6. Juniper

Juniper

I looked at myself in the mirror a final time. "Are you sure this looks okay?"

"You look like a million bucks," Jay said over Facetime. "He's going to eat you up."

I hoped at least the first part was true. I went to a small boutique downtown with Casey. The woman who helped me didn't think I belonged there either, but as soon as I pulled out the card, she was more than helpful.

It was an off the shoulder navy dress that hugged my curves in all the right places. There was a slit that went up to mid thigh, showing off my calf and the matching shoes. I tried to keep the makeup tame, with a light dusting of blush, a bit of mascara, and a nude lip to top it all off. I left my hair down, using my curling rod to put in some large beach waves.

"Wear the silver hoops you have," Jay said. "The ones you wore to the cookout over the summer."

"Good call." I moved to my jewelry case and took those out, shoving them into my ears.

I wished Casey was here tonight too, to help hype me up, but she stayed late at her office again. When I told her what was going on, she laughed just as hard as I did, until she realized I was serious. She still believed he was going to rip me off, or was really carting me off to do nefarious things to me, but I believed him. And I believed this money would be a big step towards our future. Though, I did share my location with her, just in case.

I turned back to the camera. "You look perfect," they said.

"Thanks." I checked the time. "I need to go, he'll be here any minute."

"Have fun, and tell me everything on Tuesday."

"Will do."

He disappeared and I took one final look. I did look hot.

When I came back into work after Ellery’s proposition, Jay demanded details. I was able to stave them off for a little while, but not forever, and eventually I spilled that Ellery had asked me on a date. I didn't tell them about our arrangement, or meeting his parents, but I was glad to have their help getting ready. At least giving me the confidence to get through this.

The night I had gone home after accepting his ludicrous idea, I did some research. He was right, there were photos of him like this everywhere, dating back years. One of the more recent ones was with a woman with stark hair that was gorgeous. In fact, all of the women in these photos were.

I then did a bit of digging on the Scott family as a whole. Apparently Corecords was a ginormous consulting firm that made millions every year. I saw photo after photo of the family, all with hard smiles and perfect postures. Though I liked everyone I had met at dinner, it seemed Ellery was right before about the practiced smile. It was almost creepy once you started to notice.

It made me recall his words from the first night. You don’t look like you belong here. I was starting to realize he was right.

I thought about calling it off more than once over the week. Once, I even had an entire message typed out, but I couldn't bring myself to send it.

Trying to comfort myself, I opened my phone and pulled up my dream board. It may have been silly, but I looked at it whenever I needed to remember what my goals were, what I was trying to do. PlanD was my dream, moving us both up in the world. Big house, fancy car with a name I couldn’t pronounce, rejecting parties like the Baker’s because I knew the food would be terrible. This one night would cut my goal in half.

"You can do this," I said to myself.

I started to get anxious I was getting stood up. I checked the clock and it was almost half past by the time the text came through.

Ellery - I'm outside

With one final deep breath, I turned to exit my apartment. As I did, I realized with my purse and jacket in hand I couldn’t open the door. I spoke a few words and the knob turned and opened in front of me as I slid my sparkly boots on. Casey was right sometimes, a bit of magic was super useful. I did the same thing when leaving, except to close and lock the door before going down stairs.

When I saw his car on the curb I rolled my eyes. It was some kind of expensive sports car, and the exact thing I expected him to have. He was outside, leaning against it. He wore a suit that I noticed upon further inspection was navy also. Though I wasn't too keen on matching him, at least it would help sell what was happening.

"Hey." He opened the door for me in a gesture I didn't expect, at least not now when we were the only ones around. “Sorry I was late, I got distracted.”

"Hey, no worries" I responded, feeling a bit awkward. I was on his time after all.

He shut my door then came around, getting into the car himself. As soon as he was behind the wheel, his expensive cologne permeated the air. That same musky sweet smell he had the day we met.

He opened his phone and clicked around a few times. "There," he said.

I wasn't sure what he meant, until my phone chimed and my eyes widened as I looked down. Five thousand dollars had been deposited into my account.

Seeing that further cemented my reason for doing this. I could survive this one night. We drove in relative silence, soft music filling the car.

"So, is there anything I should know before I go in there?" I asked.

He wore a thoughtful expression for a moment. "I don't think so. My family can be… a lot. Just be prepared."

"I thought it was just your parents," I said, confused.

"Well, it's Sunday night dinner, so my brothers and their wives will be there, and sometimes a few cousins show up with their spouses and kids, but it’s never any more than fifteen."

I almost swallowed my tongue. I was expecting a small, easy dinner, not a family gathering, and a large one at that. My entire family was comprised of my mom, me, and my grandmother. We never really spoke to extended family.

“Thanks for the heads up,” I mumbled under my breath. Hopefully these rich people had good alcohol.

We soon arrived at a large, cast iron gate. Ellery took out some card and scanned it. There was a buzz, then the gate opened, and we were driving through. The grounds were sprawling and my mouth fell as we approached the largest house I'd ever seen.

It looked just like every other large house I'd seen in movies. Topiaries in the front, nice cars lining the drive, most likely guests, and a large, tanned mansion with a million windows.

Yeah, I was way out of my league.

When the car stopped, I reached for the handle, but Ellery stopped me.

"I wanted to give you this," he said, handing me a velvet jewelry box.

My heart started pounding. "W-what..." I stuttered.

He scoffed. "I promise, I'm not proposing. Open it."

That was assuring at the very least. When I opened it, I still gasped at what was inside.

A diamond tennis bracelet sat in there with a small moon charm on it. This thing had to be worth close to what he was paying me to be here. "I don't understand," I said.

He sighed. "It's kind of a thing in my family. When you start to get… serious about someone, you buy them jewelry to show it. Don't worry, I won't take it from your cut."

"I–thank you," I said. "I can give it back at the end of the night."

"Don't worry about it. Let's go."

He got out of the car, but I was still staring at the bracelet. I had to admit, it was beautiful. The moon was gold encrusted, and exactly my style.

My door opened and Ellery put his hand out. I took it easily, remembering why I was here.

"Let me put it on," he said once he shut the door.

I leaned back against the car door as he pressed close to me and took the bracelet. I could feel his breath on my face as he slid it on, snapping the clasps. I turned it over and gazed at it.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

I looked up and met his blue eyes, shining even in the low light. He gave me an easy nod. "We should head in."

He stepped away, and I took his arm as he put it out to me. Ellery tossed the keys to a man standing in front of the door, who I assumed to be a valet, before leading us in.

The inside was just as opulent as the outside, with crystal chandeliers and a spiral staircase. It was a more old fashioned show of wealth, not really my taste, but beautiful nonetheless.

A woman came to take our coats and Ellery led me into another room. When we arrived, there were people milling about, drinking and mingling. This felt more like an event than a family dinner.

The first person who caught my eye was a stunning woman. She was tall, with deep brown skin and curls slicked back into a bun. She was wearing a dark green dress that hugged all her curves beautifully. She was standing next to a man who looked a bit like Ellery, but not quite. His hair was a dusky brown, and it was much shorter than Ellery’s, though they had the same strong jaw and arrogant smile, and that tanned skin and toned body.

The tall woman caught us in the entry way and paused, tapping her husband on the shoulder and gesturing to us. I felt suddenly like I was under a magnifying glass.

"Ellie," a woman's voice said, pulling my attention. She was a bit shorter than me, with dark, curly hair that was gracefully graying, with stark streaks running through it. She had the same piercing blue eyes as who I assumed was her son. "How are you?"

She hugged him and he melted into it. It was sort of sweet to see him this way–softer.

"Well, let me meet your guest," she said as she pulled away.

He smiled. "Mom, this is Juniper; Juniper, my mom Clarise."

"Wonderful to meet you, dear," she said, pulling me into a hug.

"You as well," I said.

I saw her eye catch my bracelet and her eyes brightened even further.

"Here, can I get you a drink?"

"White wine would be lovely," I said.

“Is there a kind you like?” his mother asked.

I glanced at Ellery, who was being no help. Thanks a lot. “I don’t have a particular kind I like. Maybe something sweet?”

She gestured to a waiter who was walking around and named some whine that sounded way too fancy for me to drink. She also asked for a sidecar for herself, and Ellery requested a gin and tonic. It was strange to see so much staff in someone’s house, but that seemed to be the norm here.

"So, how did you two meet?" his mother asked.

I didn’t know what to say. I would assume he didn’t tell her we met that night, but any reasonable story escaped me.

“We met at the coffee shop she works at a few months ago." He said easily, as if it were true.

"Oh, you work at a coffee shop?" she asked. "Which one?"

"Beans & More downtown," I said. "But it's temporary."

"Temporary? Are you a student?"

She looked momentarily aghast at our potential age difference, but I shook my head. "No. I plan on running my own business, so I'm just doing that for now."

"Ah," she nodded. "Well you're in good hands. Business is all anyone ever talks about around here." She leaned into me. "It can get boring, so find me or Rachel if you need a break from it."

I laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."

Our drinks arrived and we continued to chat. His mother was kind and amicable. I had no idea how someone like her created someone as arrogant as her son.

Though as we stood here, I saw him smile more than I had in the entire time I knew him. And not those sleazy smirks he usually wore.

Soon Rachel and Samuel, the couple I had spotted when we first got here, joined us. Rachel was even more gorgeous up close. I noticed the giant rock on her hand, as well the bracelet, earrings, and necklace that all complemented each other. All of them were emerald in some way, and had silver accents. After the gift in the car, I wondered if Samuel had bought them all.

He was also nice. Though more keen to stand next to his sociable wife, he cracked a joke every now and then, often at Ellery's expense, which made me laugh every time.

"Dinner is ready," someone said from the other end of the room.

People started heading in that direction. Ellery led me easily, placing his hand on the small of my back. I wasn't expecting him to do it, and shivered a bit at the contact. It seemed any contact between us was destined to remind me of that night.

We stopped to drop our glasses off–Ellery offering to take his mothers, and in turn, everyone else’s, so we were the last in the room.

"Why did you tell her we met months ago?" I asked quietly, as we headed towards the dining room.

"Because I need them to believe we're serious," he said easily. We were leaned in, appearing like two lovers talking to anyone watching.

"If you're going to tell a lie, you might want to let me in on it," I said.

"Just follow my lead."

I rolled my eyes. Back was the pompous jerk I knew.

"There you are," a man's voice said from behind us.

When Ellery heard it, he froze unnaturally. We turned and it was obvious this was Ellery's father. Not because they looked very similar, save for their strong noses, but he looked a lot like Samuel, and had that same strong gaze that seemed to run in the family.

"I was wondering if you were actually bringing someone."

"Yes, dad, this is my girlfriend, Juniper. Juniper, Harvey Scott."

"A pleasure," I said as I stuck out my hand.

He took it and gave the back a kiss. Not something I was accustomed to, but didn't seem out of place here. "Let's join everyone for dinner. You know how your mother feels about tardiness."

We moved to the dining room with a large, mostly filled table running through the center. There were two seats at the top of the table, Clarise already sitting at one of them. Rachel and Samuel sat to one side, with two empty places for us next to them, then across from them was another couple I hadn't noticed before. The man was the spitting image of Harvey, making me believe he was another brother.

The woman with him looked… intense, to say the least. She had a sharp jaw and pursed lips. Her straight bob only highlighted the harshness of her features, and she had porcelain skin, making her look almost like a statue. Unlike Samuel and Rachel, they didn't seem to show any interest in one another. She did, however, have a full set of pearl jewelry on. It wasn’t as flashy as Rachel’s, but it blended into her aesthetic.

"There you are, dear," Clarice said, snapping me from my thoughts. She kissed her husband, who looked absolutely smitten. It seemed no one was immune to her charms, not even her billionaire husband.

"Sorry," he said as he sat. "My meeting ran late."

"Doesn't it always?" she asked with an eye roll. "Now that we're all here, dinner can begin."