By the following afternoon Thea was completely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of options she had. The realtor had thoroughly done his homework and shown her five different locations that suited all her main requirements – a space large enough for design and storage as well as ample natural night on the front floor that would be used for display purposes.
Taking a break from the crazy, she sat down at Big Belly Burger and ordered a coffee while she sifted through the information. Of the five potential properties, she ruled out one since that particular building wasn't quite in the right setting. Taking that folder out of the batch she had laid out on the table, she shoved it aside.
She knew that she needed help, but asking her mother was not an option. Moira would most likely take over the entire process, thinking she was doing Thea a favour, but because she wanted to be the one to make the final decision, involving her mother would be a disaster. She'd also considered asking Ollie, but he had a lot going on at the moment and she felt guilty about asking for more of his time. Sighing heavily she applied her mind to making a decision.
"If it isn't Thea Queen looking all grown up, and appearing busy to boot," came a familiar voice from behind her right shoulder.
Smiling to herself, she didn't turn around. "A noise. I hear a noise. Whatever could that annoying sound be?"
Chucking, Tommy made himself comfortable in the seat opposite hers. "Isn't it too early in the day for you to be up and about? I recall that you mostly surfaced closer to dusk than dawn."
Thea threw her hands in the air, rolling her eyes mockingly. "You've got me. My dreams of being a vampire have been temporarily shelved in order to interact with humans. It's a sad day for me and my kind."
"Always so dramatic," he said, laughing.
"I know, I know. I've missed my calling."
"What's all this?" he asked as he pointed to the folders filled with papers.
"First of all, I do not recall inviting you to join me. Second of all, this," she said, pulling the folders closer to her, her eyes alight with mirth, "is none of your business, Merlyn."
Tommy leaned forward, his elbows braced on the table. "I don't need an invitation, Speedy. I'm an honorary Queen. Now stop being coy and tell me what you're up to." He caught the waitress's attention and ordered some coffee.
Eyeing him in amusement, Thea pushed the papers towards him. "Seeing as you're here and I realise it might be impossible to get rid of you, you may as well make yourself useful." She watched as a slow smile spread across his face, transforming his handsomeness to borderline hotness. How did I forget how attractive he is?
The thought came straight out of nowhere. Deciding that it was best not to analyse it, she moved on. "I'm looking to purchase a property for my new store. These," she gestured towards the folders he was thumbing through, "are my options. I can't decide which one I like most."
Tommy looked at her in surprise. "Oliver mentioned something about you wanting to set up shop. I didn't realise you'd already started making plans."
"Shocked that the ex-party girl/reformed recreational drug user actually has some dreams of her own?" Her words though light, contained a hint of fire.
Serious for a moment, Tommy shook his head. "That's not what I meant. I think it's great that you're doing what clearly makes you happy."
They stared at each other for a moment. "Thanks," Thea said, her stomach doing a strange flip.
Tommy broke eye contact first, looking down at the photos he'd extracted from the folders. "There's a lot of potential here. You should narrow your choices down to those that most meet your requirements. Take location, current space and potential expansion into consideration. You don't want to be caught unawares should you need a bigger place down the road."
Thea looked at him, suspiciously. "When did you get to know so much about real estate?" His advice made perfect sense.
He gave her an exasperated look. "I'm running your brother's club. I'm not a complete idiot."
"Just a partial one?" At his raised eyebrow she grinned. "You said it."
Shaking his head, a smile hovering, he closed the folders. "I think these are some great options."
Thea watched him as an idea took root. "Tommy, do you think you could help me choose one? I'd ask my Mom, but well, I'm sure you know how that's likely to go. And Ollie has a full plate. I don't want to burden him with my problems."
"He'd never regard your asking him for help as a burden, Thea."
She sighed. "I know. I-I just want to be able to do something on my own, without having to call on my family to help me."
She's changed. The wild child he'd known a few years back wouldn't have cared all that much about anyone else's feelings. What Thea wanted, Thea usually got. That restless energy that had accompanied her everywhere was also gone. Instead, her green eyes were bright with intelligence, maturity and drive.
Tommy understood her desire to prove to her family that she was capable. He'd spent his entire life trying to show his father that he wasn't a complete wastrel. In the end, it hadn't made a difference, but he could respect her need to do the same. "Okay. I'll help you. But on one condition."
Thea sat back and folded her arms across her chest. "No. I will not agree to be your personal stylist. No matter how badly you may need one." She smiled sweetly as she eyed his gym sweats.
"Be nice, Queen. You're the one asking for my help," he jibed in return. Thea's particular brand of humour had always had the uncanny knack of making him laugh.
"Fine. What's the condition?" she asked.
Tommy winked at her. "I get front row tickets to your first runway show?"
Thea burst out laughing. "I'm afraid not, Merlyn. Should I ever host such an event, I'd prefer to keep the riff raff out." Grabbing her purse and gathering her folders, she gave him a smug smile. "Pick me up tomorrow morning." With a grin she left the diner.
On his way back to Verdant Tommy felt a shift in his mood, he felt lighter and more energised than he had in months. Having felt as though he was floundering for the longest time, it felt good to be able to experience some positive emotions again. Recently, there hadn't been much happening in his life that gave him any real joy. Even date night had been a let down.
The previous evening, he and Laurel had had dinner at one of the trendy restaurants in the city. They'd both spent the majority of the evening on their respective phones – Laurel with her assistant and Tommy with his suppliers. Not the most romantic way to spend time with my girlfriend. Perhaps he needed to do something to get them back on track, to remind them why they'd started out together in the first place.
Making a snap decision, he grabbed a take away coffee and some bagels and headed over to CNRI.
Walking into the offices of Laurel's place of work always assaulted his senses. There was such a flutter of activity, people dashing about, phones ringing off the hook and paperwork covering almost every available surface. He sometimes wondered how they managed to keep track of everything.
Spotting Laurel at her desk, her face shoved close to her monitor, he smiled. "Coffee break," he said, placing his packages on her desk.
"Not there!" she yelled, holding her hands over the file he was about to use as a placeholder. Too late, his hand knocked into hers, sending the coffee cup flying. It landed with a splash on her file, brown liquid soaking into her case work and dripping down the side of her desk.
"Dammit Tommy!" Laurel jumped up, frantically dabbing serviettes on her desk to mop up the spill.
Taken aback by her irritation, Tommy reached for her arm. "Hey, I'm sorry. I just wanted to pop around to see how you're doing."
Without looking up from her cleaning task, Laurel shook his hand aside. "I'm really busy right now. I don't have time to talk. I have twelve cases pending, all of which I can't get to if people keep interrupting me – like the delivery guy who can't find anyone else to sign for packages and the telephone that won't stop ringing long enough for me to think and-"
"Me." Tommy dropped the empty coffee cup in the waste basket beside her desk. So much for trying to be spontaneous.
Laurel sighed and moved to stand closer to him. Her hands reached for his. "Look, I know I've been distracted lately but there's been a lot going on. Once I whittle down my case load, we can spend some time together. Maybe book a weekend away or something?"
He didn't bother to remind her that she'd turned down his last three offers to get away for a much needed break. "Alright, sure." He kissed her cheek. "I'll see you later."
By the time he'd turned his back to her she was already absorbed in her previous task, leaving him feeling as though she'd instantly forgotten that he was there. He pushed down the swell of disappointment that rose within him as he walked out the door.
Thea cooed into the adorable face of her nephew. Just shy of a month old, he was a big baby and clearly the centre of everyone's attention. Watching his cute face scrunch up as he yawned, she cuddled him close as he fell asleep.
"You just missed your mom," Felicity said as she sat down beside Thea on the sofa, placing a glass of soda on the table in front of them. They were sitting in the baby's nursery, a beautiful room decorated in soft blues and yellows. The furniture was all white except for the comfortable over-stuffed chairs clustered cosily into one corner. There were baby gadgets everywhere and Thea was certain they were all Felicity's purchases.
"A thing I'm not so secretly relieved about."
"She's not that bad, Thea," Felicity chided, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Thea gave her a sardonic look. "Says the one who's never lived with her. Trust me. You're way better off in your own home than you would have been if you and Ollie had moved into the mansion as Mom suggested."
"In that particular scenario, I can actually agree with you," Felicity conceded. "How's your property hunting going? Oliver mentioned that you had a few places lined up?"
Thea took a sip of her iced cola. "There are four possible locations I'm considering. Tommy's going to help me decide tomorrow."
Felicity raised an eyebrow. "You sure he's the right person to ask?"
Thea huffed. "Don't look at me like that. I asked him to help me after he made some very succinct points about what I should be looking for."
"No judgement," Felicity said, glancing sideways at her. "I just didn't think he'd have the time to help out. With his work at Verdant and the Merlyn Empire, he's been a little headless for a while."
Thea shrugged. "He seemed pretty eager. I need to make a choice and he seems to know what he's talking about."
"How did he seem when you spoke to him?"
"Seem?"
Felicity pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose, her hot pink nails flashing past Thea's line of vision. "Yeah. He hasn't been himself lately." She peered over to look at her sleeping son.
Thea nodded in agreement. "You know, I thought the same thing when I saw him at Mom's birthday party. He looked…unhappy."
"I don't think things are going that well between him and Laurel." Felicity gathered the sleeping baby from Thea's arms and gently laid him inside his crib. "He'll most likely sleep until Oliver gets home," she said with a smile. Turning back to Thea, she sat down again. "Like I said, he seems troubled."
Thea thought about how lonely he'd looked at the party. "I always thought they'd be married by now. I mean, they're dating longer that you and Ollie know each other. Plus, he always had a thing for Laurel."
"Tommy regards himself as the ultimate bachelor. Personally, I think he just hasn't met the right woman yet."
Thea rolled her eyes. "Marriage has scrambled your brains. Tommy loves Laurel. He always has. Maybe their timing's just been off."
Felicity laughed. "I happen to like being married – addled brains or not. But in response to your statement, perhaps that has been a factor. I just don't think it's the only reason."
Thea pondered that statement as she drove home. Was it possible that Tommy and Laurel's relationship had finally run its course? She couldn't quite believe that. She'd always been aware of how much Tommy had cared for the other woman. He had looked unhappy when she'd first seen him a few weeks back. But then again, with all he'd been through, it was likely he was still dealing with some of the latent effects. That, however, didn't mean that his relationship was on the rocks.
Why am I even contemplating this? Tommy was her friend. Her childhood crush had long since become a thing of the past and she had no intention of going back there. Turning up the volume on the radio, she attempted to drown out the sound of her prying thoughts.
