Tammy Jones

"You actually spoke to my supervisor? To Mary Lou, and she said that?"

"No" replied Teddy slowly "not me personally, my aunt said she'd called..."

"Your aunt? The Sour Faced Bitch?" I almost yelled, this was beginning to make sense.

Teddy stood up and faced me, 'okay, let's get this straight, you never accused me of rape?" I shook my head "and you thought the hotel had cancelled the contract and told you not to come back again?"

I looked up and nodded, not quite certain where this was going.

"Come with me" Teddy put out his hand, helped me to my feet and, without speaking, led the way back to his office. Normally I resent being given orders but this didn't seem the moment to mention it.

He walked across to the desk and pulled out a chair, "wait here Tammy, I won't be long".

I'd always thought of Teddy as a kind of Golden Retriever, cuddly, good-natured and everyone's friend but what was going out the door was a Rottweiler, teeth bared, ears laid flat and every hair on its back bristling with anger. It was an awesome sight and I was seriously impressed.

It was quiet in the office after he left and I sat slumped in Teddy's chair, emotionally exhausted and not thinking of anything in particular, only aware of an overwhelming sense of relief.... and somewhere there was a small, happy bubble knowing that Teddy hadn't dumped me after all.

'He still might' said the annoying voice but I was too tired to listen, I'd worry about that later.

I looked around the room, it hadn't changed much except that there was a new photo on the desk. I reached across and picked it up; a grainy, slightly-out-of-focus picture of a pretty, smiling girl who looked oddly familiar. It took a couple of moments to realise it was me... German & Co have a page on the website entitled 'Meet the Team' and all the reps have postage-stamp sized photos of themselves on display. This was mine, copied, enlarged and printed off, but unmistakeably me.

I was just trying to get my head around that when I heard footsteps in the corridor, I hurriedly replaced the photo and looked up as Teddy came back in looking serious.

"Mystery solved, not the wicked step-mother this time, it was the aunt"

I nodded "she doesn't like me".

"She was outside the door when we...." he gestured to the carpet, "I guess she heard everything and decided to put a stop to it".

"She doesn't think I'm good enough for you," I sighed "and she's probably right".

"Oh no" said Teddy, quite seriously, "it's the other way around, she doesn't think I'm good enough for you"

"Excuse me?"

"You see I come from a long line of horse thieves and snake-oil salesmen. My great, great, grandfather was run out of town on a rail for selling land in Florida and his grandfather was tarred and feathered for trading with the Indians".

"What's wrong with that?" I interrupted.

"He was trading Whiskey and Winchesters for beaver pelts".

"Oh"

"And his brother, Hieronymus...."

"Teddy! You're making this up! you never had a great-thingy grandfather called 'Hieronymus'".

"Did too, scouts honour, anyway, Hieronymus was given medals by both sides in the Civil War, he was buying Southern cotton on the cheap, shipping it down to Mexico then selling it to the North at a very competitive rate - and invested the profits in Yankee War Bonds. So you see we're all just a bunch of pirates and card-sharps, my aunt thinks no respectable girl should have anything to do with us".

"Aren't there any female desperados in your family?" I asked curiously.

"Only Mildred, a great aunt on my father's side, but we never talk about her".

"Why? What was she, embezzler or bank robber?"

Teddy shook his head "much worse" he leaned forward and whispered confidingly "she's was a Democrat".

I laughed, I couldn't help it.

"I bet you don't have anything like that in your family".

"Don't be so sure, I have an uncle who works for Goldman Sachs"

Teddy looked impressed "is he a partner?"

"No" I replied "the janitor, but even so..."

We both laughed, it was just like old times.

"Tammy, is any of this important if we both like each other?" My heart gave a bit of a lurch as I realised it was too late, I had already gone a long way past 'like'.

"I'm so sorry that my aunt tried to screw things up but it won't happen again. I put her straight although I'm afraid I may have used some intemperate language when I spoke to her"

Who uses words like 'intemperate'?

"Does that mean you swore at her?" I asked.

"Every rude word I could think of" said Teddy cheerfully.

I was feeling a lot better, "I'll bet I could have added a few more" I said vindictively "but I'm sorry, I guess that means you're out of a job?"

Teddy shook his head "Uh uh, this place runs at a loss, if my mom didn't bail her out every couple of years it would have closed down long ago. Anyway, I'm only here for a few months, Dad wanted me to get some hands-on experience of running a small business before I join the family firm".

I picked up the photo and showed it to him, "how long have you had this?" Teddy looked sheepish "Oh, sorry, you weren't meant to see that... but, almost since the first day you came into my office, I just couldn't forget you".

"So why didn't you ask me for a date?" I asked bewildered.

There must have been a mark on the carpet because Teddy was staring down at it and rubbing the toe of his shoe on the offending spot. He paused a moment before answering, "I was a-afraid you'd s-say no."

I opened my mouth to say 'that's the dumbest thig I ever heard' but closed it again. Wasn't I the one who was always banging on about emancipation and equality of the sexes? I'd had the hots for Teddy ever since we met, so why hadn't I asked him for a date? The answer, of course, was that I didn't believe a guy with a Masters from Harvard and letters after his name would consider going out with a girl who couldn't even finish a Community College writing course. I'd been afraid he'd say no.

Well that was about to change.

I stood up, "I'm starving, I missed breakfast, how about I buy you lunch?"

"Are you asking me out on a date?" asked Teddy with a smile. "Absolutely" I replied firmly.

"I accept but only on the condition that I can take you out to dinner tonight".

As this seemed an acceptable solution to all concerned we kissed, hesitantly at first but it soon got serious...

When I came up for air I suggested a change of plan "could we make that dinner tomorrow night?"

"Why? Do you have plans for this evening?"

"I was thinking we might make this a long, a very long lunch, I'm not sure I could get dressed in time for dinner".

"Hmmm, good point, tomorrow night it is" agreed Teddy but we before we got back to kissing I held up my hand.

"Just a moment" I said "before we go any further, you should know I can't cook"

"I know lots of good restaurants" replied Teddy with mock gravity.

"I'm a slob, my apartment is a mess"

"Housework is overrated" he agreed.

So far, so good, now for the real, $64,000 question, "and I'd like to meet your parents".

He didn't even blink, "sure, it's something of a tradition that the family gets together on a Sunday at my folks place in the Hamptons, why not come along, meet the whole ghastly crew and get it over with?"

"Will the SFB, I mean your aunt, be there?"

"I'm afraid so, but I'll be with you and I think you'll find I've drawn her fangs."

There being nothing else to discuss we got back to the serious business of taking up where we left off seven weeks ago.

Well the man I married isn't a pro-football player but I do live in a big house up on St Johns Hill. And for those of you who like all the details Mary Lou was my 'maid-of-honour' at the wedding; Marianne and Trisha, Teddy's sister, were bridesmaids and. It was a great day even if my mother did bawl her eyes out all through the ceremony.

I used to think there were three levels to sex but it turns out there are four, although maybe this is what level three was always meant to be? Being in bed with the man you love and who loves you right back even though he knows you're an airhead. Someone who is kind and considerate, who brings you flowers even though it's not your birthday, anniversary or a special occasion, but just because he knows you like them.

I kept the pack of test-kits but, thanks to my erratic monthly performance, we were almost down to the last one before we saw the two red lines we were both hoping for. Which means I now have to quit drinking for the next seven months and put up with my mom calling every day to tell me to rest, not lift heavy objects and eat lots of fresh fruit.

I really don't know which is going to be worse.