SECRET SMILE

Tea had been working for hours on her latest case, and it wasn't going well. It had been a lousy day all around, actually. While it was true that she thrived on the chaos and pressure that major cases bring, lately it was a little too much. This around the clock research was getting to her, and she was really sick of the office and the clients and files and everything in general..
She looked up at the clock. 7:43. Ay, time was really dragging by. She'd never get out of here at this rate.. Her head was starting to pound, with the force of dates and laws and precedents jumbling together. All right, I'm giving up.. She jammed the mound of papers into her briefcase and stalked out of the office, popping her head into her new boss's study. "Hey Sam, I'm taking off, alright?"

Sam was hard at work, his brow knotted in concentration as he examined the latest reports.
"What? Oh, sure Tea. You've been at this all day, what are you still doing here? Get outta here already!" He waved her off with his casual grin, barely looking up from his work.
"Thanks Sam, I'm beat. I'll see you tomorrow." He doesn't remember..Or he's pretending not to.. she noted as she left the building. Oh well. I don't need to put up with that right now anyway. She got in her car and started home. I need to relax.. I'm wound up so tight it's a wonder I don't break the steering wheel off the car, she thought as she speeded down the highway. She knew that once she was back at the Palace, all she would do is worry about the case and get out her work again. She didn't want to show up at the Diner just yet, so there was only one other place she could think of.. Should she just drop in? Why not. She turned the car around.

"Hello? Todd?" Noone was answering the doorbell, but the door was open. She stepped in, looking around. Nobody home...? Wait, she heard something, coming from the kitchen.
"Hey, Tee! Is that you? We're in here!" Starr! It must be Todd's weekend with her.. She walked into the kitchen, which was in terrible disarray. Todd and Starr were in the process of making.. something. Starr jumped up and down excitedly, and Todd looked up at her with pleasant surprise.
"Starr! Come over here nina and let me see you!" Starr bounced over to her and Tea picked her up. "What are you guys making?"
"Cake!"
Todd was cracking up. "A really big mess!!"
"I can see that. And you have been taste-testing, haven't you?" Starr was wearing most of the product; her face was smeared with chocolate icing.
"You HAVE to taste it, so's you know you're doing it right! Try some!"
Todd offered her a spoon, and she dipped into the cake batter. "Hmmm. I think you guys are missing something."
"What?" Todd tasted it, and made a face. "Oops. What'd we forget, Starr? Where'd the list go?"
"Umm." Starr squirmed out of Tea's arms and searched the messy kitchen for a list.
"Vicki gave us a recipe. It was Starr's idea. She wanted to make you something. Hey c'mere, you got some flour on your nose.."
"Where?" She stepped over to him.
"Right there," he said, smearing flour on her nose.
"Jerk! Okay, now you're gonna get it!" She reached for the flour herself and dropped some on his head. They struggled playfully.
"Here it is!" Starr waved the list in the air and handed it to her dad. They stepped reluctantly apart. Todd scanned the list, and Starr motioned for Tea to come close. "I'm not s'posed to say it yet, but Happy Birthday!" She whispered excitedly.
"Thank you, sweetie." Tea whispered back. "What are you guys planning here?"
"It's a party! A little party, with cake and presents and stuff.. But you weren't s'posed to get here yet. And I think the cake's broken."
"Vanilla. Do we have any of that? Baking soda.." He opened a cabinet and peered around. "Ok, how about we order a pizza or something? I give up."
"Pizza!" Starr voted to order out. "But we were going to surprise Tee!"
"I think that's not going to work. Somebody showed up early.." he said with exaggerated annoyance.
"Hey, how was I supposed to know?" They smile at each other over the little girl's head. "It was a lovely surprise, Starr.. Thank you very much."
Todd was dialing up the pizza place. A half hour later, the kitchen was cleaned up (sort of) and the three of them were eating pizza.
"Tee?" Starr asked with a mouthful of pepperoni.
"What?"
"How old are you?"
"Yeah Tea, how old are you?" Todd chimed in, teasing her.
"Hey, what is this? You guys teaming up on me? Lemme tell you something Starr, a woman never ever tells how old she is. It's a secret."
"Aw, please..?"
"Alright, c'mere. I'll tell just you." She whispered something in Starr's ear, and she started giggling.
"Wow, that's OLD!!"
Tea pretended to be hurt. "Old?? Hear that Todd? I'm an OLD LADY!!"
"Old as the hills.. We'll have to get out the walker soon."
"Shut up. You're older than I am." He started his "old man" routine, sending Starr into giggles once more.
"Ok Shorty, time for bed," he finally said.
"Wait, I have a present for Tee!" She ran upstairs. She came back down with a little package in shiny paper. "Daddy helped me wrap it. Open it, open it!"
Tea tore it open to find a clay sculpture Starr had made in art class, a little flower. "I love it!"
Starr looked at her with a little suspicion. "You're not just saying that, are you?"
"Oh no, it's adorable! I know just where I'll put it, too.. Thank you very much, Starr!"
Tea gave her a big hug, and Starr ran up to bed.
"I'll be up to tuck you in, in a minute Shorty!" he yelled after her. "First.. I've got a present for the birthday girl," he said, bringing something from behind his back. It was a little box. Tea opened it slowly, watching his face. It was.. a little bottle of perfume. Her favorite kind!
"I went and asked Carlotta.. She said that's the stuff you like.."
"Yes, it's just right." She sprayed a little on her neck, and gave him a big hug. "Thank you so much. This is.. the nicest birthday I've had in a long time."
"We didn't do anything really.."
"You and Starr are the best present I could have.." She suddenly glanced at her watch. "Oh no! Speaking of Carlotta, I'm supposed to meet her at the diner right now! I'm late!"
"Oh, you'd better hurry up.."
"Why?" She said suspiciously, and then winked at him. "Oh yeah, the surprise party I'm not supposed to know about. Well, if that's tonight then I'd better change, since somebody got me all covered in flour.."
"Who, me?" He said in his most innocent voice, and laughed to himself. What she didn't know, her brothers had all flown into town and were waiting for her there. She would be so thrilled. "Go on, you don't want to be late."
"Do you want to come?"
"Nah, I gotta stay with Starr.. Go have fun with your friends."
"Okay." She kissed him on the cheek, and then grabbed her coat and rushed out the door. "Happy Birthday Delgado," he called after her.
He had a smile sneaking across his face for the rest of the night, thinking of her. And at the party (Tea pretended to be surprised, but got a real surprise from the appearance of her brothers), everyone agreed that Tea looked just radiant with happiness, but what they didn't know was, when she had a minute alone, her attention drifting off into space, her secret smile was for the thoughts of the penthouse and the two people waiting for her there. Her family.

THE END