with passion, not caring that his friend was watching.
When we finally drew apart, I looked
over at Katrin. She was walking away, fast. I guess that meant that I had
achieved whatever it was I thought I wanted.
Chapter Eleven
The
summer was passing in a haze of moonlit kissing, early morning swims, and the
cooling of my parents’ marriage. Before there had been passion and eventual
making up amongst the craziness and cruelty. Now it was like everything was
encased in ice, they were on their best behavior, but there was no friendliness.
They were like two strangers in their icy politeness.
My mother had started on a new
medication, and she was calmer. Her tantrums of before had stopped over a
period of weeks, enough so that we could all go as a family to Dad’s boss’s
house on the lake for the annual summer party.
It was a fancy occasion involving formal
attire, valet parking, and a fountain of champagne. Terrence Teller owned the
accountancy firm that Dad worked for, not to mention the fact that he seemed to
have a finger in every business of note in our town. He also had considerable
overseas interests, according to my father.
His wealth was demonstrated by the cars
he drove, and the gorgeous lakeside estate where we were invited for the
evening. He, himself, was not so majestic. He was short and balding. His
personality was jovial, but Dad had warned me not to be fooled. He was a shrewd
businessman.
My mother towered above him as she bent
down to let him kiss her cheek. She made a tall, graceful figure in her long
red dress and glittering jewelry. Her blonde hair was piled elegantly on top of
her head which made the size difference between them all the more apparent.
“I can’t believe you’re old enough to
have a teenage daughter,” he told her as he kissed her hand. I rolled my eyes
at his corniness, but my mother blushed and beamed.
“You are so sweet.” She turned to me.
“Isn’t he sweet, Jessie?” she cooed
“Sure. Hi, Mr. Teller.”
“Jessie. Look at you growing up. How old
are you now?”
“Seventeen.”
He let out a low whistle. “Seventeen.
Lucky for you that you’re taking after your mother, huh? I’m sure you’ll be as
beautiful as her one day.” But he wasn’t saying this to me; his eyes were still
on my mother.
“Sure. Excuse me.” Neither of them gave
me a second glance, and I spied Ewan standing by the doors that led out to the
lake. He looked uncomfortable in his suit as he sipped a glass of champagne.
I swiftly took the glass from his hand,
taking him by surprise. But he relaxed into a smile when he saw it was me.
“Hey, Jessie. You got forced into coming
to this thing as well?”
I shrugged and took a sip of the
champagne. “It’s a chance to dress up, and apparently drink free booze. Are they
serving us under-agers now?”
He grinned. “Give it half an hour and most
the adults in this place will be completely wasted going by the amount of
drinks the waiters are bringing out.”
“Excellent.” I took another sip.
“You look nice, by the way.”
I curtseyed. “Thank you, sir. Like my
dress? I had to spend the entire day shopping in the city with my Mom
until we found one she thought was suitable.” I rolled my eyes at the memory.
I’d been pissed because it was Joseph’s day off, and we had made plans to spend
it together. Instead, I’d traipsed from store to store with her. Every dress
that I had liked she’d pronounced as too grown up, and we finally compromised
on a little black dress that was figure hugging without being too sexy. By the
time we got back, it was late, and she told me that she thought I should go to
bed instead of heading out to the lake to meet up with my friends.
It was surreal that she was taking an
interest in my wellbeing again. In fact, it was so shocking that I texted
Joseph that I couldn’t make it, and went to bed as she had asked instead.
“I like the dress,” Ewan said. “Very
sexy.”
I grinned, happy at his
When we finally drew apart, I looked
over at Katrin. She was walking away, fast. I guess that meant that I had
achieved whatever it was I thought I wanted.
Chapter Eleven
The
summer was passing in a haze of moonlit kissing, early morning swims, and the
cooling of my parents’ marriage. Before there had been passion and eventual
making up amongst the craziness and cruelty. Now it was like everything was
encased in ice, they were on their best behavior, but there was no friendliness.
They were like two strangers in their icy politeness.
My mother had started on a new
medication, and she was calmer. Her tantrums of before had stopped over a
period of weeks, enough so that we could all go as a family to Dad’s boss’s
house on the lake for the annual summer party.
It was a fancy occasion involving formal
attire, valet parking, and a fountain of champagne. Terrence Teller owned the
accountancy firm that Dad worked for, not to mention the fact that he seemed to
have a finger in every business of note in our town. He also had considerable
overseas interests, according to my father.
His wealth was demonstrated by the cars
he drove, and the gorgeous lakeside estate where we were invited for the
evening. He, himself, was not so majestic. He was short and balding. His
personality was jovial, but Dad had warned me not to be fooled. He was a shrewd
businessman.
My mother towered above him as she bent
down to let him kiss her cheek. She made a tall, graceful figure in her long
red dress and glittering jewelry. Her blonde hair was piled elegantly on top of
her head which made the size difference between them all the more apparent.
“I can’t believe you’re old enough to
have a teenage daughter,” he told her as he kissed her hand. I rolled my eyes
at his corniness, but my mother blushed and beamed.
“You are so sweet.” She turned to me.
“Isn’t he sweet, Jessie?” she cooed
“Sure. Hi, Mr. Teller.”
“Jessie. Look at you growing up. How old
are you now?”
“Seventeen.”
He let out a low whistle. “Seventeen.
Lucky for you that you’re taking after your mother, huh? I’m sure you’ll be as
beautiful as her one day.” But he wasn’t saying this to me; his eyes were still
on my mother.
“Sure. Excuse me.” Neither of them gave
me a second glance, and I spied Ewan standing by the doors that led out to the
lake. He looked uncomfortable in his suit as he sipped a glass of champagne.
I swiftly took the glass from his hand,
taking him by surprise. But he relaxed into a smile when he saw it was me.
“Hey, Jessie. You got forced into coming
to this thing as well?”
I shrugged and took a sip of the
champagne. “It’s a chance to dress up, and apparently drink free booze. Are they
serving us under-agers now?”
He grinned. “Give it half an hour and most
the adults in this place will be completely wasted going by the amount of
drinks the waiters are bringing out.”
“Excellent.” I took another sip.
“You look nice, by the way.”
I curtseyed. “Thank you, sir. Like my
dress? I had to spend the entire day shopping in the city with my Mom
until we found one she thought was suitable.” I rolled my eyes at the memory.
I’d been pissed because it was Joseph’s day off, and we had made plans to spend
it together. Instead, I’d traipsed from store to store with her. Every dress
that I had liked she’d pronounced as too grown up, and we finally compromised
on a little black dress that was figure hugging without being too sexy. By the
time we got back, it was late, and she told me that she thought I should go to
bed instead of heading out to the lake to meet up with my friends.
It was surreal that she was taking an
interest in my wellbeing again. In fact, it was so shocking that I texted
Joseph that I couldn’t make it, and went to bed as she had asked instead.
“I like the dress,” Ewan said. “Very
sexy.”
I grinned, happy at his
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