Page 39 of Holiday Love
“You?” I wrinkle my brow. “What do you mean?”
His cheeks tinge, and he ducks his head. “Like, what are you going to tell your parents? About why you’re dating me.”
I laugh. “Teddy Wright, are you fishing for compliments?”
He rubs the back of his neck, still not looking at me. “Maybe.”
I laugh again, relieved the spotlight’s off me. “I guess that’s only fair.” I pause, thinking. “Hmm. WhatdoI say about you?”
He shifts closer, watching me a little too intently. When the silence stretches, he teases, “Wow. You’re really struggling.”
“Give me a second,” I shoot back. “I’m trying to be thoughtful.” Then I sit up straight. “Okay, I like how you make people feel safe, even when everything’s a mess. You show up. You make things easier. Lighter, and that’s not nothing, Teddy.”
His grin fades. His expression softens. “Helen.”
“I’m not finished.” My cheeks burn, but I keep going. “I like how you notice the little things, what people need, what they love, even when they don’t say it. I saw you do that with your sister at her wedding. You were always there, bringing her drinks, checking in. You knew what she needed before she did.”
The silence between us thickens. I look down, suddenly unsure.
“Also,” I mumble, “your ass is very symmetrical.”
He lets out a low, surprised laugh. “Damn, Chu. That was almost romantic.”
“Don’t get used to it.”
He passes me the notepad, and I scrawl:Why she loves him: Attention to detail. Not afraid of the messy stuff. Nice ass.
“Anything else I should know before I face the Thanksgiving Inquisition?” he asks, flipping to a fresh page in the notepad. “How about your dad? I’m guessing I shouldn’t call him ‘sir’ while wearing your purple robe?”
I huff out a laugh. “You shouldn’t call him anything while wearing that robe. Honestly, you might want to change before Thanksgiving.”
He winks. “Bold of you to assume I’ll be wearing clothes by then.”
I ignore the heat that creeps up my neck and answer the question. “My dad is...complicated.”
Teddy’s pen hovers over the page. “Define complicated.”
I think for a second. “He’s like a funhouse mirror version of me. Same brains, same work ethic, but somehow evenlesspeople skills. He once told a waiter the restaurant lighting was ‘clinically insufficient for menu reading’ and asked for a flashlight.”
Teddy chokes on a laugh. “That’s kind of amazing.”
I chuckle softly. “It was horrifying. The waiter actually brought him a candle. He held it an inch from the paper and read the whole thing like it was a medical journal.”
Teddy grins. “I feel like he and I are going to get along great.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Only if you brush up on your small talk about FDA drug approvals and why early retirement is a myth.”
He scribbles on a note. “Got it. Talk shop. Don’t mention Helen’s medical suspension. Avoid feelings except for the part where I pretend I’m wildly in love with you. Simple.”
“You forgot the most important rule,” I say, pointing at him.
“No tongue?”
“Correct.” I bite back a smile. A glance over our growing list, sticky notes cluttering the table. I let out a sigh and say, “We’re really doing this.”
“You better believe it, Snugglebutt.”
Chapter nineteen
