Teddy Spenser Isn't Looking for Love - Kim Fielding Page 0,13

lain down and died.”

“Literally?”

“Figuratively. Did you have someone like that? An idol. Who rocked your world?”

Romeo shot him a quick look. “My parents.”

Ah. Well, that was probably healthier than fixating on a fashion designer. “So...what would your parents do if they were in this office right now?”

“Mama would feed me. That’s pretty much her go-to when it comes to life problems.” He pitched his voice higher. “‘Everything works out better with a full stomach, honey.’”

“She’s got a point there.”

Romeo’s soft smile was almost heartbreakingly handsome. “I guess she does. My dad, though, he’d just tell me to stop moping around and get the job done. He might throw in a lollygagging or dillydallying while he was at it.”

“Lollygagging?” Teddy tried really hard not to chortle like a twelve-year-old. He mostly succeeded, thanks to a camouflaging cough.

“Yeah, I’ve got a whole suitcase of dadisms like that I could unpack for you. That’s what happens when a guy loves language and digs retro stuff. When I was little we’d listen to Chuck Berry and Little Richard and watch all those tacky old flying saucer movies on Saturday afternoon TV.”

That made Teddy slightly envious. His parents had always seemed too busy to spend much time with him. Not that they were neglectful by any means, but he was pretty much left to entertain himself. Now he closed his eyes and imagined Romeo as a child, living in a house decorated in midcentury modern, with his mother wearing a polka-dot swing dress and handing Romeo trays of food, and his father sitting nearby in a cardigan and tie, maybe with a pipe in hand. A Black June and Ward Cleaver.

Okay, that was ridiculous, but...

“Googie!” Teddy leapt from the chair, his little explosion making Romeo startle violently.

“Wh-what?”

“I think I have a solution, and it’s Googie!” Teddy did an impromptu little dance around the room. He wanted to kiss himself for being so clever.

Romeo, on the other hand, had backed toward the door while wearing an expression that said he was seriously considering escape. Maybe he thought Imani would come to his rescue.

After a few more jig steps, Teddy took pity on him. Besides, it was time to share his brilliance. “Googie is an architectural style that was popular in the fifties. You’ve seen it plenty of times even if you don’t know what it’s called. It was supposed to be very space age and modern. Think of the original McDonald’s, or the famous Las Vegas sign. Pastel colors, geometric shapes, boomerangs and those atomic loopy things...”

“Yeah, okay, I know what you’re talking about. Like The Jetsons.”

“Right!” Teddy hummed a bar of the theme song.

“How are the Jetsons going to help us?”

“They’re not. What we need to do—Wait. Maybe the Jetsons can help. Jane and, uh, what was her husband’s name?”

Romeo answered without hesitation. “George. And their kids were Judy and Elroy. Rosie was the robot maid and the dog was Astro.”

Despite his excitement, Teddy paused. He hadn’t expected Romeo to be such an expert on the cartoon. But at least Romeo’s weird knowledge was going to make this easier. “Suppose Jane and George decide to buy a new vase for their cool pad. Dig, daddy-o? What’s that vase going to look like?”

“Um...not too different from ours.”

“Bingo! And if we sweep the legs of the frame out a little—Gimme the tablet.”

Romeo did, and then he loomed over Teddy’s shoulder while Teddy used basic graphics software to alter the mock-up of the vase. Instead of running straight up and down, the new lines of the steel frame curved outward, widening at the base, a little like that spaceship-looking building at LAX.

“See?” Teddy pointed. “This way the frame hides most of the electronic casing. And if we use silver-colored plastic instead of black, it’ll blend in even more.”

Romeo grabbed the tablet and peered closely. “You can’t cover the USB port.”

“We can make sure that stays accessible.”

“With that frame in the way, it’s going to be impossible for anyone to get at the electronics if they need repairs.”

Teddy huffed. “Do you honestly think anyone’s going to bring this thing in for repairs? I don’t even know where you’d take it, and if you did find a place, it’d be cheaper to just buy a new one.”

Although he mumbled something that sounded like wasteful, Romeo didn’t put up a fight. “And this meets all our needs?”

After a quick review of his original notes, Teddy nodded. “I think so. The vase’ll have a little more personality than we intended, but that’s