He doesn’t respond, simply begins weaving the ties through the fabric on either side of the open back and cinching it with a bow. “There,” he says, gently patting my back, his touch lingering just a tad longer than needed.
I turn back around. “Thank you,” I say quietly.
He nods, avoiding eye contact. “Ready to go?”
“Sure.” I dig out a pair of wedge sandals from my bag, grab my purse from the countertop, and follow Alec out the door.
“Oooh, don’t you look pretty,” Lilly says, coming out of her room across the hall.
“Thank you,” I say, sidling up to her. I wish those words had come from Alec, but I’ll take them from Lilly too.
Asher and Olivia exit their room as well, and all of us make our way to the middle deck where the ramp to the dock is. I find myself walking with Lilly as we all make our way to a car waiting for us at the base of the pier. I even sit next to her in the car, with Alec sitting up front near Marcus.
Whatever. It’s not like it really matters whether he pays me attention or not. And the stakes of this charade fall fully to him. I’m being paid to be here no matter what, I rationalize. Determined to not let whatever weird tension is in the air get to me, I stare out the window at the setting sun as we make our way to the restaurant.
Once we arrive, I understand why Alec requested I wear my nicest dress. This place is fancy. The servers are dressed to the nines, and the seating area juts out over the water, offering a gorgeous view of the ocean bathed in the sunset.
The host leads us to a table on the deck. I make myself sit next to Alec, knowing it would be weird if I were to sit somewhere else. Even though I’d rather spend the evening chatting with Lilly. We order drinks and fall into casual conversation. Alec begins speaking with Marcus and Julia to his right, turning his back to me just enough that I feel as though entering the conversation myself would be an intrusion.
I glance left at Asher and Olivia, but they seem to be caught up in a conversation with Aiden and Lilly about something I have nothing to add to. So I sit in silence, glancing around the restaurant. When the server sets our drinks down, I gratefully take mine and bring it to my lips, taking a sip. This already feels like it’s going to be a long night.
Marcus and Julia insist that this restaurant is known for their fish, so I order some kind of salmon dish, as does most everyone else. When the food arrives, I pick at it slowly. It’s amazing, just as they’d promised, but I can’t help but feel the tension leaking off of Alec to my right. Is something wrong?
Part of me wonders if others can feel this too. Maybe Marcus and Julia think we’re fighting. Or worse—they know this is all a complete sham. Should I try to initiate some sort of conversation?
But what the hell am I thinking? Alec is the one who wanted this. Who proposed this and went ahead with this scheme. It’s up to him to do the legwork here.
Frustrated, I take a big bite of salmon and chew.
“So, Olivia,” Julia says, diverting her attention across the table. “Asher tells us you play a vital role in the company.”
Olivia smiles humbly. “I oversee administration,” she says. She talks for a bit about how she started at the company and her dedication to its mission. She never really saw herself in tech, but has been loving it nonetheless.
“And Lilly, you run one of King Tech’s nonprofits?” Julia asks after Olivia has finished.
“I do.” Lilly beams. “The Maria King Foundation. It offers art programs for kids in the Seattle community, as well as hosting art shows displaying local talent.”
“So fascinating,” Julia says, and the two of them talk about art and philanthropic endeavors for a while. Apparently, Julia has goals of starting a nonprofit herself.
“And what about you, Ella? I don’t think Alec has told us what you do,” Julia finally turns to me.
Startled, I put my glass down. “Oh. I, uh …”
But Alec beats me to it. Placing a hand over my own and squeezing gently, he says, “Oh, Ella is the perfect, little housewife.”
I look at him, somewhat surprised. I guess we hadn’t really discussed this part, but I kind of just assumed that if asked, I’d tell the truth. I just graduated college, and I’m planning on going to vet school.
But maybe that isn’t fitting for a wife of Alec’s stature.
“A noble calling,” Julia says, and I can tell she means it. And it’s not that I disagree, it’s just not … me. And what would being a housewife to Alec King entail? Surely nothing like being a normal housewife. I’m sure he has people to do everything for him. So where would that leave me? Lounging around and doing nothing? It’s not like we even have kids in this story.
“I love nothing more than to simply take care of her,” Alec goes on, clasping my hand in his and bringing it to his lips for a quick kiss.
He force myself to smile.
The conversation quickly flits to something else. Unlike Olivia and Lilly, there isn’t much to discuss about me. Only, there is. I have goals, dreams, plans I’m excited about it. And I know this is all just a charade and I’ll never see these people again, but I don’t know if I’ve ever felt smaller than in this single moment. Sitting next to the richest and most accomplished people I’ve ever met, and being presented as a young, naïve girl who simply lives off her older husband’s hard work.
I know this isn’t real. But it still feels like shit anyway.