Chapter 6

I did not sleep well that night, my bed felt cold and unfamiliar and my mind would not stop going over the conversation with Y0urM1n3. He had been so kind to me, so patient and tender and I knew how awful it was that I ran the way I did.

By morning I had resolved that I had done the right thing, he was much older and married and as sweet as he’d been online there really couldn’t be anything more between us. I had done the right thing, even if my stomach twisted at the memory.

I came down for breakfast, Mum was already flitting around like a butterfly, she was helping Amy set up their garden for the party, which would be starting that afternoon.

“The caterer has called saying they may be late, I told them, they’ll be there early or on time or they won’t be paid. Simple as that.” she called as she stepped out the back door “I’m just going to update Amy, she’ll be furious.”

I cut into a pancake and silently wondered if Amy might have preferred the news by telephone, but then that would take away my Mom’s ability to look her in the eye and assure her that she would make sure everything went just fine. My mom always liked to be the one to swoop into the rescue. Dad remained silently behind his newspaper but I just knew he was smirking knowingly.

I told myself to put last night’s events to the back of my mind and enjoy the day. If Sarah’s kids would be there then I finally wouldn’t be the youngest at one of these events. Being the youngest had it’s perks, I could usually snag extra treats from generous guests and was often doted on as “Such a sweet little miracle” which is generally how my parent’s friends referred to me. This time I hope I would be seen as one of the grown ups.

I made an effort getting dressed to look as grown up as possible, choosing a light flowery dress which fell to my knees, and combing my hair up into a bun. This was no mean feat, those thick curls fought me every inch of the way but I was determined. Eventually I succeeded with only a few tendrils escaping which framed my face and I decided to cut my losses and go with it. I applied light make up, accentuating my green eyes and cheekbones and applied a rose tint to my lips. As I stood in the mirror my mom knocked and entered the room.

“Well Eve my darling, you look beautiful, so grown up, nobody will recognize you.” she commented entering the room and smiling at me through our reflection. I patted her hand and slipped my feet into my pumps.

“Ready when you are” I told her.

“Marvelous, then let’s go” she took my hand and as we descended the wide staircase in our home my Dad looked up and wolf-whistled making my mom giggle like a school girl.

“You look fabulous ladies, I’ll need to keep an eye on both my girls today.” he winked at me and Mom continued to giggle

We walked across to the next house, and as was customary between us we let ourselves in through the unlocked front door. Amy was chatting with an older couple I didn’t recognize but saw us immediately.

“Oh wonderful, you’re all here. Eve you look absolutely stunning, it’s such a shame there isn’t a handsome young man to show you off.”

I opened my mouth to respond when another voice interjected, a man who was coming down the stairs “I couldn’t agree more Mother, but I think this jewel shows herself just fine.” he answered, and I looked up at the owner of the voice. Tall, broad shouldered and clearly very fit under his Italian suit, which fit like a custom made glove, his smile and blue eyes set my heart fluttering just as it did when I was a child.

“Oh Rob such a charmer!” Amy preened as she took the man’s arm and led him to them. “Eve darling, you remember Rob of course, I think it’s been some time since you’ve both been here.”

I nodded mutely while Amy took my parents off to meet some other guests. Rob looked down from his 6’4” height and smiled warmly. “So um, I guess chasing you round the house is out of the question right?” he teased, his lips curling into a wide grin and I felt myself blushing deeply.

“I um… well I … um” I stammered awkwardly and watched as his grin faltered a little. “I think that may be frowned upon…” I managed, taking a breath “But, I hear your niece and nephew are here, I’m sure they’d enjoy it, if you feel the need.” There, I completed 2 whole sentences and hoped I hadn’t made too much of a fool of myself.

Rob laughed, “Those kids wouldn’t know fun if it bit them on the backside” he commented, “Far too serious for their own good.” He looked around before leaning down to whisper quietly to me “But don’t tell Sarah, she thinks they’re perfect.” he winked as he stood upright again. Then noticing I had no drink.

“Let’s get you a drink” he waved over a nearby waiter brought in for the event who held a tray of sparkling wine. I would be 21 in 3 months but my parents were such sticklers for the rules I held up my hand to stop the waiter as he offered the contents of the tray.

“Um, any Orange Juice?” I asked the waiter who smiled politely and said he would return. Rob chuckled softly and I looked up to see his bite his lip as he took a breath and looked down at me.

“Still just a sweet little girl underneath, aren’t you Angel?” my eyes widened and I took a sharp breath at the name he called me.

“P…pardon?”

His blue eyes sparkled and he leaned down once more, whispering close to my ear, so I could feel the warmth of his breath.

“It’s probably best you don’t call me Sir in front of the family. I’ll let you call me Rob, for now Angel.” he winked and stepped away as he was summoned by someone I recognized from his extended family who regularly attended these events. I couldn’t move, just watching him as he chatted animatedly with them until the waiter returned with my drink which I took and held silently, unable to move until I heard my mom call my name and summon me to join her. As I moved out to the garden I turned and noted Rob watching me leave. What was I going to do?