by Ashlee Price
I tell myself I won't, though.
Tonight, I'm going to treat her like a lady. No. A princess.
I push myself off the wall I've been leaning on and glance at my watch.
"Ready to go?" I ask her. "Your brother will be here any minute."
Jess turns to me with a ruby smile that makes my heart stop.
"I'm ready."
Chapter 13
Jess
I said I was ready, but now that I'm here in the hotel ballroom, I don't know.
All the women around me seem to be better dressed than I am in spite of all the effort I put into my appearance for this evening. Their ears and necks glitter with diamonds. Their gowns rustle and flow around their curves. Their cheeks, eyes and lips make them look almost unreal, whereas all I put on were lipstick, some powder and mascara.
It's not just the women, though.
The ballroom looks so grand. The tables are covered in immaculate white linen. The silverware gleams under the light of the chandeliers. Soft music streams from speakers that blend in with the tapestries.
I sigh.
Just as I thought, I don't really belong here.
"You'll be just fine," Steff assures me.
I turn to him.
Unlike me, he doesn't look the least bit nervous, even though I can tell a few heads have already turned in his direction. He looks impeccable in his suit, too, so much so that I don't even feel like I belong at his side.
What am I doing at this party?
"It's amazing, isn't it?" Keith asks me. "All this just for us."
I frown at him. "Well, you're enjoying yourself, aren't you?"
"As should you." He winks at me.
Why do I get the feeling I'm being teased again?
"Come on." He gestures for Steff and me to follow him. "Let's go find our seats. I think the program will be starting soon."
~
After the short program, which consists mostly of speeches from various people, dinner is served.
The food is good, at least, and I enjoy it, though I have trouble figuring out the cutlery. Steff seems to pull it off effortlessly.
He must be used to events like this. Well, he is from a rich family, a fact I often forget.
After dinner, the guests start circulating from one table to another to chat. Some couples get up to dance, and Keith invites his date, Annie, to join them on the dance floor. To my surprise, Steff offers me his hand as well.
"Shall we dance?"
I turn to him with arched eyebrows.
"Do I look like I can dance?"
"Surely, someone who loves music and plays guitar can at least move to the beat."
I let out a deep breath.
"Besides..." He gets out of his chair and pulls my arm. "I'll be the one leading."
My mouth gapes as he drags me to the middle of the ballroom.
What the hell is he doing? Doesn't he know I'm uncomfortable enough already?
When we reach the dance floor, Steff puts my hand on his shoulder. Then he places his hand on my waist and pulls me close. He clasps my other hand.
I glare at him. "You and my brother really like putting me through hell, don't you? Maybe that's why you're getting along so well."
Indeed, they talked a lot during dinner since they were seated next to each other. They even shared a good laugh.
Steff smiles. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
I pout and stay silent as we sway to the music.
His thumb moves slowly across my hip until I feel it graze the garter of my panties.
"What are you doing?" I ask him in a low voice.
"Just making sure you're wearing something under that lovely dress," Steff answers.
I blush and glare at him. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
He chuckles. "There. You're more relaxed now, aren't you?"
He whirls me around.
"Just be your usual self," he adds. "You're a remarkable woman and you look stunning in that dress."
When Steff pulls me close again, he whispers in my ear.
"So stunning, in fact, that it's the one piece of clothing I'd rather not take off you."
My breath catches. My cheeks turn even warmer.
Still, I glare. "As if I'd ever let you do such a thing."
"Now, now. That's not the way to talk to your boyfriend, is it?"
I frown. I'm still kicking myself for introducing him as my boyfriend. But what could I do? My brother dropped by at the worst moment, catching us both with barely any clothes on.
I hear some murmurs from the tables behind me.
"So handsome!"
"Is he a soldier, too?"
"No, I think he must be a model."
"Is he really with her?"
My frown deepens.
"You really like being the center of attention, don't you?" I ask Steff.
His eyebrows arch. "Huh?"
I sigh. Then I stop moving.
"I think I need to go to the ladies' room," I tell him as I take my hand off his shoulder and free my hand from his. "Excuse me."
I walk off. I hear the gossip intensify, but I pay it no heed.
I walk past the doors, down the corridor and round the corner to the restroom I had spotted earlier. Inside, I lean on the sink and stare at the mirror.
Steff really is hot, isn't he? He's cool, too. He's amazing. There's nothing he can't seem to do.
And I can't believe I've had sex with him twice already.
I slap my forehead.
Really, Jess, what are you doing? You're just setting yourself up for a heartbreak, you know. A man like that deserves more than you, and he'll get it, too.
I sigh.
And to think I introduced him as my boyfriend.
It almost feels like I've committed some kind of crime.
And yet, Steff doesn't seem to mind. Then again, he's always played along with my lies and schemes. He's nice that way.
Nice? I blush as I remember his words earlier. How can I say he's nice when he's being so mean to me?
I draw a deep breath.
Calm down, Jess. You're just on edge because you're not used to this kind of environment. After this, everything will go back to normal and you and Steff will be fine.
I narrow my eyes at my reflection.
Right. This is all just pretend. There's no reason for me to take this seriously or to think that something has changed between Steff and me. There's no reason for me to be jealous.
I walk out of the bathroom. I stop as I see Keith waiting for me around the corner.
"You were taking so long I was beginning to worry," he says.
"What are you doing here?" I ask him. "You left Annie alone?"
"So? You left your boyfriend alone, too, didn't you? You should hurry back before someone steals him from you."
My hands rise to my hips. "What?"
Keith chuckles. "Just kidding. He may smile kindly at other women, but he doesn't look like a man who can be stolen."
My arms cross my chest. "You seem to know him surprisingly well for somebody you just met today. What, are the two of you best buddies now?"
"Of course not," Keith answers. "But I have to say I do like him."
I raise an eyebrow. "You do?"
"He's smart, witty, gutsy. And he looks reliable."
"All this from your conversation at dinner? You didn't do a background check, did you?"
"He's not from here, so that will take a while," Keith answers.
I sigh.
"Plus I can tell from the way we fought this morning that he knows how to fight," Keith adds in a more serious tone. "That means he'll be able to protect you when I'm not around."
I glance at him. His eyes stare beyond the glance into the distance.
He really does like Steff.
So he's even won my brother over, huh?
"Hey." I punch his shoulder playfully. "You're not going to steal my boyfriend from me, are you?"
Keith's eyes widen. "What the...?"
I start laughing. "Got you."
He laughs as well. Then he puts his hand on my head.
"So my little sister knows how to tease me back now, does she?"
"Stop that!" I tell him as I step away. "You have no idea how long I had to sit still to get my stubborn hair to end up this way."
Keith laughs so hard he grips his belly. He's still chuckling when his phone rings. As he gets it from his pocket, I decide to check my own. I fish it out of my purse and discover that I have three missed calls, all from Laura. There's a message from her, too.
Dad collapsed. We're bringing him to the hospital now.
The phone nearly slips out of my fingers, which have suddenly turned cold. What could have happened to Dad?
"Jess." Keith turns to me. "That was Laura."
From the look on his face, I already know what he's going to say. I swallow.
"We have to go back home, don't we?"
~
By the time Keith and I arrive in our hometown, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, it's already morning. We go straight to the hospital and a nurse leads us to Dad's room.
I find my mother sitting by my father's bed.
"Mom!" I throw myself into her arms.
"Jess!" She hugs me tight and then pulls away to look at me. "Look at you! You've finally learned how to put more effort into how you look."
I frown. In all my haste and worry, I barely had time to change, much less remove my makeup. My face looks the same as it did at the party, and although my hair has already started rebelling, most of it still cascades down my shoulders in a straight line.
Seriously, that's the first thing my mother says to me?
"Mom..."
"How's Dad?" Keith approaches the bed.
"Keith!" Mom hugs him in turn.
I place my hand over my father's and take a close look at his face. It seems a little paler and more wrinkled than when I last saw him. Otherwise, he seems fine.
"We thought your Dad had a stroke," Mom explains. "Thankfully, it wasn't that bad, but we still have to make sure he doesn't strain his heart. He's not as young as he used to be, after all."
"I'm not that old, either," Dad says suddenly as he opens his eyes.
My mother sighs. "What? Were you pretending to be asleep? Did you want your daughter to cry?"
"Of course not." He touches my cheek. "I'd never want to see her cry."
"Oh, Dad." I place my hand over his. "I'm so glad you're alright."
"I'm perfectly fine," Dad tells me. "Especially now that you're here."
"There you go spoiling her again," Mom complains. "Are you sure you didn't collapse on purpose just so she'd come running home?"
Dad chuckles.
I squeeze his hand. "I should have come home more often. I'm sorry."
Dad shakes his head. "I'm sure you're busy, but your Mom and I do worry that you're not taking care of yourself."
"Speak for yourself," my mother tells him. "And what do you mean busy? What, do you have a real job now?"
"Maggie," my father scolds her before turning to me with a smile. "Don't mind your mother. She's just like that because she hasn't had breakfast yet."
Mom snorts.
"But, well, are you taking care of yourself?" Dad asks.
I exhale and put his hand down by his side. "Dad, you're the one in a hospital bed. You shouldn't be worrying about me."
"That's right," Keith says. "Besides, you shouldn't worry about Jess anymore. She's all grown up now. Why, she even managed to get a boyfriend."
Mom gasps. Dad and I gape. I turn to Keith with a deathly glare, which he tries to fend off with a sheepish grin.
"Keith..."
Chapter 14
Steff
"So Keith ratted you out to your family, huh?" I ask Jess during the drive from the airport to her house.
She lifts one hand off the wheel to rub her temples. "And after all the trouble I went through, too, at that silly party."
"You mean the one where you ditched me?"
She puts her hand back on the wheel and frowns. "I didn't ditch you. I had to leave because of my family emergency and I decided to let you stay behind and enjoy the party. After all, you did seem to be enjoying yourself."
"You ditched me," I repeat.
Jess sighs. "Fine. Sorry."
"Apology accepted. So, why did Keith tell your family after he said he wouldn't?"
Another sigh. "He said he wanted my dad to have one less thing to worry about, given his health. And really, I would have been okay with it if only it was true. I mean, what if he finds out it isn't? Then he'll be more upset, right?"
I place my hand over hers. "Don't worry. I'll keep your secret."
Jess glances at me. "Thanks. I'm sorry for dragging you into this."
I scratch my chin. "Well, that's unusual. You seem to be in an apologetic mood. You didn't eat something weird, did you?"
She glares at me.
I chuckle. "That's more like the Jess I know."
I look out the window.
"Really, though, it's fine."
At least now I can find out more about Jess. Also, I've been in LA all this time and I think a change of scenery is in order. How can I call it an adventure if all I do is stay in one place?
"So this is Wisconsin, right? And your hometown is called Prairie du Chien?"
"Yes."
"Want to tell me more about it?"
"More importantly, we should talk about what we're going to tell my family," Jess says. "That's why I insisted on picking you up at the airport."
I sit back. "And here I thought it was because you missed me."
Jess ignores the remark as she lowers the volume of the music.
"So when my family asks how we met, what do we say?" she asks me.
I shrug. "What do you have in mind?"
"That we met online," she says. "And that we've been corresponding online for two years now."
"Two years?" My eyebrows crease. "That's long."
Jess says nothing.
"And meeting online is fine," I add. "But it's a little boring, if you ask me. I think we should go with us meeting at a concert."
"Not bad," Jess approves. "It doesn't have to be a big name band. We'll just say there were a few local bands playing."
I nod. "A friend of mine who played in one of the bands invited me, and you came, because, well, that's your scene."
"I came with a friend but I lost her," she continues. "We bumped into each other and we started talking about the guitar. Then we ended up leaving and having coffee, talking some more. We hung out for the next few days before you had to leave. We continued corresponding online."
"And while we were apart, we fell in love," I supply. "And so I decided to come back and now, here we are."
I notice Jess stick out her lower lip at the word 'love', but she says nothing.
"So to summarize, we met at a concert, we've been corresponding for two years, and I came back last month. How does that sound?"
Jess nods. "Sounds good."
"Anything else we have to talk about?"
She shrugs. "I think that's about it."
"Then we're all good." I give her a grin. "See, we're a great team. We've got nothing to worry about."
Jess exhales. "I sure hope so."
"Now, tell me more about your hometown and your family."
~
"This is my older sister, Laura." Jess introduces the woman with the child on her hip as soon as we arrive at her house. "And this is her daughter, Lucia, and her son, Raffy, should be somewhere in the house."
"You can't miss him," Laura says as she shakes my hand. "He always has his gaming console."
"And this is my mother, Maggie," Jess continues.
I take the hand of the woman with the eyeglasses and the salt and pepper hair and plant a kiss on the back of it.
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
"My, my." She touches her che
ek. "You didn't say your boyfriend was such a hunk."
"Mom," Jess reprimands. "Dad can hear you."
Jess stands beside the bearded man who is sitting on a wicker chair.
"This is my dad, Don Campbell," Jess says. "Dad, this is Steff, Steffan Olsen, my boyfriend."
I smile at him as I shake his hand. "I'm glad to see you're doing well."
"And that's it." Jess shrugs.
"What about me?" Keith complains.
Jess ignores him and crosses her arms over her chest.
"So how did you two meet?" Maggie asks.
Jess tells her the story we've settled on.
Maggie smiles. "How romantic. You came back just for Jess!"
"Of course," I say. "How could I not?"
I reach for Jess's hand. "She has truly captured my heart."
Maggie applauds and Laura whistles. Jess narrows her eyes at me.
"I'm happy to hear it," Don says. "I know Jess can be a handful, but-"
"Dad," Jess interrupts him with a frown.
"What did you see in her?" Laura asks.
Jess turns to her. "Not you too!"
"I mean, what do you like best about her?" Laura asks me.
I touch my chin. "Well, I like everything about her, but what I like best?"
That's a tough one. But then I remember how we first met, or at least, our first meeting when she was sober and knew I was a guy.
"I guess her spirit."
Laura laughs out loud. "That's Jess, alright."
Jess glances at her. "Laura."
"Tell me..." Maggie places a hand on my shoulder. "How do you handle her tantrums?"
"Mom," Jess whines.
"Yeah. Have you guys fought?" Laura asks.
"Sometimes," I answer just as Jess answers, "Never."
Shit.
"What I mean is sometimes we argue," I explain. "But we've never had a real fight."
Laura touches her cheek. "Aww."
"And who got whose Skype ID first?" Keith asks.
"He got mine," Jess answers as I say, "I got hers."
I almost sigh with relief that we agreed on that detail. It's funny how we read each other's minds.
Jess turns to Keith. "By the way, you don't get to ask any more questions."
"Hey!" Keith protests.
"Actually, none of you get to ask any more questions," Jess announces. "He's here, isn't he?"