Teddy smiled. Twenty minutes and yes, she texted back.
The door swung open again and Everett walked in.
Teddy stood up straight. “That was fast.”
“Yeah.” Everett ran a hand through his hair, leaving it standing straight up. “I was in the neighborhood. Full disclosure, I was outside when I texted and—I don’t know—I didn’t want to wait. But now that I’m in here, I can see that that was the wrong impulse. Uh, Josie? Anything I can help out with? Anything need . . . dusting?”
He turned to Josie, who was staring at him with an amused expression. “You want to dust?”
“I’m here for the next twenty minutes. I might as well make myself useful,” Everett said.
“Have you met Carlos?” Josie asked, ushering Everett toward the counter.
“Not officially, and only in costume,” Everett said, holding out his hand.
“Nice to meet you,” Carlos said politely, shaking Everett’s hand before returning to his book.
“Don’t bother him when he’s reading,” Josie stage-whispered. “You’ll learn. Anyway, you two don’t need to hang around here. We’re almost closed, anyway.”
“Josie, you’re a good woman,” Everett said, then turned to Teddy. She couldn’t miss the way his eyes changed when they were on her; they were softer and brighter in a way that made her entire body feel warm and cold at the same time. She blushed.
“Ready?” Everett asked, and she could only hope he couldn’t read her thoughts.
Josie might have been right. In fact, she certainly was. The world was full of sad, heartbroken, and lonely people. Pain was everywhere. But at that moment, as Christmas music played in November and Everett St. James smiled at her, Teddy didn’t feel even the slightest bit sad, heartbroken, or lonely. She felt happy and hopeful and whole. The world is definitely not in the shitter, she thought to herself as she smiled.
* * *
—
“SO WHERE ARE we going?” Teddy asked as they walked down the sidewalk, pulling her purple peacoat tighter against the wind. She regretted her hat choice, a little black beret-type thing that had feathers sticking out of it. It had seemed charming and chic when she saw it in the store, and Eleanor and Kirsten had been very encouraging, but now that she was wearing it out with a man, she felt insecure. Perhaps plumage didn’t belong on dates, but it was too late now.
Everett smiled crookedly. “That’s the beauty of a walk, isn’t it? You don’t have to go anywhere. You get to enjoy each other’s company.”
Teddy couldn’t argue with that, as she was presently enjoying Everett’s company and the olive green military-style jacket he was wearing. The jacket, combined with the slightest bit of scruff on his chin (he was always clean-shaven on the show), made him look both familiar and excitingly foreign, like walking into your own living room to find the furniture rearranged.
They came to a crosswalk. “Let’s cross here,” Everett said as he took Teddy’s hand. He nodded toward their entwined fingers. “Safety first.”
“Right.” Teddy swallowed. “The buddy system. Without someone holding me back, I just might run into traffic.”
“You look like a daredevil,” Everett said, and Teddy stifled a laugh.
“What?” Everett asked as the white WALK sign flashed and they darted across the street.
“I’m many things,” Teddy said as they stepped up onto the sidewalk. “But a daredevil isn’t one of them. Not now, anyway. I was quite a brave little child, once upon a time.”
Teddy winced. Babbling. Word vomit. Verbal diarrhea. Whatever disgusting euphemism you wanted to use, that was what was currently pouring out of her mouth.
“So what changed?” Everett asked as they walked past town houses, away from High Street.
“I don’t know. I did, I guess. You get older and figure out that taking a chance can lead to getting hurt or hurting someone else.” She looked at Everett. “Or maybe you didn’t have that experience.”
“I think you seem pretty brave,” Everett said. “It was brave to send me an email, right?”
“Is it brave or is it weird to send an email about my personal problems to the host of a children’s television show?”
“Well, either way, weird or brave”—Everett squeezed her hand—“I’m glad you did it.”
“Me, too,” Teddy said quietly, and then she noticed that they were walking into Goodale Park.
“I love this park,” she said. “Sometimes Josie and I have lunch or ice cream in front of the fountain.”
“My parents live right over there,” Everett said, pointing in their general direction. “I grew up basically thinking this was my yard. And then when I got older, this is where I took Gretel for walks when she was fussy. Just popped her into that stroller and walked her until she fell asleep.”
Teddy couldn’t help smiling at the thought of Everett pushing a stroller. “It’s no wonder you’re good with kids. You had a lot of practice.”
“Yes and no. In a lot of ways, Gretel was never really a kid, you know?” He appeared to think for a moment. “Or I guess she’s a kid on the inside, but she’s always done a better job of hiding it than most kids.”
“I can see that,” Teddy said as a little boy on a scooter stopped right in front of them.
“Are you Everett?” he asked.
Everett smiled, and Teddy was pleased to see once again that his professional smile looked just like his personal smile. Everett on TV was the same person as Everett in real life, because Everett only knew how to be himself. He wasn’t trying to impress anyone, and he wasn’t flexing in front of Teddy, making sure she knew how important he was, the way Richard had when he was with his doctor friends.
“I am! What’s your name?” Everett asked, getting down on one knee.
“Nathan,” said the kid. “I didn’t know you came to the park. I thought you stayed in your house on the TV.”
Everett didn’t even laugh; instead, he nodded and said, “I love coming to the park! The house you see on the television is just my TV house, where we can all hang out during the show. I live in a real home, just like you.”
Nathan nodded, and that was when Teddy noticed the visibly flustered woman standing behind him.
“Oh, wow, this is . . . like a celebrity sighting!” she said with a laugh. “We watch your show every day!”
“Thank you!” Everett said, standing up. “It’s so nice to meet you both!”