by S. H. Kolee
Sarah nodded, accepting my words. She brightened, giving me a mischievous look. "You guys are doing the lovey-dovey thing real well."
I laughed, but then remembered what had happened at breakfast. And the sadness of Sarah's words about knowing when you were meant to be with someone. "What's going on with you and Grant? You seem like you're distancing yourself from him. I thought you were excited about this trip bringing you two closer together."
Sarah sighed, running her hand through her short hair. "I was, but I'm starting to realize that I'm no longer satisfied being in second place. And a pseudo second place, at that. It's not like anything has really happened between us except one drunken kiss a long time ago." She paused before continuing. "I think what made me realize that I'm not okay with how things are is the way Simon looks at you. Treats you. There's no one else for him. It's like you're the center of his world and he's willing to do anything for you. I realized I want to be with someone who looks at me like that."
Sarah looked glum and my heart broke for her. I gave her a fierce hug. "You do deserve that. You deserve someone who appreciates how amazing you are. And if Grant is too stupid to realize that, I think it's smart to move on." I paused. "Does this mean you don't want me to ask Simon about Cara?"
Sarah shook her head. "Don't bother. I don't think I want to know anymore. It doesn't change anything." She smiled, shaking off her gloom. "I'll just have to start the hunt for a new victim."
"Please," I said laughing. "There are plenty of guys who'll line up to be your victim. You've just never paid them any attention while Grant's been in the picture."
"We'll see," Sarah replied lightly. She stood up from the bed and walked over to her closet. "Now I really did want to change my top. This sweater is so itchy."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
By the time Sarah changed and reapplied makeup, it was time to go downstairs. Simon, Grant, Kendra and Mrs. Crewe were already in the foyer, ready to go to lunch. We took two separate cars, Mrs. Crewe and Kendra in one car and the rest of us in Simon's. Simon held my hand during the drive, interlocking his fingers with mine and resting our hands on my lap, driving easily with one hand.
We arrived at a French cafe that was cute and casual although impeccably designed. I had expected a much grander place, considering the Crewe's wealth, and was pleasantly surprised that the place was so informal.
With Kendra in attendance, there were no pauses in the conversation during lunch with her continual questions and stories. I learned that Grant and Simon had almost burned the house down when they were in middle school. They had the bright idea of shooting fireworks from the window in Simon's bedroom since it was too cold to do it outside. Fireworks were a bad idea regardless, but it had been a worse idea to set them off leaning out a window.
A spark had flown back into the room except they hadn't noticed it as they stuck their heads out the window, admiring the fireworks. Harold, who I had learned was a handyman of sorts, fixing things around the house and being a driver when necessary, had heard the fireworks and burst into Simon's bedroom to find the two boys oblivious to the bed comforter on fire. Fortunately, Harold had grabbed a fire extinguisher on his way to Simon's bedroom, seeing the fireworks and being familiar with the antics of Simon and Grant when they were together.
It delighted me to hear these stories about Simon, and he just grinned, seemingly unembarrassed by the tales of his youth. I also learned that his father was working today, which was why I hadn't met him yet, but he would be at Kendra's birthday party. I was a little nervous to meet him, because I knew that he and Simon had a somewhat rocky relationship.
Simon's mother, on the other hand, was easy to like. She was kind and self-deprecating, which reminded me of Simon. Even though the restaurant wasn't fancy, there were still far more pieces of cutlery than I was used to. When she saw me hesitate to pick up one of the many forks to eat my salad, she surreptitiously tapped one of her forks to indicate which one to use and gave me a wink.
She was sitting on the other side of me and said conspiratorially, "You work your way from the outside in. It took me forever to figure out which cutlery was for what. And don't even get me started on the forks and knives they start throwing at you in seafood restaurants."
I smiled at her openness and candor, appreciating her attempts to put me at ease. I didn't have to wonder where Simon got so many of his traits.
When our entrees arrived, Simon automatically asked for ketchup, knowing that I would want to douse my fries that came with my omelet. I was grateful because I didn't think French people ate ketchup with their fries and would have been embarrassed to ask for it in front of Simon's mother, regardless of how easygoing she seemed.
Time passed quickly and soon lunch was over. Grant and Simon were going to go back to the house to shoot some hoops and the rest of us were making our way to the spa.
Simon gave me a quick kiss before leaving and I flushed a little, glancing at Simon's mom. I felt a little weird kissing Simon in front of his mother, but she just smiled indulgently. During lunch, Simon had continued his open affection, alternating between holding my hand on his lap and draping his arm around the back of my chair. His mother had been well aware of the hand holding since she was sitting on the other side of me, but she hadn't commented. Instead, she had looked pleased.
We arrived at the spa and were ushered in by the welcoming staff. Soon, we were relaxing in plush robes and drinking cucumber infused water as we waited for our massages in a lovely lounge. All my earlier hesitation the day before about spending time at the spa with Simon's mother dissipated as she chatted casually about the different services the spa offered.
Our conversation was interrupted when our masseuses arrived and guided us into separate private massage rooms. I surrendered myself to the ministrations of a sturdy European woman with arms like a linebacker. Despite her seeming strength, her fingers were gentle yet firm as she unknotted the tension in my back and arms with her magic hands.
Massages were followed by gentle facial treatments, and we ended with manicures and pedicures. When I was done, I felt like I had been scrubbed clean to a new layer of skin and I admired the glow on my face. Kendra explained that it was never a good idea to get a real facial on the day of a party, because you needed a few days for the redness to disappear. We apparently had just gotten some treatments to soothe any inflammation we may have had. It amazed me that a sixteen-year-old girl knew so much about facials but I guessed that's what happened when you were wealthy and days at the spa were common.
On the drive home, Mrs. Crewe broached the subject of my parents, something that hadn't come up before.
"Are your parents originally from Philadelphia?" she asked, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. I felt Sarah tense beside me. She knew I hated talking about my family.
"My parents both grew up in Maryland. That's where they met. They moved to Philly right before I was born for my father's business."
"What does your father do?"
I was relieved that Simon hadn't seemed to have shared much about my parents. Maybe because he knew that was a sensitive topic for me.
"He's a real estate agent."
"I'm so sorry to hear that your mother passed away. It must have been tough growing up without her."
I saw Kendra elbow her mother from the front seat, obviously embarrassed by her mother's candor. It seemed Kendra did have some boundaries she thought shouldn't be crossed. But I didn't mind Mrs. Crewe's questions. Usually I shut off when people started asking me questions about my mother. It wasn't something I wanted to share with other people. I didn't want their pity or their attempts to comfort me for something that happened long ago. But Simon's mother didn't seem to be pitying me. She asked as if she just wanted to know more about me. Besides Mrs. Crewe being kind, she was Simon's mother. And I was willing to stretch myself for Simon.
"It was. But I really don't remember her much since I was so young when she died." I reached up and subconsciously rubbed t
he iridium charm through my shirt.
Mrs. Crewe nodded. "I lost my mother when I was young too. I was ten, but fortunately my father took it upon himself to be the best mother and father he could be. I also had an older sister and brother who took care of me, so I was lucky."
She looked at me in the rearview mirror again and I just smiled and nodded. There was nothing to say about my father. He had taken it upon himself to become my greatest critic growing up, and I could still hear his admonishing voice full of disappointment in my head. I hadn't been lucky but at least I had a parent who put a roof over my head and kept me fed. There were worse things to have to face than an uncaring parent.
Like shadows trying to kill you. I pushed the thought away. That was for tomorrow. Today was about giving myself a chance to be happy.
When I didn't say anything else, Mrs. Crewe dropped the subject and started talking about the guests at the party tonight. It sounded like a mixture of Kendra's friends and friends of the family, along with some of Mr. Crewe's business associates. Sarah reached over to hold my hand and gave me a sympathetic squeeze. I smiled to let her know I was alright.
Grant and Simon had apparently been waiting for our return because when we stepped inside, they bounded in from a room nearby.
"You look great," Simon said, grabbing my hand and giving me a quick kiss. I smiled, warmed by his expression. He seemed happy to see me, although we had only been apart for a few hours. "How was basketball?" I asked.
Grant walked with a mock limp and a pathetic expression. "Simon shows no mercy. We should have played tennis instead. I'm better at that than he is."
Kendra laughed. "I don't know about that. I seem to remember that the last time you played-"
She was interrupted by her mother guiding her towards the stairs. "Let a man have a little pride," she said with a smile. "Let's go upstairs and look at your clothes and jewelry for the party."
Kendra allowed her mother to propel her upstairs and Mrs. Crewe paused to turn to us. "The party starts at six but dinner won't be served until seven. Feel free to join us at any time but I do request that you're present for the start of dinner." She looked meaningfully at Simon during the last statement.
"Of course, of course," Simon replied, giving her a rueful smile.
Simon turned to me as his sister and mother disappeared up the stairs. "What do you want to do to kill time before the party? We could go to the game room and play some arcade games."
"Are you kidding me?!" Sarah exclaimed before I could reply. "We only have an hour before the party. We need to go get ready!" She grabbed my other hand, pulling me free of Simon's grasp. I allowed her to drag me up the stairs with an apologetic look at Simon.
"Sorry, primping comes first, I guess."
Simon looked bemused but didn't protest. "Okay, but I'm coming to your room at six o'clock, whether you're ready or not."
"We'll be ready," Sarah said as we made it up the stairs. I caught a glimpse of Grant's face before we reached the second floor. He looked perturbed and I realized that Sarah hadn't given him any type of greeting or acknowledged his presence. It was rare that Sarah didn't zone in on Grant when he was around and he seemed bereft by her lack of attention. Even though I loved Grant, I was happy he was feeling the loss. If he didn't want Sarah, he didn't deserve her attention.
Sarah told me she would come to my room after she had taken a shower so we could get ready together. I took my own shower and took time to blow dry my long black hair, something I rarely did. I usually just let my hair air dry, and it was thanks to my mother's asian hair I had inherited that I was able to do so with my hair looking passable. But I wanted my hair to look more than passable tonight. It didn't seem like Simon cared how much effort I put into my appearance, but I wanted him to be proud with me on his arm tonight.
After my hair was dry, I put on a matching strapless black bra and underwear. Most of my undergarments were plain and sensible, made out of cotton, but these were the exception. They were made out satin, frilly and barely there, especially the bottom that was just a scrap of fabric. I didn't think about whether I anticipated Simon seeing these tonight. If I dwelled on those thoughts I would never be ready on time.
I pulled out my dress and slipped it on, struggling to pull up the zipper in the back on my own but managing to do so. I looked at myself in the mirror, assessing myself critically.
The dress was a deep purple and fit perfectly, clinging to each curve of my body. It was strapless with a slight sweetheart neckline and my bra made my cleavage more pronounced than usual. The luminescent silk was gathered for texture and swept up to one side of my waist. The dress ended a few inches above my knees and although the dress wasn't very revealing, it was much less than I usually wore. Sarah had convinced me to buy this dress last year for a fraternity formal we had both been invited to, but I had ended up chickening out and not going so the dress had never been worn.
There was a knock at the door but that was just a formality as Sarah entered before I answered.
"Who are you and what have you done with Caitlin Kile?" Sarah joked, putting her hands on her hips and grinning from ear to ear.
I laughed but gave her a nervous look. "You don't think this is too much? Too revealing?"
Sarah rolled her eyes. "My dress shows way more skin than yours. And I don't think mine is scandalous either. You look amazing, Caitlin."
Sarah was right. Her dress did show more skin but I didn't think there was anything risque about it. Her silver dress had a deep vee at the neckline, held up by thin straps that emphasized Sarah's athletic yet elegant shoulders. The dress was shirred and ended far higher than mine. She looked gorgeous and I pitied Grant for missing his chance.
"You look great too," I said sincerely. Sarah was holding her makeup bag and she made her way into the bathroom adjoining my bedroom, setting it on the counter and opening it.
"Thanks. I'm going to do your makeup." Sarah put her hand up, as if expecting a protest. "You never use makeup, so you're either not going to put on enough or make yourself look like a clown."
I joined her in the bathroom. "Who said I was going to refuse your offer?"
Sarah smiled. "I think somebody's trying to impress a certain someone tonight," she teased.
"We'll see," I said, allowing her to start her makeup application.
Sarah made a scoffing noise. "Simon would like you even if you were wearing a potato sack."
"I'll try rocking that look at the next formal party I'm invited to."
Sarah chattered on about what she was doing while she applied the makeup. She was going to make my eyes pronounced with smoky eyeshadow and plenty of mascara and eyeliner. They were a dramatic contrast to my pale skin and the shimmery pink, almost-nude, lipstick she was applying. Sarah knew way more about makeup than I ever wanted to and I just let her do whatever she wanted, trusting her to make me look my best.
After Sarah was done, she turned me around to face the mirror and I had to admit that she had outdone herself. My eyes looked huge and mysterious with all the shading and my skin looked dewy as if I was barely wearing any makeup, which I knew wasn't true. I had felt Sarah applying a base. My lips were a soft pink that shimmered but wasn't overly glossy. With my black hair falling into a shiny pool around my face and onto my shoulders, I almost looked like a stranger. My mix of Korean and Norwegian heritage blended into something much more exotic and enticing than I felt.
"Are you sure you shouldn't be doing this professionally?" I breathed out, turning my head from side to side to admire Sarah's handiwork. "Seriously. If you can make me look this good, there has to be some magic involved."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "I just enhanced what was already there. One day you'll realize that." Sarah leaned closer to the bathroom mirror as she started on her own makeup.
I put on the small diamond studs that Sarah's parents had given me for my twenty-first birthday and then I had nothing left to do except put on my heels. They were nude colored, making my leg
s look longer than they were, but I didn't want to put them on until the last possible second. I had worn them before so they were broken in and comfortable enough for heels, but I knew I would probably be standing on my feet for a good portion of the night. I wanted to make sure to maximize the period of time I would be able to wear them without wanting to kick them off. I was much more comfortable in flats.
I sat on the bed while Sarah finished getting ready, wondering what Jenny and Marcus were doing tonight and whether any developments had happened between them. Sarah mentioned she had texted Jenny earlier in the day, but Jenny had just said that she had watched Marcus' team lose the soccer match.
Sarah was walking out of the bathroom and slipping on her heels when there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," I called out as I stood. I sucked in a breath of air as I watched Grant and Simon enter. They were both wearing tuxes which made me realize just how formal this party was. But I was breathless by how amazing Simon looked in a tux. He looked approachable and sexy in jeans and a t-shirt, but in a tux he looked sophisticated and dazzlingly handsome.
Simon moved towards me in the tux with ease, reminding me that he belonged to a world that was foreign to me. Where tuxes weren't just for proms and formal weddings. I might have felt awkward by this thought, but all I could think about was Simon's eyes on me as he looked me up and down, his eyes turning a smoldering blue as I could see the desire spark in his eyes. It made me inordinately happy that he seemed to like what he saw.
"You look amazing," Simon said in a husky voice as he grabbed my hand. "I'm going to have to club all the men away from you tonight." He looked a little displeased at the thought and his momentary jealousy thrilled me. Lord knows that I was jealous of all the girls constantly fawning over him, and I garnered a bit of satisfaction from knowing that he wouldn't want the same to happen to me. Not that I thought it actually would, but it was nice that he thought so.