response. Sexy
was what my mother had specifically not wanted.
“Hey,” he said. “Want to steal a bottle
and go sit down by the water? If I have to be polite to one more old person
tonight, I’m going to scream.”
I looked at my parents. Mom was still
talking with Mr. Teller, and Dad was surrounded by a bunch of boring men. I
wondered if Anna was here…
“Sounds good,” I told Ewan. He put
himself in charge of swiping a bottle of champagne from the kitchen while I
waited outside for him. I stepped off the balcony and walked down the manicured
lawn to the water’s edge, sitting on the bench seat that was embedded there.
My phone signaled a text from Joseph.
‘I’m at the lake. Can you sneak off
early?’
‘Maybe later,’ I replied ‘You
drunk yet?’
My phoned beeped a second later.
‘Getting there. Miss you.”
‘Miss you, too.’
I was still smiling at my phone when
Ewan joined me, a stolen bottle of something that looked expensive in hand. We
didn’t bother with glasses and just drank straight from the bottle. I felt
quite decadent sitting outside a mansion on the shore of the lake, in my
evening clothes and drinking champagne from a bottle. I felt grown-up.
The giggling that I couldn’t help was
distinctively un grown-up. But Ewan kept making me laugh, and I spat out
more than one mouthful as he joked and teased with me. Soon I was feeling dizzy
and lightheaded from the drink, so I lay down on my back on the grass, not
caring about messing my dress.
Ewan lay back down beside me, his head
touching mine as we looked up at the night sky together. It was natural when
his lips touched mine. I wasn’t that surprised, after all he’d been inching
closer to me all evening. I didn’t return the kiss, and he got the message.
“Ewan…” I said, sadly.
He sat up. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have done
that.”
I sat up as well. “I’m with Joseph now.”
He looked away. “I know.”
I waited for a beat. “Are you mad?”
He looked back at me, surprise on his
face. “Of course not.”
I reached out and took his hand, giving
it a slight squeeze. “Good. Because I like being around you, and you’re the
only one who knows what my Mom is like. So I’d be really pissed off if I lost
you as my friend.”
He squeezed my hand back. “You won’t.
Promise.”
I leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss
on the cheek. “Thank you,” I whispered.
It wasn’t long after that that I heard
my Dad call my name. Ewan helped me to my feet and to hike down my dress that
had risen up. We stumbled up the lawn together toward the balcony on which my Dad
stood.
“Jessie, it’s time to go.” He frowned
as he saw me. “Are you drunk? ”
Ewan cleared his throat, and I could
tell he was suppressing a laugh, but his voice came out straight. “Sir, she
just had a glass of champagne.She’s so tiny that it hit her pretty
hard.”
“She shouldn’t have been drinking in the
first place,” my father said in a voice that sounded strained like he was
trying to hold back his irritation.
I waved goodbye to an amused looking
Ewan as my Dad led me back inside to where my mother was waiting. She looked
happy.
“She’s been drinking. Let’s get out of
here,” my father said tightly to her.
My mother just gave me a small smile,
and I was relieved that she wasn’t mad like Dad was. But of course, that
changed when we got in the car. Only the anger wasn’t directed at me.
“Why weren’t you keeping an eye on her?”
Dad said as he put the key in the ignition.
Mom snorted. “Why weren’t you ?
Oh. Wait. I know. You were too busy with that whore, Anna.”
Dad froze with his hand on the key. Then
he slowly turned his head to face my mother.
“And what were you doing?” he asked,
coldly. “Did you really think that I didn’t know about you and Terrence?”
I heard the breath my mother sucked in,
and there was a moment of silence, and then she released it.
“Well, you know now,” she said in a
shaky
was what my mother had specifically not wanted.
“Hey,” he said. “Want to steal a bottle
and go sit down by the water? If I have to be polite to one more old person
tonight, I’m going to scream.”
I looked at my parents. Mom was still
talking with Mr. Teller, and Dad was surrounded by a bunch of boring men. I
wondered if Anna was here…
“Sounds good,” I told Ewan. He put
himself in charge of swiping a bottle of champagne from the kitchen while I
waited outside for him. I stepped off the balcony and walked down the manicured
lawn to the water’s edge, sitting on the bench seat that was embedded there.
My phone signaled a text from Joseph.
‘I’m at the lake. Can you sneak off
early?’
‘Maybe later,’ I replied ‘You
drunk yet?’
My phoned beeped a second later.
‘Getting there. Miss you.”
‘Miss you, too.’
I was still smiling at my phone when
Ewan joined me, a stolen bottle of something that looked expensive in hand. We
didn’t bother with glasses and just drank straight from the bottle. I felt
quite decadent sitting outside a mansion on the shore of the lake, in my
evening clothes and drinking champagne from a bottle. I felt grown-up.
The giggling that I couldn’t help was
distinctively un grown-up. But Ewan kept making me laugh, and I spat out
more than one mouthful as he joked and teased with me. Soon I was feeling dizzy
and lightheaded from the drink, so I lay down on my back on the grass, not
caring about messing my dress.
Ewan lay back down beside me, his head
touching mine as we looked up at the night sky together. It was natural when
his lips touched mine. I wasn’t that surprised, after all he’d been inching
closer to me all evening. I didn’t return the kiss, and he got the message.
“Ewan…” I said, sadly.
He sat up. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have done
that.”
I sat up as well. “I’m with Joseph now.”
He looked away. “I know.”
I waited for a beat. “Are you mad?”
He looked back at me, surprise on his
face. “Of course not.”
I reached out and took his hand, giving
it a slight squeeze. “Good. Because I like being around you, and you’re the
only one who knows what my Mom is like. So I’d be really pissed off if I lost
you as my friend.”
He squeezed my hand back. “You won’t.
Promise.”
I leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss
on the cheek. “Thank you,” I whispered.
It wasn’t long after that that I heard
my Dad call my name. Ewan helped me to my feet and to hike down my dress that
had risen up. We stumbled up the lawn together toward the balcony on which my Dad
stood.
“Jessie, it’s time to go.” He frowned
as he saw me. “Are you drunk? ”
Ewan cleared his throat, and I could
tell he was suppressing a laugh, but his voice came out straight. “Sir, she
just had a glass of champagne.She’s so tiny that it hit her pretty
hard.”
“She shouldn’t have been drinking in the
first place,” my father said in a voice that sounded strained like he was
trying to hold back his irritation.
I waved goodbye to an amused looking
Ewan as my Dad led me back inside to where my mother was waiting. She looked
happy.
“She’s been drinking. Let’s get out of
here,” my father said tightly to her.
My mother just gave me a small smile,
and I was relieved that she wasn’t mad like Dad was. But of course, that
changed when we got in the car. Only the anger wasn’t directed at me.
“Why weren’t you keeping an eye on her?”
Dad said as he put the key in the ignition.
Mom snorted. “Why weren’t you ?
Oh. Wait. I know. You were too busy with that whore, Anna.”
Dad froze with his hand on the key. Then
he slowly turned his head to face my mother.
“And what were you doing?” he asked,
coldly. “Did you really think that I didn’t know about you and Terrence?”
I heard the breath my mother sucked in,
and there was a moment of silence, and then she released it.
“Well, you know now,” she said in a
shaky
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