Reason to Breathe (25 page)

Sara handed me the softest pink sweater I’d
ever seen. Once I was dressed, I stood in front of the full length
mirror, admiring the boat neckline of the fitted sweater that
subtly revealed the tops of my shoulders and the dark skirt that
swayed above my knees – it was a classy vintage look, and I loved
it. She attached a thin silver chain with a single diamond around
my neck – the diamond sparkled as it settled into the hollow of my
throat. Finally, she handed me a pair of black heels that were at
least three inches high.

“Heels?” I grimaced, with images of falling
on my face playing in my head.

“Yup.”

“Sara, I’m going to kill myself,” I pleaded.
I’d never worn heels and knew this was not the night to be
experimenting with my grace or balance.

“You’ll be fine. Just take small steps.”

I slowly hobbled around the room, my ankles
threatening to give way with each step. We wobbled into the
entertainment room so I’d have a larger catwalk. I delicately
strolled the length of it several times before the doorbell
rang.

“He’s here?” I panicked. Sara laughed.

“It’s not a date, remember?”

“You’re right,” I breathed.

“It’s only dinner with his parents and a
bunch of stuck-up old people.” She laughed again.

“Emma, Sara,” Anna yelled up the stairs,
“Evan’s here.” My heart fluttered into my throat.

“Here.” Sara handed me a long white wool coat
that hung to the middle of my calves, along with a tote bag so I
could change before the party.

“Thanks.”

“Em, try to relax. You have nothing to worry
about.”

I took a deep breath and walked carefully
down the stairs, trying not to fall. I hated heels already. They
were too much work. Walking shouldn’t be something I had to worry
about. I had far too many other things to be concerned with, like
how to not sound like an idiot in front of a room full of
over-educated wealthy men.

Evan waited for me at the bottom of the
stairs. I couldn’t look up as he came into view, afraid that not
looking at my feet would cause me to crumble to the bottom step.
When I was finally able to look up, I noticed that his cheeks were
flushed and he had a grin on his face that made my breath stop for
a second.

“Hi,” I greeted him.

“Hi,” he smiled.

“Hey Evan,” Sara said, leaping down the
stairs. “How’d I do? Is she acceptable?” I widened my eyes, wanting
to shoot her for asking him to comment on my appearance.

Evan laughed. “Yeah, she’s
definitely
acceptable.”

“You met my parents, Anna and Carl?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Have a great time tonight, Emma,” Anna said,
giving me a gentle hug and kiss on the cheek. “You really do look
beautiful.”

“Thank you,” I replied, blushing.

“I’ll see you at Jake’s. Evan, I have your
cell number in case we get there before you,” Sara stated.

“Ready?” Evan asked me.

“Sure.” We said good-bye one more time and
headed out the door.

Evan waited until we were in the car before
he said, “You really do look beautiful.”

“Thanks,” I murmured.

“You’re not comfortable, are you?”

“Not at all,” I admitted with a small laugh.
Evan laughed with me, releasing the tension.

“Well, I’ll try not to torture you too long.
Let’s get this over with,” he said, pulling out of Sara’s
driveway.

“I have to warn you, I suck in these shoes. I
could fall and break something very expensive.”

He laughed. “I’ll be sure to keep you away
from anything breakable.”

“If there is any way I can sit the entire
time that would be great.”

“Let’s see what we can do. But I’m afraid
we’ll be in a room without many options during the cocktail
hour.”

“The what?” I asked, confused and embarrassed
that I had to ask.

“Sorry, I forgot that this is your first
time. We’re meeting my parents there. They’ll wait for us and we’ll
all go in together.”

“Your parents know I’m coming, right?” I was
suddenly nervous that they might not be expecting me.

“Yes, they know you’re coming. They may refer
to you as my girlfriend when they introduce you to everyone. I keep
trying to correct them, but…” He sighed. “Anyway, I’m sorry about
that.”

“It’s okay,” I whispered, feeling the fire on
my face once again.

“So, Mr. Jacobs and his wife are hosting the
party and they’ll be greeting everyone at the door. I think it
should only be about twenty people, so that shouldn’t be bad.” Only
twenty people? That meant there were twenty names to forget and
twenty hands to shake and exchange meaningless small talk with –
not comforting.

Evan proceeded to give me a rundown of the
flow of the evening and the expected etiquette.

“I’m hoping I’ll be able to excuse us after
dinner. I’ll say that we have a show to go to or something. Just
agree with whatever I say, okay?”

“Okay.” This sounded way more complicated
than just eating food and making mindless conversation. I knew I
was getting a glimpse of Evan’s world tonight, but I had no idea
how much I didn’t fit in.

“Thank you so much for doing this,” he said
glancing at me as he drove. “I’ll seriously owe you after
tonight.”

“I think we’ll be even.”

“You may want to wait to say that until after
we leave.”

A few minutes later, Evan pulled out his cell
phone. “Hi mom. We’re just about there.” He listened for a moment
and responded, “Okay, I think I see you now. Sure, I’ll follow you
in.”

On the side of the road, a large black
Mercedes was pulled over. As we neared, Evan slowed down to let it
merge in front of him. I knew it must be his parents. We followed
them into a driveway that was guarded by two large stone pillars
with corresponding ornate wrought iron gates that were swung open
in expectation. We followed the long winding driveway, lined with
antique wrought iron lanterns, until it opened up to reveal a
spectacular white stone mansion.

The front of the house was dramatically
up-lit, illuminating its grandeur. It appeared to be two stories,
encircled by large arched windows that let out a warm glow of
light, giving hint to the heavy drapery on the inside. The front
lawn displayed perfectly trimmed hedges outlining the house. The
lawn itself was flat, but raised from the driveway, and encased by
a stone wall.

I swallowed hard, realizing I was in over my
head. I was not just in a different world, I was in another
dimension. I eyed Evan nervously.

He smiled and said, “Don’t worry. It’ll be
over before you know it.”

We pulled up along the circular driveway
where we were greeted by a man with a black jacket and a bow tie.
He opened Evan’s door.

Evan leaned over before he got out and said,
“Wait right there, I’ll get you out.” I didn’t move. I actually
didn’t want to get out.

Evan walked around the back of the car and
opened my door. He offered me his hand, to which I would have
typically looked at him like he was insane, but with these shoes
on, I gladly accepted the assistance. Waiting in front of the first
set of stone steps were Evan’s parents.

His mother was sparkling with her bobbed
blond hair and bright blue eyes. She was covered in a fur coat and
adorned with more diamonds than I’d ever seen on one person. She
had soft, delicate features and looked very thin and breakable. She
clutched a small black handbag that was sealed with more glitz.

In contrast, Mr. Mathews was a statuesque
man, taller than Evan, but with strikingly similar features. He and
Evan shared the same light brown hair and grayish blue eyes. His
face was angular and serious as he stood in a long black coat,
concealing a tuxedo.

I took a deep breath before approaching them.
I tried my best to smile cordially while I was introduced.

“Vivian and Stuart Mathews, this is-

“Emily Thomas,” Vivian finished, holding out
her hand. I tried to conceal the shocked look on my face,
especially with being called Emily by someone I’d never seen before
today.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” I said, shaking
her delicate hand. Stuart remained still with his hands by his
side, making no attempt acknowledge me, forget about shake my
hand.

“Well, aren’t you lovely,” Vivian admired.
“We never get to meet Evan’s girlfriends.” I knew it was coming,
but my heart still leapt when she said it, sending a flicker of
heat to my cheeks.

Evan rolled his eyes. “Mom, you met Beth,
remember?” His tone was impatient.

“Maybe for a second as you were leaving the
house,” she countered. “Anyway, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Emily.
Shall we go in?” There was an air about her that made me stand up
straighter and afraid to walk, knowing how clumsy I’d appear next
to her grace and sophistication. I gave Evan a fearful glance as we
approached the first set of stone steps. There were only three, but
they might as well have been a flight.

Evan offered me his right elbow to clutch as
I concentrated with each step. I don’t think I breathed the entire
time. His parents glided ahead of us as I carefully placed one foot
in front of the other along the stone pathway. At the top of the
second set of steps was an enormous wooden door that opened as
Vivian and Stuart neared it. They waited for us before
entering.

“Stuart, Vivian,” the dual voices of a man
and woman sang. “Welcome. It’s so wonderful to see you again.”
Vivian and Stuart were warmly greeted by whom I presumed to be Mr.
and Mrs. Jacobs, with a quick embrace that included a brushing kiss
on their cheeks and a handshake.

“Evelyn, Maxwell, you remember our youngest
son, Evan, don’t you?” Vivian offered as they stepped aside for us
to enter.

“Of course,” Mr. Jacobs greeted Evan with a
handshake.

“And this is his girlfriend, Emily Thomas,”
she introduced. I smiled politely.

“Thank you for joining us,” Mrs. Jacobs said
grasping my right hand between her two cool, soft palms.

“Thank you for having me,” I replied.

Evan slipped my coat off and handed it to a
formally poised man, dressed in a tuxedo.

I was too distracted by the grand foyer, with
its huge crystal chandelier and expansive stone staircase with a
large red carpet running down the center, to notice Evan staring at
me. I glanced over at him with a start.

“What?!” I was afraid I’d done something
wrong already.

“Another pink sweater, huh? You’re killing
me.”

I looked at him with wide eyes, my face
flooded with color. “Evan!”

He smiled as we followed his parents into a
room to the right of the foyer. I wasn’t about to admit that seeing
him in the dark tailored suit was just as distracting.

We entered a large room that could easily
contain the entire first floor of my house within its walls, with a
ceiling that was easily two stories high. The windows along the
front of the house were framed with heavy ivory scrolled drapes
that were held open with tasseled ropes. The top half of the walls
were adorned with soft coral wallpaper, set above ivory wood panels
embossed with leafing scrolls. On the large wall across from the
entrance, hung two large paintings of a garden and a woman dressed
around the period the house was constructed, and another portrait
of the mansion was centered on the wall opposite the windows. The
remaining wall housed a stone fireplace that was as tall as I was.
Hanging above it was a pewter framed mirror that duplicated the
size of the massive stone structure.

As predicted, there wasn’t anywhere to sit.
There were several oversized antique chairs set against the walls,
but they were obviously for appearances only. The only other piece
of furniture was a large stone topped table with dark wood legs
gathered in the center that rolled out into a round base. Set on
the round surface was the biggest floral arrangement I’d ever seen.
It looked like a tree of flowers with different colors and textures
- it was absolutely amazing.

“Are you okay?” Evan asked, as my unblinking
eyes scanned the room.

“Sure,” I replied slowly, nodding my head. He
smiled and grabbed my hand to escort me to the corner of the
room.

“Evan,” a deep, distinguished voice greeted.
It belonged to a man of average height, much shorter than Evan,
with dark wavy hair and a thick black mustache. “How are you?
Stuart said you were going to be here this evening.”

“It’s great to see you, Mr. Nicols,” Evan
acknowledged, shaking his hand. “Mr. Nicols, this is Emma Thomas.
We go to school together. Emma, this is Mr. Nicols. He belongs to
the same firm as my father.”

“Aren’t you stunning,” he observed, cupping
my hand in both of his as his eyes rolled over me. I was taken
aback by the greeting, and forced an uncomfortable smile. “Evan,
you should bring your girls around here more often.” He nudged Evan
with his elbow. It took everything I had to keep an even
expression.

After a few more exchanges about soccer and
Evan’s winter travel plans, Mr. Nicols excused himself. I let out
the breath I’d been holding while in his presence.

“I am so sorry. I had no idea - well, I was
afraid - but still didn’t think anyone would actually be that
rude.”

“That was interesting,” was all I could
say.

“Want something to eat?” he asked, nodding
toward a server dressed in a tux, carrying a silver tray of
bite-sized food.

“I’m okay.”

“This will be over before you know it,” he
promised.

“You keep saying that,” I mumbled, but began
to wonder if he was saying it to himself as much as he was to
me.

At that time, Vivian approached us with a
portly man wearing small frameless glasses. He had a ring of white
hair that blended with his pale complexion, contrasted by his ruddy
cheeks.

“Evan, you remember Dr. Eckel, correct?”
Vivian presented the small round man.