My brows shot up as I glanced at his screen. Ted had been looking Theo up on his social media handles.
“Why? What makes you think you guys look alike? Because Theo jokingly mentioned it and it’s getting into your head?”
“No, Mum, come on. Have you forgotten he came to talk to the kids himself about the rodeo show? It was Bobby who mentioned it, and I didn’t even tell him anything. By the way, will you let me go?”
“You can go, and stop stalking his accounts,” I said curtly, rising.
“And how the hell am I doing that? I’m only trying to know more about him,” he flared.
“Why don’t you try to know more about the people around you instead?” I fired back. “I heard your grandma asking how old your dad was earlier today and you couldn’t even respond, yet you claim to want to know more about a total stranger you’ve barely met.”
“I answered her, of course! Isn’t Dad forty-nine? That’s seventeen whole years older than Theo Naths! You know, I wish he was my dad instead. Unlike Dad, he was so cool and everyone loves him.”
I resisted the urge to scream and tell him to shut the hell up. Instead, I stilled myself as much as I could.
“Ted. Your dad had you when he was twenty-nine. Go to bed now. Enough of this Theo talk. I already promised you, you would attend the rodeo show.”
I slammed the door hard as I left and made for the balcony instead of the bedroom.
It was way too early for Ted to start liking Theo. I couldn’t wait for the stupid rodeo show to come and go so I could have my peace.
While standing there, I decided to text Theo, but I couldn’t find the business card. My heart pounded. It must have slipped out in Ted’s room.
I hurried back only to meet Maria chatting leisurely with him.
“Is everything okay? I only came to check on my birthday grandson,” she said dryly.
“Uhm… well, I already checked on him and was just passing by when I saw his light on. I remember asking him to turn it off and go to bed,” I rambled, my eyes scanning the corner of the bed where I had sat earlier and the floor where Maria stood. The card had to be somewhere around.
“Are you looking for this?” she asked, holding it up.
I was stunned into silence.
“Ted said it slipped out of your gown when you left his room,” she continued.
“What?” I sputtered.
“Yeah, I was going to tell you, but you were too busy yelling at me.” he rolled his eyes.
The day was almost over already. Did it really have to get worse? Hot sweat broke out on my forehead.
Before I could gather my thoughts, Maria’s phone suddenly buzzed.
“Oh, that’s my medicine alarm,” she murmured, hurrying out.
She left with the card, and an eerie feeling settled in my chest.
“Are you okay, Mum?” Ted asked, watching me closely.
“Go to bed, banana. Tomorrow is another day,” I said, exiting his room.
I couldn’t sleep all night as my mind raced back and forth. Now, thanks to Theo, Maria would start keeping tabs on me again.
Theo, on his part, obviously had something up his sleeve, and whatever it was, it didn’t look good. For him to be so bold and audacious in my husband’s presence, make a frank comment about how he and Ted looked alike, and even invite him to his park said a lot. He had also gone as far as giving me his business card.
What more? George considered him an important business asset.
What did Theo want? Me or Ted? Was he certain Ted was his son, or did he only suspect?
The following day, I went with the chauffeur and Ted to the venue of the show. It was quite a grand and interesting spectacle, something I would have been thrilled to enjoy on a good day.
“You know what, Mum? I’m so confident. I bet I’ll be among the kids selected during the audition.”
I frowned. “What do you mean by audition? Isn’t this the main show?”
“Nope. They just want to give us some little tryouts so the best of us can feature in the main show tomorrow.”
I rolled my eyes in exasperation. Here I was, longing to get done with the day and everything that came with it. I couldn’t believe we’d be doing this again tomorrow.
Before I could reason with Ted, a familiar cologne filled the air.
Theo Naths himself, with his usual charming smile and elegance.
“Who do we have here?”
I was about to give him a sharp response when I realized he was addressing Ted, not me.
“Hello, Theo,” Ted greeted warmly with a big smile.
“Hi, Big Tee. What’s up?” Theo gave him a cool, friendly handshake as though they were old friends.
I grew more puzzled. “Wait. I don’t get it. Have you two met already? And why are you calling him Theo?”
“Because I asked him to.” His gaze rested on me.
“Yes, Mum. We met yesterday after he announced the show. I told you he was cool. Look how he calls me Big Tee, but you keep calling me banana.”
Theo chuckled, but I felt sick to my stomach.
Things were moving faster than my imagination.
“You know what, sweetie? I think that’s Bobby waving at you over there. Why don’t you go say hi while I have a word with Theo?”
I had barely finished speaking before Ted turned and hurried off excitedly.
“Theophil. Really? What the hell are you up to?” I demanded indignantly.
“What are you talking about?” he asked calmly, like the perfect gentleman, in his usual husky voice.
That same voice that had whispered kisses and promises in my ears years back. That same voice that had once set my mind spinning and made my heart flutter.
Theo had been attractive back then, and even now, he was even more so. Unlike George, whose charm stopped at a cute baby face.
The fact that Theo had left the top three buttons of his shirt undone, exposing the faint hair on his chest, was enough to unsettle me. His cologne, his voice and proximity.
I was forced to take an involuntary step back and almost stumbled as I stepped on a stone, but Theo caught me just in time before I could hit the ground.
It felt like a movie scene as we held each other’s gaze for a fleeting second.
Our lips were only inches apart.