All of Eddie's anxiety, insecurity, and years of guilt vanished in that moment. His back, tense for years, finally relaxed. He carefully held the love he had lost and found again, his touch so gentle it was almost reverent, with none of his former obsession or awkwardness.
Anne rose slightly onto her toes. The gloom that had long lingered in her eyes and on her face finally cleared, leaving only eyes full of tenderness and affection.
All the disappointment, estrangement, and deliberately feigned distance of the past were no match for the tangible change and burning sincerity of the man before her.
Love returned to where it had begun, and an old dream came gently true again.
In the shadows at a nearby street corner, Tony leaned back in his car seat, a pleased smile in his eyes. He looked every bit the proud master satisfied with his star pupil.
The psychological counseling, sincere wording, and cultivation of presence he had carefully honed were more than enough to win over one little lawyer.
Eddie had reconciled with Anne through nothing but openhearted sincerity, without resorting to a single sleazy trick. That was exactly the outcome Tony was most pleased with. What he had taught was never how to flirt, but the mature confidence to face love and confront oneself.
"Perfect finish," Tony murmured with a quiet chuckle, finally putting his mind at ease.
The several days of personalized romantic boot camp had come to a successful end. His pupil had won back his beloved and resolved all the knots in his heart, and Tony's work as a temporary mentor was complete.
With his many personal affairs settled for the moment, his mind immediately returned to the detailed blueprints in his laboratory. The anti-gravity engine research he had set aside for