I changed outfits five times trying to figure out what you wore to a senator’s barbeque. To anyone else’s party, I would have worn shorts and a T-shirt, but I had a feeling this was going to be fancier. Still, I wanted to be myself and comfortable. I tried on a sundress, but it felt like I was trying to be something I wasn’t—preppy. It was like I was trying to be a mini-Lauren. I changed into a pair of khaki capri pants and a red boatneck shirt dressier than my other casual tees. Then I decided that I’d dress it up a bit with a pair of red sandals instead of my usual sneakers. It was cute, but not too casual.

I thought I’d blend right into the crowd until I got there and saw every other woman in a sundress. And all of them seemed to be in a similar type of bright-colored print. It was like there was some store or designer they all knew about, and I was one hundred percent unfamiliar with it. As more and more women showed up wearing pink and green print dresses while carrying matching bags, I started to wonder if everyone but me was the member of some preppy cult. One of the servers dropped a stack of napkins near me, and I stopped to help her pick them up. I couldn’t find Brendon so I texted him saying I was there.

“Hey, Emme,” he said, coming over. “So happy you came. Come on, I want you to meet everyone.”

He took me over to meet his brother Jayson, who was even better-looking in person. Jayson was a few years older than Brendon, and he had lighter brown eyes and cheekbones that reminded me of a ski instructor in the Alps. There was a blonde girl standing next to him in a yellow sundress and grasping Jayson’s arm like it was a life preserver.

“Hey, I’ve heard a lot about you,” he said. “This is my girlfriend, Brooke.”

Brooke gave me a once over and a half smile.

Mrs. Agretti walked over to get Jayson, and Brendon introduced me to her.

“This is Emme, the girl I told you about,” he said.

“Right, of course, Emily,” she said, reaching her hand out like she was going to shake mine and then somehow getting distracted and turning away before we connected. “Brendon, your father is going to want you to greet the Steins. Go now.”

“Yeah. I’ll be back in a minute, Emme,” he said.

I stood there like an idiot as they left me there alone. Glancing around, I tried to make eye contact with someone I could talk to, but it was like I was invisible.

“And you must be Emme Trybus.”

Senator Agretti stood in front of me with his hand out.

“Yes, hello. It’s nice to meet you,” I said, shaking his hand.

“Well, I just had to come over and meet the girl who keeps my son on the phone twenty-four hours a day. You know Brendon avoids making calls if he can, texts and e-mails are his thing, so when I saw him making the effort to call you, I knew you were special.”

“Oh, well…um…” I stammered like a complete idiot trying to figure out how to handle what he said.

Senator Agretti put his other hand on top of mine, and it was like he had laser focus as he asked me if I was enjoying the barbeque.

“Well, I just got here, but so far it seems great,” I said.

“Did either of my sons offer you a beverage?”

“Uh, no.”

“Kids today. No manners. Now what would you like? We have cherry lemonade, which is amazing. Made with homegrown Traverse City cherries. Would you like Jayson to get you a glass?”

I nodded, but it seemed like he was selling the lemonade on TV rather than casually offering me a drink. He was completely different from any other father I had ever met. He even smelled different with all the cologne he wore. Senator Agretti had this way of making you feel like you were the only person in the room as he zeroed in on you.

“Dale, come over here and meet my future daughter-in-law,” he said with a laugh. A man walked over, and I recognized Dale as being the guy whose name was always being mentioned as a possible Presidential candidate.

“Emme Trybus, this is Congressman Dale Allington.”

Congressman Allington shook my hand as Senator Agretti said I was dating Brendon.

“Apparently you have his father’s approval since he’s planning your wedding,” Congressman Allington said, laughing.

“Brendon never likes to talk on the phone and suddenly he meets Emme, and it’s like it is attached to his head,” Senator Agretti said. “So far I like everything about her, but her one giant flaw.”

I felt my adrenaline shoot up and then he said, “There’s the unfortunate fact she is too young to register to vote.”

Both the men laughed, and I pretended to join in, but the conversation wasn’t like anything I had experienced before. His dad was being attentive, but it seemed a bit over the top. But at least he was paying attention to me, and he was friendly.

Brendon came over, and his dad slapped him on the back.

“Just talking to my future daughter-in-law here, and she is as lovely as you described,” his dad said.

“Way to freak her out, Dad,” Brendon said, but he was smiling.

“You two have fun.”

“Well, you made a great first impression,” Brendon said to me.

“I’m not sure how, since I didn’t say much.”

“Dad can tell right away if he likes someone. He takes in how people present themselves and how they interact with people. We were standing together when you helped the server pick up the napkins.”

“It wasn’t that big a deal.”

“Three people walked past her, and Brooke almost stepped on her hand,” Brendon said.

Jayson brought my lemonade over, and Brooke came with him.

“So you’re Brendon’s latest,” she said with a big smile. “Just kidding. I always tease Brendon, don’t I?”

She beamed up at him with her bleached teeth, and I was uncomfortable with how she was touching his arm. It was exactly what my ex-boyfriend, John’s, ex-girlfriend used to do. At the time my intuition told me something was up, and I ignored it because I didn’t want it to be true. And right now I was getting the same bad vibes from Brooke.

Senator Agretti came back over, and I almost puked when Brooke put her arms around his waist and started saying how “ah-may-zing” he was. Brendon didn’t say anything, but I saw his mother roll her eyes behind Brooke’s back. I couldn’t imagine doing that with a friend or a boyfriend’s father.

“Well, thank you, Brooke. If only the voters all shared those feelings,” he said, and then moved away from her. He exchanged a raised eyebrow with his wife, and I got the feeling neither one was on Team Brooke.

“Emme, I’m sorry I rushed off when you first got here,” Mrs. Agretti said. “And Brendon pointed out I got your name wrong—I’m so embarrassed.”

“Oh, it’s fine. Not the first time I’ve been called Emily.”

“Well, you have a beautiful and unique name,” she said. “Now let’s get you a plate before all the men eat up the food. We’re always outnumbered at these things.”

I followed her to the table set up, and she handed me a plate.

“Would you like a hot dog bun or a hamburger bun?” she asked.

“Mom, Emme doesn’t eat meat,” Brendon said. I felt uneasy as I saw her try to figure out how to respond.

“Oh, well, what can we find for you?” she asked.

“I usually make a veggie burger with just lettuce and tomato and pickles on a bun,” I said. It was my usual go-to at events like this, and I thought it’d look less weird if I pretended to be eating a burger in front of everyone.

“Problem solved,” she said. “Do you like avocado? We have some in the kitchen I can get for you. Come with me.”

We walked to the kitchen together. Their all-white kitchen was huge, like something from a decorating magazine.

“I’m sorry I’m so underdressed,” I said. “Brendon said it was a barbeque, and I didn’t think to ask what I was supposed to wear.”

“You look fine,” she said, and then I saw her look past me and frown. I followed her gaze and saw Brooke standing next to Brendon with hand on his bicep. “Emme, why don’t you let me deal with this veggie burger, and you can get back out there with Brendon.”

I walked back outside, feeling queasy as I watched Brooke laughing and putting her head on Brendon’s shoulder. I couldn’t see his face, but wondered if he was into her little girly helpless act. Then I saw him switch his lemonade to his other hand, forcing Brooke to let go of his arm while he took a drink. Was that intentional?

“Hey guys,” I said, walking up.

Brendon gave me a smile, and he didn’t look guilty, so maybe the flirting was one-sided.

“Where’s your food?” he asked.

“Oh, your mom said she’d bring it out for me.”

Mrs. Agretti walked out then with my plate. “Why don’t you two go sit down?” she said. Brooke started to follow us when Mrs. Agretti asked her if she’d get her a bottle of water.

“I was hoping my grandparents would be here so I could introduce you, but my grandpa wasn’t having a great day,” Brendon said.

“Anything serious?” I asked.

“Nah, some days are better than others, you know?”

“Yeah. So how long have Jayson and Brooke been together?” I asked.

“They’re off and on. I don’t think he’s ready to be serious, but somehow they always find their way back to each other. Who knows?”

I took a bite of my food while wondering if everyone else was aware Brooke was leeching onto what she saw as a meal ticket, or if it was just Mrs. Agretti and me who picked up on her vibes.

“She seems friendly.”

He laughed. “I’m guessing you like her about as much as my mother does.”

“Oh?” I took another big bite to avoid having to respond.

“My mom made Jayson tell Brooke there was a dress code of no shorts because last time she showed up in these ones that were so short. I mean, my mom still brings it up.”

“Am I okay in this?” I asked.

“Trust me, you’re fine. You could enter a convent in that outfit compared to what she had on last time.”

Great, I dressed like a nun next to Jayson’s hot, flirty girlfriend.

“I wasn’t sure what to wear.”

“You look great,” he said.

My phone got a text just then, and it was from my mom saying the nurse gave Grandma some pain medication and she was going to sleep the rest of the day.

“Everything okay?” Brendon asked.

“Yeah, just an update on my grandma.”

Brendon offered to take me home as the party was winding down and went to get his keys. Senator Agretti was talking to someone and the guy seemed to be pretty aggressive. I decided to walk over to thank him for inviting me and maybe give him a break. His face brightened as he saw me come up.

“Emme, did you get enough to eat?” he asked.

“Yes, I wanted to thank you for inviting me.”

“This is our youngest’s girlfriend,” the senator said to the other guy, who couldn’t have cared less.

“Now you’ll be a sophomore this year, right?” Senator Agretti asked. I knew he was stalling to avoid his other conversation, but I didn’t mind, seeing as I hated confrontation, too.

“Now, what are you taking?” he asked, and again he focused on me like I was the only person at the event. There was no way he, or any adult, could be that interested in a high school sophomore’s schedule, but he acted like it was the most important thing in the world at the moment.

“American history, English ten, biology, creative writing—”

“Yes, Brendon said you were a writer,” he said. “Who are some of your favorite authors?”

My mind went blank, and I stammered trying to think of even one writer’s name.

“I am a Hemingway fan myself,” he said. “Have you read any of his work?”

I nodded and then noticed how he brought the other man into the conversation about books, and pretty soon he had changed the whole tone between them. Slick.

“You ready to go?” Brendon asked, coming over. I nodded and then saw Brooke approaching us.

“So nice meeting you, Emme,” she said, giving me a hug and almost gagging me with her strong perfume. “Who knows, maybe I’ll even see you again.”

Seriously? Then she went over and hugged the senator and asked him for a selfie for her social media page. She put his arm behind him, and I noticed he crossed his arms in front of himself. I wondered if that was so no one could say he put his arm around her.

Mrs. Agretti walked up then. “I want a picture of all of you together,” she said. I handed her my phone and asked if she’d take one with mine as well.

Brooke got right in between the senator and Brendon, and I wanted to barf as she giggled. Mrs. Agretti took the photo and then said, “Honey, we need one with you next to Emme.”

Senator Agretti moved over to me and put his arm around me for the photo.

“Everyone say, ‘Six more years,’” he said.

He gave me a hug good-bye, and Mrs. Agretti handed me my phone. “I took three pictures since you’re a blinker. I always make sure people get a good photo.”

She hugged me, and as we walked out, I overheard Brooke complaining, “My head’s cut off in the photo.”

“So what did you think?” Brendon asked.

Of Brooke’s leech-y ways? “What do you mean?”

“Of the party. I know it can be a bit much to come to these things, and you said it was intimidating to come here, but you did amazing. Some people get overwhelmed or act stupid, but I knew you’d be fine.”

“Everyone was pretty nice.”

“My parents both told me you were adorable.”

I was hoping for elegantly brilliant and a riveting conversationalist, but adorable was okay. Of course, next to Brooke I’d never be an exotic goddess, but then again, I would probably seem reserved and classy next to her.

He pulled up to my house, and my parents were both outside, bringing groceries out of the trunk.

“You must be Brendon,” my mom said, coming over.

“Hi, it’s so nice to finally meet you.”

Mom insisted he come in and meet Grandpa.

We walked in the side door, and Brendon saw our garden gnome in the maize-and-blue college football uniform.

“No way, that’s my team, too,” he said.

“Well, you’re okay with me then,” Dad said.

Mom made us sit down at the table and brought out some iced tea. I hoped Brendon didn’t feel put on the spot as she started asking him questions about his family.

“Mom, he still has guests at home,” I said. “He needs to get back.”

“It’s fine,” he said. “How is your mother doing, Mrs. Trybus?”

“Oh, you’re so thoughtful to ask,” she said. Gross, she was gushing. I mean, yes, he was cute, and everyone at the barbeque had been a little gushy over him, but it was embarrassing to have my own mother doing it, too.

Dad acted more normal, and Grandpa seemed more alert as he joined in the conversation. When Brendon mentioned he was looking forward to football season starting soon, Grandpa spoke up saying, “Looks like we’ll have a pretty good team this year.”

I was thrilled Grandpa was following the conversation. Maybe I had been worrying about him for nothing.

“The quarterback looks promising, but then again, I say that every year and get disappointed,” Brendon said.

Dad and Grandpa both laughed.

Brendon got a text from Jayson then, asking him to come home and save him from all the annoying questions about his future. I walked Brendon out, and he said he’d text me before he went to bed.

I walked back to the kitchen and thought my mom was going to do cartwheels.

“He’s so darling and polite,” she said. I had a feeling she was mentally planning our wedding.

“He’s a nice kid,” Dad said. “I worried he might be stuck up, but he seems down to earth. More mature than most kids his age, but he’s probably used to being around adults more.”

“Yes, he did seem more grown up. Polished,” Mom said. “Did you like him, Dad?”

Grandpa nodded. “It was nice to see Dennis again.”

“Dennis?” I asked.

“Yes, we should have him come over more often,” Grandpa said.

Mom sighed. “Dennis was Grandpa’s cousin. Dad, that wasn’t him. That was Emme’s boyfriend. Remember, Dennis has been gone for twenty years.”

Grandpa just nodded and went back to reading the newspaper like it was completely normal to think a dead man had dropped by for a visit. I went to look over at my dad, who had a surprised look on his face.

“I’m starting to think it’s more than just—”

“Not now,” my mother said, cutting Dad off.

“Okay, but it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

“Not now.”