early,” she began then realizing that hadn’t sounded too welcoming she cleared her throat. “Thanks for coming and for accepting my apology.”
That got her a smile. “I hope you’ll have lots of reasons to apologize,” he said with a teasing look. “That way, I’ll never be short of lunch dates.”
That made her smile, too, and then she began to wonder what he’d done with his ‘brick-wall-for-a-face’. The more she saw of him, the more human he was becoming. She could get used to this.
In quick time they were seated at a table. The server greeted them and took their order and then they were alone. Alone as in no-one else with them, as in no-one else to talk to, or to break the ice. Tessa gave Wolf a little smile then dropped her eyes. She’d already apologized. Now what? Heck if she knew what to start talking about now that they
were alone.
“So how are things at school?” Even if he was just trying to break the silence Wolf was doing a good job at looking interested. Thank God. At least he’d got the ball rolling.
“Pretty good,” she said, nodding. “It can get pretty hectic sometimes, especially as we’re getting farther into the term. You know, exams and so forth. But it’s also part of the job. Part of the challenge. Love it.”
He tilted his head to one side. “You love being a teacher, do you?”
Like a copycat she tilted her head, too. It was almost as if she was in sync with him and she knew why. He’d asked her about a topic that was close to her heart. Don’t let me get started, Wolf. I may not stop.
“Absolutely.” There was not an iota of doubt in her response. “It’s my life. I love to interact with young people, educate them and most of all, motivate them to be their best. I could have no greater reward than to see one of my students hit the ground running on the path to a life of achievement.”
He leaned back in his chair and smiled at her. “It’s kind of weird, hearing you talk about working with ‘young people’. You don’t look much older than a high school kid yourself. How old are you? Nineteen?”
Tessa laughed, knowing he was just being facetious. “Hey, don’t disrespect. You’re looking at a woman who’s all of twenty-five years old. Way past the high school age.” She’d never been shy about revealing her age and she wasn’t going to start now. She’d probably start to count backwards once she hit the big four-O but until then her age was just another number.
Wolf gave her a teasing nod. “I stand corrected.” Then he reached out and took a sip of the cranberry juice the server had brought him. “So, Miss Tyndale, I can see you have a passion for education. Right up my alley.”
“Your alley?” That made her cock an eyebrow. “You’re into education, too?”
"Been in it all my life. I grew up seeing both my parents working in the field of education, then I did a stint as a tutor and then a teaching assistant in university. And remember, I started out as a lab assistant in high school. You know the story behind that one.” He chuckled at the memory. “Anyway, I recognized pretty early on that I wanted to motivate others to learn. Probably a little bit like you.” He stroked his chin and gave her a thoughtful look. “And that’s why I started my video production company. The best of both worlds. A marriage of my training in film with my passion for sharing the joys of learning.”
That made Tessa’s ears perk up. Now this was an interesting topic of conversation if there ever was one. “So what exactly do you do at this video production company of yours?”
“Your grilled salmon with whipped potatoes, ma’am.”
Tessa jumped, only then realizing that the server had returned with their orders. She’d been so engrossed in the conversation, so fascinated with the knowledge that she and Stone Face had something in common – no, that wasn’t fair, calling him that name; he was way human now – that she’d lost track of time, space and her surroundings. Wolf Spencer, you’re becoming so interesting, if you’re not careful I might begin to like you.
She waited until the server had laid the warm plate in front of her and a plate of steak and potatoes in front of Wolf then as soon as the young woman was out of earshot Tessa prodded Wolf again. “Your company? What do you do there?”
Wolf shook his head and grunted in a disapproving manner. “Oh, no, you don’t. You’ve got a gleam in your eye and your breathing just got faster. I bet your mouth's watering, too, and it’s not for food. It’s for information.” He gave her a smile that was both teasing and disarming all at once. “I know the symptoms. I’ve fallen under that spell lots of times and I know that means you’ll probably spend the rest of the time plying me with questions, forgetting that you have a meal growing cold in front of you.” He picked up his fork. “Not another word about my company or my projects until you’ve eaten at least half of what’s on your plate. Bon apetit.”
Tessa began to pout but then decided to give up and just eat fast. She wanted to get back to the talking as soon as possible.
True to his word, she was halfway through her meal when Wolf switched their light conversation back to the topic that had captured her interest.
“The main focus of Dynamic Video Productions is to create quality videos and television programs for both children and adults, shows that will not only entertain but also educate in areas ranging from foreign languages to science to culture and sociology. It was an ambitious goal, to try and cover such a vast range of subjects, but it came out of my dissatisfaction with the television shows available to the general public. There’s just so much 'Sponge Bob' and 'Loonie Tunes' that a child’s head can take.”
Before she even realized what she was doing Tessa had reached out and touched Wolf’s hand. “You hit the nail right on the head. That’s been a major – and I mean major – pet peeve of mine. Where’s the quality programming for children?” Her point made, and seeing that he’d glanced down and noticed her hand on his, she withdrew before he thought she was being forward. She’d always been a touchy-feely sort of person, quick to touch someone on the arm or the shoulder when making a point. Bad habit. Note to self – don’t do that anymore.
“Right,” he said with a nod. “The thing is, even the channels that say they're providing educational programming are woefully lacking. So there’s 'Blue's Clues' and 'Sesame Street' for the tots but what about elementary and middle school children? What about high schoolers? They could benefit from shows supporting their learning."
Tessa laid her hand on her heart and looked at Wolf with eyes that probably shone with love. Well, not love-love but a whole lot of admiration. She couldn’t help it. The man was speaking as if he’d been reading her heart. She couldn’t hold it in. She had to tell him how she felt. “Can I box you up and take you home with me? You are so…so…with it. You understand exactly what we’re missing. I love that.”
For a second Wolf looked taken aback by her passionate declaration but then he leaned forward and his eyes flashed with a fire which told her they were thinking along the same lines. “So you’re feeling me and where I’m coming from,” he said, his voice crackling with obvious excitement. “My dream is to revolutionize the world of television with real-world, viable options for adults and children who value learning. Not another PBS or TVO. No, a real alternative – education TV, a station where it’s all education, all the time, twenty-four hours a day. And real learning, not just kiddies game shows-”
“And interactive learning, fun learning, materials from the school curriculum but presented in a viewer-friendly format.” She’d cut him off, she knew, but she couldn’t help it. He got her fire burning and she could not stop. And he was right. Her mouth was watering. "And mock quizzes and educational game shows-”
“Stop.” Now it was Wolf’s turn to reach out and touch her hand and he was grinning as broadly as she was. “If you keep going, my head is going to explode. It’s like…” he looked away, seeming to be searching for words. “…it’s like connecting with you opened up the flood gates. There are too many ideas rushing at me right now.”
“I know,” Tessa said, giving him a look of sympathy. “It’s a phenomenon I’ve heard of before. It’s called synergy.”
Wolf rested his chin in his palm and looked into her eyes and on his face was an expression of total satisfaction. “One plus one is-”
“More than two,” she said, finishing the thought for him. Then an idea jumped up and slapped her right in the middle of the forehead. She couldn’t keep it to herself. “Wolf, what if I told you I’ve got lots more ideas where those came from? What if I told you I think you and I could make a great team?” Tessa held her breath, watching his face, trying to gauge his reaction. But his face, now closed and thoughtful, was unreadable.
She bit her lip and drew back ever so slightly in her chair. What if he thought she was being presumptuous for even suggesting that they become a team? He had years of exp
erience in the field. Why would he even need her? He probably had his pick of a thousand teachers who would jump at the chance of collaborating with him. And he would choose to work with her, a known prankster? Not very likely.
Disappointed, she gave him a wry smile and waited for the excuses to come. She was sure he could find a hundred and one reasons not to work with her. But wouldn’t it be great if they could have given it a shot?
She’d always wanted to find a great way to motivate kids, lots and lots of them, not just the ones she taught in high school. At one point she’d even toyed with the idea of being a motivational speaker, traveling from city to city. But she didn’t have a name. She was just a regular high school teacher. Who would come out to listen to her speak?
But television – that was a whole different ball game and far more effective. She could work behind the scenes doing lesson plans, maybe filling in as a part-time producer, and she could make a difference in thousands or maybe millions of lives. Wow! It blew her away, just thinking about it. But would Wolf give life to her dream? She didn’t dare look at him.
“That was an awe-full idea.” Wolf’s voice was firm and strong.
Tessa’s gaze flew to his. It may have been ambitious, audacious even, but awful? Then when she saw the wide smile on his face she frowned in confusion.
“I knew that would get you. Awe-full, Tessa, as in full of awe, deserving of awe, wonderful. Which, by the way, was the original meaning of ‘awful’. Centuries ago, if something was awful that was a good thing.” He was laughing now.
Tessa almost rolled her eyes. A lesson in etymology in the middle of their discussion? Come on.
“Okay, Tessa, in twenty-first century slang, it’s awesome. I love it.” Then he reached for her hand and she did not object. She gripped his tightly, relief flowing through her like a cleansing stream. Wolf was going to give her the chance she’d been awaiting so long and she could not stop smiling. If he wasn’t careful she’d probably do something stupid like lean forward and give him a kiss right on that smiling mouth of his.
