Made Marian, Volume One by Lucy Lennox
Jamie
I awoke to the sound of typing. Teddy sat at the kitchen table working on a laptop. His camera equipment was spread out all around him.
“Hey,” he said. “How’s your shoulder?”
“Hurts like a bitch.”
“Are you hungry? I can make you some eggs.” Teddy sat back and stretched his arms above his head.
I asked him what time it was, and he said five o’clock.
Standing up and heading to the bathroom, I said over my shoulder, “No, let’s go into town. I’m in the mood for a burger.”
Teddy drove us in his rental and we sat in a booth at the roadhouse about forty-five minutes later. I ordered a burger and fries before handing the menu back.
“I’ll have the same. Thanks, darlin’,” Teddy said to the attractive young waitress with a wink. I rolled my eyes.
“What?” he asked after the woman gave him a huge smile and walked away.
“Are you always trying to get laid?”
“It doesn’t hurt to be friendly, sweetheart. You should try it sometime.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Who says I’m not friendly?”
He shrugged and smiled. “And what’s wrong with trying to get laid? I’m not the one who doesn’t want one-night stands, remember?”
“Never mind. Do what you want,” I muttered back.
“No, Jamie, talk to me. You did say you aren’t interested in hookups like that, right? Because if you are, I’m more than happy to oblige again.”
“Okay, well, I changed my mind,” I said to him.
His face lit up as he quickly said, “I’ll ask for the check.”
I rolled my eyes again. “Easy there, cowboy. I didn’t mean with you. You’re too annoying. Plus, you’re not really my type.”
He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “And what type is that?”
“Not presumptuous, arrogant, and slutty.”
“Ouch,” he said, clutching a hand over his heart.
“Maybe more one-night stands would help me move past this shitty feeling I’ve had since Brian. Maybe my problem was shooting for marriage and monogamy in the first place. I should try sleeping around casually for a while and see if that helps. Sex without the emotional upheaval.”
Teddy took a sip of his beer and then asked, “Can we revisit you disparaging me, please? You wounded my pride. I’m quite the catch. Pleasuring people in bed is a special skill I have. Just ask the entire flight crew from Qantas flight 93 from Melbourne to LAX.” His grin grew wide, showing off straight white teeth.
I choked on my sip of beer and some shot up my nose. “Are you fucking kidding me? You did not.”
He burst out laughing. “No, Baby Dall, I did not. Not the whole crew anyway. But it’s awfully fun to make beer come out of your nose.”
Our food was delivered and we started eating. I felt a little bad for insulting him earlier so I said, “Well, Teddy, I have to admit that you do take beautiful photos. Working a camera seems to be one special skill you do have.”
“You’ve seen my work?” he asked, surprised.
“I looked it up when you emailed me. The series of the hippos was funny. And there’s one of red birds all flying out of a tree that I just couldn’t stop staring at. It’s mesmerizing.”
Teddy was speechless, staring at me. “Really? Thanks, Jamie. That means a lot to me. Synod, the red bird photo, is one of my all-time favorites. It’s funny, though, because I was in Africa to do a shoot on giraffes. I was setting up to take some test shots of a tree when an assistant I’d hired for the shoot slammed the trunk of the rental vehicle after unloading some equipment. When the loud bang rang out, suddenly hundreds of small red birds came flying out of the leaves. I didn’t even know they were there when I was setting up. I found out later they’re called bishops.”
Teddy was like a different man when he talked about photography. Humble and… maybe a little reverent. “I can tell you really love what you do,” I admitted.
“Yes,” he said simply. “I’m very lucky.”
We ate the rest of our meal as the roadhouse filled up with locals and a few stopped by our booth to say hello. I introduced the people I knew to Teddy and he fell easily back into his usual flirty charm. The music got louder and couples made their way over to the wooden dance floor in the back.
I asked Teddy if he wanted another beer or to call for the check. Before he had a chance to answer, one of the guys I worked with came over and asked me to dance. Josh was the only gay guy in a fifty-mile radius and had been trying to get me to go out with him for months. Teddy’s eyes widened.
I opened my mouth to decline when Teddy answered in his deep voice. “Poor Jamie here has a clipped wing so he won’t be able to do any dancing tonight. Sorry, buddy.”
That arrogant jackass.I looked at Josh and said, “I’d love to,” before splashing a big smile at him and sliding out of the booth. I didn’t look back to see Teddy’s reaction.
I did my best to dance without wincing in pain, but I knew I couldn’t fake it for more than one song. Josh didn’t know about my injury, and I was distracted trying to protect the shoulder without being obvious.
When I realized that Josh was trying to pull me in close to him, I pulled back a little bit. He must have thought I was making some kind of dance move because he grabbed the hand of my hurt shoulder and lifted it above our heads to twirl me. Tears smarted in my eyes and I almost vomited on the floor. I quickly mumbled that I needed to go and would see him later, then I turned and made my way back to the table.
Teddy stood there waiting for me and looked surprised when he saw my face. He gestured to the door with a raised eyebrow and I raced toward it. When I got to the parking lot, I ran over behind a dumpster and leaned over to throw up. Nothing. I took a deep breath to stop the shaking and stayed bent over with my hands on my knees.
I felt a hand on my back. “You okay?”
“No. My pride is crushed. Please don’t say you told me so.”
“I wouldn’t dare, Jamie. Let me drive you home.”
I told Teddy to give me another minute, and then I slowly followed him to the vehicle. By the time he started the engine, I reminded him we needed to stop and get some groceries before heading back to the cabin.
When we returned to the cabin, I thanked him for helping me and went straight to bed. I was ready for the day to be over.
