Teddy’s eyes are still on me. “So maybe we should get together tonight.”
There’s a part of me that wants to shoot him down, if only because he was so annoying about the whole thing this morning. But another part of me suspects his reasons for suggesting it and can’t help feeling flattered.
Beside me Sawyer shifts awkwardly from one foot to the other. Lila is now glaring at the floor. Teddy gives me a hopeful look.
“Fine,” I say, and he smiles.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. What time? And where?”
He laughs. “Whatever floats your boat.”
When I show up at Teddy’s building that evening, there are two men waiting outside the door. It’s too dark to make out their faces, but one of them is blowing on his hands to keep warm and the other is busy adjusting something on his camera.
“Excuse me,” I say, since they’re standing in front of the buzzer. They step back from the concrete stoop, but when I hit the button for number eleven they exchange a look.
“Are you here to see Teddy McAvoy?” one of them asks, looking excited at the prospect. He’s wearing a winter cap that’s pulled low, and his jacket is zipped up so high that all I can see are his eyes. Without answering I hit the button again, my heart pounding. It’s cold and dark, and this isn’t the greatest neighborhood, and I don’t like the way these guys are staring at me.
The second man takes off his Sox cap and scratches his head. “Are you the one who bought the ticket for him?”
I press my lips together and turn back to the buzzer, only this time when I press it I leave my hand there, letting it ring and ring until the door finally clicks. I grab the handle, yanking it open and slipping into the entryway without a word, still shivering and grateful to be inside.
Upstairs the door to the apartment is open, and I walk in without knocking. Katherine is standing in the kitchen wearing her scrubs, and she looks up with a smile when she sees me.
“I don’t know if you realize,” I say, “but there are a couple of men outside—”
“They’re back?” she asks, her expression darkening. “They were here yesterday. I think they’re trying to get pictures of Teddy.”
“That’s kind of a shady way of doing it.”
She’s gathering her things, getting ready to leave for work, but she pauses to give me a long look. “Maybe you can talk some sense into him. I’m worried he’s a little too enamored with this whole circus. It’s been nonstop since yesterday, with all these calls about morning shows and requests for interviews, and I’m just not sure—”
“Is she freaking out about the reporters again?” Teddy asks, walking into the room. He’s wearing a Michigan hoodie—which Max brought home for him at Christmas—a pair of old sweatpants, and mismatched socks, one of which has a hole in the toe. He looks, much to my relief, like himself again.
Katherine gives him an exasperated look as she puts on her coat. “You can’t possibly expect me not to worry about the fact that there are grown men stalking my teenage son.”
“That’s because your teenage son is so incredibly rich and good-looking.”
“And modest,” she says, then gives him a stern look. “Just be careful, okay? And listen to Alice. She’s always had a lot more sense than you.”
“Totally untrue,” Teddy says cheerfully.
“And be sure to walk her out at the end of the night.”
“I’ll get her a taxi,” he promises. “Even better: I’ll buy her a taxi!”
“No need to get crazy,” Katherine says as she steps out into the hallway. “Good luck with the project, you two.”
When she’s gone, I turn to Teddy. “Do you think she’ll keep working nights?”
“You mean now that her son’s a multimillionaire?” he asks with a grin. “I don’t know. I told her she could quit, but she says her patients need her. She did promise to cut back a little, though. And she’s putting in a request for the day shift.”
“You think she’ll get it?” I ask, because I know she’s tried to switch before without any luck.
“I have a feeling it’ll be a lot easier to negotiate now that her son’s a multimillionaire.”
I shake my head. “I’m gonna start making you put a quarter in a jar every time you say the wordmultimillionaire.”
