by Pamela Yaye
“We all wear rings,” she explained. “After all, the bride is engaged.” Teddy regretted the words as soon as they fell.
Quinn excused himself to look at the trade show. “He’s really going to look at the models,” Adam said when he was gone. “Are they all engaged?”
“A couple. The others are mainly models we hired for the day.”
“Why are you modeling?”
“One of the models is ill. We’re the same size. I stood in because she had some of the newest gowns and without them there would have been a large hole in the presentation.” She paused for a moment. “And Diana talked me into it.”
He nodded and dropped her hand.
Teddy felt a coldness settle in when he was no longer connected to her. “Shouldn’t you be at your booth, talking to prospective clients?”
“We don’t have a booth here. But if I’d known there would be this many people interested in investments, I’d have passed the idea on to Marketing.”
Her brows rose. “If you’re not here on business, why are you here?”
“We haven’t talked since Thanksgiving,” he said. “And that day didn’t turn out the way we expected. I wanted to make sure you were all right.”
“So you came here.” Teddy spread her hands.
“So I came here,” he said. “To this female dominated den where people are talking about crystal, lace and honeymoon destinations.”
The crowd around them pressed closer, forcing them to step closer to each other. Teddy could smell Adam’s cologne. The heady scent reminded her of when their bodies were separated by nothing but sexual desire.
Her heartbeat increased. She was jostled from behind, pushing her into Adam’s arms. Even without the push she was already about to hug him.
“I know we’re not really engaged,” she whispered. “But you coming here, to a place you said you don’t want to be, is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me.”
Adam pushed her back and Teddy knew she was about to be kissed, but he was stopped by a voice behind them.
“You two make a lovely couple. I can only imagine what your real wedding will be like.”
Adam kept his arm around her waist as they turned to see Veronica.
“Congratulations.” She glanced at Teddy’s hand. “Beautiful ring.”
Teddy raised her hand. Both she and Adam stared at the large stone. Neither of them corrected Veronica. She wanted to know what Adam was thinking, what he was feeling. Teddy was the one supposedly engaged to Adam, yet her heart felt as if there was a tear in it. When their camouflage ended, who would Adam seek out? Was he ready to take the risk again? Had Teddy made him see that he could love again?
“Have you set a date yet?” Veronica asked.
“Not yet,” Adam said.
“Well, congratulations again.” Veronica looked at Teddy as if she’d lost a prize. But Teddy knew she was the one who’d lost.
Chapter 9
Teddy flopped on the sofa, tired from the exertion of helping Adam carry a gargantuan pine tree from the garage to his condo.
“Why did you have to park so far from the door?” she asked, out of breath.
“You’re not that much out of shape.” He turned from leaning the tree against the wall next to the fireplace and looked at her. “You’re not out of shape at all.”
“Well, I’m used to running and lifting weights, not carrying awkwardly shaped objects that stab my hands and face with needles.”
“Remember, this was your idea,” Adam reminded her. “And you only carried it from the car.”
“I might regret it before this is over.”
“I don’t think so,” he said.
Teddy heard the need in his voice. Earlier she’d commented on the lack of Christmas decorations in his condo. When she was young and all her siblings lived with their parents, they always put their tree up right after Thanksgiving. Teddy asked where he kept them, and she was surprised to learn he had none. It was her idea that they go shopping. Together they bought a tree, a world of colorful bulbs and lights, a garland for the fireplace, and an assortment of ornaments.
Adam put on some Christmas music and Teddy went to the kitchen. She poured two cups of apple cider and warmed them in the microwave. When she got back to the living room, Adam was lighting the fireplace. The condo had all the modern touches and supported a glass-enclosed built-in structure that burned gas and could be lit with a match. It sat high on the wall and produced no smoke and no fumes.
Adam accepted the cup and took a sip. He set it on an end table and attacked the many boxes and bags littering the floor. Finding the tree stand, he worked quickly to set it up. Teddy opened the bags and organized the contents into sections: lights, ornaments, angel for the top, timers, extension cords, tree skirt, garlands and more. Even with organization, the room was strewn with discarded store bags and boxes.
“I think we overbought,” Adam said.
Teddy shook her head. She watched as Adam worked. For a long moment she couldn’t take her eyes off him. He had his back to her and she was free to stare at him. His arms were strong under the sweater he wore. It filled out his form and Teddy was in no doubt of the muscles it concealed. She wanted them around her.
“There,” Adam said. He shook the tree to make sure it was sitting in the stand and held sturdy enough that it wouldn’t fall over. He turned to Teddy. “Your turn.”
“This is a group effort,” she told him. “We decorate together.” She handed him a box. “Lights first.”
As they moved back and forth and around the tree for the next hour, the decorations quickly disappeared from their boxes, turning the tree into a brightly lit work of art. A garland of pine branches was arranged around the fireplace. The holiday cards he’d stacked on a table were tucked in the garland they hung around the room’s entry. Adam moved his cup and interspersed the table with scented candles and several Santa Claus statues. Teddy lit the candles and the fragrance of Christmas cookies permeated the air.
“That’s it.” Adam stood back and checked their work. Dropping down on the sofa, he checked the boxes still unopened. “We did overbuy.”
“We’re not finished,” Teddy said. Taking his hand, she pulled him up. He came forward, his arms going around her waist as his body came in contact with hers. Teddy looked up as his head swooped down and he kissed her. Teddy wanted to stay in his embrace. She raised her arms and circled his neck. For a long moment the kiss went on. Her knees weakened and she forced herself to push back.
“We need to keep our heads,” she said.
“I have my head,” he said, kissing her again. “It’s your head that I’m working on.”
“We have to finish these,” she insisted.
“I thought we were finished.”
Teddy moved back. “This room is done, but there are other rooms.”
“We decorate the entire condo?”
“Didn’t you ever do this when you were younger?”
“We decorated the family room, where the tree was. In the kitchen, Mom put out some red-and-green dish towels, but that was it.”
Teddy picked up a small lighted tree from a box.
“Where is that going?”
“Follow me.”
She went into his bedroom.
“I was wondering how I was going to get you in here.”
Teddy shot him a warning glance. “Bring the small box with the Kwanzaa kinara,” she told him. She set up the tree on a table and plugged it in. The white lights gave the room a soft glow. Adam came up behind her and put his arms around her waist. Kissing her neck, he set the candleholder next to the tree and gathered her close against him.
“Need anything more?” he asked.
“Not a single thing,” she said. Sidestepping him, T
eddy left the room and finished the decorations. She placed towels in the kitchen as Adam said his mom had done. In the dining room, she placed a red-and-gold runner on the table and set a basket of silver bells in the center. Ten minutes later, she looked around.
“Is everything done now?” Adam asked.
“All except plugging in the lights.”
Back in the living room, Teddy turned off the room lights and took a seat. Adam threw the plug-strip switch and the tree lights blinked on.
Adam joined her, his arm along the back of the sofa and resting on her shoulder.
“You’re right,” he said.
“About what?”
“The decorations. I didn’t know how much I missed them. Thanks for today, for shopping and helping me trim it.”
Teddy looked up at him. In the subdued light of the tree, he was even more handsome. Her eyes rested on his mouth. Biting her lip, she tried to keep from moving toward him. She put her head on his shoulder, snuggled into his arm and faced the tree.
“It looks so much better than if you’d hired a decorator to do it,” she said.
Adam’s arm tightened on her shoulder as he helped her settle into his side. “I was thinking the same thing.”
“Great minds...” They were a pair, Teddy thought with a smile. If only he felt the way she did. Teddy was quiet for a long time. She and Adam watched the fire and watched the tree. Previous conversations they’d had came to mind. But the Thanksgiving proposal was at the top.
“I have a question,” Teddy said. She knew it was an inappropriate time to ask it, but she couldn’t keep it in any longer. She was in his arms. She felt safe and warm and wanted to stay there, but she had to know.
“Shoot,” Adam said.
“Remember when we had the conversation about meeting someone? Finding your one and only?”
She felt the arm about her stiffen. His entire body did the same, although she knew he was trying to control it. They were too close, too connected to each other.
“You’ve found someone?” His question was stated as distinct words, each one given equal weight, as if they needed to struggle to reach an audible sound.
“Not me,” Teddy said. “I thought, since you ran into Veronica, you might have second thoughts about us.” The impact of the word us hit her. It sounded as if they were a real couple and this was a defining moment in their relationship. She rushed on. “About what we’re doing.”
Adam put his hand under her chin and lifted it until she was looking in his eyes. “She’s not my one and only.”
Teddy didn’t think she could hold the tears back, so she closed her eyes. She felt his lips brush hers and it turned into a kiss. Adam’s hand combed through the hair above her ear as he kissed her deeply.
* * *
Varrick’s Jewelry was founded the same year as Princeton University and had maintained its present location as the tiny college town grew to its present size. Teddy wondered how many graduates had crossed the main street in Princeton and bought an engagement ring in all the time the store had existed?
Adam opened the glass doors with gilded handles forming a V. The store housed some of the most beautiful jewelry in the world. Teddy pushed the door closed and stepped aside. She stood in front of one of the windows. Behind the glass was a diamond necklace. A huge stone was set at the center, completely surrounded by rubies. It was beautiful.
Teddy turned away from it. She didn’t want Adam to see the awe on her face at beauty so exquisite it took her breath away.
“Adam, why are we here? There’s only a few weeks left before we end this charade. I don’t need an engagement ring.”
“Your mother wants a photo and mine calls me nearly every day and asks if we’ve got the ring and have we set the date.”
“I can wear that ring I had on at the fashion show. It’s hard to tell the difference between that and a real diamond.”
Adam frowned. “You don’t think our mothers will be able to tell the difference?”
Teddy knew they would. “Not in a photograph and I’m sure I can avoid your mom for three more weeks. I’ll be working several weddings in that time and I won’t be available for visits.”
“And when they show up on your doorstep, unannounced. What will you do then?”
“I’ll think of something,” Teddy told him. She knew it could happen. When her dad spoke at the symposium, that had been impromptu. Her father could have come alone as he often did when he went to speak at colleges. Her mother had come to Princeton to check on her and Adam.
“Why don’t we just go in and look,” Adam suggested. “We’re already here.”
That sounded a lot like the first dinner they had together. They ate because they were already at the restaurant. And look where that had led her.
Despite her protests Adam ushered Teddy inside. With all the holiday traffic, entering Varrick’s was like finding a sanctuary. There were no crowds rushing past her, no frantic mothers vying for the hot toy of the season.
Teddy followed Adam. He went straight to the counter holding engagement rings as if he’d been there before. Then she remembered he had been married. But he was very young then and his business was new. She doubted he could have afforded a ring from Varrick’s.
“Adam, I really don’t need a ring.” Even as she said it, Teddy looked in the case at the settings being displayed. She held her breath so she wouldn’t gush over what she saw. “I’m sure we can tell our parents that we want to find the right one before committing. Or that you’re planning to give it to me on Christmas. Since this will be over by then, we shouldn’t go through buying one.”
“If we don’t choose a ring, they’ll probably choose one for us, and tell us it’s a wedding present. Like I said, let’s just look. If you don’t like anything, we can leave.”
When they emerged an hour later, Teddy was wearing a square-cut flawless diamond engagement ring. It felt heavy and foreign on her hand. She knew she’d tried to talk Adam out of a ring altogether, but secretly she loved it. Even though their pretense wasn’t going to last much longer and there was no reason for her to have a ring, especially one that was over five carats and cost enough to rival half of the inventory at Weddings by Diana. Still, Teddy loved it.
Adam took her hand and looked at the huge stone. “My mother would expect it and I’m sure yours will, too.” He could practically read her mind.
Of course he was right. Teddy stared at it in the bright December sun. It was a gorgeous stone. And she liked the way it looked on her hand. It made her fingers appear long and elegant. She was going to be sorry to give it back.
“Why did you ask the jeweler if it could be returned?” Adam asked when they were on the street.
“You don’t think I would keep it,” she said, amazed that he thought she would. “Although it does look great on my hand.” She stretched her fingers open. She’d done it at least fifty times since Adam lifted it and placed it on her finger. It wasn’t like the one she’d worn for the fashion show. This was a real diamond. It had significance. It represented two people who wanted to live their lives together.
“Feeling like a bride?” Adam asked.
“I am,” she said in surprise.
“Next time our parents show up, you can show them the ring.”
“We won’t have to wait for that,” Teddy said.
Adam opened the door to his car and Teddy got inside.
“Why not?” he asked when he was seated and pulling out of a parking space that another car was waiting to take.
“My mother already called, asking if I’d chosen something and not to forget to send her a photo.”
“So she knew you were getting a ring.”
“She assumed.”
Moments later Adam pulled the car into her driveway. “Looks like you won’
t need to send a photo,” Adam said. “You have guests.”
“I don’t recognize the car,” Teddy said.
“It belongs to my mother,” Adam said. Stopping next to it, Teddy saw her mother in the passenger seat.
“Mom,” she called. Teddy got out of the car and rushed around to greet her. “I thought you were—” Midway to where Gemma Granville stood, Teddy stopped. By the look on her mother’s face Teddy knew something was wrong.
Thinking something might have happened to her dad, she rushed forward.
“What’s wrong,” she asked. “Dad? Is Dad all right?”
“This has nothing to do with your father.”
“Sienna, Sierra—”
She put her hand up to stop Teddy from going through the full list of relatives. “Nothing to do with any of them. It’s about you.”
“And you.” Adam’s mother leveled her comment to him. The harshness of her words were enough to hold back a flood.
“How could you?” Gemma Granville said, with the slight hitch in her voice.
“How could I what?”
“Fake your engagement?”
* * *
The four of them stood in the crisp December air—speechless. Teddy fingered the ring on her finger, feeling like a child caught doing something wrong. Tension around them was like a chill factor, reducing the trust and love that had always been part of their collective lives. Teddy felt numb. How did they know?
“We’d better go inside and discuss this.” Adam appeared to remain rational. He took Teddy’s elbow and led her toward the door. Their parents followed.
Teddy found her key with some prompting. Adam took it and opened the front door. Warmth hit her as she led the small procession through the foyer and into the living room. The coldness of the outside was gone. She felt hot and tense. They sat facing each other, she and Adam on one side, their parents as accusers on the other.
“How did you find out?” Teddy asked her mother.
“As if that matters,” she said. “Gene Restonson told us.”
Teddy frowned. “Gene who?”
“The gallery owner in New York. Remember I told you I got the wrong painting? Well, Ann and I returned it today. And while I was telling Gene how romantically Adam proposed to you on Thanksgiving, he told us about you two agreeing to deceive us.”