have fit in her dad’s neighborhood. I had run by it a million times, but never realized how beautiful it was until we pulled in the drive. Issy’s new BMW fit right in with the others in the driveway and I mentally prepared myself for the nightmare that I was about to embark on. If this party was anything like Ben’s, it would be a very long two hours.
The house was beautifully decorated with white lights following every turn on the roof and stairs, as well as covering at least five trees in the yard.
Jake wrapped his arm around me as we got out of the car, looking as awed as I was. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
I looked up at him, examining his face in the soft glow of the light. He was a different person tonight and I didn’t quite know how to process it. He was waiting for a response, so I finally answered, “It really is. Who lives here?”
Issy piped in before Jake could respond. “My dad has a business partner whose son goes to Winsor, too. They bought this house so they could come and visit him whenever they wanted. Luckily, they are happily at home and Branson has the whole place to himself. He’s got a little crush.” I had no doubt it was true…most men got crushes on Issy.
“Who else is coming?” I asked as there were only five cars in the driveway.
“It’s invite only, so probably no one we know all that well. Its free liquor, though, and Caesar’s will be dead until school starts up, so you take what you can get!” She spun around and bounced up the stairs. She looked especially pretty tonight. She had kept the coloring to only a small blond streak by her face and was wearing tight black leggings with knee length boots and a flowing cashmere sweater. Her only punk item was the multicolored rhinestone belt around her waist, and honestly, it made the outfit.
Jake still had his arm around me as we walked towards the door. My conscious told me to move away from him, but I pushed it aside. Branson was there waiting and politely invited us in. You could tell he definitely wasn’t someone in Issy’s normal circle. He seemed nervous and awkward. In fact, he reminded me a lot of the guys in my study group. He had on khakis and a nice sweater, but wore pretty old fashioned glasses and his hair looked as if his mother had parted it before we got there.
“There’s drinks in the kitchen and we have music going out back,” he explained shyly, barely making eye contact with Issy.
“Wonderful!” Issy said, planting a kiss on his cheek before she headed that direction. I had to hold in my laughter as I watched him stare after her in awe.
We followed her to the kitchen and got ourselves drinks. Jake offered me a glass of wine, but I declined. No need to cloud my judgment any more than it already was.
The back of the house was even more beautiful than the front. There was a long porch with large hanging lanterns around it. The stairs led down to a walkway that ended in a covered pier overlooking the lake. The pier was lit with white Christmas lights, as well, and had two beautiful wood rocking chairs that I imagined made for breathtaking sunrises. I was naturally drawn to it and started heading that way.
I leaned on the rail, just watching the black water beneath me. It seemed to captivate me as I stared at it. I started to wonder what I was doing here, and why I always seem to allow myself to be put in situations I didn’t want to be in. Why couldn’t I just say no? Jake’s arms were suddenly wrapped around me, and I immediately felt my heart start to race. It felt too familiar. He didn’t say a word, just held me tightly as we watched the water. I thought of Parker and how unfair this was to him. I needed to end this thing with Jake once and for all; I knew I did.
“I want to know why,” I said softly. He didn’t say anything, just sighed.
I moved his arms from around me and turned to look at him. “I want to know why now, and how you went from being a guy who wanted to just have fun to being this guy. What was the turning point for you, Jake,