Teddy Spenser Isn't Looking for Love by Kim Fielding

Author:Kim Fielding
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Carina Press
Published: 2020-10-09T15:08:56+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Back at the hotel, the driver announced that he’d be picking them up at nine the next morning. He claimed ignorance of the final test and then departed.

They were about halfway across the lobby on their way to the elevator when Teddy stopped and grabbed Romeo’s elbow. “Have you ever been to Seattle before?”

“No.”

“Me either. We have some time today, and there’s no use stressing about tomorrow. Want to play tourist?”

Romeo’s smile could have lit up an arena. “Yeah.”

With the help of a visitors’ guide that Romeo found on his phone, they did exactly that. They wandered through the main branch of the public library, which was a weird and interesting building. They took the monorail to Seattle Center and spent an hour at the Museum of Pop Culture—also a weird building. Romeo could easily have spent much longer there, oohing and aahing over the sci-fi exhibits, but the museum closed. So they went across the way and spent another hour admiring the Chihuly glass sculptures.

When that closed too, they gazed up at the Space Needle speculatively. Its design was Googie influenced, which he hoped was a good omen. “Might as well?” Teddy said hopefully.

Romeo chuckled. “Might as well.”

Thanks to a clearing in the weather, the nighttime views were fantastic. Romeo and Teddy took selfies together, and then Romeo bought one niece a silly Space Needle hat and the other a plastic Space Needle bank, and he was so thrilled over these gifts that Teddy wanted to kiss him senseless. They boarded the monorail for a ride back downtown, walked down the hill to Pike Place Market, and found a fancy French restaurant with a view of the water. “Joyce can treat us tonight,” Teddy announced, and Romeo agreed.

They pigged out on mussels, oysters, and crab. On Teddy’s dare, Romeo ordered escargots, and they both decided snails tasted mostly like butter. They got a bottle of wine. Teddy sipped one glass while admiring the way Romeo moved his hands whenever he became excited about a topic—his favorite authors, his mother’s cooking, his adorable and brilliant nieces. He showed Teddy photos of the girls, and they were very cute indeed. Back at the office, Romeo had been stiff and closed off. Aloof. But now he opened up beautifully, his expression softening with happiness and his eyes glittering.

“So, why Reddyflora anyway?” Teddy asked while dipping a piece of baguette into the escargot sauce.

“What do you mean?”

“Someone with your skills, I bet you could’ve landed a job with some big tech company. A sure thing instead of a maybe. Doing something more important than making vases.”

Romeo didn’t answer right away. He poked at a crab leg, his mouth pursed thoughtfully. “I’d be less likely to fit in somewhere like that.”

“Because...?”

“I grew up poor. My parents worked hard and gave us everything they could, but every month they had to worry whether they could make rent, groceries, and the other bills. And I didn’t attend any fancy private schools. Two years at City College because it was cheap, and then I transferred to U of I.

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