Chapter 5 – Dresses and Double Dates
Teddi had always considered herself a shopper. Typically, she loved shopping; in the past, she and her mom would prowl the Mall of America for hours. After her mom passed away, Connie and Julie took over the responsibility of taking her clothes shopping for school. It helped that both Connie and Julie had killer fashion sense and passed that down to her – Connie almost always was dressed to the nines in Susan Graver, Isaac Mizrahi, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci, and it didn't matter that she'd grown up a tomboy.
But for some reason, lately, Teddi had been dreading going shopping. She wasn't quite sure what it was. Maybe it had to do with the fact that over the summer, she'd suddenly hit puberty and one day woke up with a face full of acne, grew a set of boobs, gained some hips, and was suddenly shorter than Logan, who'd shot up to about six feet tall while she remained tiny and petite at five foot three. And her being heavier on the top with a D-cup bra didn't help matters with her small height; she felt that it just looked heavy, adding another layer of anxiety to shopping as she struggled to look for shirts that flattered her. She could've sworn shopping had been so much easier before she'd grown a chest.
Or maybe it was her missing her mom. Sweet sixteen dress shopping seemed frivolous to her now because, after losing her mother, material things didn't matter anymore to her.
It was why, when Connie told her she wanted to take her dress shopping, her anxiety only increased. It wasn't helped by the fact that she'd had two panic attacks and almost had one during the Hens' first home game against Eden Hall. She could feel Connie watching her closely as they entered downtown Minneapolis's formal dress store – the only things she knew about what she wanted was for the dress to be either teal or purple because she wanted her theme to be peacock feathers, and she didn't want anything that would look like a nightgown and she didn't want to look like a princess in some huge ballgown because she felt that would look ridiculous. And she didn't want to spend her sweet sixteen party feeling ridiculous in front of the entire girls' hockey team, the JV boys' hockey team, and the Varsity hockey team.
"All right, honey, you can pick whatever you want. Money's no object," Connie said as they entered the store, steering her toward the racks that held the dresses in the color pallet Teddi was interested in.
Teddi felt her cheeks flare hotly. She still couldn't fathom that Connie was giving her the freedom to buy whatever dress she wanted. She hadn't even purchased an eighth-grade dance dress because she didn't go to her eighth-grade prom – for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to want to go to prom knowing her mom wasn't there to see her in the dress.
"What do you think you want to try?" Connie asked.
"I don't know. I'm not sure what would look good," Teddi admitted, sifting through the racks. "I don't even know my size."
"You're about a medium," Connie said. "A medium is about a size seven, maybe a nine; I know your denim size is a seven, so we'll start there." She pulled a dress off the rack – a long, violet, strapless number that was form-fitting. "How about you try this?"
"No," Teddi said, shaking her head. "I don't think I can do strapless. Would my . . . you know . . ." She gestured to her boobs. "Wouldn't they fall out?"
"No, they won't. This is corseted, so anything that laces up will pull you in and hold everything in," Connie said. "Give it a chance. Maybe this one, too, for comparison." She pulled out a dark teal, strapless, cocktail-length dress before leading her goddaughter to the dressing room. "I'll help you with the corset or the zipper, whichever one you choose to try on first."
Teddi nodded, nervously taking the dresses into the room. After taking her clothes off, she decided to try on her mermaid-styled one first. She liked that it had a sheen that made it look almost glittery, and the material was silky chiffon, something that would be a little more forgiving. She had to admit that Connie had a good eye as she stepped into the dress and pulled it up.
"Are you ready for me to lace you up?" Connie called to her.
"Yeah."
Connie pulled the curtains back and stepped in, pulling the string through the corset to start lacing her into the dress. But as Connie began lacing her into it, it suddenly felt harder to breathe, but not from an anxiety attack – the dress was feeling too tight.
Tears stung at her eyes as she said, "I don't think it's fitting."
"Okay, we can find this in a bigger size. Don't worry about it. The short one is a size up; it's a nine, so try that one."
"This is horrible," Teddi whispered, her throat tight. "If I can't fit into a size seven . . ."
"Formal dresses tend to run on the smaller side," Connie explained. "So don't panic yet. We will find you something that looks good on you. Why don't you try the short one? If you don't like something so fitted, we can try something that fits tight at the top and then flairs out – that'll cover more if you're self-conscious about potential problem areas."
Teddi nodded, taking a deep breath as Connie unlaced the mermaid dress, allowing her to step out of it. Connie then helped her step into the short one, which was satin and had ruching along the front and sides, but the neckline was straight across, which she didn't care for so much – she preferred something that had a dip that would allow her to have a nicer cleavage.
"Okay, let's try this." Connie pulled the dress up and had Teddi hold it while she zipped it up. Luckily, it zipped all the way up, but as soon as it was zipped, Teddi shook her head.
"No," she whispered, feeling more tears fill her eyes. "I don't think this looks good at all."
"Tell me why," Connie said.
"I don't like how my hips look in this from the front," Teddi said, turning to the sides to get a better profile. She couldn't help feeling that her hips looked wider and that the dress just made her look shorter. "This just doesn't look flattering at all."
"Truthfully? I'm not too fond of it, either, because you're so petite; you need something more of an A-line that's going to be more fitted on top and will flare out at the waist. And I think we should go with something long because that'll make you look taller," Connie said. "I thought I saw a Sherri Hill dress somewhere that's in a silk satin and is purple; it's going to have straps and an open back, and we can always get it hemmed, though, because I know Sherri Hill dresses are usually made for taller girls, and they run in women's sizing; that'll make you about a ten."
"I don't even know if I wanna try on anything else," Teddi admitted, feeling more tears flood her eyes.
"Why not?" Connie asked.
"Because I want my mom," Teddi said, turning around. "I want her here. That's why I didn't go to prom in eighth grade. Because I knew she wouldn't be there for that. I just miss her."
"I know you do," Connie whispered. "Look at me, okay?" She cupped Teddi's face into her hands. "We're going to find you something, and you're going to look beautiful in it, and I know your mom would be proud if she were here, all right?"
Teddi shook her head. It seemed no matter how many encouraging words Connie had for her, Teddi couldn't believe them, partly because between her missing Mom and experiencing heightened anxiety over captaining the girls' hockey team, she couldn't help feeling that she didn't deserve to be so happy, let alone have Connie spend an unlimited budget on her sweet sixteen dress. On top of that, in the past few weeks, ever since she suddenly hit puberty as a late bloomer, there had been many days where she didn't feel beautiful at all.
"No, I just . . . I don't know what will look good at all. I have a really weird body."
"It's because you're going through puberty," Connie whispered. "It takes a while to get used to it. Okay? I understand; I was a late bloomer, too. I didn't hit puberty until I was sixteen. But it's going to be okay. One day, you're gonna understand that you are worth a lot more than what you look like."
Teddi sighed, trying to wipe her eyes, but more tears kept flowing as she stood there in the dress, which she felt didn't flatter her body type at all. Connie reached into her cross-body purse for some tissues and handed them to Teddi, who used them to dry her eyes.
"All right, stay here and wait while I grab the dress for you," Connie said. "And when I come back, I want you to close your eyes. I don't want you to see what the dress looks like in the bag or on you until I tell you to because I want you to see what it fully looks like on you. Once you see what you look like in that dress, you'll know, and you're going to see how beautiful you look in it."
Teddi nodded. She supposed that approach could work. She closed her eyes as Connie left the dressing room, waiting. But as she stood there, she felt more tears flood her eyes and stream from behind her closed lids. She sniffled, trying to relax as she bit on her lower lip nervously, her heart pounding in her chest as she procrastinated. What if she hated how the dress looked? What if it made her look fat? What if it made her boobs look bigger? What if she suddenly gained twenty pounds and the dress couldn't zip up? She knew part of it was because she was creating anxiety for herself by thinking up so many different thoughts that rolled through her mind, and she knew part of it was stemming from missing her mom and having uncertainty about everything, unable to turn to her mother for anything.
She fought to keep her eyes closed as she heard Connie returning with the dress.
"Okay, turn around to face the mirror," Connie said, unzipping the short dress and having Teddi step out of it. Teddi's heart raced as she heard the bag unzip and felt Connie placing the dress at her feet. "Step into it, all right?"
Teddi nodded, blindly stepping into the dress and feeling Connie pulling up. She felt her arms slip into something that seemed to be spaghetti straps, and the feel of the satin was cool to the touch. She could feel the straps crisscrossing along her back and shoulders, and as Connie pulled on the corset, she held her breath, hoping the dress would fit properly.
"Okay, honey, open your eyes," Connie encouraged.
Teddi nodded, slowly opening her eyes to get a full view. She gasped; the dress looked regal, bright, brilliant purple, and the seaming along the dress was princess seaming, which gave her such a flattering shape. Even the neckline was a slight dip in the center. While the dress was a little long, Teddi was glad that it could be hemmed to accommodate her height. Even the opening in the front showed off her leg. Connie was right; she liked how fitted it was on top and how the skirt flared more, giving her a little more of a hipline. Even her boobs looked good; they were laced in tightly, and they didn't look huge, either. It was . . .
"It's perfect," she choked out. "Oh, my God, it's beautiful!"
"And silver jewelry would look stunning with that," Connie commented. "And if you want, you could probably bustle the train on here so that it doesn't follow you as much." She picked up the train on the dress and showed what it would look like bustled.
"Wow," Teddi whispered. "Man, it's pretty. I don't know if I can pull off something this pretty. Um, how much is it?"
"Don't worry about the price."
"But I don't want it if it's over a hundred dollars. It's too expensive." Now, she was crying harder because she didn't think she deserved to have her godmother buy her something so overpriced for one day.
"Listen, I do not care. Neither does Uncle Guy. And you know Uncle Adam and Auntie Julie would help out, too. None of the Ducks care."
"I do," Teddi insisted tearfully, feeling guilty.
"I do not care," Connie insisted. "If this is the dress, say it. Say yes."
"No, I don't want it. No, I really don't," Teddi sobbed.
"Why don't you want it?"
"Because it's too much money."
"So you don't want it because it's too expensive? Well, you're being ridiculous," Connie said. "You know how me, Uncle Adam, Auntie Jules, and Gordon are once we make our minds up, sweetie. I want to do this. I already told your father I want to take care of it while he, Gordon, and your grandma plan your party. You only turn sixteen once. We want this to be memorable for you."
Teddi nodded. Her whole life, her godmother and Julie always gave her whatever she wanted. Why should her sweet sixteen dress be any different? Still, part of her wasn't used to being spoiled like this, even though she knew Connie and Julie often felt they had a lot to make up for with Teddi's mom not being there.
"I know," she said.
"Then let me pay for the dress. Don't worry about how much it costs, okay?" Connie said gently, cupping her goddaughter's face into her hands.
"Okay," Teddi replied weakly, managing a weak smile at her godmother, but nothing could erase the guilt and anxiety she felt surrounding her sweet sixteen.
"What can I get you to drink, Conway?" Goldberg asked Charlie as he sat at the bar.
"Just a Sam Adams Boston lager, please, bottled. And while you're at it, get me one of your roasted turkey sandwiches with fries," Charlie replied, laying out the spreadsheet in front of him.
"You got it," Goldberg said. "How's the party planning going?"
"She's got too many people she's inviting," Charlie sighed as Goldberg fished his beer out of the cooler. "And on top of that, we're holding it at the Ice Palace; that's the only place big enough to hold a bunch of kids. Luckily, Gordon will cover the ice, and we'll turn it into a dance floor. We'll also utilize the upper levels near the snack bar. I also still need to finalize the catering."
"How much do you think you'll need to order?" Goldberg asked.
"Probably the biggest catering request you've ever gotten," Charlie said. "I asked Teddi what she wants; I know she wants roasted turkey, roasted duck breast, beef short ribs, turkey burger sliders, lox deviled eggs, potato latkes, potato salad, coleslaw, and stuffed peppers. And she's insisting on red velvet and white chocolate raspberry cupcakes instead of a traditional birthday cake."
"But hey, at least this isn't Sixteen Candles," pointed out Goldberg. "It's not like she needs to worry about someone having an engagement party the day of her birthday and everyone completely forgetting about her."
"Goldie, don't jinx anything," Charlie insisted. "I only have one little girl. Everything has to be perfect."
"That's because ever since Cheryl died, you've had a lot of guilt, Charlie. I know you wanna make everything up to her. But an expensive sweet sixteen can only fix so much."
"I know that. But it makes me feel better, you know? Knowing that I want to give her the best. I can't help it."
"Well, I promise you, the food is going to be nothing less than perfect for the princess of the District Five Ducks."
"Thank you." Charlie sighed, sipping his beer while Goldie went off to put his lunch order in. As he continued to drink, he felt someone's presence near him – a presence he'd been seeing quite often ever since she moved back to the Twin Cities, but he would never get used to.
"Hi, Goldberg. Can I have a Coke, please?"
"You got it, Linda."
Charlie sighed. He knew that he'd need to face Linda Chavez. She was still friends with Connie and Julie. Even though it had been years since they'd broken up, he'd moved on, marrying Cheryl, the mother of his two children.
Still, whenever he ran into her, whether it was at the local supermarket or Mickey's Dining Car, he couldn't ignore her over the last few years, even if it was painful for him to look at her and remember that they didn't work out because she'd been his first love, his first crush, his first everything. Linda had reemerged slowly since the Spirit of the Ducks gala when his team was known as the Don't Bothers; it was impossible for him not to notice her when she walked into a room, and for the past few years, he'd tiptoed around it, not at all wanting to rock the already-unsteady boat that he was riding in. He didn't want to possibly repeat history all over again, especially since what he and Linda had faded a long time ago.
At least, that was what he tried convincing himself of, that they were better off as just really good friends.
But he also recalled a moment they'd shared about a year ago, when he'd gone for a drink at 33 Sports Pub after work; Teddi and Henry were away at Minnetonka Prep in the dorms. Both he and Linda had one too many, and they somehow ended up back at her apartment.
Something sparked again. But he was convinced that that was a mistake. It had to be.
Still, there was a little bit of doubt in his mind. For years, his mother and stepfather tried the cordial friend thing even after they broke up because they agreed that no matter what had happened that caused them to break up, Charlie wasn't to blame for it, and Gordon would continue coming around. The difference here was that Linda was an old flame from his high school days, a time when you were young and hormones were raging, a time when you could afford to mess up. To top it all off, they didn't have a family together; they had absolutely nothing holding them together because she wasn't a maternal figure to his kids the way that Gordon had been to him. This time, he couldn't afford to make mistakes with whatever he chose to do because his children would be affected by it. At this point, it didn't matter how either of them felt – in fact, he wasn't quite sure how he felt about Linda anymore; all he knew was if his kids ever did grow attached to Linda in any way, he couldn't afford to have her reemerge in his life and then disappear suddenly because she couldn't commit to being a good stepmom. He'd lived through that once before with his first stepdad.
"Hi, Linda," he said, staring straight ahead. He couldn't bear the thought of looking into her eyes and being reminded of what they once were to each other. He was convinced if he did look directly at her, it would hurt.
"Let me guess? You're planning Teddi's sweet sixteen party?"
"It makes me wish my wife were here. She was always better at party planning." Charlie sipped his beer again.
"If you want some help, I can . . ."
"No, Linda, thank you, but I ended up back at your place last time we were in this position." Charlie turned to look at her – really look at her; she still looked as beautiful as ever, with her icy eyes and long dark hair and her soft face. And he was right. As he looked at her, he felt a burning sensation in his heart.
"That wasn't my intention, Charlie. But I never stopped caring about you, even though we didn't work out."
"If that were the case, you would've stopped me from going back to your place. Yes, there was a connection, but . . . but it was a mistake, Linda. I have to be careful about dating and who I choose because I know my kids. They're a lot like me. When someone comes into their lives, they get very attached, especially Teddi – it's bad enough that she lost her mom; she's turning sixteen, she's going through puberty, she's leading a team of her own; I have to protect my children, and I'm afraid she would think I'm trying to replace her mom. I don't want to see either of them get hurt. And part of that is I can't just play around. I need whatever comes next to be for the long haul, Linda. I'm not joking."
"Nor am I suggesting you are, Charlie. And I understand. But I was a mess when we chose to end things."
"So was I. But we ended things because we knew we couldn't handle long-distance."
"And now?"
"Too much has changed, Linda," Charlie said seriously. "I have a family now. I need you to consider that."
He left it at that, sipping more beer. A tense silence followed. But neither missed how their hands sat on the bar top and inched closer to one another, as though a magnet were pulling them together.
Apparently, Maya decided that a double date with Evan and Sofi would soften things and get Tommy in her friends' good graces.
Not that Evan could argue with that. Over time, Tommy had grown on him. He appreciated the way Tommy looked out for Billy last year, which was why he agreed to invite Tommy and Maya over to his house; he'd convinced his mom to stay out of the basement while he, Tommy, Maya, and Sofi congregated on the sofa, two large bowls of popcorn between them and cans of soda in the cup holders while Evan went through Amazon Prime, determined to pick out a movie.
"How about something with Adam Sandler?" Tommy asked.
"As long as it's not Wedding Singer," Evan commented. "What about Grown Ups?"
"Anything with Kevin James is a winner," said Maya, watching as Evan scrolled through Prime for Grown Ups. He clicked on the rent HD option, knowing it would go straight to Alex's credit card. Once the payment went through, he pressed play and started up the movie.
But he wouldn't deny that while one eye was on the movie, another was on Maya and Tommy, making sure that Tommy's hands didn't go anywhere they shouldn't be going. Luckily, Tommy just stuck with holding Maya's hand the whole time, one arm wrapped around her shoulders. At least for now, Tommy was being a gentleman. But Evan hoped the guy was for real and wasn't just trying to kiss up to him and Sofi. He knew Sofi's opinion on upperclassmen trying to date underclassmen – that the upperclassmen guys were all pigs looking for young, impressionable girls to sink their claws into. Still, Maya would be turning sixteen in December, meaning she would be legally allowed to make her own choices as far as anything physical. However, the idea of that made Evan a little sick, considering he and Maya played on the same team for years, and he hated the thought of her getting involved with a guy like that. She was like a little sister to him.
Then again, did that make him a hypocrite? After all, he and Sofi had plenty of moments where they'd been tempted. Over the summer, they'd had their moments of close intimacy, making out on his living room sofa while Alex was at work, with Evan's hands traveling to places they'd never traveled to before. So, for him to comment on Maya's sex life would be a double standard.
However, as he watched Maya and Tommy closely from the corner of his eye, he was relieved that there appeared to be no lust between them. He returned his gaze to the movie, moving his head ever so slightly to kiss Sofi on the jaw, who let out an unmistakable purr of delight.
Somehow, his kisses traveled down to Sofi's neck when they got to the scene where all the dads were talking about getting wasted, and the five-year-old daughter, Becky, declared, "I wanna get chocolate wasted!"
"And this is considered a movie for families," laughed Tommy.
"Hey, adults need jokes they can laugh at, too," reasoned Maya, snuggling into Tommy. While Sofi seemed okay with the two of them being close together, Evan knew Tommy would need to pass the best friend test from Lauren, who had yet to get to know him better. But because Lauren was Maya's best friend and roommate, she was going to be the toughest one out of everyone to please.
Still, Evan couldn't deny that Tommy seemed to treat Maya right, at least for now. And looking at Sofi, she seemed a little softened toward Tommy, but even Evan knew that it would take her some time before she fully trusted the guy.
Finally, the movie ended after about an hour, and it was time for Tommy and Maya to depart and head back to the dorms. Evan and Sofi also needed to start packing their bags so they could head back to school. If they were going to catch the bus back to Minnetonka that night, they needed to be fully packed. Evan and Sofi walked Maya and Tommy to the door.
"Thanks, guys, I had a great time," said Maya, hugging Sofi goodbye.
"See you at breakfast tomorrow," Sofi said. She turned to Tommy. "Just look out for my girl."
"Don't worry, Sofi. You've got nothing to worry about," Tommy assured her as he and Maya left, and Evan shut the door behind them.
Once the door was closed, he pressed his back to the door. "Well," he declared. "Nobody's home." It was true. His mom had gone to the mall to do a little shopping. She wouldn't be back for another hour.
Sofi grinned lustfully at him, grabbing him by the collar of his T-shirt and yanking him forward. Her lips suddenly molded against his, and she jumped up, her legs wrapping around his waist as his arms caught her, holding her against him as he carried her up the stairs to his bedroom, where they'd had plenty of sleepovers together as kids. He carried her until they reached his bed, and he lay her flat on her back, still continuing to kiss her as he ran his fingers through her long, raven hair, twirling and twisting.
"Mmmh, slow your roll there, Morrow," teased Sofi before kissing him again. "Bear in mind I don't turn sixteen until June."
Evan shrugged. "That's true. But I can always fantasize."
"Don't let your mother hear that one," Sofi laughed as he kissed her on the forehead.
"And you worry about Tommy and Maya." Evan rolled his eyes. "You've got a dirtier mind than her. Yet you pretend to be a prude."
"I like to think any girl dating a guy she's crazy about gets that way at least once."
"Same thing with guys, Hanson-Bhatt. Exactly the same thing."
Overall, I made the decision to revisit the Charlie and Linda relationship here, because I really think this will be the final story in this series, and for me, it wouldn't feel right not having Charlie have a second chance at love. I think that I truly want this story to sort of be a resolution to a lot of things, and that means Charlie getting a similar storyline to what his mom had in the first Ducks movie.
