“What kind of tech company?”
He laughs. “What are you, like, a budding reporter?”
“No,” I say without smiling. “Just catching up.”
“She thinks,” Teddy says from the couch, “that you’re here for the money.”
I turn to glare at him. He’s dead right, of course, but I’m stunned that he’s outed me so casually. “That’s not—”
“No,” Charlie says, holding up his hands. “I get that. I do. With my history, and the timing of it all, I’m not surprised. But honestly I didn’t even know about it till I got here. I just had some meetings in town, and it seemed like maybe enough time had gone by that Katherine would be open to letting me come see my son.”
Teddy is giving me a look that saysI told you so,and Charlie is watching me with such sincerity that I feel a littleuneasy.
“Anyway, I heard you were the one who bought the ticket,” he says. “And I wanted to say what an amazing gift that is. I wish I could’ve been the one to do it for them, but it means a lot to me, knowing that Teddy and his mom will be taken care of now. So thank you.” He presses a hand to his chest. “From the bottom of my heart.”
“You’re welcome,” I manage to say, and he beams at us, which only makes me feel more off-balance. It’s hard not to fall under his spell.
“And Teddy was telling me they’re moving back to the old neighborhood now…,” he says, like he doesn’t remember why they had to move out of it in the first place.
“Oh,” I say, turning to Teddy with a frown. “So you gotit?”
I’m not sure why this news should make me feel so unsteady. But the idea that he could’ve bought a building—a whole building!—without mentioning it to me is jarring.
“Well, I made the offers,” he says. “But it might be a while before I hear.”
“I think we’ve got a real estate tycoon in the making here,” Charlie says with obvious pride, then he glances down at his watch. “Hey, you know what, T? I’ve got to get going. Can’t keep my clients waiting. But I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”
“You bet,” Teddy says, hopping up to give him a hug, and my heart goes soft again because I know he’s waited such a long time for this.
“Hope to see you again too, Alice,” Charlie says, then pauses near the door. “Where’s the best place to find a cab around here?”
“Just on the corner,” Teddy says, reaching for his wallet and pulling out a thick wad of twenties. “Here. This should cover it.”
Charlie waves his hands. “Not necessary. Really.”
“Just take it,” Teddy insists, holding out the money, but Charlie demurs again with a cheerful smile.
“My son,” he says, winking at me. “The millionaire.”
Once the door closes behind him, Teddy and I are both silent. My back is to him as I try to figure out how to say what I need to say. But before I can, he flops back onto the couch and says, “I know what you’re thinking. But you’re wrong. He’s different. We spent the whole morning talking, and he’s got his life together now.”
I turn around, unsure where to begin. “Teddy,” I say gently. “There’s just no way the timing is coincidental.”
“You heard him. He’s here for work. I mean, he’s staying at the Four Seasons.”
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
“Of course it does. Look, when all that stuff happened when I was a kid, he couldn’t even afford a plane ticket home. We had to borrow money from your aunt and uncle to get him back from Vegas. He was a total mess. It was awful. All of it.”
“I remember,” I say quietly.
“So it makes sense that it took him some time to get back on his feet,” he says. “It’s not like he’s showing up here claiming it was magic. He had a bunch of setbacks along the way. But people can change. He’s been going to meetings regularly, and he hasn’t gambled in a year. It wasn’t instant. He’s been working on it. And now he just wants to see me for a few days while he’s in town, and you automatically assume—”
“What does your mom say?”
“Well, she’s not as paranoid asyou.”
“But?”
