“Old and weak but managing.”
“Oh,” she scoffed, lightly smacking his arm. “What does that make me if you call yourself such things?”
“Gorgeous,” Teddy said, “eternally and forever.”
With a wave of her hand, Laverne dismissed the compliment while also preening from it. “You boys always look so handsome together.” She turned to Rick and Dan, hugging them and kissing each of their cheeks as well. Once they were in their seats, she smirked at Teddy and said, “Why on earth are you having your admittedly ravishing mother at your side tonight instead of your dashing new man?”
“Because you insisted,” Teddy teased. “And because the other option is a plane ride away, but I’m sure Finn will adore meeting you someday, Mother.”
“Dear, what on earth did you do to your hand?” She noticed his bandaged thumb, prompting Teddy to retell a few stories he’d told Rick and Dan.
He also remembered a few stories he’d forgotten, but eventually, conversation moved away from Teddy, and he got to hear more about Rick’s writing woes, Dan’s recent contracts for engineering projects, and his mother’s volunteer work. He could almost forget where they were headed after dinner, but not so much that he didn’t have a glass of wine.
And then another.
He almost had a third but knew better than to give in to the temptation, much as he was happy to be partially buzzed when they finally hit the city streets and walked from the restaurant to the theater.
Teddy loved this theater, the warm burgundies and brilliant golds of the moldings, the painted ceiling in the main theater that could have rivaled the Sistine Chapel, and especially the split staircases leading up to balcony level from the front, creating an opulent entryway where high society gathered to whisper gossip behind each other’s backs.
Teddy wanted to see the show, to support Erina. It was seeing everyone else from his old circles that he wanted to be drunk for.
“Teddy, how are you hanging in there?”
“Managing to keep busy, Mr. Scofield?”
“After all these years, what are you doing without dance?”
Like he’d said to his mother, he felt ancient, ten times as old as usual, washed up and useless. It was Wednesday all over again, the exponential decline in his mood like a widening sinkhole in the pit of his stomach, but without the pleasant date night to make up for it later.
At least he’d managed to avoid Hartley, mostly by keeping out of his eyeline.
“Are you all right, dear?”
Teddy had gravitated to the wall, as out of the way as possible without blatantly hiding. He longed for the lights to flicker and signal that the show would be starting soon as he nursed a water while deeply contemplating getting a bourbon.
“Sorry, Mother.”
She rested against the wall beside him, people watching in kind. “Tough being back here, I take it? But don’t you listen to them. You’ll find your place again. It’s just going to take time, like everything does.”
Teddy knew that, but he wished he had something stronger than a mild buzz or even his mother’s unwavering support to remind him of the good things.
“Ah, well, maybe this will help,” Laverne said with familiar mischief in her tone. “Erina mentioned she had a surprise for you, and I think he just walked in.”
Turning in surprise toward the doors, Teddy didn’t truly believe it could be who he desperately wanted to see right now, but there Finn stood in a perfectly fitted tux like he’d manifested out of a dream.
He looked like the temptress from a Bond film—the male version. If only Teddy was so lucky to be Bond.
Then he realized he was.
Teddy wore his tux well, too, though maybe not as well as Finn, with his scruff neatly trimmed to look just the right amount of unkempt. Even if Bond wouldn’t have been bothered to suffer a hip injury, Teddy still felt like 007, waiting for hishomme fataleto strike.
“Believe it or not,” Finn said when he reached them, “I even have a ticket.”
“Erina.”
“Yeah. I got the feeling I couldn’t have said no if I’d wanted to. Not that I did.” His eyes crinkled with how genuine his smile was.
“You were going to look in on Smudge for me.”
