The idea of crashing Jake’s party didn’t sound appealing at all. If he’d wanted her there, he would’ve asked her to come. Her mouth was dry, and she tried to swallow to alleviate it, but she couldn’t. She was so angry with Casey still that she couldn’t stand it. Again, Casey had stepped on Faith’s toes with a man, and being invited to a party when Faith wasn’t, brought back all her old wounds. Then, she thought,Why do I have to sit back and let Casey’s actions dictate how I feel?She was stronger than that. Maybe she should go. It would get Nan out of the house, and, perhaps, she could even get a little insight out of Nan. Nan was great at reading people. She’d be able to tell all kinds of things about Jake just by watching him and how he interacted with people at the party. It could be interesting.
“Maybe he doesn’t want me there,” she asked quietly, trying to calm herself down. She could hear Isabella telling her mom stories of her fishing fun today through the screen door, and she still felt a tiny pang of jealousy even though she knew it was ridiculous. She’d only just met the guy.Oh, who am I kidding, she thought.I’m smitten.And a little jealous. Okay, a lot jealous.
“He had only wonderful things to say about you. I’m sure it’s fine.”
He had wonderful things to say?She wanted to know what, but dared not ask for fear her sister would see right through her and know what she was feeling. He’d said only nice things about her today; He was having a party tomorrow, and she’d get to see him again. She should go. Maybe she’d even get a chance to pull him aside and talk a little more.
“Nan?” she called. Nan stood up from the kitchen table and walked into the room. She had been very quiet the whole time, and she wondered what her grandmother was thinking. She was looking back and forth between Faith and Casey, a slight curiosity on her face.
“I’d love to go,” she said before Faith had even asked the question, her gaze still darting between them. “I can’t wait to see how you young people throw a party. I hope I can keep up.”
Despite her apprehension, a bolt of excitement shot through Faith at seeing Jake again, overpowering her anger towards Casey. She tried to squelch it. It was silly of her to allow herself to be so eager. The truth was that she hadn’t gotten excited like this in a long time, and it made her happy.
THIRTEEN
They’d spent the whole evening yesterday sorting photos for Nan. Faith had taken one of the albums into her room last night to look through it once more before bed. She’d left it open at the photos of her and Casey, the sun now casting a glare on the plastic pages. In one photo, they were dressed up in their mother’s fancy gowns, wobbling in oversized high heels. In another, they were dangling from the branches of the old maple tree in their back yard, their feet bare, their clothes dirty from playing. It made her think about how much had changed.
Faith thought again about how excited Casey had seemed after seeing Jake. Casey probably wasn’t smitten with Jake like Faith was; she was just truly excited to have found common ground with someone. She loved meeting new people and learning about them. She explained it once: the more people she met who seemed in some way like her, the more normal she felt about her experiences.
Faith, on the other hand, had always surrounded herself with a small but tight group of friends. She preferred to be with those people because they were the ones who knew her best. She felt like she could be honest with them, and their sincere care for her made her feel good. She didn’t connect with strangers like Casey did. She was quiet around them. That was why she’d been so surprised by Jake. He‘d been able to read her, calm her, and bring her out of her comfort zone.
Knowing this fact made her more nervous about seeing him than she should be. It had all hit her pretty hard. She was trying to lessen her fears, not to think the worst. But she worried. She’d go home and never see him again. A long-distance anything would be out of the question, given that she’d only known him for less than a week. She was rational enough to understand all that, but at the same time, she would love to see him again. Then, she thought about this party. Would it be like that restaurant where he’d taken her? Would it make her feel out of place?
Casey came in to borrow Faith’s powder. “What’s this party for?” Faith asked as she fastened her earring. “Who has a party during the day on a Friday?”
Casey shrugged. She didn’t bother to ask, and just dipped right in to Faith’s makeup bag, like she’d done when they were kids. It made Faith smile. “I don’t know. I think it’s pretty big, though. He’s having it catered.”
“Is it at his house?”
“Yeah.” Casey finished powdering her face and dropped the powder back into Faith’s makeup bag. “I can’t wait to see his house,” she said, rooting around for something else.
“Do you not have your own makeup?” Faith laughed.
“I do,” she said, not looking up. “I just like your colors.”
Was Casey trying to look nice for Jake? She took a few breaths to steady herself. She was trying not to have these thoughts, but it was hard, especially when she saw Casey looking so great.
“I’m going to try and enjoy myself.” Casey said.
Casey was right. Faith needed to ease up and just let go. “Me too,” Faith said.
The door opened and their mom poked her head in. “Your nan is waiting. She says her hip’s starting to hurt from sitting so long,” she kidded. Then, her face contorted into a look of concern, and she said, “Should we get Jake a bottle of wine? We shouldn’t show up empty-handed.”
“He’s loaded, Mom,” Casey said, swiping Faith’s mascara. “I think he can buy his own wine. He’s probably got a whole cellar full.”
“That’s not the point,” she said in a motherly voice. Faith turned to look at her as if she were commanding her attention. “We should show our appreciation for being invited, and let him know that we are happy to be there. That’s why we buy the wine. I know he can afford it, and truthfully, ours may be too cheap, but it’s a nice gesture. It would be considerate.”
“I’ll help you pick some out,” Faith said. She remembered the taste of the wine Jake had poured, and how the fruitiness and smoothness of it had contrasted with his masculine attributes. But then again, he could be gentle and sweet.
“Great! Now,” her mom pointed at Casey playfully, “hurry up your primping so we can go. Isabella’s antsy, and your Nan’s driving me crazy.”
Faith pressed a little harder on the adhesive tab of the giant curly ribbon she’d bought at the Quick Mart in town. It didn’t want to stick to the glass wine bottle, and she’d been holding it on the whole ride to Jake’s. She’d chosen a white—it was only table wine but at the top of her price range. She knew it probably wouldn’t matter, but she wanted to try and make the best impression that she could. Her hands were a little nervous, so she was glad to have the task of keeping the bow in place.
“Good heavens!” her mom nearly cried as they pulled up to Jake’s house. “You weren’t kidding, Faith. It’s a mansion.” Her mom’s eyes darted over to the wine, clearly wondering if they’d gotten a sufficient gift. Faith pressed her finger on the bow again. Her mom pulled the car to a stop between a BMW and a Lexus. “Careful when you get out. Don’t ding their doors! Isabella, Nan, stay put. I’ll help you.”
Faith grinned to herself when she spotted Chuck’s old Ford parked under a tree.
They all wriggled their way out carefully and helped Nan and Isabella to do the same. Isabella walked next to Faith. She was wearing a white sundress with a bright purple sash that tied in the back, a purple bow in her hair, and a delicate, gold necklace around her neck. She looked so cute. When she got to the grass that stretched the length of the lawn, she started skipping, her golden hair bouncing with every step.
