She was in no mood for shopping, but staying home was worse. She opted for the shopping mall. She meandered through the stores, looking but not buying anything. Her mind wasn’t on finding the perfect gift for loved ones. She’d had her gift. Had it and lost it. She looked at her naked hand. The engagement ring had been on her third finger only long enough for her to understand how much she’d miss it. While it had only been there a matter of hours, she now felt as if part of her hand had been removed.
Still, she had her love for Adam and there was nothing that could top that.
Nothing could change things, either. Picking up a purse, she opened it, thinking of her sister Sierra. Purses were Sierra’s thing. A moment later Teddy shook her head and replaced it in the display. She had only ten days to finish her shopping, but she wasn’t going to make any headway today.
Leaving the shopping mall, Teddy walked slowly to her car, unmindful of the falling snow. Her body was covered by the time she opened the door and slipped behind the wheel. As she pushed the ignition button, her phone rang. The radio panel lit up, indicating a call from Adam. Her heart jumped and she let out a small cry of delight when his name appeared on the screen.
What was wrong? she wondered. They had talked about things and parted. They were not a couple. Why was he calling? She pressed the screen, accepting the call.
“Yes,” she said.
“Teddy?”
“Yes.”
“Are you all right?”
Adam’s voice caught her off guard, even though she knew he was calling. “I’m fine.”
“Are you in your car?”
“Yes,” she said.
“You’re driving in this weather?”
She looked around the parking lot. Despite the snow, the lot was full. “Not yet. I just got in the car.”
“Where are you?”
“At the mall. I went Christmas shopping.” She didn’t tell him she bought nothing. She didn’t ask why he was calling. She only wanted to continue hearing his voice. “Where are you?”
“Home.”
Teddy had nothing else to say. Time stretched between them.
“I’m calling about the invitation,” Adam said.
“What invitation?”
“You’ve forgotten,” he stated. “We were invited to Stephen and Erin’s holiday party, the guy from my office. Is that still on?”
“You’re right. I did forget.”
“I know we’re no longer pretending to be engaged, but we did accept the invitation. Do you think we should go or cancel?”
Her heart sang. She could spend another night with him. Maybe he’d look at her differently. She was no longer a means to an end. Maybe they could just go and enjoy themselves. Maybe they could begin again.
“Like a first date?” she teased, not knowing if her words would really sound that way through the wireless technology.
She heard him laugh. “We never did really have a first date, did we?”
“We’ll go then?” she said.
“We’ll go. I’ll pick you up on Saturday at eight.”
“I’ll be ready,” she said. They rang off. Teddy put the car in gear and drove to the offices of Weddings by Diana. She was suddenly grateful for all the December weddings. Grabbing her purse, she got out. Her feet practically flew through the snow.
She needed a new dress, and this was just where she could get it.
* * *
The suits Adam had chosen and discarded numbered six. Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss, Gucci, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, and Giorgio Armani lay on the bed, one or two having slipped to the floor. He held a Versace in his left hand and a Brioni in his right. Brioni won.
He wore excellent brands for client meetings, but tonight he wanted to look his best. It had been a while, a long while, since he dressed to impress. Yet he wanted to impress Teddy. Adam pulled the suit off the hanger and began dressing. He shrugged into a dress shirt and collected the cuff links Quinn had brought him back from Ireland three years ago.
Once he and Teddy’s secret was out, things between them had fallen off track. He missed seeing her. They had been together for months, seen each other practically daily. He liked the way she laughed, how she seemed to pull life toward her and not complain about it. He liked that she embraced family. He liked that she coaxed him into remembering how happy a Christmas tree could make him. And their lovemaking was beyond describable. She was more than he expected and he wanted to keep seeing her. Maybe tonight they could compromise. Begin again. This time without the interference of parents. They could take it slowly. He was willing to go as slow as she wanted, if she wanted it at all.