Spencer. He’d brazenly stepped over that line because of an intense, mind-boggling attraction, and he’d gotten burned for his efforts.
Teddy would rather cling to the fantasy than grasp the reality of what was between them.
“I want a normal life,” Austin said, hearing the frustration in his own voice. “And when I meet a woman, I want to be sure that she’s interested in me because of who I am, and not what particular fantasy of hers I might fulfill.”
Jordan stood and carried his dishes to the sink, rinsing them. “Sounds like you’ve got some decisions to make.”
“Yeah.” He’d already come to the conclusion to put Fantasy for Hire on the market, and after the holidays he’d see if he could find an interested buyer for the business. Then, he’d see what he could do about finding a woman who wanted the real Austin McBride.
THE CORDLESS PHONE in Teddy’s lap rang, and she tossed aside the woman’s magazine she’d been thumbing through and clicked the connect button before the sound completed its cycle.
“Hello?” she answered.
“You are a very bad girl, Teddy Spencer.”
Teddy immediately recognized her sister-in-law’s low, throaty voice. Relief mingled with the awful anxiety that had been her constant companion all day long, easing the knot in her chest by a few degrees. Normally, Sundays were her day to relax and catch up on personal errands and chores. Today, she’d been too intent on talking to Susan to move more than an arm’s stretch away from the phone. She hadn’t even taken a shower yet because she’d feared missing the call. The only thing she’d allowed for her vigil was a quick change into leggings and an oversize sweatshirt, a scrubbed face, brushed teeth and a ponytail.
Not wanting to appear too anxious, she strove for a casual air. “It’s the bad girls that have all the fun.”
Susan laughed. “You certainly seem to be having your share,” she said, her tone sly. “When were you going to tell the family about Austin? Or were you going to keep this guy all to yourself?”
The latter, but Susan’s phone call last night had nixed that plan. Not quite ready to answer that question until she had a chance to feel Susan out, she said, “It’s after five. Where have you been? I’ve been trying to get hold of you all day.”
“No kidding.” Susan snickered. “Thirteen messages on the answering machine is a bit excessive, don’t you think?”
“No.” Teddy straightened indignantly. “Not when I needed to speak with you about eight hours ago.”
“Brent, the kids and I were out of the house early this morning,” Susan said breezily. “We went to brunch with your brother Russ and his family. I would have invited you to come along, but thought you’d have better things to do this morning.”
The insinuation in Susan’s tone caused Teddy’s face to warm and a horrifying thought to invade her mind…the very real possibility that Susan had shared that assumption with her brother Brent. “Susan-”
“Then Brent and Russ took the kids to see that new animated Christmas feature playing at the movies, and me and Natalie went shopping with your mother for Christmas presents for the kids. Santa went broke this year, and what I didn’t get on the kids’ Christmas list, Grandma insisted on buying.”
Teddy shot up off the sofa, her heart slamming against her ribs. Oh, this didn’t sound good at all! “You went shopping with my mother?” The question came out as a croak.
“She was on her best behavior,” Susan assured her. “I swear, there’s something about the holidays that brings out the very best in her. And when I told her about your new guy, she actually beamed.”
Teddy squeezed her eyes shut, imagining her mother’s pretty face, alight with happiness at the thought that her only daughter was finally coming to her senses and settling down. “No,” she moaned.
“Yeah, she actually beamed,” Susan reiterated, misinterpreting Teddy’s denial. “She looked radiant.”
Teddy shook her head, then realized that Susan couldn’t see the silent gesture. She didn’t know whether to laugh deliriously, or scream at the dreadful turn of events.
All day, her active imagination had come up with various scenarios of how her sister-in-law might have handled last night’s conversation with Austin. She’d expected Susan to mention Austin to Brent, of course, and knew she could have quashed any rumors between the two before they’d circulated through the family. But this…this was her worst nightmare!
“Austin McBride is just a friend,” she blurted desperately.
“Oh, sure he’s just a friend, Teddy,” Susan said, clearly expressing her disbelief. “The tiger is out of the bag, honey, and I have to say, he was an incredibly charming, sexy-sounding tiger. The whole family is dying to meet him-”
“The whole family?” she wailed, feeling pushed to the edge of hysteria.
“Of course the whole family. Since he agreed to come for Christmas Eve, I didn’t see any reason to keep this exciting news all to myself.”
“He agreed?” Teddy wheezed, collapsing back onto the sofa. Why hadn’t Austin informed her of that minuscule fact? She replayed her conversation with Austin in her mind, and remembered telling him she’d take care of the discussion he’d had with Susan.
“Well, I admit to a teensy-tiny bit of coercion on my part,” Susan added impishly.
Teddy rolled her eyes. “You don’t know the meaning of subtle.”
Susan laughed, as if Teddy had issued her a compliment. When Teddy didn’t join in on the humor, Susan attempted to smooth things over. “Honey, I don’t know why you’re so upset. This is a good thing, really. Your mother is thrilled that you’re dating again, especially since this is the first guy we’ve heard about since Bart.”
Just the mention of the fiasco with Bartholomew Winston gave Teddy a migraine.
“And even if Austin is just a friend, there is a bright side to all this,” Susan offered.
All Teddy saw was doom and gloom in her future. “Which is?”
“Well, I know how particular your parents can be when it comes to who their children date, but I’m thinking that if they see that you’re at least making an effort to find a potential husband-not that you are,” Susan quickly amended, knowing what a hot button that was for Teddy. “But if your parents believe that, then maybe your mother will leave you alone and quit obsessing about finding you a suitable man.”
Teddy rested her head against the back of the sofa and stared up at the ceiling, her instincts rebelling against Susan’s preposterous plan. Austin was hardly what her parents would consider “suitable”. Yet he’d managed to fool everyone at Sharper Image, her conscience reminded her.
As she mulled over the suggestion, she began to see the merit behind the idea. Introducing Austin to her family didn’t mean she had to marry him, for goodness’ sake, but showing up with a date would at least pacify her mother into believing her daughter was finally circulating, instead of devoting so much time to “that silly little job” of hers.
Oh, yeah, her mother would be tickled pink. But this grand scheme required seeing Austin again, and that was the tricky part. Not only did the man set off disturbing sensual cravings and make her yearn for things she had no room in her life for, but she was pretty certain she’d chafed that male pride of his with her well-rehearsed speech last night. Which meant she’d be swallowing a large dose of her own pride if she asked this favor of him.
“So, is Austin as scrumptious as he sounds?” Susan asked, her excitement traveling over the phone lines.
Taking a deep breath, she forced a cheerful note to her voice. “You’ll have to wait, and see for yourself.”
7
TEDDY’S HEAD was killing her. Nearly twenty-four hours after hanging up the phone with Susan, what had started as a slow throbbing in her temples had escalated into full-blown pounding in her skull. Dread was the culprit for her headache. She’d yet to call Austin, and considering Christmas Eve was only a few days away, she knew she couldn’t stall the inevitable another day, or even another hour.
Desperate for relief, and wanting her mind calm and focused before she spoke with Austin, she removed her purse from the bottom drawer in her desk and dug for the small bottle of aspirin she carried with her. A loose piece of paper crinkled, and she withdrew the yellow slip, recognizing it as the receipt Austin had given her for the money she’d paid him to escort her to the Christmas party. Except he hadn’t accepted her payment, and had instead
