Tessa's Wishes (Whispered Wishes #3) (12 page)

“Yes, my boyfriend, Todd Mitchell. Todd, this is my former boss, Jim Fergo.”

“Nice to meet you,” he said, holding out his hand for a shake.

Jim ignored the outstretched arm and pulled Todd into a hug instead, patting him on the back before letting him go. He looked a bit surprised, but seemed to recover quickly.

“Nice to meet you, too, Todd,” he said, slapping him on the back one more time.

“Can you imagine if Mr. Abbott greeted everyone that way?” he asked Tessa, laughing.

“That’s my new boss,” she explained to Jim. “He doesn’t do hugs or smiles or much of anything that doesn’t involve a scowl.”

“Sounds like a real stand-up kind of guy. Are you sure you don’t want your old job back?” Jim asked again.

“I’d love my old job back,” Tessa replied, “if you can match my current salary and offer benefits.”

He shook his head. “We just took a huge hit and had to cut everyone’s wages. The assistant director is making less now than when you had the job. And benefits? The only benefits we get around here are free pizza and beer after shows. By the way, help yourselves.” He motioned with his head to the table against the wall lined with food and drinks.

“Tessa?”

She turned toward the familiar voices. “Lexie! Alyce! How are you two?”

The three girls embraced as Todd stood to the side with Jim. Grabbing each of the women’s hands in her own, she turned to face the men.

“Todd, these are two of the finest sound engineers you’ll ever meet.”

“Oh, stop,” Lexie said. “We only did such a great job because we were working under your direction.”

Jim cleared his throat loudly, and the girls looked up at him.

“Now, Jim, you know we love you, too,” Lexie started, “but you’re focused on the actors and actresses. Tessa was the one directing us most of the time, and you know it. Let her have some of the credit, will you?”

“Are you kidding? Is there a moment in any production where her name doesn’t come up? I’m constantly giving her credit,” Jim told them.

Tessa looked at her three former co-workers. “Seriously?”

“It’s true,” Alyce said. “It’s no wonder we haven’t been able to keep an assistant director around. You’re a tough act to follow.”

“Hey, do you want to come out with us?” Lexie asked. “We still hang out at Hart’s after every show.”

“That sounds like fun,” Todd said. “What do you say, Tessa? Do you want to join them?”

“Actually, can we do it another time? I’m kind of beat tonight. It was great seeing you, though.” She hugged Lexie, Alyce, and Jim, said her good-byes, promising to stay in touch, and took Todd’s hand, leading him out the back exit door.

He pulled her to a stop when they reached the next block.

“Are you okay? You seemed so happy in there, and then suddenly, not so happy. What’s going on?”

She hung her head down so he couldn’t see how truly sad she really was. “I guess it’s pretty much like you said. At first I was ecstatic seeing everyone.”

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in tight. “Anyone could see how much all of that meant to you. Your eyes lit up as soon as you stepped foot in there. They got even brighter when we walked backstage. It was as if you were a completely different person. You were positively glowing. And then, suddenly it all drained away. Why?”

“Because I remembered. That was my life, my passion, but it’s not my life anymore … and it can never be again. I had to give that all up to support Sophie and myself. I guess it’s just a dream and not meant to be.”

“You don’t know that, Tessa. Why can’t you have it all? It’s important to believe in your dreams. You have to stay positive and trust yourself. If I didn’t think that way, I’d probably still be slinging those burgers. Dreams come true, I know they do. I’m living proof.”

Tessa looked up into Todd’s caring eyes. He meant well, she knew he did, but he wasn’t living proof.

“How can you say that?” she asked. “You wanted to be a musician, and you’re stuck in the financial industry, too. How are your dreams coming true?”

“I realized that sometimes, old dreams lead us to new dreams. I actually love what I do now. I can’t imagine doing anything else, and that includes being a musician. In fact, I’m more convinced than ever, I would have hated that life. That wasn’t truly my dream. Do you want to know my dream?” He released Tessa’s waist and took her hands in his. Gazing directly at her, he said the words he really didn’t even have to say. His eyes said it all. “This. You’re part of my dream. Finding someone like you. I know we’re only getting to know each other, but I can’t remember ever feeling this way. I can’t remember, ever being happier.”

Chapter 23

 “You’ve been dating this guy for three weeks now,” Ava said as the sisters once again gathered in her kitchen. Sophie was off playing with Logan, while Jenna was upstairs listening to music. Pulling the freshly made chocolate cake out of her oven, she set it on the counter to cool. “I think that’s a record for you.”

“Well, at least since Scott left me if that’s what you mean,” Tessa said, taking a seat next to Holly at the table. “It’s okay. You can say his name. I was over him the day he walked out on us.”

“I know, sweetie,” Ava said, sitting down and taking her sister’s hand. “I also know the past few years haven’t been easy on you. From everything you’ve told me, Todd sounds like a great guy.”

Tessa looked at both of her sisters and forced a smile.

“You see that?” Holly asked, directing her question to Ava. “That’s what I’m talking about. That’s not an
I’m head over heels happy
smile. That’s an
I’m only marginally happy because I can’t fully open my heart
smile. What gives, Tessa? You’ve got the perfect guy. You even said so yourself the other day when we met for dinner after work.”

“I know,” she said. “Todd is a great guy, really, he is.”

“Then what’s the problem? You should be walking around with a goofy smile on your face instead of looking like the Queen of Doom, wondering if the world’s about to come crashing down.”

 Tessa rolled her eyes. “I just … What if he’s not perfect? I thought Scott was, and he walked out on us.”

Holly sighed. “Honey, no one truly is. I can spend the rest of the night listing off all of Ben’s
stuff,
and I’m sure Ava can do the same for Max, but we still love them, because they are perfect for
us.
Anyway,
perfect
was really just a metaphor. What I meant was that he seems like a normal guy. A normal, nice guy who really likes you. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

 “Exactly!” Tessa stated. “He’s nice. Too nice. And like you said, everyone has
something.”

“So now you don’t like him because there’s nothing wrong with him?” Holly asked. “I can’t figure you out sometimes. Anyway, you’re in that new googly-eyed stage. He could do just about anything, minus being married like that scuzzy doctor, of course, and you’d still think he was pretty awesome. He’s a guy. Eventually you’ll notice socks left on the floor or toenails in the tub or
something
. For now, enjoy it.”

She shook her head. “No. Twice now he’s acted like he’s had something to tell me—something important—but he keeps getting interrupted or distracted, and he doesn’t come back to it. I keep thinking maybe his
stuff
is more than dirty socks on the floor or toenails in the tub. What if I do let myself fall head over heels, and he just breaks my heart?”

“What if he doesn’t, but you walk away before giving him a chance to prove it to you?” Holly asked. “Sounds to me like maybe he’s trying to tell you how much he cares about you. You know, the
L word?
Guys always get weird and nervous when they try to say it for the first time.”

“Yup, that’s what it sounds like to me,” Ava agreed. “And if you shut him out now, you’ll have missed out on finding the one person who was maybe meant to grab on to your heart … to share it for the rest of your life. Isn’t it worth the risk?”

Tessa took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Is it?” she asked. “What’s so wrong with being single anyway? Why do I
have
to have someone else in my life?”

Ava stood up to get three plates.
Just like Mom,
Tessa thought. Whenever Tessa asked a tough question, Mom would offer food instead of an answer. She supposed that’s where Ava learned most of her cooking skills. Mom always was a fabulous chef. Apparently her three girls asked a lot of difficult questions over the years. Now that Mom’s wasn’t around as much, it seemed Ava was taking over the official role of
comfort food provider
. She placed a large piece of chocolate cake in front of Tessa.

“Here’s what I know,” Holly started, apparently ignoring that last question. “Every time I’ve spoken to you over the last three weeks, all you’ve talked about is Todd.”

“Same here,” Ava said, smiling and giving Holly a piece of cake as well before sitting back down.

“Whether you want to admit it or not, you’ve already started falling,” her sister continued. “The question is, how far are you willing to fall? If you stop now, will you simply be able to get up and walk away? Honestly?”

Tessa put her head back and closed her eyes.
Honestly? No.
At this point, she couldn’t imagine her life without Todd. He was the first person to call her every morning and the last person to call her every night. While their intimacy was still limited to kissing, she’d never felt closer to any man before … ever. She’d made it clear she wanted to take things slow, and Todd never once pressured her for anything more, despite their obvious desires.

“He wants to meet Sophie.”

“That’s a big step,” Ava told her. “And a good sign.”

“What if it doesn’t go well?” Tessa asked. “There’s no way I could have a relationship with someone who doesn’t connect with Sophie and vice versa.”

“Then I guess you’ll have your answer,” Holly responded. “Keep in mind, though, kids are funny and very protective. You and Sophie have a strong bond.”

“Holly’s right,” Ava agreed. “It may take Sophie a few tries to really warm up to him. Don’t use Sophie as an excuse to cut Todd out of your life just because they don’t hit it off right away. Give them a fair chance. Give
him
a fair chance. He deserves that much. You both do.”

“And hey, if they get along, maybe you’ll actually let us meet him one day soon, too,” Holly added. “We promise we won’t scare him away.”

Chapter 24

At ten in the morning the following Saturday, Tessa and Sophie met Todd at the playground in their neighborhood. She figured it was better to meet at a place where her daughter felt comfortable. That way if she didn’t like Todd, she could go off and play without being completely traumatized. Sophie that is … Tessa had already convinced herself the entire experience would be traumatic whether her daughter liked Todd or not.

She hadn’t told Sophie why they were going to the park until they started on their walk over. She was nervous her daughter would be anxious, or maybe she was the one who was anxious. Yes, it was definitely her. Sophie seemed indifferent, or perhaps she didn’t understand. After all, Tessa didn’t exactly come out and say, “
Sweetie, today you’re going to meet the man who potentially could be your future daddy.”
She giggled softly to herself at the thought of how ridiculous that would have sounded. No, instead she said,
“Sophie, we’re going to the park to meet a new friend of Mommy’s. His name is Todd, and he’s very nice. I think you’re going to like him a lot.”

When Tessa finished explaining, Sophie shrugged and said, “Okay.”

For some reason, she expected her daughter to have a million questions. Instead, she rambled on about a book they had read in preschool the day before. It was about a mouse named Jason who sang all these silly songs. Smiling, Tessa watched as her daughter skipped and sang songs for the remainder of the walk.

Todd was already waiting for them when they arrived. She was a nervous wreck. Before they left, she’d changed her outfit at least a dozen times. He, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease. She supposed that was a good sign.

Sophie hid behind her leg as she introduced them. Besides her uncles, Max and Ben, and her grandfather, she didn’t have a lot of men in her life. Tessa knew she’d be shy and cautious, and perhaps as Holly suggested, even protective.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Sophie,” Todd said, squatting down so he could look her in the eyes. “Your mom told me so much about you. She even told me pink is your favorite color.”

She nodded and stepped out a bit, while still keeping one arm securely wrapped around her mother’s leg. Sneaking out for a peek at the pink gift bag Todd was holding, she quickly took to hiding again.

“Oh, you didn’t have to get her anything,” Tessa said, feeling a little embarrassed.
Was he trying to buy her affections? Or was this just part of his niceness?

He smiled. “I know that, but a funny thing happened yesterday. I was at a meeting downtown, and as I was walking back to my car, I passed a store where something in the window caught my eye. I don’t have any little girls myself, so I thought it was odd I noticed it at all. However, it was so beautiful, and I thought,
I’ll bet Sophie would like this
.” He handed the bag to her.

“For me?” she asked, still clutching her mom’s leg.

He nodded. “Yes.” 

“Go ahead, it’s okay,” Tessa told her.

He put the bag on the ground in between them as a peace offering and waited as Sophie slowly approached. Reaching for the bag with widened eyes, she carefully took out the pink tissue paper lying on top.

“Mommy! Look!” She pulled out a beautiful doll dressed in a pink dress; the exact color of the flower Todd gave Tessa on their first date. “It’s Princess Aurora!”