38 #UnexpectedGuests

 

David Bryan stood in her driveway, grinning like the Cheshire Cat while Teddi’s insides twisted into a very exotic and complex pretzel. 

 

Unexpected guests were… upsetting.  The only people supposed to be in attendance tonight were Jon, Tori and Craig – who were all calm and familiar enough that she’d convinced herself to once again try being “brave”.  The decision to bypass her anxiety medication was coming back to haunt her now, and it was a Poltergeist quality haunting.

 

Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. 

 

“Sorry,” Jon said quietly.  “I wouldn’t spring him on you without warning.  He was over at the house, and I was in such a hurry to leave that I didn’t see him following.”

 

“It- it’s… fine.”  She could do this.  He was only one additional person, and perhaps his personality wasn’t as energetic as she believed it to be. 

 

“No, it’s not.  I’ll get rid of him.”

 

She wanted to tell him it wasn’t necessary.  She would have if another movement in the driveway hadn’t caught her attention.  When Teddi identified the source, her lungs seized, capturing the breath inside so that she couldn’t tell Jon anything.  All she could do was wheeze a thin, “Damnation.” 

 

“What?”  Jon once again swiveled, and his sunglasses reflected Stef’s truck pulling in behind the Rolls Royce.  The mirrored lenses also caught the addition of Tori’s car to the growing parking lot.  “You didn’t invite them?”

 

“Not all of them.”

 

Two heads were silhouetted in each vehicle.  That meant there were three more people here than she’d planned.  Two of which were Biharis. 

 

Make that three.

 

Maggie’s wild hair revealed that Craig wasn’t the passenger emerging from Tori’s vehicle, and she waved jovially to her siblings, who were gawking at a famous curly-headed musician.  That meant the next car rolling up the driveway must be Craig.  Teddi’s tunneled vision didn’t allow her to see whether he was alone.

 

This was too much.  The beat of her heart had become a drumroll.  Sweat beaded on the back of her neck and forehead.  Heat engulfed her cheeks, and there wasn’t any comfort in the pendant her icy fingers rubbed vainly.  Shadows were creeping in and blurring the edges of her vision.

 

“Teddi.” 

 

Jon’s voice was gentle yet firm in commanding her attention, but she couldn’t obey.  The buzz of excited greetings taking place ten feet away acted like a swarm of poisonous bees, and they were piercing the protective bubble of her home.  The imagined pain of them reaching her skin was real enough to turn Teddi’s knees watery.   

 

“Teddi!”

 

His volume didn’t increase, but there was an added thread of steel that refused to be ignored.  Her panicked focus shifted to find Jon’s sunglasses now hooked between the buttons of his black shirt.  Somber blue eyes were no longer shielded, and they didn’t flinch even as Maggie let out an excited squeal. 

 

“Take my hand, Cookie.”

 

Her eyes dropped to find Jon’s upturned palm waiting to be claimed.  Even in this muddled state of mind and emotion she knew it was a bad idea to exhibit that kind of familiarity.  Teddi shook her head, and by some God-given miracle, he understood. 

 

Jon flipped his hand into a different position and tersely ordered, “Then shake.  Nobody will question that.”

 

David’s voice cut through the buzz, filled with animated wonder.  “You’re Mistress Moon?!  Come give Goldilocks a bear hug, girl!”

 

Desperation was the only thing that pried Teddi’s fingers from her necklace.  Blind willpower to stay upright was what pushed her clammy palm against Jon’s, and when his sturdy fingers folded around her frozen ones… It was like a tropical breeze in a snowstorm.

 

“Breathe, baby,” he murmured with a gentle squeeze.  “I’ve got this.  You don’t have to do a thing but keep that polite smile of yours pinned in place.  I’ll take care of everything else. Now, just stay with me.”

 

Tears of relief pricked at the back of Teddi’s eyes.  His heat was thawing her.  His calm was soothing her inner chaos.

 

Later, the magnitude of this moment would terrify her.  Even now, the numbest part of her brain knew his effect on her was dangerous.  She just didn’t care.  It was more important to get off the virtual ledge than to acknowledge he could annihilate her as easily as he could settle her.    

 

“Your color is getting better.  If I let go, will you be okay?”

 

No.  She wouldn’t.  Not really, but she’d become a good enough actress over the years that no one would ever realize it.  She needed to surrender the comfort of his touch and stand on her own two feet.

 

“Yes.  I just need to get some medication from my office.”

 

“Go,” he encouraged.  “I’ll get rid of David and herd everybody else inside.  Where do you want us?”

 

“The, uh… kitchen, I suppose.”

 

“Done.”  Jon watched her turn, clutching the doorframe for support before she drew a deep breath and disappeared into the entry hall. 

 

How was that shaken woman the same one who ruled the bedroom?   How could she be thrown into a tailspin by the arrival of her family – the good ones – for God’s sake?  He was torn between a desire to hug her close and the temptation to shake her until Gypsy rose to the surface and took charge. 

 

Unfortunately, neither was a possibility, since he needed to play bouncer and surrogate host.

 

Setting his jaw, he jogged down the couple of steps and over to the crowd that was circled around David.  There was only one of Teddi’s cousins who stood back from the group, and it was the one who had come in last and alone. 

 

Sticking his hand out to the man with cropped salt and pepper hair, Jon put on his friendly face.  “Hey.  You must be Craig?  I’m Jon.”

 

Studious eyes rounded and studied him for a moment before sliding to David and back again.  He accepted Jon’s hand and shook.  “Uh, yeah.  I have to say, finding you here is quite a surprise.”   

 

“Is it?  I wasn’t sure what Dr. Montgomery told you.”

 

“I didn’t talk to Teddi, and Tori only knew that we were meeting a potential buyer.”

 

Kicking his smile up a notch, Jon countered, “A firm buyer, as long as you’re willing to sell.”

 

“Eager to sell is more like it.”

 

“Then it’s going to be a good meeting all the way around.”  He tilted his head to the keyboardist holding court by telling a Springsteen story.  “As soon as I can chase off the gatecrasher, that is.  David Bryan!  Get the hell out of here before I call the cops.”

 

Dave didn’t miss a beat in wrapping up the story he was telling.  He only lifted a middle finger and delivered the punchline to his audience.  The Gypsy ladies laughed, while the Gypsy guy and Tori both slid wary looks Jon’s way.

 

“No respect,” he groused to Craig.

 

“Honestly, I’m surprised Tori didn’t give you the same finger.”

 

Jon laughed.  “I owe her a selfie.  She’s probably playing nice until she collects.”

 

“That’s very possible,” was the concession as David and company moved to join them.  “She’s impertinent, not stupid.”

 

“I resemble that remark,” Tori spouted with a sassy smile and a nod of greeting.  “Nice to see you again.  Didn’t realize Peabody’s was going to join the ranks of celebrity-owned companies.”

 

“Only if you and Craig accept my offer.”

 

“Oh, baby,” she snorted.  “If this offer is going where I think it is… we are so accepting!”

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!”  David interjected, throwing up a “time-out” hand signal.  “You’re buying a company, man?  Why the hell wasn’t I invited?”

 

“Well, well.  Whaddaya know?  You do realize that you’re not invited,” Jon dryly observed.  “Go home, Lema.”

 

“Nope.  Not until I hug Teddi Bear.”

 

The cousin with the long curly hair stepped up to protectively clutch David’s bicep.  “Oh, let him stay.  Teddi won’t mind.”

 

Just like she doesn’t mind getting ambushed by all of you?  Do you even know Teddi?

 

“Sorry. I know we’ve met, but I don’t think we were actually introduced.”

 

“I’m Magdalene,” she provided, laying a hand against the neckline of her embroidered peasant blouse.  Then she lifted it to gesture in the direction of the other two Gypsy cousins.  “This is my sister Catarina, and my brother Stefan.  We’re Teddi’s family.”

 

“Part of Teddi’s family.”

 

Jon smirked at Tori’s pointed correction but didn’t allow himself to be distracted from the one Teddi called Maggie.  “You’re the psychic.”

 

“I am,” she acknowledged with a regal tip of the chin.  “In fact, I predicted your divorce before you ever got married.”

 

“No shit?”  Dave’s wide eyes flicked to Jon.  “Is this her?”

 

Immediately understanding that his friend was referring to the naked tarot reader, Jon fought to come up with a visual memory of the girl.  

 

Booze had flowed heavily that night, so it was hard to be sure, but he didn’t think so.  The dark hair was right, but amber eyes like Maggie’s would’ve stuck with him.  And she definitely didn’t have the right personality.  Naked tarot girl had been soft spoken.  Almost shy.

 

“No.” 

 

“’Her’ who?” Catarina wanted to know.

 

“Somebody that told me the same thing a long time ago.”

 

“Well, I knew it first.”  Maggie’s harrumph spoke of insult, but seriously.  What did she have to be insulted about?  It was pretty damn easy to stand here and “predict” a divorce that had already happened.  It didn’t prove that the supposed psychic knew anything except how to read a tabloid.

 

“Good for you.”  Stef intoned, also obviously unimpressed with his sister’s abilities.  “But Ted’s probably wondering why we’re all hanging the driveway.  Somebody go ring the bell.”

 

“I already have.  Dr. Montgomery had to go in and… take a call, but she wants us in the kitchen.”

 

He refused to squirm under Tori’s piercing gaze, but Jon would swear she was the psychic one.  Her nose was twitching as though she could smell his bullshit about that phone call.  She didn’t mention it but kept a speculative eye on him when saying, “Cool.  Teddi told me she’d been baking today.  Maybe she’ll feed us cookies.”

 

“I’m down for cookies.  Let’s go!”

 

Scowling at Dave’s enthusiasm, he reminded, “You’re not going anywhere but home.”

 

“Dude.  You’ve known me since before I could legally drive.  You really think I’m gonna fly a flag of surrender because you’ve got your pubes in a knot?  I came to meet my friend.  Accept it.  Embrace it.  Shut the fuck up about it.”

 

Once David got something in his head, he was as stubborn as they came.  Short of shooting his left foot off, there would be no getting him back in the Rolls.  Jon resigned himself to his fate and shot the other man a dirty look. 

 

“Do not – I repeat, do not – slobber all over her.  She’s an elegant lady.  Say hello and keep your damn distance.”

 

Pointedly ignoring him, Dave smiled down at the little Gypsy still hugging his bicep.  “So, tell me my darling Moon Mistress…  You ever see a time when this guy stops treating me like a pet poodle?”

 

Maggie turned glowing amber eyes on Jon and mused, “I don’t think this has anything to do with you.  He knows that people invoke Theodosia’s anxiety and is protecting her.”

 

Suddenly, Maggie’s weren’t the only amber eyes studying him.  Her siblings added the weight of their golden gazes, which was made heavier by the blue-eyed contingency of Tori, Craig and David.  It was enough to make his insides squirm, but hell if he would let any of them know it. 

 

“Don’t kid yourself,” he advised with a cocky grin and pointed a finger at Dave.  “Fifi here has been known to hump a woman’s leg.  Gotta jerk on his rhinestone harness so he doesn’t embarrass me.”

 

As intended, everyone laughed and moved toward the front door in a group. 

 

Except for Tori.  She hung behind to walk with Jon and quietly say, “Teddi denies it, but I still hope like hell that you two are doing the deed.”

 

Yeah.  She was definitely the intuitive one in this bunch, but Jon schooled himself not to react.  He simply gave her a blank stare. “Why’s that?”

 

“Because I like to believe she hasn’t been shit on every step of her life for no reason.  That she’s finally being rewarded for enduring – accepting – decades of emotional abuse.”

 

Maybe he’d suspected people weren’t always kind to Teddi, but having it confirmed caused Jon’s stomach to churn.  The mixture of sympathy and fury was a toxic blend that had him afraid to say anything.  If he spewed either one, Tori would read too much into it.

 

Thank God he was spared by her softly ordered, “Don’t say anything.  Don’t ruin it for me.  Just let me hope, okay?”

 

That, he could do.