The summer evening would've been gorgeous under any circumstances.
Temperatures hovered in the ideal range between too hot and too cold, the
palette of dusk stunningly stained the horizon, cicadas performed evening
warmups in the foliage, and flying insects respected human boundaries.
Adding
a healthy dose of afterglow made for a rare slice of perfection. It
would take a lot for Teddi to see anything but the happy side of life right
now, and the man gliding up behind her had everything to do with
it. Heavy hands seated familiarly around her waist, and bare toes
bumped her heels as he peered at the grill.
"Looks
good," Jon admired the perfectly seared sea bass and
asparagus. "How much longer?"
"They're
ready to come off now. I just need to let them rest while I set the
table."
Dropping
a kiss high on her cheekbone, he assured, "Already taken care
of. I got the wine and that bowl in the fridge, too."
The
bowl was an orzo pasta salad that rounded out their meal, and she turned a
side-smile on him while transferring food from grill to platter. "Thank
you, Cappy."
"That's
what we're goin' with, huh? Cappy?"
Her
smile pulled wider at his amused resignation. "Now that you've
taken me on two maiden voyages, yes. It feels
appropriate. Do you have an objection?"
"Nah. I
don't care."
"Good." Elbowing
him gently away, she turned toward the house. "Now let's go eat
while it's fresh."
Once
inside, she found the kitchen table as empty as she’d left it when going out to
the grill. He must've noticed her confusion because Jon explained,
"I thought we'd eat in the dining room this time. That
okay?"
"Of
course. I just don't often use it, so I was surprised. I
hope there's no dust on the table."
"It's
fine, and considering your aversion to people, I'm surprised you use it at
all."
Teddi
had taken meals less than a dozen times there, and over half of those were
alone. In the winter, she sometimes llit the fireplace and enjoyed
the ambiance with her dinner.
And
speaking of ambiance...
Pillar
candles had been taken from the mantle to replace the pottery bowl that was the
usual centerpiece of the round mahogany table. A cluster of chunky
vanilla wax now sat center stage, and their flames lent an extra layer of
visual texture to the twilight filtering through California shutters.
"How
pretty," she praised, placing the serving platter in a vacant spot among
the tableware.
Brawny
shoulders lifted and fell dismissively. "Felt like it was time
for us to have a real date. Candles in the dining room was the best
I could do on the spur of the moment."
The
same man who stuck a finger in her bottom as a diversionary tactic had
engineered a romantically lit date. In some ways, he was a series of
stark contradictions.
"Well,
I think it's a wonderful idea and incredibly thoughtful. Thank
you."
He
accepted her kiss and pulled out a chair, gesturing for Teddi to
sit. "It also provides a segue to the idea of an off-premises
outing."
The
napkin that was settling onto her lap stilled in her grasp, but he was
perfectly at ease when taking the adjacent seat. His smile was full
of charm and enticement, making her reconsider that thought about
contradictions. This was just another poke in an intimate area to
get what he wanted.
"You're
being a pill again."
"What?" His
own napkin settled seamlessly on the cargo shorts that were at odds with the
formality of linen. "Just because I want to get you in a
receptive mood?"
Teddi's
eyes rolled. "Because you're using charm as a tool for
manipulation. You know very well how to get me in a 'receptive mood'
without that, as evidenced by the tenderness between my legs."
"You're
sore?"
Shaking
her head at his prideful smirk, she scolded, "That's not the
point. Now what’s this 'outing' that I’m being schmoozed for?"
"It’s
not schmoozing," he argued, holding his plate out to accept a serving of
grilled food. "It’s creating a receptive environment."
"To-may-to,
to-mah-to. Get on with it."
"Fine. I'm
leaving for the beach next weekend."
While
not exactly counting down the days, she had known it was
coming. Those who followed Jon for any length of time knew he spent
the latter part of summer at his home on eastern Long Island.
"I
expected that you'd be going soon. August in East Hampton is pretty
standard for you."
"I...
Yeah." His partially filled plate touched down on the table so that he
could frown while reaching for the orzo. "A lot of your
pre-existing knowledge about me is nice – food, wine, movies. All
that's pretty cool and convenient, if I’m being honest, but some of the shit
you know creeps me out."
"Having
your comings and goings documented is the price of celebrity,” she pointed
out. “It's not as though you're unaware it's
happening. You smile and pose for the photos."
"Well,
not with the idea that my future girlfriend is looking at them, for Christ's
sake. Being in a relationship with someone who's read all the comings
and goings is new for me."
Wrinkling
her nose thoughtfully when accepting the orzo bowl, she conceded, "I
suppose it is. Would you rather I keep my research knowledge
separate from my hands-on knowledge? Feign ignorance by saying, 'Oh,
really? What beach?'"
He
pulled a grimace of disgust around a sip of wine. "Now that you
say it that way, no. Any way to split the difference?"
"Well. Perhaps." Clearing
her throat, Teddi presented him with a warm smile. "The beach,
you say? I think I read something about a home in East Hampton where
you spend part of the summer. Is that where you're headed?"
"Better,
thank you."
"My
pleasure." Her chin dipped as she pointed fork tines in his
direction. "I assume you're going to try to coerce me out of
the house for dinner after you get back? Is that where this is
going?"
"I
was actually going to ask if you'd like to join me for a week or
weekend. Whatever you’re comfortable with."
Join
him. In East Hampton, where he regularly traveled the social circuit
for fund raisers and newsworthy events.
He
had been photographed at more of those than she could easily count, although
multiple images of a tanned and smiling Jon popped readily to
mind. They were Teddi's favorite annual pictures, because they
revealed how much the sun and sand agreed with him. His eyes
sparkled a little brighter over bronzed cheeks, and the easy tilt to his smile
spoke of relaxation.
He
wasn’t at all bothered by the throngs of people in the background – but Teddi
would be. Horribly bothered. She couldn’t subject herself
to that or embarrass him by incessantly fiddling with jewelry.
Not
to mention his children. That home was a family vacation home, and
they weren’t at a stage for her to be meeting children. They may
never be at that stage, but next weekend was completely out of the question.
“I
consider it a privilege to be invited,” she assured him tentatively, hoping
that this wasn’t going to turn into a quarrel. “But I must
regretfully decline.”
“Okay. Fish
is delicious, by the way. Everything is.”
“Thank
you,” she murmured absently, a bit dumbfounded.
Compressing
her mouth to match the eyebrows that drew low, she wondered if it was too much
to hope he would accept her answer without debate. That would be a
first for her. Every time she refused an invitation, the issuer of
the invitation always tried to goad her into accepting – repeatedly – until
someone inevitably became angry.
“That’s
it? ‘Okay’? No guilt trip or argument?”
“Nope,”
he confirmed with a playful wink. “I didn’t actually expect you to
agree, but it was worth a shot. I do, however, expect you to accept
my counteroffer, which you should find less daunting by comparison.”
Damnation,
the man was a skilled negotiator.
“You
offered me the Hamptons as a scare tactic so that I’d accept this other thing
with a sigh of relief?” Teddi asked with an incredulous laugh. “What
if I’d said yes to the Hamptons?”
“It
wasn’t just a scare tactic,” he countered calmly while
cutting the tip from an asparagus spear. “I’d love for you to go,
but I knew it wasn’t realistic. Not yet.”
Teddi
met the eyes that found hers, noting that they held nothing but open
honesty. No judgment, no censure, just acceptance of how she
was. Watching him chew, she wondered how long that would
last. If a counteroffer waited in the wings, it was possible that he
was already feeling inconvenienced by her antisocial nature.
Don’t
borrow trouble. Wait and see what he has to say first.
“So
what is realistic, in your
estimation? What’s this thing I’m supposed to agree to?”
“Just
a small, friendly gathering at Dave’s house this weekend.”
Okay. So
far, she wasn’t ready to hyperventilate. David had mentioned
something of the sort, but since no one had said anything further, she’d hoped
it was a joke. Apparently, it was only awaiting the right
timing. But had the scope changed? Jon’s choice of words
was open to interpretation.
“How small? You
consider five hundred an intimate gathering.”
Picking
up his wineglass with a chuckle, Jon promised, “Legitimately
small. Me, you, Dave and Lexi. Maybe his
kids? I’m not sure on that, but you’ve already met Gabby.”
“Twice,
in fact. Nice young lady but a bit hyper.”
The
girl had talked nonstop when delivering Joey Bishop. Topics spanned
New Jersey traffic, lack of left turns, the benefits of chauffeurs, her
father’s insanity and the chances of it being hereditary, and best practices
for acclimating a goldfish to its new surroundings.
“That
pretty much describes Dave at her age. I think her twin brother is
more laid back. The youngest lives with Dave’s ex and doesn’t visit
a lot, so you’re looking at four people max, besides us.”
“Unless
Gabby brings a cadre of her comedic friends.”
“She
won’t.” Jon confidently speared a piece of fish. “Dave
doesn’t want to see you lose your shit again – his words, not mine – anymore
than you want to lose it. We’re creating a safe, controlled
environment, according to him. He’s been reading online about
agoraphobia.”
When
he popped the bite into his mouth, Teddi dipped her head to peer at him
skeptically. “And you trust him?”
“Sure
I do. He’s annoying as hell, but the guy’s half a fucking genius and
good people. I will warn you that he’s going
to ask what professional measures you’ve taken to deal with your condition.”
Damnation. That
was one of the other things they were supposed to have covered
tonight. She really wasn’t in the mood but still asked, “I
thought you were going to quiz me on that?”
“If
you agree to go, I’ll defer it to Dave. It’ll keep you from having
to repeat it.”
Teddi
would almost rather tackle it now since she knew how to handle
Jon. David was still something of a wildcard, and his wife…
“Lexi
is intimidating. She seems like one of those mean girls from prep
school.”
Putting
down his flatware, Jon exchanged it for wine. He parked both elbows
on the chair arms and let the glass dangle from one hand while he considered
the statement.
“I
guess I can see why you might think that, but there are really only three
things you need to know about Lex.”
“And
those are?”
“One,”
he held up an index finger to count along with the points. “She
likes to drink. Two, she likes money. Three, she enjoys
the clothes, jewelry and vacations that come with the money. Don’t
threaten any of that, and she’s cool. She also has a pretty good
sense of humor, because c’mon… Look at her husband.”
Lexi
shouldn’t take issue with Teddi, then, since she had no desire to interfere
with any of those things. The only remaining question was whether
she could make herself do it. To willing go into an unfamiliar place
with largely unfamiliar people and pretend to enjoy herself.
“I’ll
want the aromatherapy necklace and meditation ring,” she cautioned, waiting to
see if it made a difference. When he just nodded, she went on to
say, “And a drink.”
“Booze
is never in short supply at Dave’s house.” His assurance was
accompanied by an outstretched hand and she allowed hers to be folded inside
it. “But you’re not going to need any of it, baby. I’ve
got your back and your hand. Everything’s going to be fine.”
When
it was just the two of them sitting here alone in her house, Teddi could easily
believe every word. When she was outside of her home and comfort
zone, however….
“I’ll
just have to trust you on that, I suppose.”
My ex husband had agoraphobia. His therapist blamed it on me because I was a strong woman with my own opinions. I'm intrigued with this story!
ReplyDeleteI keep forgetting you don’t have personal access to Jon’s head- you write him exactly as I imagine him!!! Dave’s place will be an interesting adventure!!!
ReplyDeleteJon's reaction to her rejection of the Hamptons surprised me...feel like there's more on that coming. :D
ReplyDelete