not going to give me a sales pitch?”
“Why? Are you a hard sell?”
“Extremely hard,” Teddy said.
“I’m good at what I do,” Adam challenged.
“I see,” Teddy said flatly. “So you like handling other people’s money?”
“As much as you like the weddings you plan, I like building wealth.”
Teddy thought about the wealth they had built, she and Diana. Both had come from humble backgrounds. Diana had been a scholarship student at Princeton, and Teddy, too, had had scholarships and had worked partially through Stanford. Both understood the need for capital and they learned management of money as a necessity to their business.
Teddy wasn’t wealthy, but she was comfortable. Her designs were selling for thousands of dollars and she had a growing portfolio. It wasn’t managed by Adam’s company.
“What is the name of your investment firm?” Teddy asked.
“Sullivan Brothers Investment, Inc.” He slipped a business card across the table to her. The ease with which he did it showed a practiced salesmanship.
Teddy had never heard of his company. That was probably a good thing. If they weren’t maintaining or increasing wealth for their clients, she surely would have heard something from the many brides that came in for planning. And there was the trade show that had financial planners in attendance every year. She didn’t know if his company had ever been represented.
“Your brothers are part of the business?”
He shook his head. “Initially, my brother Quinn went in with me, but quickly decided it wasn’t for him. I bought him out for all of three dollars.” He stopped and laughed at that.
“I suppose that laugh means you didn’t actually cheat him out of a good deal?”
“He hadn’t invested any capital into the setup. He did the legwork of finding the offices and his muscle in helping me buy and set up furniture. That was years ago now.”
“Are you at the same location?”
He shook his head.
Weddings by Diana had moved twice. Once for a medical project, and the second time because she and Diana needed more space and they could afford a more prestigious area.
“With both of us in Princeton, I’m surprised our paths haven’t crossed before,” Adam said. “Of course, my hours are unpredictable when I’m dealing with overseas markets.”
He gave a reason for them not seeing each other. Teddy also had an explanation. “My weekends are often taken up with weddings. And unless you attend as many as I do, we’d never meet.”
“Not unless our mothers had something to do with it,” he said.
* * *
The streets of Princeton were nearly deserted when Teddy and Adam left the restaurant. The September night was clear and unseasonably warm. Teddy couldn’t believe they’d stayed so late. Talking to Adam had been mostly pleasant after they broke the ice and agreed that they would eat together only because they were hungry. And when she realized they wouldn’t be seeing each other again, it was easier to relax.
He had a nice voice, deep and rich. It reminded her of late nights listening to “music for lovers only” on the radio. The DJs always had devastating voices that tended to reach through the woofers and grab hold of you. Teddy hadn’t thought of that in a while. Mainly her radio listening was done in the car while returning from a meeting or a wedding.
Yet, Adam had that DJ kind of voice. It was reaching for her. And she was willingly leaning toward it. His breath had stirred her hair when he leaned close to her. And her own breathing became shallow and labored. Teddy’s gaze dropped to his lips and she wondered what it would feel like if he kissed her. Then she snapped back, stopping herself. What was happening to her?
It was good to be outside, where the coziness of their surroundings didn’t play into a fantasy world. She thought about whether she would like to see him again. Of course, she would rather he liked weddings and respected what she did, but marriage and the business of marriage wasn’t for everyone. Adam had declared he was one of the ones who’d rather do without it. And that probably meant he’d rather do without her as a reminder.
“My car is parked in the lot,” she said, looking behind them.
Together they turned toward the nearly deserted area. Other than their cars, she was sure the remainder belonged to the restaurant staff who were cleaning up and ready to end the night’s work. Why hadn’t she noticed the bar noise dying down? Or the other dinner patrons leaving? She and Adam had been engrossed in conversation, but it was the first time ever for Teddy to be so oblivious of her surroundings that she didn’t realize they were alone.
Adam didn’t touch her as he walked beside her to her car. Neither did he speak. She wondered what he was thinking. They could have gone on talking as long as they kept away from certain subjects, like weddings and marriage. Two that shouldn’t be discussed on a first date anyway. Except this was not a date.
“Thanks for sharing my meal,” he said when they stood next to her car.
Teddy thought he was being careful with his words. “I enjoyed it.” It wasn’t totally a lie, but it also wasn’t fully the truth. She pressed the button on her key fob and heard the door unlock. As she reached for the handle, Adam called her name. She stopped. Could she have imagined the softness of his voice? She turned back.
Adam stepped closer to her. For no reason, her heartbeat accelerated. He leaned forward. Teddy leaned back an inch or so. Then his cheek brushed hers. Other than their initial handshake, this was the first time he touched her. His skin was smoothly shaven and warm. He held her for a short moment, not even long enough for her hands to reach his arms as they lifted to grasp him. Teddy didn’t move. She thought he was about to hug her. Her breath caught and held, but he only reached around her to open the car door. She got in and, without a word, Adam closed the door. He stepped back and she looked up at him.
She started the car and, with a wave, pulled out of the parking space. As she reached the street, she glanced in the rearview mirror. Adam stood where she’d left him.
Color me confused, she thought.
* * *
“How was the date?” Diana asked, setting a cup of coffee on Teddy’s desk.
Teddy wasn’t working. Usually she would be. They had five weddings coming up in the next three months, but today her mind was on the man she’d had dinner with.
She reached for the coffee and took a sip. “He’s got a dry humor. He hates weddings, doesn’t believe in happily ever after, he’s arrogant as hell and we won’t be seeing each other again.”
“That bad?”
“Right off, we agreed to shake hands and say goodbye. But it wasn’t all bad. We had dinner.” Teddy noticed Diana’s eyebrows raise. “Only because we were both hungry,” Teddy finished.
“What does he do?”
