Hopeless Romantic

by Georgia Beers

  “I can imagine. Divorce is hard on everybody. That’s been my experience.”

  “Harder on some than others, though…” Teddi’s statement seemed to dangle, as if not a statement at all, but an unfinished thought.

  “True.” Leah couldn’t disagree with that.

  “I bet you’ve seen some meltdowns.” Teddi picked up her mug, sipped her tea, her eyes fixed on Leah’s over the rim.

  Leah nodded. “Yeah, but a lot of my cases don’t even make it to court. Often, I never meet the other party.” She set down her fork. “I’m done. So full.” An attempt at a subject change.

  “Like my case.”

  Leah nodded, picked up her own mug to have something to do with her hands, something to look at.

  “Am I making you uncomfortable?” It was a bold question, but the tone had a slight edge of…Was Teddi teasing her? Elbows on the table, mug in both hands, eyes tracking Leah’s every tic.

  Leah didn’t really get nervous. All her time spent in the courtroom in front of judges and clients and galleries, she was used to being front and center, focused on. But somehow, honesty seemed in order here. “Yes.” Leah allowed herself a nervous chuckle as she admitted the truth to this woman she barely knew. “A little bit.”

  “Mm,” was all Teddi said to that.

  Leah narrowed her eyes just a bit. “Are you playing with me?”

  Dark eyes caught hers again, held them. How does she do that? How does she keep me prisoner with just her eyes? Leah’d never experienced such intense eye contact as she’d had with Teddi, more than once now.

  Teddi set down her mug, broke the spell. “Maybe just a little bit.”

  The relief that came along with Teddi’s gentle smile was big. Bigger than Leah expected, and she wasn’t sure she liked this, liked feeling that what Teddi thought of her was important. Leah was strong. She’d had to be. But now, here she sat with this woman who barely knew her, yet her sense of worth and acceptance suddenly seemed tied to Teddi.

  That would not do.

  Nope.

  “Well.” Leah smiled, took one last sip from her mug, then set it down. “I’d better head home.”

  If Teddi was surprised or thought her exit seemed abrupt, she hid it well. In fact, she seemed perfectly happy to continue to sit and enjoy her tea. “Better bundle up. That wind is brutal.”

  Leah did, buttoned up her jacket, pulled her gloves from the pocket. “Thanks for letting me crash your table.”

  “My pleasure. Thanks for sharing your cheesecake.”

  Leah didn’t give herself permission to smile, but smile she did. “Anytime.” With a quick wave, she made her exit. Had to get out of there, though she wasn’t entirely sure why, or what was making her flee. Because that’s what she was doing. She was fleeing, absolutely.

  Teddi hadn’t been kidding about the wind. The November night slapped Leah right in the face when she pushed through the café doors, and she stopped dead. Needed a moment to catch her breath. Then, head down, she walked into the wind toward the parking lot.

  What was supposed to be a relaxing evening of a rom-com and some cheesecake had turned into something completely different and unexpected. Leah felt like she’d just stepped off a merry-go-round and was having trouble keeping her balance, walking in a straight line. Or like Teddi had walked by, messed up Leah’s hair with both hands, and kept walking. She was out of sorts. Off-balance. She only knew one thing for sure.

  Teddi Baker had gotten under her skin.

  Chapter Six

  It had been a little over a week since the shared cheesecake at the Classic. More than enough time for Teddi to scrub the evening from her mind, to erase the picture of casual, movie-going Leah Scott from her memory banks. No, she much preferred to think of Leah in a suit—not that that was a bad thing—in lawyer mode, destroying the lives of unsuspecting spouses whose exes were trying to take more than what they deserved. It was easier because when she thought of Leah in those terms, in those clothes, she didn’t have to deal with the weird feelings and niggling interest that Casual Leah had unearthed in her.

  Today was another meeting with the Scott sisters. Kelly had chosen a venue, so they needed to sit down and talk about that, go over some details, make a plan for the next things on Kelly’s list.

  She heard the door open before she saw it, but when she looked up, it wasn’t Kelly Scott or even Leah Scott. It was Harlow.

  “Hey,” Teddi said, setting aside the notes she’d been working on. “What brings you by?”

  Harlow crossed to the counter and slung her messenger bag up onto it. She wore a black wool peacoat with a bright red scarf and a matching red beanie. “I had a shoot down the block, so I thought I’d swing by and say hey, see if you had time to grab coffee.”

  Teddi pointed a finger at Harlow, moved it up and down in front of her. “This is snazzy. And the way you’ve got your hat off to the side a bit? The epitome of jaunty.”

  “Jaunty is exactly what I was going for. What do you say? Coffee?”

  “Ugh. I wish I could. I’ve got the Scotts due in any minute.”

  “The Scotts?” Harlow’s entire face lit up. “As in the sweet bride-to-be and the big sister that nearly sent you into bankruptcy?”

  “The very ones, yes.”

  “In that case…” Harlow unbuttoned her coat.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Teddi arched an eyebrow. Knew very well what her friend was doing. Hanging out. She wanted to lay eyes on Leah.

  Before she could protest further, the door pushed open, carrying in the chilly air, the smell of impending winter, and Kelly Scott, and Harlow shushed her, then winked.

  “Hey, Teddi,” Kelly said, her usual smile in place. I’d want her as my kid’s kindergarten teacher. The thought was random, but true. Kelly Scott exuded gentleness, calm, joy. “It’s cold out there,” she said as she unwrapped the blue-and-white striped knit scarf from around her neck. Static electricity, ever present in the fall and winter months, lifted some of her blond hair, kept it floating.

  “Did you knit that?” Harlow asked, crossing toward Kelly.

  “Kelly, this is my good friend and amazing photographer, Harlow McCann.” Teddi waved a hand toward the two of them. “Harlow, Kelly Scott. My client.”

  They shook hands as Kelly nodded. “I did. I’m new to knitting so haven’t done much more than scarves, but…” A shrug.

  “I love it.” Harlow rubbed the end of the scarf between her fingers. Kelly blushed. Teddi shook her head. Putting people at ease was a specialty of her BFF’s.

  Teddi grabbed her file, set her calls to be forwarded to voice mail, as Preston was at an off-site meeting, and headed toward the table where Kelly was already settling.

  “Just so you know, Kelly, Harlow is the photographer I recommend to people who don’t have one or don’t know where to look. Yes, she’s my best friend, but she’s also the best wedding photographer in the city. And I would say that even if we hadn’t known each other for years.” She took a seat and Harlow stayed standing.

  “Really? I don’t have a photographer yet.” Kelly shrugged out of her coat.

  “No pressure,” Harlow said as she set a card down in front of Kelly. “My website has a ton of weddings I’ve shot. Take a look.”

  “I’ll do that.” Kelly was tucking the card into her purse when the door opened. “Look at you, practically on time,” she said with a grin.

  Teddi looked up as Leah seemed to literally breeze in, as if the outdoors had blown her through the door and into the shop. While she was happy to see the sight of straight-from-work Leah, Destroyer of Businesses, today in a navy blue skirt and blazer with a silver and white pinstriped blouse underneath, Teddi still found herself missing the Casual Leah from last week at the café. Skinny jeans with holes in the knees and a long cream-colored sweater. Brown leather boots. Blond hair in a messy ponytail…

  “Maybe I’m turning over a new leaf.” Leah’s voice yanked Teddi back to the moment.


  “Good luck with that,” Kelly said, a note of gentle ribbing in her tone.

  “Hey, have a little faith.” Leah slid off her coat and draped it over the chair, then met Teddi’s gaze. “Hey, you.” Softly. Not quite intimately, but it wouldn’t take much for Teddi to get to that.

  “Hi yourself.” Teddi cleared her throat. Harlow was giving her a look—she could feel it.

  “What’d I miss?” Leah asked as she sat.

  “You missed meeting Harlow,” Kelly said and introduced them. “She’s a photographer, and I’m going to check out her website tonight.”

  “Cool.” Leah shook hands with Harlow as Teddi took a seat.

  “I’ll let you guys talk shop,” Harlow said, then pointed at Teddi. “I’ll call you later.”

  Teddi knew what they’d be talking about, and it made her grin. “You know how to find me.” The door closed and Harlow was gone.

  “I like her,” Kelly said.

  “Most people do. She’s amazing,” Teddi agreed.

  “She’s Teddi’s best friend,” Kelly informed Leah.

  “Oh, I see.” Leah nodded.

  “Can I get you girls anything? Coffee? Tea?”

  “Cheesecake?” Leah said, then winked at Teddi, who blushed, she was sure of it.

  “What does that mean?” Kelly asked, looking from one of them to the other, like the kid who’d been left out. Teddi felt bad and filled her in.

  “Your sister and I ran into each other last week at a café.”

  “There was no place to sit, so Teddi shared her table with me.”

  “And Leah graciously shared her cheesecake.”

  “Were you at The Classic?” Kelly asked, then turned to Leah. “What did you see this time?”

  “Pretty Woman,” Leah said.

  “Aww, I love that one.” Then she quoted a line from it, her hazel eyes bright. Leah quoted the next line. They do this a lot. It was a realization that had Teddi feeling warm inside. Cozy. Turning to Teddi, she asked, “Did you see it, too?”

  “Oh no. I was just in the café.”

  “You’ll probably see her again if you go. She practically lives at that theater.” Not teasing at all. Kind. Tender, as if this was a part of Leah’s personality that Kelly loved. Maybe it was.

  “Only when they’re showing a rom-com,” Leah corrected.

  Kelly leaned over the table toward Teddi and said, lowering her voice, “She’s a little bit addicted. She’ll watch nothing but the Hallmark Channel until after Christmas.”

  “Really?” This was news. Leah liked rom-coms.

  “She’s got the Hallmark Christmas movie schedule on her fridge,” Kelly said, then bumped Leah with a shoulder. Being playful.

  “Stop,” Leah said, but she was smiling. “We’re not here to discuss my television habits.”

  For the next hour, they discussed wedding details. Luckily, Teddi had been wedding planning long enough that she could listen to her client and think about other things at the same time. And right then, she was thinking about the dichotomy that was Leah Scott.

  What kind of a divorce attorney watched silly, cheesy rom-coms? How did that make any sense? Leah had to have seen what happened to love, how destructive it was, how it could break somebody, shatter them like glass, leave them flattened, hollowed out, hopeless. How could she come home from seeing that all day long and then shift gears to happy, joyful, romantic?

  Teddi liked things to make sense. Leah Scott? Didn’t. She made zero sense. From the divorce lawyer who watched romances to Teddi wanting to hate her but also finding her physically magnetic, it was all wrong. It didn’t fit.

  “Teddi?” Leah’s voice. Concerned. “You okay?”

  Several blinks and Teddi pulled herself back. “Yes. Sorry. Yes, I’m fine. Good.”

  Leah’s green eyes fixed on her. Intense, a little worried. “You’re sure?”

  A nod. A smile. “Yes. I’m good.”

  They finished up. Leah’s eyes were on her. She could feel it. Didn’t mind it. What is happening?

  Being simultaneously relieved to say good-bye to the Scott sisters and also sad to watch Leah walk out the door was beyond confusing. She tried to shake it away as Preston came in.

  “I’m back. Miss me?”

  “Desperately,” she said, grateful to have somebody else take her focus.

  “I figured.” He went behind the counter, shed his coat, opened his bag. “My meetings went well. I think we can add these two caterers to our list.”

  Something practical. Something businessy. Thank God. That’s what she needed. She’d been standing next to the table but sat back down.

  “Show me.”

  * * *

  “Do you have time to grab a drink?” Kelly asked once they were on the sidewalk in front of Hopeless Romantic. “Or do you have to go back to work?”

  Kelly had that look. Leah was familiar with it. Soft eyes, somewhat hesitant smile. It wasn’t begging or pleading. It wasn’t to guilt her. It was genuine. Hopeful. It said that Kelly really wanted to spend time with her, but she’d completely understand if Leah had to bow out to work. And also, that she expected the latter.

  Disappointing Kelly was not something Leah enjoyed doing, though she did it more than she cared to admit. For that reason, she smiled and nodded. “As a matter of fact, I do have time.”

  A Christmas tree. An airport runway at night. The way Kelly’s face lit up was total joy, and Leah loved it.

  “Great. There’s a cute little wine bar around the corner toward the lake. How about there?”

  “Perfect.”

  They hopped in their respective cars and within ten minutes were seated at a cozy table for two in an adorable little place called Vineyard.

  “Hi, ladies.” The waitress was blond and smiled warmly as she set two glasses of water on the table, then handed them wine lists. “My name is Lindsay. Don’t hesitate to ask any questions you might have.” She gave them some time as she left to take care of a group of three women that had just walked in.

  A few minutes later, they had wine—Malbec for Leah and a Riesling for Kelly. “So,” Kelly said, sipped her wine, looked at her sister, “do you plan on bedding my wedding planner?”

  Leah spluttered on the wine in her mouth. Dabbing her face with a napkin, she asked, “What?”

  “You heard me.”

  Leah stared. Slight concern. A lot of amusement. She saw both on Kelly’s face. Leah scoffed, did her best to sound like that was a ridiculous notion, but not to overplay it. There was a balance here. It had to be perfect. “Of course not.”

  “I mean, you did share your cheesecake with her. That’s big. You don’t even share your cheesecake with me.”

  “That’s because I don’t really like you.” Leah went with a joke. Tried to steer her away. Didn’t work.

  “But you like her…” Kelly sipped, let the sentence dangle.

  “Kelly. I represented her ex. Remember?”

  “Yes, but she let you sit at her table, and she ate your cheesecake, and she knew then that you repped her ex.”

  It was a valid point. Leah could admit that. She took a sip of her wine and scanned the wine bar, not really focusing on anything. “It’s not something I’d apologize for, though. You know?”

  “Who says you’d have to?” Elbows on the table, Kelly leaned in. “Look, you have a job, a calling that came from your childhood. I get that. You get that. And you know what? I think she’d get that if you wanted her to.”

  “Who says I want her to?” A little snarkier than intended. Why was she so defensive all of a sudden?

  “I’m just saying.” Kelly usually knew when to back off, but she pressed a little more first. “It’s been a while since you dated, and that first time we met with Teddi? Before the whole divorce attorney thing came up? She was into you. I could see it. And you were into her, too. That’s all. I’m shutting up now.”

  Leah snorted to demonstrate how much she believed that last statement. A half shrug, a sip
of wine. “What can I bring to Thanksgiving? Have you decided yet?”

  Kelly made a tiny groaning sound. “No, I’m still menu planning. And I’m so nervous.”

  Subject successfully changed. Satisfaction hidden behind the rim of her wineglass, she said for what was probably the twelfth time, “You have nothing to be nervous about.” Kelly and Dylan had been living together for over a year, much to the dismay of Dylan’s parents. This year, they were having Thanksgiving at their place with both Dylan’s parents and Kelly’s mother as guests, along with Leah.

  “It’s the first time Mom will meet Dylan’s parents. What if she hates them? What if they hate her?” Kelly’s eyes were wide. It was real, her worry.

  “Nobody’s going to hate anybody.” Realistically, Leah couldn’t be sure of that. Dylan’s parents, from what she’d heard, were ultra-religious. That was totally fine with Leah, except Kelly said they could also be judgmental. They frowned upon divorce. And other things. “All that matters is that you and Dylan are happy. That’s all any parent wants for their child. It’s all any big sister wants for her little sister.”

  “They’ll probably hate you.” Kelly winked when she said it, but it was likely reality.

  Leah shrugged. “It’s whatever. I’m going to be there for you, not them.”

  “Imagine if you brought a date.” Kelly’s eyes were bright with mischief.

  “And you introduced me as your gay sister and her gay date?”

  “Yes. Exactly. I wonder if their heads would explode. Seriously, what decade is this again?”

  Leah lifted her glass and touched it to Kelly’s. “I will come stag. No worries.” And then a weird image materialized in her brain, like a ghost appearing out of the fog: Teddi sitting by her side at Thanksgiving, the two of them grinning at each other over inside jokes that only they got, Leah touching Teddi’s knee under the table…

  Oh my God, stop. Just stop.

  Why was this happening? Why couldn’t she get Teddi out of her head? She really needed to.

  Didn’t she?

  * * *