By the end of the summer, Teddi's grandmother had settled into a firm but quiet disdain of Calvin's relationship with her granddaughter. Since the talk that had followed Calvin's bout with the Morgan boy had died down weeks before, the old lady had little reason to prompt her granddaughter into an argument about it. Teddi wondered if her grandmother really did hate Calvin or if she was quietly trying to talk herself into hating him because she was supposed to.

Truthfully, none of it mattered to Teddi. At this point, she was tired of living life by other people's rules. She and Calvin were happy and nothing and no one could tear them apart again. Calvin agreed. He'd stood up for her on countless occasions since that day, though she couldn't help but feel like he was hiding something from her.

"Come on, Calvin!"

Calvin chuckled and took her hand as she led him down toward the church grounds and the end of summer jamboree. Since the incident with Hugh, Calvin and Teddi spent most of their time alone at Calvin's apartment, fixing it up, planting his garden. On Sundays, the couple did become social as they would drive out to Laura's summer house to visit her and her sister. Harper, Chester and his brother Anthony were almost always along for the ride.

"Hey, Teddi! Over here," a blushing Laura called under the sparkling lights near the wooden dance floor that sat in the center of the action.

"Well, don't you look nice?" Calvin said with a whistle, earning a good natured jab in the ribs from Teddi, who knew how embarrassed it would make Laura.

"Thanks," the brown-haired girl mumbled.

Anthony Parker appeared holding a bright pink teddy bear with an ugly green bow tied around its neck. "Hey, I got you something."

Laura apparently did not mind the stuffed animal's tacky accessory because she gushed in a very un-Laura-in-public type way and threw her arms around the tall dark-haired young man. "Oh! Thank you, Anthony! That was so sweet of you." It didn't take her long to remember herself and pull away, blushing profusely as she gathered the bear close in her arms. Anthony and Laura had become rather friendly at the end of the last summer, but had parted ways and not spoken until the vacation months rolled around again.

Teddi could tell that Laura's feelings for Anthony were much deeper than the crush she'd had on his younger brother, Chester, while at school. The two of them were taking their recent courtship slowly, but Teddi could see a future for them as clearly as she could see one for her and Calvin. Of course, Laura and Anthony were different. Laura's parents adored the Parkers. The Parkers adored Laura's parents. Their union would be easy, where Teddi and Calvin's would be difficult to say the least. Teddi didn't care. She knew it was right. She knew she and Calvin were supposed to be together.

"So, where's your brother, Anthony?" Calvin asked, attempting to ease the tense moment.

Anthony chuckled and chucked his thumb over his shoulder. "Over there mooning over Harper. That Morgan character doesn't look too happy about that," he noted upon seeing the frowning Hugh leaning against a nearby tree, staring at Chester and Harper laughing softly together.

"He looks fine to me," Teddi said, as a bouncy red-head approached Hugh and tapped his shoulder to which he responded with a wide grin.

"Come on," said Calvin, not wanting to waste any more time discussing Hugh. "You wanna dance?" he asked as Chattanooga Choo Choo began to curl and tap from the horn-shaped speakers above the dance floor.

Teddi grinned and took his hand. "I'd love to. You two don't mind, do you?"

"No, go have fun. We'll catch up with you later," said Laura, giving Teddi a quick hug.

Teddi jumped and thumped along with Calvin to the rhythm of her favorite Glen Miller tune. She noticed that most of the people who normally gave her and Calvin odd looks and sneers were paying them no mind tonight. It was probably because the whole town, the old and the young, the rich and the poor gathered for this event and seemed to put all of their pettiness aside for one day. It was why the Brookhurst Jamboree was her favorite day of the year. Even her grandparents, who were sitting at the new reverend's table with Mrs. Chatfield and a few of the older residents, seemed to be enjoying the evening without care.

Next, Ella Fitzgerald's voice singing Someone to Watch Over Me filled the warm night. Calvin pulled Teddi close, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I love dancing with you."

"Mmm." They slowly moved to the music, emotions swirling light and free into the night sky. Teddi remembered the safety she'd felt in his arms all those years ago. It hadn't changed. She'd known even then that she was supposed to be close to him. When they were apart she ached, surprising for a pair who was slated to hate one another since at the families' ill-fated rendezvous.

The song began to die down and another bopping tune took over. Teddi, however, was no longer in the mood to jump and jive on the dance floor. So, she grabbed Calvin's hand and lead him away.

"What? Don't you want to dance any more?" he called bemusedly over the music.

Teddi chose not to answer and continued to lead him off into the dark corners of the green field. She reached a row of bushes and trees and moved past them.

"Remember this spot?"

Calvin's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Miss Donovan, you scandalous woman. I can't believe you would drag me back here to, what was it you had in mind?"

"Come on, if it wasn't scandalous when we were kids then why does it have to be now?"

"We were passing notes from your sister, Teddi."

Teddi shrugged a shoulder. "Was that all you wanted to do?"

"God, do you know how scared out of my mind I was of you back then?"

"You were not."

"Was too. You were this beautiful spitfire of a girl who I thought hated me then all of a sudden needed my help. I didn't know which way was up or down when it came to you, but I did know how much I loved being near you."

"Calvin?" Teddi stepped closer to him, placing her hands on either side of his chest.

"Yeah?"

"You're talking too much."

"Oh, am I?" Calvin whispered, grazing his lips back and forth across hers.

Teddi opened her mouth and Calvin wasted no time in reacquainting their tongues in a mutually sweet dance.

They pulled apart and Calvin's mouth attached itself to the column of her throat. Addicted to the taste of her skin, he began suckling her neck. "God, that feels good," Teddi moaned, wondering if in the back of her mind anyone at the jamboree could hear her. At that point, she didn't care. All she cared about was the way Calvin was making her feel at that very moment. His hands ran up and down her back, hers caressed his shoulders and neck.

They had yet to make love. Teddi had always assumed she would wait until marriage. Calvin respected her and never pushed the issue. But she could always see it in his eyes. Especially, on those nights when she would stay later than she planned after getting carried away on the sofa or on those few warm evenings atop the soft grass of his garden. "I love you so much, Calvin."

A throat cleared, parting their cloud of delight. Teddi pushed a Calvin away, panting to see Riley Wynne standing there, arms folded.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Calvin asked. Teddi wanted to know the same thing, but she was surprised at Calvin's harsh tone.

"Your little friends told me they'd seen you disappear in this direction," said Riley. Before either of them could respond, he went on, "You haven't been answering my phone calls."

"So you flew three thousand miles to confront me?" Bitterness laced his voice.

The older Wynne smirked at his brother then looked Teddi up and down. Calvin stepped in front of her and folded his arms across his chest definitely. "I would have been here sooner, but-"

"Your real life got in the way. So why don't you get back to it?"

Teddi stepped out from behind Calvin. "What's going on? I would say it's nice to see you, Riley, but I'm not sure this occasion calls for such a sentiment."

"Well, a real polished lady, you've got there, kiddo."

"Yeah, she uses nouns and verbs and everything," said Calvin, narrowing his eyes at his brother.

Riley laughed. "Don't you think this has gone on long enough?"

"This what?" Teddi asked.

"You and my brother, sweetheart? It's a joke. You don't really want him. You're using him to get back at Grandmother Donovan."

"Riley, I think you should go," said Calvin.

"Do you know what your father did to our father or are you just stupid?"

Calvin stepped closer to his brother, seething. "You must have come here because you want me to rip your face off."

Riley stepped back and looked directly at Teddi. "Calvin's been keeping a secret about you."

"What secret?" asked Teddi.

"Don't look at her," Calvin said, his voice low.

"He sure as hell won't tell me," said Riley. "What happened, kid? You're in jail one day, ready to spill your guts, then the next minute the little princess bats an eyelash and you forget all about it?"

"What is he talking about, Calvin?"

Through gritted teeth, Calvin said, "He's lying."

"Is he?" Teddi touched Calvin's arm. He wouldn't look at her. "Calvin, talk to me right now. What is he talking about?"

"Doc Jessup told him something about you and your family and Calvin clamed up right after you sprung him from jail. I called him that night. He said he was fine and would talk to me in the morning, but after that, nothing. What are you hiding?"

"The only reason you're not bleeding from your nose right now is because Teddi's here. I promised her I wouldn't do that to her again."

"Well, isn't she lucky? But what about you, Calvin? What's she doing for you? Turning you into a liar?"

"Tell me what he's talking about, please?"

Calvin finally looked at her. His eyes softening. "It's not important, honey. I promise."

"It obviously is or you wouldn't be acting like this."

"Teddi..."

"I can't stand it if you're lying to me about something, Calvin. My whole life people have been lying to me, but not you. You're supposed to be the one person I can trust."

"You can trust me," said Calvin.

"Then tell me now or tell me later. It's your choice."

"I can't. It's not that simple. Just let it go for now, please?"

Every insecurity, every part of the world that she did not understand surfaced at that moment, and it was because of Calvin. "I can't believe you're doing this to me." Ache swirled in her chest and a curtain of tears enveloped her eyes. She blinked them away but couldn't look at either of them.

Teddi turned to leave. Calvin reached for her arm, but she pulled it away and pushed through the thick trees back to the jamboree. Then a scream ripped through the night, clearing the haze of her thoughts without heed. "Grandmother," she whispered fearfully.

She saw a group of people huddled near the tables where she'd spotted her grandparents earlier. Panicked, Teddi rushed forward.

"What's going on?" she practically screamed at the first person who'd noticed her presence.

When no one answered her, she forced her way through the crowd and gasped when she saw a doctor hovering over a limp body splayed on the grass.

"Grandfather!"

She felt Calvin's presence hovering behind her, but she couldn't focus on him. Not now.

"Stand back, Miss Donovan," someone said to her, touching her shoulder. "He's had a heart attack. Just stay back."

She pushed the person's hand away roughly. "No. Grandfather. What's happening to him?" Teddi managed to kneel down beside him and gather his hand in hers. "Grandfather? Grandpa? It's me. Teddi. Open your eyes. Please."

"I'm sorry, Theodora," whispered the doctor. "It's too late."

Elizabeth Donovan's scream echoed through the village of Brookhurst. But Teddi did not hear it, nor did she see the old woman's knees give out, her fall halted only by the reverend's stabilizing hands. She only felt twisting agony in her heart as she dropped her head to her grandfather's chest and cried.