He gave a pained laugh. “You know, you’re quite a package, Teddy Mack.”
“Well, to be honest, part of it is the wild exuberance of sending off my book. But only part of it,” she added firmly.
“Right. All right. So. I’m guessing, based on the way you—uh—sent me off this morning, that you might possibly have heard my phone conversation last night.” He gave her a grim smile.
“Oh. Well, I couldn’t exactly help it—you were pretty much outside my window.” She shrugged, looking abashed. “I didn’t mean to listen—really.”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t care. So, yeah—you must have gotten that Marcie didn’t get married after all. She contacted me out of the blue and wanted to talk, and that’s when I found out she’d called off the wedding. Before I realized it, I told her I’d come back to Princeton so we could talk.
“It was a stupid thing to do—for a lot of reasons. I realized it the minute I agreed to do it. But I guess I was being too…what did you call me? Empathetic?Nice?”
“In this case, I’d say you were just being an idiot male, but that’s just me,” she said with a mischievous grin.
“Right. An idiot male.” He rolled his eyes a little, and to his delight, she laughed. “Anyway, because I always follow through”—he gave her a meaningful look, and was even more delighted when she blushed—“on my commitments”—another meaningful look—“I felt obligated to drive to Princeton, even though I regretted saying I would. I figured I owed it to her—well, and to me—to at least, I don’t know, review the situation? So I went.
“But about five minutes outside of Wicks Hollow, I realized that was bullshit. But I kept going because…well, you’d told me to look you up through your publisher, and maybe I’d misread everything—” He stopped because she snorted and rolled her eyes.
“Damned straight,” Teddy said, stabbing the table with her finger. “You run off like that, you were going to have to hunt me down via my publisher if you ever wanted to see me again.”
“Yeah, that’s kind of what Dina said. That you were giving me a big eff-you.”
She seemed surprised when he mentioned talking to Dina, but, uncharacteristically, she didn’t comment.
“It was three hours of misery in the car, driving east, Teddy. I just want you to know that. It would have been less than fifteen minutes before I turned around if you hadn’t mentioned looking you up through your publisher. That was one hell of a kiss you planted on me.”
She preened a little. “That was my intention. I’m glad it worked.”
“Oh, it worked.”
“So. What about that phone call or text you have to return?” She glanced at his phone, which he’d turned on silent for his drive (since he was a conscientious driver). He hadn’t even done more than glance at the display since he hung up with Dina.
“I—uh—sort of left things hanging with Marcie. Told her I’d be there later today.”
“I think you’re going to be late,” Teddy said, stifling a giggle.
“No, I don’t think I’m going to get there at all,” he said, looking at her seriously. “Hell, Teddy, I hadn’t thought about Marcie indays—I’d even forgotten the day she was supposed to get married. That should have told me something right away.”
He picked up the phone and finally looked. Eight texts. Two missed calls. Plus two texts from Dina. Ugh.
“I’ve got to do this.”
“I’ll clean up in here. You can go in the other room.”
He appreciated that she offered privacy, but he saw no reason to take it. He looked down at the phone, read the increasingly hysterical texts from Marcie, and decided it was best to ignore the voicemails that had accompanied her calls.
Oscar considered texting her back. It would be easier. But cowardly.
Instead, he girded his loins and called his former fiancée.
“Oh my God, where have you been? Are you all right, Oscar? I’ve been worriedsick!”
“I’m fine. I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch—you know I turn off my ringer when I’m driving—”
“I know, I know. You haven’t changed a bit!” Her voice became warmer, but it was still a little tense. “I shouldn’t have worried. Are you almost home?”
He swallowed, refusing to look at Teddy, who could surely hear Marcie’s voice through the phone as she wiped off the few dishes they’d used with some paper towels. “No, actually, I’m not. That’s why I’m calling. I’m not coming back to Princeton right now.”
“You’re not? But you said—Oscar, we need to talk.”
