69 #Fancy

Teddi’s attention shifted from her laptop screen to the television with a laugh.  The image of Jon miming “a big Q-tip” marching band hat and his obvious disdain over having worn it never failed to strike her as funny. 

 

This particular interview was one of her all-time favorites.  Not only was Jon in an exceptionally open and good mood, so were the other guys.  Tico, David and Richie each were enjoying themselves with personalities shining through.  They all interacted with such a light-hearted camaraderie that it was easy to buy into the dream that they really were a band of brothers. 

 

Having seen David in action lately, she knew it wasn’t just an act.  These men watched out for each other as protectively as brothers would.  Well, except for Richie, in her selfish opinion.  Sometimes she thought he was more wrapped up in himself than people wanted to believe.  Teddi still harbored a fair amount of bitterness toward the man over how he handled his departure from the band. 

 

She wondered if Jon and the others had made their peace with it.  If not, how would it play out once Bon Jovi made it into the Hall of Fame?  She would eventually find the opportunity to ask Jon more about that potential reunion. 

 

In the meantime, she wondered about his biological brothers, whom he never mentioned.  Then again, he never mentioned much of his family at all.  They spent more time talking about her drama-riddled relatives.   Next time they talked, she would make a point of asking him about the Bongiovis.

 

The phone lying on the couch beside her blared to life with a distinctive ringtone that had been absent for the last few days. 

 

Speak of the devil…

 

If Jon found out that “Bounce” was his assigned ringtone, Teddi would be mortified.  Actually, the ringtone itself didn’t matter.  If he knew the reason for her choice, that would be the real embarrassment.  It amused her Gypsy hormones to think of bouncing on him as a very sexy pogo stick, and she paused the DVD interview to answer the call with a smile.

 

“Good evening.  How’s your tan coming along?”

 

She savored his chuckle while twisting a strand of hair that had worked loose from her ponytail.  “Not noticeable yet, but I had fun trying.  What are you doing?”

 

“Oh, just working while I watch ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’.  You know, I’ve never heard you call someone a piece of fuck, even though that’s supposedly your favorite swear word.”

 

“Endicott Peabody is a piece of fuck,” he obliged.  “And I only said that to be different, since the guys all took plain fuck.”

 

“So, you went for the fancy fuck?”

 

“Something like that.”  He didn’t find that as funny as she’d hoped.  In fact, he seemed somewhat distracted.  “Listen, we’ve got sort of a situation here.  I’m sorry as hell to spring this on you, but I need your help.”

 

With no idea what he could need of her, she nonetheless sat up straighter, prepared to take on the task.  “Of course.  What can I do?” 

 

“My two oldest kids are eager to meet you.  How do you feel about FaceTiming with us?”

 

His children.

 

No need to panic.  This is a hypothetical situation.

 

“Wh-when did you have in mind?”

 

“Now.”

 

Teddi’s heart stopped and then restarted with a painful surge.  She had to clear her throat to reset its rhythm, and the fingers that had been twirling hair now stroked the bare spot where her pendant normally sat.  It was upstairs in her jewelry box because she hadn’t dreamed of needing it tonight. 

 

“Might I ask why they want to meet me?  More specifically, why do they even know I exist?”

 

“We were talking out on the porch.  One thing led to another, and I ended up telling them we’re seeing each other.  I didn’t plan for it to happen, but Steph’s got a friend coming tomorrow and the friend’s mom is coming, too.  Steph had the idea of setting me up, and I didn’t want to deal with it.  Do you hate me?  Think about that a second before you answer.  The kids are listening.”

 

Damnation.  She didn’t know whether to celebrate his deliberate buff of another woman or bemoan that she was going on the witness stand.  And had she said anything in the early part of this call that would embarrass her for his children to hear? 

 

Too late to worry about that now.  Say the right words.

 

“I wish I’d had more ample opportunity to prepare myself for this momentous occasion – certainly to make myself a little more presentable – but that scarcely qualifies as hatred.  On the contrary, it would be a privilege to make their acquaintance.”

 

“Dial back the grandiose vocabulary, Cookie,” he suggested softly.  “They won’t hold you to a syllable count.  They just want to say hello.”

 

Damnation.  “Right.” 

 

“I’m going to switch to video.  Okay?”

 

“Yes, of course.”

 

She took a deep breath and adopted her most cordial smile, trying desperately to treat this as a consultation with a new client.  There was nothing to fear.  She did well with strangers in this context.

 

Except that these strangers aren’t strangers.  They’re your celebrity boyfriend’s children, whom you’ve watched grow up in the spotlight. 

 

It would be fine.  If there was nothing else in this world she knew how to do, she could be gracious and polite.  That’s all that was necessary here, and she tapped the invitation to switch from voice to video while repeating that to herself. 

 

“Teddi, meet Stephanie and Jess.  Kids, this is Teddi.  Be nice.”

 

“Hello,” she greeted the pair, who appeared over Jon’s shoulders.  Stephanie wore a smile but had an appraising glint in her eye, while Jesse didn’t even try to conceal his curiosity. 

 

He was the one who led with a slight wave and easy, “Hey.  Sorry to ambush you like this.  Hope you weren’t too busy.”

 

The young man’s eyes were the exact set and color of his father’s.  The jawline was also similar, but even more than appearance, he carried the same air of confidence.  He was more poised about it than Jon had been at that age, but then again, Jesse hadn’t been raised in a simple, middle-class New Jersey household.  He’d been doing “meet and greets” since he was born.    

 

“Hello, Jesse.  I was just catching up on some work while watching television.  Did you get some beach time in today?”

 

From the way he jolted, Stephanie must have given him a physical cue to keep quiet because she smoothly stepped in.  “Yes, we did.  You’re watching one of Dad’s interviews?  That seems odd.”

 

Jon’s silently mouthed “relax” kept Teddi’s smile from tightening in defense.  “Not odd at all.  I’ve seen most of his interviews and re-watch some of them from time to time.  This one is a favorite because it’s a group interview with the whole band, and it seems fun for them rather than a chore.”

 

“Oh, so you’re a Bon Jovi fan?  Dad didn’t mention that.”

 

Teddi wondered what exactly he had mentioned, but didn’t ask.  She simply held her chin high and answered the question without embarrassment. 

 

“I’ve been a fan since I was a teenager.”

 

That information was obviously unexpected and unpopular from the bewildered look Stephanie cut at her father.  It was a look that Jon he missed since she was behind him, but there was no missing the pointed interest in her tone.   “That must’ve been a surprise for Dad when he found out.  It’s hard to imagine him knowingly going out with a fan.”

 

“To be fair, we don’t really ‘go out’ so much as ‘hang out’, but he knew of my fangirl status from the beginning.”  What Teddi didn’t specify was that he’d known from the very beginning all those years ago. 

 

“I knew,” Jon echoed with an amused pucker.  “I met her and her family in a restaurant one night.  There were photos involved.  That was before I found out she was going to be my social media consultant.”

 

 “And then he fired me, so now I nag him about Instagram and Twitter for free.”   

 

Teddi returned his funny little smile, wishing for all the world that he was sipping wine on the other end of her sofa.  Seeing his face on camera after nearly a week of nothing but texts and a couple of voice calls made her realize that she missed him. 

 

“Not free.  I paid you before I fired you.”

 

“Better check with your accountant, because I returned that money.”

 

“You sneaky bitch.”  Clearly perturbed, he still managed to make the curse sound like an endearment to her ears. 

 

“What?  You didn’t really think I was going to let you pay for the privilege of my friendship, did you?”

 

His casually tousled head shook from side to side.  “Guess I should’ve known better.”

 

“I guess you should have.” 

 

For those few seconds, Teddi almost managed to forget that his children silently watched the exchange.  She was too enamored by his easy demeanor, pink tinged cheeks and aura of contentment. East Hampton was his happy place, and it made her happy to see him so relaxed and at ease. 

 

Question marks flooded her mind, and they were laced with hints of regret.  Had she made a mistake by refusing his invitation to come along?  If she could sense the difference in him over a call, what would it be like to absorb it through their lazily tangled fingers as the saltwater air filled their senses?  It felt like a crime to miss that experience. 

 

You wouldn’t be able to sleep with him.

 

That was okay.  Just occupying a tiny yet legitimate spot in his paradise would be enough.

 

A feminine cough interrupted her idyllic daydream, and Teddi’s attention guiltily slid back to Stephanie, who was staring.  “We’d love to have you to come visit while we’re at the beach.  Right, Jesse?”

 

“Yeah, absolutely. The cookies you sent were killer, by the way.  If you have any other awesome recipes up your sleeve, bring those along, too.”

 

Teddi knew enough about human behavior and communication patterns to realize Jon’s daughter wasn’t just being sociable.  She was displaying protectiveness toward her daddy by interviewing the new woman in his life.  She wanted to know if Teddi was good enough to fill that role, but she needed more than this call to make the decision. 

 

I’m not, but your father doesn’t seem to care.     

 

“She’s not gonna come,” Jon said quietly, reinforcing his acceptance of her imperfections.  “Don’t make her feel bad for it.”

 

“We’re letting her know she’s welcome,” Stephanie countered.  “No pressure.”

 

“You’ve just gotten there.  I wouldn’t want to encroach on your family time.” The ambivalent denial mirrored Teddi’s feelings on the situation as a wistful temptation tugged at her. 

 

“How about next week?  We’ll be sick of each other by then.”

 

“Steph, stop.”  Jon’s voice was low with warning as he peered back at his persistent child, but Teddi only smiled.

 

“Thank you for the gracious invitation.  Let me check my calendar, and I’ll get back to your dad with an answer very soon.”

 

The peering eyes snapped from his daughter to the phone screen, where he connected gazes with Teddi.  High arched eyebrows asked if she was really considering it or just playing along, but she couldn’t respond right now. 

 

Because she didn’t know.