The Bennett Boys

CHAPTER 8

It takes Bridget 30 minutes just to walk me through the first floor; that's how big this house is. And when I think that the next room can't get any better, I'm proven wrong.

We take a seat at the round marble table in the kitchen and Bridget lays out a spread of different snacks. "So, tell me more about yourself," she says, helping me to a spoonful of mixed fruit.

"Where do I begin?" I say, thinking about where I want to start. "Well, my mom and I moved here from Cambridge. We had to relocate because of her job."

"What does she do?"

"She's the manager of an art gallery company. Their headquarters are in New York, but they ended up expanding their office into other states."

"Wow, that's amazing. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you."

"No, it's okay. Um," I continue, "I'm an only child. My parents divorced when I was 7."

"I'm sorry," Bridget says, sympathetically.

"It's okay. I have the best mom in the world." She smiles at me and just as I'm about to say something else, we hear a car pull into the driveway.

"Ah, that must be the boys. Ready?"

I wipe the top of my pants with the palms of my hands and then stand up. "Ready!" I say.

I don't know why but I'm suddenly nervous. Don't get me wrong, everything about this house screams intimidation, but Bridget's been nothing but kind and heartwarming, so I don't know why I'm feeling this way exactly.

Suddenly, a 6-foot boy with blonde hair dressed in sweats, a hoodie, and sneakers walks in. He's looking down at his phone, typing, so I can't make out his face just yet.

That is until he picks his head up.

I have to blink a few times.

It can't be.

What are the chances?

The boy from the grocery store.

I know that Newport's a small town, but I was convinced that I'd never seen him again. I had hoped to, but I didn't think that it'd ever happen like this. Me in his house, now working for his mom.

I guess fate is a real thing.

"Lily," Bridget says, gesturing to him. "This is my youngest. Theodore."

I know that I have to say something, but I'm in shock, so I give myself a few seconds before beginning.

"Your youngest?" I finally repeat. I can feel my jaw wide open, and his expression is mimicking mine, so I don't feel bad that I'm standing here looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"Yes, Theodore," she says again as her son and I continue to look at each other.

"What are you doing here?" he finally asks me, blinking a few times, and Bridget glances from me to him.

"You two know each other?" she asks.

"We met at the grocery store earlier this week."

"Lily is the girl that you were telling me about?" Bridget asks, and I look at him. Teddy chuckles nervously, scratching his cheek with his index finger, and then Bridget moves her head to look in the hallway. "Teddy, sweetheart, where's your brother?"

"Uh, he said he was going to get a ride home. Wait a minute," Teddy waves his finger in the air, moving it from me to Bridget, "how do you two know each other?"

"Lily's filling in for Lauren," Bridget says. "She's going to help me with the gala. In fact, Teddy, my love, why don't you finish showing Lily the house? I only got up to the first floor."

"I can do that," he says, looking at me. "Want to follow me?"

I softly nod, and while I'm curious to see the rest of the house, I'm also too distracted by the fact that this house is Teddy's house.

Teddy leads us to the spiral staircase and we walk into the first room on the right. I can immediately tell by the vibe of it that it's his room. It's boyish and welcoming, filled with different shades of blue.

I notice a vinyl record player on top of his dresser, a professional camera propped up on his nightstand, and black and white pictures framed on the walls. I put the pieces together and then ask, "Did you take those?"

"The photos?" he asks with a genuine smile. "Yeah."

"They're amazing," I say, walking up to the wall to see them better.

"Thanks," he says in a humble way; almost like he thinks he's undeserving of the compliment.

"I take it you're a photographer, huh?"

"I try," he bashfully shrugs. "It's my passion."

I whip my head around to look at Teddy, and there's something endearing about him. I think it's his modesty. Maybe his shyness, too.

"You're really talented," I say as he intently looks at me. He doesn't say anything back, but he doesn't have to. Because he's smiling at me with closed lips, and that feels enough.

We skip the rest of the bedrooms and make our way outside, walking past the pool to this greenhouse.

Teddy holds the door back for me so that I can enter the room first. "This is my mom's safe haven," he says the second that we step in.

"She did all this?" I ask in disbelief as I take in the room. The greenhouse is filled with these delicate flowers and plants and is made up of glass so I can see through to the outside. It's not super big in size, which makes it extra special because it allows you to focus on the beauty of the interior.

"Yup. All by herself, too. Give my mom a task, and she'll give you a masterpiece."

"This is incredible," I say, circling my feet around as I continue to soak it all in. "You ever help her?"

"Uh," he chuckles cutely, "I think she prefers that I don't."

I finally bring my eyes away from the room and onto Teddy, and that's when I notice him watching me. The sunlight ricochets off the window, brightening up his features, and all I can think is how charming he appears. In a soft, sweet, innocent way, of course.

We have this moment that's hard to put into words. The best way that I can describe it is this connection where words aren't actually needed. One look at him – one look from him – is all I need to know that Teddy's this rarity.

But I'm jolted out of this stance with him when his phone suddenly beeps. He looks down at it and then explains, "My mom. She wants to know if you'd like to stay for dinner."