“Oh, they are.”
Teddy found out why she needed the special dress several hours later when her father pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant too many miles from home for Teddy not to be suspicious.
“This is a really long way from Princeton,” Teddy commented as they exited the car.
“I hear the food is good,” her mom said. “Have you been here before?”
“I’ve done a couple of weddings here. And the food is really good.”
“It’s beautiful.” Her mom took a moment to look at the small village. Every shop was completely outlined in tiny white lights. Teddy knew the area was lighted this way year-round.
“If you ever do your own wedding, you can probably use this as a place for a reception.”
Her mother’s message wasn’t lost on Teddy. She ignored it and looked at the building. The place was huge and it had a large parking lot. When you lived in Princeton, you understood the need for adequate parking since it was at a premium in the college town.
Inside the place was warm and inviting. She didn’t hear her father give his name, but they bypassed all the people in the waiting area and followed the receptionist to an adjacent room.
All Teddy’s training and experience at remaining calm and keeping her emotions in check deserted her when she entered the private party room. She gasped. Adam sat at a U-shaped table with people who were obviously his parents. She assumed the others were his brothers and their dates. He’d told her neither of his siblings were married.
Adam stood up slowly and stared at her. “Wow,” he said, taking a long moment to look her up and down. Teddy felt a blush cover her, but couldn’t deny that she liked the way he made her feel. Now she understood why her mother insisted on checking to see what she was wearing. The black knee-length sequined dress lay haphazardly on her closet floor where it had fallen when her mother rejected it for the scarlet strapless chiffon she now wore.
Disengaging himself from the group, Adam came to stand in front of their three-person party. He kissed her lightly on the lips. “I don’t know what’s going on,” he whispered. Then in a louder voice, he said, “Let me take your coat,” as if he’d been expecting her. She handed him the drape she had over her arm and he placed it on an unoccupied chair at an empty table. Apparently, the assembled party of guests were the only occupants of the room.
Teddy introduced her parents. Behind him Adam’s mother and father had risen and now stood in front of her. Adam introduced Merle Sullivan and Dr. Ann Sullivan, and Teddy already suspected her mother knew Adam’s mom. Adam’s father was the CEO of a midsize insurance company. He was a portly man, over six feet tall with thinning hair that was a mixture of gray and black. Dr. Sullivan was short and petite. Her hair was cut almost to her scalp, making her face strong and prominent. Yet her smile was beautiful and Adam had gotten his eyes from her. Teddy didn’t have time to process all the information because the other family members quickly joined the small congregation. Galen and Quinn were Adam’s brothers. Both had dates and Teddy wondered if they were also on the receiving end of their mother’s quest for married sons.
Adam slipped his arm around her waist and she felt heat flow to her toes. As everyone headed for the table to retake their seats, Adam took her hand. The two lingered behind the others, staying close to the entrance.
“It wasn’t my idea. I nearly swallowed my teeth when the three of you walked in,” he said. He stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “But I can see my mother’s hand in this…coincidence.”
“Well, I suppose it’s time we went into our act,” she said, her voice low. “Get ready.”
“For what?”
“The Gemma Granville Marry My Daughter Show.”
* * *
Adam almost laughed at that. Teddy had no way of knowing that his mother could hold her own when it came to her sons and the marriages that were still to come. Quinn and Galen weren’t immune to their mother’s machinations, but tonight they weren’t on the front line.
Glancing at Quinn, Adam noticed the shadow of a smile on his brother’s face. He could almost hear him asking, Is she the one? Adam had no answer for that. There was something indefinable about Teddy, but so far the two were only trying to solve the problem between themselves and their overzealous mothers.