The next morning, Richie was snoring softly on the couch when Duncan went out for his run. The storm the night before had been long and fierce, but that morning was calm and pleasant, if not a little chilly. When Duncan got back, Tessa was making coffee and Richie had rolled over to hide his eyes from the light coming in from the kitchen.

"Morning," he greeted her, kissing her cheek.

"Morning," she replied. "I see your threats worked." She nodded her head toward the snoring teen.

"After what we caught them at last time, I think they were warranted."

"I don't think we caught them at anything, we caught Richie at something. Angie didn't seem that interested."

"Richie's a smooth talker," Duncan defended. "Given enough time, he probably would have gotten what he wanted."

"Well, he didn't then and he didn't now… and I don't think you give Angie enough credit. She seems like she's immune to his smooth talk."

"Oh, like you, Ms. I-saw-a-hundred-and-fifty-dollar-jacket-in-the-store-that-last-week-I-told-him-he-couldn't-have-but-now-I-bought-it-for-him-because-he-gave-me-that-certain-look?"

"That's different."

"How?"

"That's me. I'm talking about Angie," she shrugged with a grin.

Conceding to defeat, Duncan looked back out into the living room. "So what now? Do we wake them up or let them sleep?"

"Let them sleep. We'll call Angie's parents in an hour or so and see when she has to get home by."

Angie ended up staying for lunch, then Tessa and Richie took her home on their way to find him a tuxedo for the dance.

"So, what color is her dress?" Tessa asked as she looked at the different colors of cummerbunds, vests, and ties in a shop across town, not affected by the search for a suit for prom.

"I dunno," he shrugged looking disinterestedly around the store.

"Did she tell you want color to wear?"

Richie frowned. "Why would she?"

"To match, of course."

"We gotta match?"

Tessa sighed. "What did you wear to your prom last year?"

"I borrowed a suit."

"Do you want to just wear your suit, then?"

"Everyone else has been saving up all year to get a tux and I'm the one with the good job. I'd look like a cheapskate."

"Call her and ask." Tessa pointed at the phone next to the register.

Richie found the salesmen and asked to borrow the phone. A few minutes later, he came back. "Red."

"What shade?"

He looked at her in confusion. "Shade? It's red. Red is red."

"Crimson, magenta, scarlet…"

"Oh, you're kidding me. Red is red," he insisted.

"No. See," she flipped through the silk accessories in front of her. "Brick red, poppy red, cherry red…"

"I get the point. Hang on." He went back to the phone. "Adobe?" he told her when he returned.

"Hum…" She flipped through the cummerbunds then seemingly at random held one up to him. "Oh, that looks great."

He took it from her then compared it to the others. "They all look the same to me."

"They're not," she assured him. "Now, cummerbund and tie, or vest and tie, and what kind of tie?"

Richie's eyes went wide. "It's a tux. Since when were there so many decisions involved in getting a tux?"

"Since you told me you didn't want to look like a cheapskate." She looked through the accessories and pulled out all the appropriately colored items.

"I have the suit," their salesman said. "In that dressing room there." He pointed to a small cubical with the curtain drawn back and a shirt, pants and a couple jackets hanging on the back wall.

Richie went back into the room to change. When he came out, Tessa drug him over to the three way mirror and started putting a tie around his neck. He made a face but let her tie the bow tie.

"Now, let's see how it looks with the vest." She held it up. "Your arm goes…"

"Tessa, I'm a big boy, I can dress myself," he mumbled taking the vest and fumbling his way through putting it on. When he got it on, he had to admit it didn't look too bad. He shrugged on the jacket and admired his reflection. He nodded appreciatively. "I look good."

Tessa smiled and nodded her agreement. "What about tails? Wouldn't that look debonair?"

"No. It'd look stupid," he corrected her quickly.

"Just try it."

"I like this, Tessa," he told her. He pulled at the breasts of the jacket. "It's classy."

"You like the vest?"

"Yeah." He started posing for himself in the mirror. "I like it. Looks good."

"Stand still for a minute." She began checking the fit of the jacket and trousers. "Can you let the cuffs out a bit?" she asked the tailor, tugging at Richie's sleeves.

"It would be easier to get a bigger jacket and take it in," he told her. "I'll go get one." He disappeared into the back.

"Hum…" Tessa puzzled over Richie's attire. "We need cufflinks, shoes and socks…" she mumbled to herself.

Two fashion-debating hours later, Tessa and Richie arrived home with the promise that his suit would be ready by the next afternoon. As soon as he was inside, Richie raided the fridge for left over quiche as a pre-dinner snack. Then he went back into his room and flipped channels until he was called for dinner.

"Tessa was telling me about your suit," Duncan said as he served himself homemade stir-fry. "Sounds like it's going to look really nice."

"It does," Richie answered without an ounce of modesty.

Duncan chuckled. "So, it's red, right?"

"Yeah the vest and tie are." He took the rice dish and heaped some into his bowl. "Some dark, shiny color. Real nice lookin'." Richie said, dipping his egg roll in sweet and sour sauce.

"So, did you and Angie make your plans?" Duncan asked. "Where are you going to dinner?"

"Angie and Beth are taking me an' Cameron to dinner Friday night. Then he and I are taking the girls to Spaghetti Warehouse before the dance," Richie answered. "Oh…can I borrow a car Saturday night? Beth can drive Friday but he brother needs the car Saturday."

"Sure. You can take the T-bird," he said. "We'll get it washed Saturday afternoon, too."

"Cool, thanks." Richie smiled and started eating his rice.


Two days later, Tessa went down into the store and found Richie sitting behind the desk looking through an appraisal book trying to find the jade broach in his hand.

"Hey, Tess…this look like the same thing to you?" he asked holding up the broach and the book.

"Wrong era," she told him.

"That's why I can't find it." He shut the book then began searching for the next volume.

"I have a surprise for you," she told him.

"Yeah?" He turned around and looked expectantly at her.

"Reservations for you and your friends for Saturday night at Pier 97."

Richie frowned. "Pier 97? That ritzy place downtown?"

"I know the manager so I got you in at 5:30 and he promised to give you all a great table." She beamed at him. Richie stood staring at her. "Aren't you excited?"

"Um…well…see…" he floundered.

"What's wrong?"

"Tess… we can't afford that place."

She smiled at him. "Don't worry about it. Whatever you can't cover, we will."

"Uh…Tess…that's really nice of you an' all…but…I-I don't think so. That'd just be too…"

"Too what?" she asked.

"Elitist?" he supplied tentatively.

"Elitist?" she repeated. "I just thought that your prom should be special…"

"And I appreciate that, Tess. And maybe if it was just Angie and me, I'd take you up on it. But Beth and Cameron are coming, too and I don't wanna look like I'm showing off, you know?"

Tessa still looked a little hurt that her gift was being rejected, but had to admit she understood. "Alright."

"I know you were trying to do something cool…just, you know… you gotta keep it in perspective. Cameron's stretching his budget as it is."

"I understand, Richie, I'm just not used to worry about it."

He shrugged. "Welcome to my life. I gotta be careful about what shoes I wear around these people."

Tessa looked Richie up and from his designer label shirt, Guess jeans and brand new, clean, top of the line, Air Jordans. He had come a long way from his thrift store jeans, hand-me-down shirts and Army surplus boots. "I never thought about that."

He shrugged again. "Whatever. Thanks though, it's the thought that counts, right?"

She smiled. "Of course. But my offer still stands about the costs. Don't limit yourselves. Get what you want and if you and your friends don't enough money put it on the credit card and they can pay us back later, alright?"

"Alright."