Naughty by Nature

by Judy Angelo

  It seemed so strange to be so formal when he’d been on her mind all week. And then she looked up into his face and saw the twinkle in his eyes and knew he really was glad to see her. He wasn’t just saying it. And it made her heart dance.

  “Come on in,” he said and beckoned for her to go ahead of him. “My parents have been eagerly anticipating your visit. Especially my mom.”

  She took his hand as he helped her up the steps and as his warm fingers encircled hers she drew in a deep breath. Well, here goes…

  Wolf led her through a majestic lobby with a chandelier whose lights twinkled star-like in the high cathedral ceiling, then along a hallway that led to an open sunlit sitting room. And there on a chaise longue by the wide bay window lay Mrs. Spencer. Her husband was nowhere to be seen.

  “Tessa,” she called out as they entered the room, “come on over and let me get to know the face behind the name.”

  Tessa was surprised at the casual tone but she hid her confusion behind a cheerful smile and immediately went to take the lady’s outstretched hand. “Mrs. Spencer,” she said softly. “It’s good to meet you.”

  “Ah, my dear, not under the best of circumstances but we make do, don’t we?” Mrs. Spencer looked up at Tessa and there was not an ounce of self-pity on her face. “And call me Lydia. Mrs. Spencer makes me feel so old. Even my students don’t call me that.”

  “Lydia it is, then.”

  Lydia released Tessa then glanced over to where Wolf still hovered by the door. “Dear boy, will you pull up a chair for Tessa, right by me? She looks like the kind of girl I can have a good conversation with.”

  Dear…boy? Tessa cocked an eyebrow as she looked over at Wolf. He shook his head and grinned. “Yes, dear boy,” he said, clearly reading her mind. The confusion on her face must have been plain as day. “That’s just one of Mom’s many names for me. I won’t bore you with the details.”

  “No, bore me,” she said as he brought the armchair and placed it by the bed for her. “I want to know.”

  He shook his head. “No, you don’t.” He gave her a tiny frown that said, ‘Don’t push it’.

  “But I do,” she said, totally ignoring his obvious desire to protect his secret. As she sank into the chair she gave him a beseeching smile.

  Before Wolf could respond Lydia laughed. “I’ve been calling Wolf by all sorts of names ever since he came home from high school and demanded that we change his name from Wolfgang to Steve."

  Tessa’s jaw dropped. “Wolfgang?” She stared up at Wolf. “That’s your real name?”

  His gaze narrowed as he frowned at her but a smile tickled the corners of his mouth. “It is,” he said, “and now that you know my secret I’ll have to-”

  “Kill me?” Tessa asked, laughing.

  He chuckled. “I was going to say, keep you here forever.”

  She cocked an eyebrow at him. That didn’t sound half bad. Not as long as he was going to be there with her.

  Lydia was laughing with them and she reached over and touched Tessa’s arm. “So, in case you want to know, his full name is Wolfgang Arm-”

  “Mom.” Wolf gave his mother a look that was a cross between wide-eyed shock and a glare. “I don’t think Tessa wants to know that part.” Then, before she could refute that, he turned to her. “And don’t say you do, because you’ve heard enough of my secrets for one day.”

  “Aww,” Tessa said and gave an exaggerated pout that had Lydia cracking up.

  “You are something else, little Tessa,” Lydia said as she wiped her eye with her good hand. “You just made my day.”

  By then Tessa felt so at ease with Lydia that she reached out and gave her arm a pat. “We’ll just wait till he leaves the room,” she said in an exaggerated whisper, “and then you can tell me all the secrets.”

  Wolf looked over at the two scheming women and gave them a grunt and a scowl but Tessa took none of it seriously because in his eyes was a look of relief and gratitude that told her that he loved what he saw. His mother was interacting with another woman and having fun and it was obvious that he was pleased.

  “I’m leaving you two alone for a while,” he said. “I’ll go see what Dad is up to. But I’m warning you…” his eyebrows fell and he looked from one woman to the other, “…no plotting or funny business while I’m gone. You two are too much alike and that…” he waved a finger at them, “… is scary.”

  The women burst into peals of laughter as he backed away then turned and left the room, muttering as he went.

  “You’ve got a very funny son,” Tessa said, in between chuckles.

  “Wolf?” Lydia looked at her like she’d lost a screw somewhere. “Funny is probably the last word anyone would use to describe Wolf. When he was a teenager he almost drove me up the wall with his moping around the house and his long face. Too serious, I used to say. Just like his father.” Then she glanced over at Tessa and gave her a thoughtful look. “But you…there’s just something…I don’t know what, but he’s been so different lately. And now that you’re here I’m putting two and two together. He’s been a whole lot less uptight ever since he mentioned an intriguing woman he’d met. You.”

  Tessa’s heart did a somersault. “Me?”

  “Aren’t you the girl who was chief bridesmaid at Stone’s wedding? The same one who nearly made Wolf have kittens when you made him think his car had been stolen?”

  Tessa felt the blood rush to her face. Wolf had told his mother about that? “Yes,” she squeaked, embarrassment clogging her throat.

  “Well, you’re the one he’s been talking about. And I think,” she leaned toward Tessa as if sharing something in confidence, “it’s because of you that he’s loosened up so much. He’s come down off his high horse, so to speak. He’s too serious all the time. Time enough to be serious when you’re dead, I always say. I think you’re really good for him.”

  “Me?” Tessa squeaked again. Where was this conversation going? How had they ended up down this garden path? Interesting though it was, she wasn’t sure she was ready for that type of discussion.

  “Yes, you.” Lydia was practically glaring at her. “And why not? You’re nothing like that Vanessa woman he took up with. She led him on and then-” She stopped abruptly then shook her head. “I’ve said enough already. Let’s just say, compared to her you’re like a breath of fresh air…” then she narrowed her gaze, “…so far. Don’t let me down, Tessa.”

  Tessa could only nod but she said nothing. She didn’t even know for sure what she was agreeing to. To be a good friend to Lydia’s son…or something more? She shook her head. This was getting a bit too intense. Time to change the subject.

  “Have you started therapy yet?” She decided to get back to the real reason she was there - to see how Wolf’s mother was doing and offer whatever support she could.

  Lydia rolled her eyes. “Party pooper. You had to remind me, didn’t you?”

  Oops. Now she’d put her foot in it. She’d gone and spoiled Lydia’s happy mood.

  But, to Tessa’s relief, when she looked at Lydia she didn’t seem sad – or mad – at all. She seemed to take everything in stride. She was smiling.

  “I’ve had two sessions so far,” she said, “and my physiotherapist is a dream. Young enough to be my son, mind you, but he makes Ruben jealous.” She chuckled, clearly amused at her husband's discomfort with the attention another man was paying his wife. “I have to keep reminding him that the man is a professional, just doing his job. Men. Such big babies.”

  “I heard that.”

  The two women whirled around just as Wolf walked back into the room with his father right behind him.

  “And we’re not babies,” Wolf said as he directed his father to where Tessa sat.

  She hopped up immediately and stuck out her hand. “Please to meet you, sir.”

  He took it as he looked down at her from his height of at least six feet. He was almost as tall as Wolf. “Pleased to meet you, my dear,” he said in a solemn voice. Then,
his face still serious, he said, “You’re a pretty little thing, aren’t you? Just like Wolf said.”

  That made Tessa’s eyes widen. Just like Wolf said? Had they been talking about her? Somehow, that made her a wee bit uncomfortable. But at least he’d given her a compliment.

  “Thank you,” she said and gently pulled her hand from his grasp as she stole a quick glance at Wolf. He had an enigmatic look on his face which, of course, meant she had no idea what he was thinking. Darn.

  At that moment Lydia raised her hand to wave at the men. “Come help me up, guys. Let’s move into the dining room now. I’m sure everyone is starving.”

  That evening Tessa enjoyed a wonderful meal with Wolf and his parents. Both Lydia and Ruben Spencer had been such a surprise to her. Lydia had been bubbly and upbeat throughout the entire evening even though she’d had to be wheeled to the table in a wheelchair. Ruben, although a lot more reserved than his wife, was nonetheless a pleasant man who engaged her in conversation about her experiences as a high school teacher. After hearing her stories he seemed relieved that he’d chosen to work with adult learners rather than teens.

  And now, after saying her goodbyes, she was walking down the steps with Wolf and inside she felt like a very warm bulb had been turned on and she was glowing from the inside out.

  Wolf opened the door for her and she slid into the driver's seat. He rested a long, lean hand on the window and peered down at her. On his lips was a smile. “You were great, Tessa. For the first time since we got back from India I heard my dad laugh out loud.” He shook his head and his eyes were full of gratitude. “You came to help Mom but you ended up helping Dad as well. And me, too.” He held her gaze. “Especially me.”

  At that moment Tessa knew from first-hand experience what they meant when they said, ‘cat got your tongue’. She had no idea what to say.

  Wolf cleared his throat then straightened, looking almost as embarrassed as she felt. He patted the roof of her solar orange Audi TTS coupe, her one luxury in life, and looked at it admiringly. “Nice,” he said, as if noticing it for the first time. He didn’t fool her one bit. She knew he was only changing the subject so he could push that awkward moment behind him. “I’ve never seen this color on an Audi before.”

  “The only one in Ontario.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “You should give me a ride in it one day.”

  “I most certainly will.”

  He nodded then stepped back and shoved his hands into the back pockets of his jeans.

  When am I going to see you again? Unbidden, the question popped into her mind. As she stared up at him, her eyes taking him all in, she knew she didn’t want to leave. Not just yet. Not till she knew she’d be seeing him again soon.

  He must have been thinking the same thing because he said, “When will I see you again? Remember, we still have that project to discuss.”

  “Thursdays are usually best for me,” she said. “Want to do lunch again?”

  He shook his head. “I have a better idea. Why not come by my office on the weekend when you’re not so pressed for time? Then I can show you what I do and we can bounce ideas off each other. And,” he gave her a smile, “you won’t have to rush off to a class full of kids.”

  “Sounds good.” She smiled back at him. “And, as luck would have it, I’m free this weekend.” She was free every weekend but he didn’t have to know that.

  “Great. What about Sunday around one o’clock? I can order in and we can have lunch at the office.”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  “Okay, I'll let you go now.” He'd approached the car while they were talking but now he gave it another pat. “It’s almost nine o’clock. You need to get home and rest. School tomorrow.”

  Tessa nodded and switched on the engine. “G’night, Wolf.”

  “G’night,” he said, copying her. “And call me when you get home. Let me know you’re safe.”

  Tessa nodded and as she drove out of the driveway and onto the road Wolf was still standing there, hands in his pockets, watching her leave.

  And she knew without a doubt that whatever she was feeling he’d begun to feel it, too. He cared and that was all she needed to know to make her feel on top of the world.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “Earth to Wolf. Do you read me?”

  At the sound of Mike’s voice Wolf blinked and his attention snapped back to the screen. “Yeah, sure, I’m with you.”

  The production manager chuckled. “You could’ve fooled me. I asked you a question two times and it was like you zoned out. All I heard was silence.”

  “Sorry.” Wolf gave him a rueful half smile. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.” Actually, it was not a lot in terms of size. It was a tiny woman called Tessa Tyndale. He just couldn’t stop thinking about her. Cynic that he was, he’d told Stone he could never fall victim to Cupid’s arrow. Now he wondered if he would have to swallow those words.

  “So this is the challenge we’re having. The provincial curriculum has changed this semester but the tapes you brought in still reflect the materials from the last school year.” Mike picked up his pen and used it to point at the index on the screen. “Three of these have changed.” He shook his head. “We’re doing great work, Wolf, but we can’t keep doing it in a vacuum. We need to have a finger on the pulse of what’s current at the Ministry of Education or else we’ll be creating programming that’s irrelevant."

  Wolf nodded and as he pondered Mike’s words he grew thoughtful. He trusted Mike’s judgment and what he was saying made perfect sense. And, he realized, the timing of that remark could not have been more appropriate. “I think I’ll have the solution to our problem very soon,” he said. “There’s a high school teacher I know, a highly motivated person who, unlike us outside observers, is in the middle of the action. She’s right there in the classroom, day after day. I have no doubt she will be the perfect complement to our team.”

  “She will? You discussed this with her already?”

  “Yes, and we’re going to meet again this weekend. She’s got lots of ideas which I’m sure will enhance our product.” He waved a hand at the screen. “And all this will change. Whatever is new and fresh in the field of learning, that’s what we’ll have.”

  Mike nodded. “I see you’re on the ball. Ahead of me, in fact. You’ve already identified the solution when I only just recognized the problem.” He gave a short bark of a laugh. “And that’s why you’re the boss.” He reached for the phone. "I'll have Kareem prepare a list of programs for review. Maybe you can discuss them at your meeting this weekend?”

  “Sounds like a plan. Just make sure I get the list and the samples by Friday.”

  His meeting with Mike over, Wolf got up and left the production room, glad he’d had that conversation. The list and the tapes of program samples were just what he needed for his next date…no, appointment…with Tessa. He’d have something concrete to work with as he shared ideas with her.

  And he needed that. Because not having anything to keep him grounded while they were all alone together was, almost certainly, a recipe for trouble.

  ******

  “I tell you, I don’t know what’s wrong with him. Whenever he thinks he’s right he just refuses to back down even if I’m the one who’s right.”

  As she sat on her queen-sized bed listening to her mother’s rants on the phone, Tessa let her shoulders sag and her chin fall to her chest. Just what she needed on a school night when she was dead tired from marking papers all evening. A litany of complaints from her mother. Honestly, it was a real mystery that Bob and Eleanor Tyndale’s marriage had lasted over twenty-eight years. Every few months it would be something else and Tessa would get drawn into it by either one side or the other. Tessa loved her parents with all her heart. She just wished they would mellow and settle down to a calm and peaceful life. In other words, she wished they would grow up.

  But it looked like it wasn’t going to happen. Not right now, anyway. She would just have to suck it up
as she always did and pray that it would blow over soon. Sometimes it took a day or two for things to get back to normal, sometimes just a few hours. There was one frightening time, though, when Bob and Eleanor did not speak to each other for almost two weeks. Now that had been scary.

  “And another thing,” her mother continued, “I’m getting pretty tired, listening to him snore. It’s worse now that he’s older. He’s driving me crazy.”

  Tessa swallowed a sigh. At this point they were both driving her crazy but, good daughter that she was, she didn’t vocalize her thoughts.

  “Just sleep in the next room, Mom,” she said soothingly. “He can’t help it if he snores.”

  “No,” Eleanor said decisively. “Sometimes he does it to annoy me.”

  “Oh, Ma.” Tessa could only shake her head. The ideas her mother came up with. With two zany parents like hers it was a wonder she was so stable and sane, a solid rock in their stormy sea.

  “I’ve had enough, Tessa. I need a break from your father. I’m going to book a flight and come up tomorrow evening and spend a few days with you, just us girls. I’ll call and let you know what time to get me at the airport.”

  “Wait…uhm…Mom, did you say you’re flying back to Canada tomorrow?”

  “That’s what I said. Are your ears blocked up again?” Her mother’s tone was prickly and impatient.

  “No, they’re fine, it’s just…that’s sort of short notice for me.” Tessa held her breath as she waited for her mother’s response. Please let her change her mind. I can’t take this drama, not right now.

  “Why do I need to give notice to visit you? I’m your mother.” And with that, Eleanor effectively dismissed Tessa’s only hope to delay the visit. “If I get there Thursday evening you’ll be in school Friday, but we’ll have Friday night to hang out and then all day Saturday to go shopping. Sunday I’ll make you a nice homemade meal because I know you’re up there starving yourself and I’ll catch the last flight back to Florida Sunday night. By that time I’ll probably be missing your father just a little bit and won’t mind going back. How does that sound?”