Teddi's heart hammered. Her eyes stung, and she could not blink. It was Calvin Wynne. She would know him anywhere. But why was he standing in her backyard? It didn't make sense. She slammed her eyes shut as her breathing sped up and a thick and unrelenting pulse throbbed at her right temple.
"Teddi? What's wrong? Teddi?" She barely registered that it was Ben who was speaking to her, pulling on her arm gently and crouching down to look in her eye. He took her chin in his hand and gave her that little indulgent smile he used to placate her emotional reactions. She didn't have time for any of that now. Calvin was there. He was there.
Teddi looked back to where Calvin had been standing. Her heart clutched when she realized he'd disappeared.
"I have to, um, I'll be right back," she said hastily. He couldn't have gone far. Ignoring the eyes she felt on her back and the small insignificant business of the music stopping so everyone could stare at her, Teddi picked up her heels and beat across the lawn.
She heard someone who sounded like Harper saying, "I think it's just Grandpa back from the city or something. Give them a minute and dance with me, Ben."
***
Once Teddi reached the front yard, she spotted Calvin's retreating back heading around the corner of the block a few houses down. It was him. He'd been there, right there. She had to stop him.
Forgetting her shoes were even less practical for running than they were for dancing, Teddi raced down the block and around the corner. Her eyes scanned the street for any sign of him, but it was empty. "Damn it!"
"You shouldn't swear like that. It's unbecoming," a smooth voice said from behind her.
Teddi turned around, clutching her chest. "Oh my God!" There he was, leaning nonchalantly against a tree, wearing a pale blue sports shirt and light brown slacks with his hands shoved into the pockets. His hair was not as long as it had been, but it was still thick and looked tempting enough for Teddi to want to run her fingers through it.
Teddi chided herself for being so weak, but she couldn't help it. It was Calvin, finally. He'd grown up better than she could have ever imagined, which was an amazing feat in her eyes.
"That's twice, Miss Theodora," Calvin tutted, referring to her last exclamation. "And here, I thought I was saving your gentility by packing up and leaving," he finished softly on the last few words.
Teddi thought perhaps he hadn't meant to say them, but he had, and they hurt. "What are you doing here, Calvin?"
He pushed himself away from the tree and took a step closer to her. "I needed to come back home. I needed to..." He looked at the pavement beneath his feet.
"What did you need?" Teddi pressed, hearing her voice shaking and hating herself for it.
"I needed to see you again," he admitted, bringing his eyes back to hers. There was something so naked and real there, something so powerful Teddi had to look away to keep from faltering. "I wanted to," he went on after a laborious gulp. "I just wanted to see you."
Teddi shook her head. It was all too overwhelming. "You can't do this, Calvin. You can't just come back here and—"
"Brookhurst is my home, too, Teddi."
"That isn't what I meant," she groused.
"Then what did you mean?"
She frowned. She didn't know. She had no idea. So, she released an unstable breath and said the first thing that came into her mind, "I'm with Ben. And I—"
"I saw," Calvin clipped out, unable to keep the emotion out of his voice.
"Don't do this. Don't act like I owe you something, Calvin, because I don't. You're the one who left. Do you know how much that hurt me?"
"I'm sorry." His voice shook, but she didn't care.
"You're sorry? Well, fine. Be sorry, Calvin, just don't expect me to accept your apology."
"We were just kids, Teddi. You were living here." He swept his arm around for dramatic effect. "And me? I lived in a goddamned orphanage."
"None of that mattered to me. I just knew I needed you, but you obviously didn't feel the same way."
"You couldn't be more wrong, Teddi. I—"
"So, where were you?" she snapped, raising her eyebrows and folding her arms across her chest.
"Los Angeles. Riley got a job writing movies there."
Teddi was surprised by the information and forgot herself for a moment. "Movies? Really? Do you know Jeanne Norwick?"
Calvin frowned. "I've heard of her."
"She was just here. Her sister is a friend of mine. We all thought it so odd to have someone like her around, but I guess you'd think it was no big deal, huh?"
Calvin shrugged. "I think it's a bigger deal to be standing right here."
"If you think that, then why did you leave?"
"I had to."
"It was my grandmother. Wasn't it?" she asked, wanting to hear him confirm what she already knew.
"It wasn't her fault, Teddi. I thought I was doing what was best for you."
"What was best for me! I spent months wondering if you were okay," Teddi hiccupped, tears catching in her throat. "And then you sent me a card, a stupid card that told me to forget all about you. To move on. And now you." Teddi drank in as much air into her lungs as she could, hoping it would help contain her emotions. It didn't. Tears pricked the corner of her eyes, and she would be damned if she was going to let Calvin see them fall. "I'm sorry. I can't do this," she said in a rush, turning away from him.
"Teddi." Calvin reached for her hand, but she snapped it away before their skin touched.
Her elation upon seeing him at first sight had been a foolish reaction. She had let herself forget the pain he had caused her.
"It's too late, Calvin. It's too late." And with that, Teddi ran home, hoping like hell she could make it to the attic before anyone saw her.
***
Calvin's boss suggested he take some business classes the minute he found out that Calvin not only had skills in the kitchen but a keen head for numbers. Calvin didn't think he was cut out for the confines of school any longer. As he stood in the kitchen of Lockhart's on his morning break, he fiddled with an object he hadn't carried with him since he was a young boy, the small white carving of a goose with black wingtips given to him by his grandfather. The paint was chipping along its belly, but the inscription was still legible. Carve Your Own Destiny—CW. Charles Wynne had been his grandfather's name. He'd been the voice of reason and comfort in Calvin's childhood. He always said that he and Calvin were alike. 'We see beauty in things other people can't,' he once told him. Calvin wasn't sure if that was such a good thing. It made not having those beautiful things that much more painful.
A few days after their first encounter, Teddi wandered into Lockhart's Seaside Grille, obviously unaware that Calvin worked there. He wasn't sure if it was good luck or bad that he had noticed her from the side door of the kitchen because he made a jackass out of himself and insisted that he deliver the food to her table instead of the appropriately dressed waiter. Once he approached the table, ignoring the several eyes plastered on him from around the room, he earned an uncharacteristic screech fall from Teddi's lips. Actually, he wasn't sure if it was uncharacteristic of this older Teddi Donovan, but he had a feeling it was due to the powerful blush that soon followed.
"I'm sorry," she said, composing herself and straightening her back. "I didn't realize you worked here."
He leaned down a bit to place first Teddi's dish then her companion's onto the table. His throat tightened as he caught her scent. "Got the job when I was still out in California," he said softly.
"So, that's why you came back."
"It was a reason, but not the only reason." He returned to his full height and placed his hands behind his back like the waiters did while listening to a patron's request. "Can I get you anything else?"
"Just the check," she clipped out, looking away from him. "I'm not very hungry any more, Laura. Let's go."
"You don't have to do that," said Calvin, thankful that Mr. Lockhart was not around to witness him upsetting a customer, no matter what the reason.
"Goodbye, Calvin," Teddi said to him, then looked expectantly at her dining companion.
"But I didn't have breakfast," Laura complained, taking her eyes off of Calvin for the first time since he'd arrived at the table.
"Let's just go please. I'll explain it later."
Laura's eyes widened and looked as if everything suddenly made sense to her. She grabbed a roll from the table, lapped a bit of butter on top of it, took a bite, placed it on to her plate, and then wiped her fingers daintily on a napkin. "That was delightful," she said as if she'd just polished off an entire meal. "This should cover the check." The girl dropped enough money on the table to pay their bill three times and stood up.
Teddi was already half way to the door, much to Calvin's dismay.
"By the way, I'm Laura Norwick. Teddi's friend from school," the girl whispered to Calvin, extending her hand.
Calvin took it absently, still staring at Teddi's back. "Calvin Wynne," he whispered.
"She's just hurt," Laura said, giving him a hopeful smile. "She might come around."
Calvin released a hollow chuckle. "Sometimes you just have to see the truth for what it is."
"Exactly."
Then he was alone again.