“Yes, ma’am. Nothing has been finalized, however,” he adds with a glance at Rose. “Please, just enjoy your lovely evening.”
Aggie won’t be treated like an old dear. “I hope you’ve conducted environmental impact assessments?”
Rose fields that. “Of course, that’s part of my evaluation.”
“And you know that this site is home to an endangered species of tortoise, and there’s been a care and rehabilitation program happening on-site for the last six years?” Aggie speaks calmly and deliberately and I see a glimpse of her as an attorney.
“What, the turtles around the place?” Rose scrunches her face in distaste, even as her mind pivots to a new position. “We’ll make sure that whatever work happens here, no animals will be impacted.”
“We need to go through the impact that any works will have on the golden bonnet tortoises. They’re listed as critically endangered and there’s more here than anywhere else on the planet. If you’d visited the site earlier and taken my tour, you’d know that,” I tell Rose quietly.
Rose is flustered. She looks at her brother like she’s having a bad dream. “This place means this much to you? You look like a goddamn lawyer or something, Teddy.”
“Not quite,” he replies, gesturing to the tattoos on his hands. “And yes. This place means this much to me, and Ruthie means the most.”
I put a hand on his sleeve. “I don’t want you to give up your studio for us.”
“If it’s what it takes. Well? You can start me at the bottom, as long as I can work out of this office.” He says this to Rose. “I’ve got a lot of experience with menial tasks and humiliating requests.”
“It’s true,” Renata says. “He barely complained.”
Rose’s face shows her struggle with various emotions, but then, with a look of resolve, she makes a decision. “All right, I’ll recommend that Providence remain as … is. On the other side of that hillside is a vacant field. Maybe it doesn’t have an endangered species. I think we should build affordable retirement housing, linking both sites. It’ll be the best of both worlds; something changing, something staying the same. It was my second recommendation in my report,” she adds. “The first one was to redevelop. But now that I’ve come here, I can see that it wouldn’t be right.”
Teddy nods. “I think that’s a good idea. This is a nice place to live, and it shouldn’t be exclusively for the insanely wealthy. I think you should also make sure that there’s a plan in place to get a bit of diversity. This place is a little …” He trails off, aware of the Parlonis’ stare.
“You can say it. This is where rich old white people come to die.” Renata cackles at her own joke, then sobers. “I think that’s a very good, mature suggestion to move us forward into the … what century is it? I don’t know. But I’m impressed with you. There is a brain in that handsome head.”
“And a big heart.” Aggie pats his chest.
“Great, so everything’s settled,” Teddy says, but his smile doesn’t reach his eyes. He’s lost his life’s dream, to secure mine. I bet he feels how I did when my college fund was emptied. Like me, he’s planning on making the best of it. “Thank you, Rose. I promise I won’t let you down.”
“Ah, shit, Theodore,” Rose groans. “Why’d you have to do this?” When he doesn’t know what she means, she says, “You had to make a grand gesture. I’ve always thought you were the most self-centered person.”
“He absolutely is not,” Aggie defends. “We have employed in excess of one hundred young men. None of them are a patch on Theodore. I can assure you, no one cares more than he does.”
“I’m sorry,” Rose says to him unexpectedly. “I was horrible to you when we were kids.”
“And adults, by the sounds of it,” Renata adds.
Rose ignores that and says to Teddy, “It wasn’t your fault.”
“It was my fault,” Jerry says. “It was my fault, and I left you all to sort it out yourselves. I was just too busy.”
“You tried so hard to make me love you,” Rose says, and her composure breaks. Tears fill her eyes. “And I wanted to. You were the easy target for how miserable I was. How miserable I am,” Rose amends. “I’m sorry, Teddy. Ruthie said you have a rose tattoo.” Her voice breaks. “I don’t deserve it.”
“Of course you do. I couldn’t leave you out of the garden of sisters.” He’s so open and kind and that’s what completely breaks her. She steps into his arms. It’s the kind of hug that’s twenty years in the making. He makes eye contact with me over the top of her head, and I see the emotion in him.
“I’ve been the worst sister to you. It’s been really hard to resist you.”
“You held out so long I think you’re superhuman,” he agrees with a smile. “Hey. If you’re my sister, what does that make me?”
“Brother,” Rose says like it’s a weird word. She tries again and her voice is stronger. “Let’s be brother and sister from now on.”
He swirls her on the spot to the music. “Well, we’re going to be working together now, so we can even be friends.”
She shakes her head, and Jerry does too. “We’re not going to make you do that.”
“What?” It’s Teddy’s turn to be flustered. “But we just made a deal.”
“We saw the commitment and passion we’ve been hoping to see in you for years,” Jerry says. “But I’m not going to hold you to it. You’re a tattoo artist, not a property developer. I know it now.” It’s his turn to hug his son.
“Could I bother either of you to help me get a drink?” Renata says, her voice old and feeble. “Over at the refreshment table over there?”
“We’d appreciate it,” Aggie adds, and there’s no way Jerry and Rose can say no. The two old ladies smile at us over their shoulders as they are escorted away. And now Teddy and I are alone.
He touches his thumb under my chin. “I’ve never seen anyone this beautiful. This dress. You look like an angel.”
“And you look like a devil. A really hot devil. Your hair.” I raise up my hand and run it through the short cut. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“I hope it wasn’t what you loved best about me. What? You love me, don’t you?”
“What’s it like being this self-confident?” I lean into him and he wraps me carefully in a hug. “I’ve been trying to call you.”
“I know. I just needed to get myself sorted. I thought you’d understand.” Then he goes still. “But if I’m too late, and you continued on with the Sasaki Method— ”
“Relax. The Sasaki Method is a success, because I fell in love.” I tip my face up and I get the kiss I’ve ached for every minute of every day since he left. What a privilege, to be so young. I have my entire life to know him, to laugh at him, to let him care for me in his sweet, clumsy ways. I can teach him how to give, and he can urge me to take.