Chocolate for Two (10 page)

“Waverly, you still there?” I blinked as Jake snapped his fingers in front of my eyes. We were standing in front of the house.

Before I could respond, his mom opened the door.

“Jake, Waverly, thank you so much for arriving on time.” She waved and looked genuinely pleased to see us. “Waverly, you look just lovely. Your dress is beautiful.”

I awkwardly put my hand on the waist of my sleeveless blue dress, glad I’d chosen to wear something on the conservative side. Plus the high neckline hid the tiny blisters beginning to bubble up on my chest. My face still felt hot, but Jake had been right. The violent redness had calmed down a bit, and I didn’t look like I was actually
on fire
anymore.

“Thanks, Mrs. McIntyre, so do you.” She was wearing a tailored lavender silk jacket over an eggshell-colored silk blouse and matching pants. She smiled again and gestured to us to enter.

We followed her inside, and I tried not to gape as I glanced around the house. Everything looked ridiculously expensive. Plush beige leather couches. Matching dark mahogany armoires filled with leather-bound books. A massive built-in bookshelf took up an entire wall, flanked by intricate fluted columns. A crystal chandelier sparkled in the foyer. I’d never seen a crystal chandelier in someone’s
house
before.

Jake kissed his mother on the cheek. “Where’s Dad?”

She gestured to the backyard. “Last I saw he was chatting with Larry, our tax attorney. I think they’re at the pool bar.”

I raised my eyebrows.
The
pool
bar? A
s
in, there’s more than one bar?
We made our way from the foyer, which was about the size of my living room, to the living room, which was about the size of my elementary school. Trying not to gawk, I looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the sprawling backyard. Next to a large swimming pool was a white tent filled with tables
and buzzing with beautifully dressed people who appeared to be waitstaff.

Waitstaff? Hadn’t Jake said this would be a small party?

A fair number of guests were already mingling outside.

I glanced at Jake. My eyes tried to relay the question,
Are we late? Or are people in Florida just super punctual? What is going on?

He took my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze as a man in a white dress shirt and black pants appeared out of nowhere.

“Champagne?” He held up a tray of flutes.

I was speechless.

Just then Jake’s dad, sporting a navy blue blazer and khakis, strolled into the room. He carried a cigar in one hand and wore a big smile on his face. “There’s the happy couple!” He embraced us each in a bear hug as Jake’s mom excused herself to go check on something in the kitchen.

“Hi, Dad,” Jake said.

“Hi, um, Mr. McIntyre,” I eked out.
Ugh, why am I so awkward?

He gave me a sympathetic smile. “I’ll have you calling me Walt, or maybe even
Dad
, soon enough.”

“We’ll see,” I said, returning the smile.

“Looks like you got yourself a bit of a sunburn there, young lady.”

I winced and placed my hands lightly on my cheeks. “Is it that noticeable?”

“She fell asleep at the pool,” Jake said.

His dad looked concerned. “You’ve got to be careful down here, you know. The Florida sun’s nothing to mess around with. Skin cancer doctors make a fortune down here. Even more than golf instructors and divorce attorneys.”

I laughed. “Believe me, I’ve learned my lesson.”

He gestured upstairs. “Want a quick tour before the party gets rolling?”

“Sure.” I looked at Jake, hoping he’d come with me. He nodded and took my hand.

As the three of us walked upstairs with our champagne, I wondered what “quick tour” could possibly mean in a house like this.

When Jake and I entered the backyard about fifteen minutes later, the tent was filled with guests. Dozens of people, all of whom had come here for the express purpose of meeting me.

Suddenly I forgot about the huge house. Now I could think of nothing but the huge crowd in front of me.

And I was nervous.

Excruciatingly nervous.

Oh, sweet sugar, I’m nervous
.

Jake’s mom approached us and gestured to the tent. “Waverly, come let me introduce you around. Everyone is
so
excited to meet you.” She smiled and looked elated that we were there.

I looked out at the sea of unfamiliar faces and forced a smile of my own. I felt myself flush on top of my already-hot sunburn.

“Um, sure, Mrs. McIntyre.”

Before I even took a step, a short, top-heavy woman dressed in an outfit similar to Mrs. McIntyre’s appeared out of nowhere.

“Why,
there
you are. It’s such a pleasure to meet you.” She smiled and held out her hand. “I’m Bee.” Then she stood on her tiptoes to give Jake a big hug.

“Bee’s my dearest friend in the whole world,” Jake’s mom said. “We practically raised our kids together.”

“I’ve seen you on
Love, Wendy
,” Bee said. “You’re adorable.”

I smiled and felt myself relax a bit. “You’ve seen the show?”

She nodded. “I never miss it. That Wendy Davenport is something else, isn’t she?”

I gritted my teeth and forced a smile. “Absolutely.” Wendy was extremely charming and popular with her fans, but off-camera she could be quite a storm cloud. I knew she was seeing a woman, but she was still very heterosexual publicly, and it was hard watching her suffer through the charade of pretending she was a traditional Southern beauty queen. I kept hoping she’d just rip off the Band-Aid, but it wasn’t my call to make. So I sucked it up, kept my mouth shut, and kept my distance. It didn’t help that Paige’s fiancé, Gary, was Wendy’s ex-husband.

“Bee drove up from Miami just to be here tonight,” Mrs. McIntyre explained.

I raised my eyebrows. “Wow, that was so nice of you. I’m guessing that’s quite a ways? I’m not very familiar with Florida geography.” I looked at Jake.

“It’s about an hour-and-a-half drive,” Bee said. “But I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Jake’s like a son to me, even if he’s not going to be my
son-in-law
.”

Jake laughed awkwardly. “Thanks, Bee.”

I looked at him.
What did she just say?

“Besides, we Worthingtons never miss a good party,” Bee said.

As the name echoed in my head and finally clicked, I felt like I’d been punched in the gut.

Worthington?

Jake’s ex-girlfriend was named Holly Worthington.

Mrs. McIntyre’s best friend is Jake’s ex-girlfriend’s mom?

No wonder I was second fiddle in her eyes.

I stood there, at a loss for words. Jake could clearly tell I was rattled and put his hand on my arm.

“You ready?” he asked.

I blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You ready?”

“Ready for what?”

Jake’s mom gave me a strange look. “To meet our friends, dear.”

I swallowed. “Oh yes, of course, I’m sorry.” I tried to forget what had just happened and looked out at the crowded tent. I remembered the first time I’d gone on camera for
Love, Wendy
. It had gone well enough, despite my jangled nerves. But charming a bunch of faceless strangers through a camera lens was one thing. Doing it in real life was another matter altogether.

Get a grip, Waverly. You can do this.

I smiled out at the faces.

Do they all know Holly too?

Do they all wish she were the one marrying Jake?

I was just about to walk outside when Jake’s mom put a hand on my shoulder.

“Waverly, dear, your bra strap is showing.”

Ugh.

Two hours later my face hurt from smiling. So far the evening had been a blur of interchangeable well-wishers in expensive pastel clothing. Almost every woman there appeared to be wearing a variation on Mrs. McIntyre’s pants outfit, with the occasional linen hat, silk scarf, or matching clutch bag sprinkled in. Gold jewelry—brooches in particular—gleamed from tanned necks
and wrists. I was no expert on Botox, but I suspected it played a role in many of the perfectly smooth foreheads wandering about. As for the men, I’d never seen so many tropical-colored blazers and Tommy Bahama shirts in one place; boat shoes and leather loafers were also part of the uniform. I saw very few ties but did spot a few sweaters tied polo-style around several necks, which brought me straight back to seventh grade.

It was like a summer party in
The Great Gatsby
, only a hundred years later and about a thousand miles south.

“How are you holding up?” Jake emerged from the crowd and handed me a glass of sparkling water. I’d cut myself off after one flute of champagne, determined to avoid any alcohol-induced Waverly moments on such an important occasion.

“I’m hanging in. How about you?” We’d been tag-teamed by inquisitive guests most of the evening, leaving us little time to actually hang out together.

He shrugged. “I know how much this means to my mom, so I’m trying to turn on the charm for her sake.”

“You’re
always
charming,” I whispered. “But you could have warned me about Holly’s mother.”

He put a hand on my back. “I know, I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t sure she would be here, so I didn’t want to open that can of worms for no reason. I had no idea the party would be this big.”

“It’s just a little awkward for me, you know?” I hoped the strain didn’t show on my face. God knew how many people were watching us right now.

“I know it is.” He reached for my free hand and squeezed it. “It’s awkward for me too. I’m sorry.”

I smiled. “It’s okay. I’m upset with the situation, not you. Plus even if I
were
upset with you, it’s impossible to stay mad at you anyway, damn you.”

He laughed and took a sip of his champagne. “Bee is actually a really cool lady, you’ll see. And she gets that Holly and I are over.”

“You sure about that?”

He nodded. “I’m sure. That’s why she can joke about it. Plus she means the world to my mom, so I’m glad she’s here, even though it’s a little…unusual.”

“A little?”

He laughed again. “Okay, more than a little. But if something makes my mom happy, I’m usually for it, even if it’s a little bumpy.”

I leaned closer to him and lowered my voice even further. “You’re clearly a good son, but no matter
what
your mom says, we’re not getting married in a church in front of all these people. Or in Florida. Or on a holiday weekend.”

Before he could reply, the unmistakable sound of a fork clinking against a champagne glass hushed the crowd. Everyone looked over at Jake’s parents, who were standing together at the far end of the tent.

Jake’s dad spoke first.

“We’d just like to take a moment to thank all of you for celebrating this wonderful occasion with us tonight, especially on such short notice. We’ve waited a long time for Jake to find a woman who deserved him
and
could put up with him.”

Laughter from the crowd.

“But in all seriousness, we’re just falling in love with Waverly…”

My ears perked up.

What?

They’re falling in love with me?

I found myself getting emotional as he spoke, bits and pieces of his speech poking at my heart in a way I didn’t expect.

“…we’re thrilled that she’s going to be a part of our family…”

They’re thrilled that I’m going to be part of their family?

“…can’t wait for the big day…”

They can’t wait for the big day?

“…she’s just a lovely young woman…”

They think I’m a lovely young woman?

I could feel eyes on me from all sides of the tent and did my best to act normal. Sensing my anxiety, Jake put his arm around me and gave me a squeeze.

“…so here’s to Jake and Waverly, for the love they share now and for all the love that awaits them as a married couple. We couldn’t be happier for you.”

Mr. McIntyre raised his glass, and everyone followed.

Jake turned and lightly tapped his glass against mine.

“You getting cold feet yet?”

I shook my head and grinned at him. “Not if you stuck me barefoot into a bucket of ice.”