For once in my life, I was actually not dreading a family party.

How could I?

My best girlfriend, my best guy friend, and my boyfriend were all going with me. There was no way that I couldn’t be happy, even if my four-inch heels were rubbing blisters on my toes. That was beside the point. My mother could’ve forced me to wear a dress with sequins and it still wouldn’t have crushed my mood.

“Damn we are hot,” Letty said as the two of us stood side by side in front of the mirror in our dorm room. From head to toe, we were picture perfect. There was no way my mother wouldn’t approve.

I held my fist towards her. “Yes, we do.”

She bumped my fist with hers, and flicked her hip in my direction. She really did look incredibly beautiful. That dress was made for her.

“I’ve never been to such a fancy party. What if I eat with the wrong fork or say something completely stupid? I mean, there’s a good chance I’m totally going to embarrass you. I hope you know that.”

I laughed. “It won’t be that bad. I promise. You’re going to be fine. I swear you’re worse than Jude when it comes to worrying. It doesn’t matter which fork you eat with. You can eat with your fingers for all I care. Now come on. The guys are waiting.”

It was the first time I’d seen her so… Unwound.

She wasn’t the worrying type. She was the –I don’t give a shit what people think, type.

“Before you showed up I never wanted a roommate. I liked being alone. I was used to it.” She eyed me through her long dark lashes. “But, I’m glad you came. I sort of love you.” She shrugged.

“That was so sappy. Are you sick?” I joked. “I’m kidding. I love you too. Now if you don’t go back to being ruthless and cunning, then I’m going to assume an alien abducted you and I’m going to leave your ass here.” I told her. “That’d be a waste of a perfectly good dress.”

“Touche’.”

As we made our way down the steps and out the front door of our building, I silently thanked myself for not getting Letty heels over two-inches. It took us five minutes to make it down the steps. You should’ve seen the way she wobbled. We were going to have to find her a nice stool to sit on at the party so that she didn’t accidentally fall on her face.

“You’re so graceful,” I lied, letting the sarcasm flow freely. She was anything but graceful, so it was a good thing she looked hot.

“Eat a dick,” she countered as her nostrils flared.

“Aaaannnd. You’re back.”

I held out my arm so that she could hold onto me and get her balance. We probably should’ve practiced walking before she stepped out into public.

“Look at you,” I said the moment I saw Jude. My eyes raked over him taking in every gorgeous inch of him. It was like looking at a whole other person.

He looked so good. It was the first time I’d ever seen him without his boots. He was hot on a whole other level.

“You look beautiful,” he told me just before kissing my cheek. His kisses still made me weak in the knees.

“You look so hot,” I whispered and felt Letty release my arm. “But I do love your boots and hat better.”

“Me too,” he agreed with a heart-stopping smile.

“Let’s go lovebirds. You’re making me sick.” Letty’s voice called out.

Of course, I had to kiss Jude again. Who could resist?

* * *

We arrived at the party a little early in case Mom needed anything. And by early, I meant right on time. In their world no one showed up to a party on time. It always drove me crazy.

My mother was a stickler for perfection, so I was sure she had everything under control. She probably ended up hiring a party planner once I sent out a hundred email invitations. There was no way she was getting her hands dirty. Not while she was holding a squeaky clean credit card. When we talked over lunch, she told me that she was handling everything on her own, except for the invites.

Just saying that out loud was funny. If it didn’t involve shopping, there was no way she handled it.

Nope.

The moment I saw the fancy lace linens and the three-foot centerpieces I knew that there had to be a Molly running around somewhere with a fancy headset. My mother called everyone Molly. It was like the automatic name for hired help, and it was so embarrassing.

Disgusting, I know.

The LUX Lounge was my Dad’s favorite spot when he wasn’t at work, and it was the perfect place for his party. He said there wasn’t a place within a hundred miles that could cook a steak as good as Durant from the LUX. Yep, he was on a first name basis with the chef. No expense would be spared for his birthday, and I was positive that the steaks were already cooking. My mother shut the whole place down just for him, which must have cost a fortune. She never earned a penny her entire life, but she could sure spend them.

The lights were twinkling around the room, and a lady with a clipboard and headset hurried over to us. Obviously, we were the first ones there since no one checked us at the door, and by the wide-eyed look of the girl, I knew my mother had already unleashed her wrath.

“Molly,” I gave her a sympathetic look, and she nodded. If anyone could empathize, it was me. Honestly, it was a miracle that my mother didn’t call me Molly. I gave the girl our names and told her not to sweat it. She may have been pure evil, but my mother couldn’t eat her.

This was going to be a long night.

Just as we were walking in, Josh told Letty he’d pretend to be her date so that they wouldn’t look like the only losers there, and she agreed. I think she just wanted someone to help keep her from falling down.

Jude kept my fingers locked with his as we walked into the restaurant. He barely spoke as he stared around the room. Clearly he wasn’t used to such lavish parties.

I wasn’t calling him poor. His family wasn’t poor by any means, and it wouldn’t matter if they were. I loved him because he was kind, sweet, and sexy as hell, not because of money.

His family owned a ton of land, and a horse farm that was out of this world. So maybe they were rich. But his family loved each other, and they had a closeness that was unusual. To me, that’s what made them rich. Wealth came in many forms. Hand-painted plates and five-generation china had nothing to do with it.

His grip tightened on my hand when my Mother called out my name, like he knew exactly who she was. Her silver heels clanked against the floor as she made her way over to us. She was perfection as usual, not a hair out of place.

“Hello sweetheart,” she said.

“Mom,” I replied, though she barely allowed me to speak.

“Oh Josh,” she called out as she stepped right past me to give him a hug.

I glanced up at Jude who was gazing at me with love. My mother didn’t have the effect on him that I was expecting. He was there for me. He was my ultimate support, and I loved him for it.

My mother stood there next to Josh and let him introduce Letty. Was I chopped liver? Had I suddenly gone invisible? The woman was ridiculous. She failed to acknowledge that I had brought a date, never even tried to introduce herself to him. She was in rare form.

“Mom,” I spoke again. My patience was running thin. It was the second time I’d tried to get her attention, but she kept talking away like I wasn’t even there. She was talking to Letty, like she’d known her all her life. “Why don’t you go get Letty something to drink?” I told Josh so that he’d have a reason to walk away.

He slipped an arm around Letty’s waist and led her towards the bar.

Finally I had her full attention.

And finally she noticed Jude.

It was about time.

She had to have noticed him before. He was over six foot tall and the sexiest guy in the room. She was just trying to prove a point to me.

“Mom,” I fake smiled. “I’d like to introduce you to my boyfriend Jude.”

I could see the hardened look on her face. But the moment he opened his mouth it was all over.

“Good evening Ma’am,” God his voice was sexy. “How about we get you something to drink?” He offered her his arm like the perfect gentleman and was true to his word. He was going to charm the heels right off her.

If I thought I wouldn’t get scolded I would’ve squealed.

When he glanced back over his shoulder, he winked, leaving me with the biggest smile. I was such a lucky girl.

My Dad came through the glass entry door just as we were getting our champagne. It had been a while since I’d seen him so I hurried over to catch him before anyone else did. I wanted to hug him and talk to him a second before everyone else occupied his time. These parties were mostly meant for business talk and the gossip mill, nothing more.

“Daddy,” I said squeezing his neck. “Happy Birthday.”

“Thank you, honey.” He hugged me back. He was in a good mood. It must’ve been a good day at work, or maybe he had some alone time with his secretary.

Yuck. I shook my head.

“Before everyone bombards you, I had to come tell you that I brought a date, my boyfriend, actually. I’m excited for you to meet him.”

“Does he have a job?” He looked at me.

“Yes,” if you counted the rodeo and caring for his parents.

“Is he nice to you?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Then I’ll meet him.”

I rolled my eyes with a sly smile. He loved giving me a hard time.

When I looked over at Jude he was still standing next to my Mom. I motioned for him to come over as soon as I got his attention. I just needed to get him through the introductions so that I could feel a little more at ease. My Dad wouldn’t grill him too bad with the present company. There were far too many important people in the room.

“Daddy, this Jude. Jude, this is my dad, Leo.”

“Nice to meet you, Sir,” Jude said extending his hand.

My dad nodded. “Good handshake you got there, kid. Future businessman?” He asked.

“Horse farm owner,” Jude countered.

“Nice.” My dad’s eyes seemed pleased. Obviously Jude had nothing to worry about. “I better go say something to your mother before she yells at me. I’ll see the two of you when dinner starts. “Jude,” he nodded.

“Well…” I eyed Jude, waiting for him to tell me he was ready to bolt. Surely he’d had enough. I knew nothing about this evening would be easy, but he was doing great, better than great actually. He was charming.

“I’ve got them eating out of my hand,” his eyebrows rose and a deep laugh escaped him. He was adorable when he was conniving.

Was he ever nervous or worried?

Cause it sure didn’t seem like it.

His hands snaked around my back and there was a wicked grin on his face, as he placed a soft kiss on my lips. The feel of his lips on mine made me wish that we were anywhere but in the same room as my parents.

“My feet are about to fall off. I don’t know how you do it?” Letty gave me a pained look as she and Josh came walking up next to us. She was hunched over like she’d been kicked in the shins. Heels had a way of causing immense pain that was unavoidable. It took years of cocktail parties and luncheons for me to get the hang of it.

“Be glad you don’t have mine on.” I held out my foot showing off my skinny four-inch heels.

“You must have rubber toes.”

“I wish,” I laughed. “Come on. We will go ahead and find our table, that way we can spend the rest of the night with our shoes off,” I told her. “Just smile through the pain.”

A tight-lipped mouth and an angry scowl were what she gave me in return. Obviously my sarcasm was far-fetched. Chances were good that she’d never place her feet in another pair of heels again, not that I blamed her.

The four of us were seated at a round table with my parents, and Josh’s parents. It felt like being at home all over again, like the many times that Josh and I had to sit through our grueling Friday night dinners. The adults talked business and gossip while the children wished for the dinner to be over.

It wasn’t until after the main course that my Dad started his usual round of questioning. You’d think that after his fifth bourbon on the rocks that he’d totally forget he even had a daughter, and I wouldn’t have to endure his inquisition. I didn’t want to have to answer the mountain of questions that always came up, especially not in front of my boyfriend. It was embarrassing.

“When does your internship start?” He asked, and I could feel the air being sucked out of my body.

Shit!

Why did he have to start there? It was his birthday for crying out loud. Couldn’t we talk about his golf swing?

The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I’d forgotten to tell Jude about my not so real internship.

I mean, I planned on telling him, but I just hadn’t got around to it. I also hadn’t got around to actually searching for the internship.

“I get a week off when classes let out for summer, and then I’m doing a six-week internship.” I lied through my teeth. My leg was bouncing so hard under the table that Jude had to squeeze my thigh to make it stop. He must’ve known that I was lying, but he never said a word.

I would explain everything to him as soon as we left this building and I wasn’t being stared down like I was a medium rare steak.

“You going to tell me what you’re doing? What kind of job is it?” My dad prodded. I’d been dodging this question like the plague, trying to avoid more lies. But I knew I had to tell him something. I could see the vein in his neck bulging as he awaited my reply. It looked like his tie was on too tight, and that vein was just daring me to tell a lie.

Okay, so I was totally irrational and losing it. But you don’t know my father. Daddy’s girl or not, he could scare ticks off of a dog.

I glanced over at Jude and I could see the confused look on his face. Hell, I was confused. I’d been lying to my dad and I couldn’t afford to get busted. I didn’t want him taking away my condo because I was a big fat liar.

There was no job. I still had no idea what I wanted to do, and I hadn’t even picked a major.

Why couldn’t they be like other parents and give me a year to decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life? But noooo. That would be too easy.

“I… Um…” I was clamming up like a mo fo.

Think of something Paislee. You look like an idiot.

He had a way of making me feel tiny, like a little bug just waiting to get squashed. I couldn’t take it, so I just blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I’m going to work for an interior design company.”

Yep, I was a big, fat, liar.

I shoveled in a bite of food quickly, not making eye contact with my father. He’d probably see right through me, but there was no going back now, and I had a feeling my cover was about to get blown. I looked to my left silently pleading with my three-man team not to say a word, not one single word.

“Interior design,” my mother’s voice rose in surprise. “That sounds wonderful.” Her overly cheerful voice made my jaws clench and my nostrils flare.

When I looked over at her I forced a smile, because I never meant to choose something that she’d be so excited about. It was the only thing I could think of on the spot. I agreed to help Jude decorate his new house, so it wasn’t a complete lie. Actually it was, but I was trying to make myself feel better.

I thought that going away to school would allow me some freedom, but I had a credit card in my purse that kept me firmly attached.

Jude’s hand rubbed my leg softly, and I had a feeling we were going to talk about this later, which was fine by me. I flat out lied to my parents and I’d forgotten to fill in my boyfriend on the make-believe internship.

“Interior design?” My Dad questioned.

I could’ve sworn that I heard Josh snicker, and I was going to punch him in the gut for it later.

“Yeah,” I glanced up at Dad for a second and then back at my plate.

The moment of silence was deafening.

“So what kind of work do you do Mr. Marcum?” Jude spoke up. He stepped in at the exact right moment. The moment before I broke out in an awful sweat, and confessed.

Oh thank you, Jude.

One business question and my Dad’s attention was averted. Not only was my boyfriend charming, he was also charismatic. Once Dad started talking business with Jude, he stopped asking questions. Hell, he didn’t even talk to me for the rest of the meal.

I was A-Okay with that.

Of course it left Jude in the hot seat. He was forced to listen to the ins and outs of my father’s career. I was going to owe him big after tonight, and I was more than willing to pay up.

When dinner was over, and my Dad shuffled off to have cigars with his buddies, I planned a quick escape. We said our goodbyes to my mom and hurried out the doors.

“That was brutal,” Letty spoke first as we walked to the car.

“Tell me about it,” I agreed. “I owe you guys for sitting through that dreadful dinner. I promise I’ll take us all out for drinks before spring break is over.”

“You want to tell us all about your internship?” Josh said with a laugh. I gave him a quick punch to the gut. “Ouch, what was that for?”

“For laughing at the table you jackass,” I rebutted.

Josh snickered. “I’m sorry, but that was hilarious. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you freak like that.”

“I was on the spot. Dad expects me to have an internship since I haven’t chosen a major. He says a little experience will help me. It was either find my own, or spend the summer working with him.” I explained. Working with my Dad wasn’t an option.

Josh groaned. “Good choice. Fake interior design sounds way better.”

“Shut up.” I rolled my eyes. I took Jude’s rough hand in mine and gave it a little squeeze. “Thanks for tonight. I know it wasn’t easy.”

“You’re welcome darlin’. If I can handle a bull-headed bucking bronco, then your parents were a piece of cake.”

“Mmmmm. Cake.” Letty said. “I think I’ve earned it.” She held out her shoes and we all laughed.

Cake didn’t sound too bad.

Just like that, the night ended as well as it started.