Page 71 of The Match

“A benefit?” Tom steps into his part now. “We didn’t hear anything about a benefit. Is it open to the general public?”

Oh, shoot.

“Well . . . no. It’s by invitation only.”

“Surely we are invited, though, and our invitation just got lost in the mail.”

“That’s exactly what happened, isn’t it, Evelyn?” says my mother. “Because you specifically called me and asked for their address a few weeks ago. And are you and Tyler still going together like you two talked about?”

Okay, so first, Mom is manipulating me into inviting Tom and Amy to the benefit, and now she is flat-out lying about me and Tyler. Where to start?

One quick look at Jake, though, answers that question for me. “I—no. I’m going to the fundraiser with Jake. He’s my date. He and I are going together.” How many more ways can I say this? Jake + Evie = Together.

My mother pouts and turns a brokenhearted smile to Tyler. “Oh. I’m terribly sorry, Tyler. I hope you’ll be able to find a date on such short notice.” Unbelievable.

“I’m sure he’ll be just fine calling one of the many girls from his little black book and asking them to leave their Barbie dream houses for the night.” Hang on. He isn’t even invited to the fundraiser! Did I just get tricked into inviting him too?

“Don’t be jealous, Evie. You know you’re my number one choice. Just say the word and I’ll go with you.”

I’m gritting my teeth so hard they’re close to shattering. I glance at Jake and he’s already looking at me with an expression so hard to read it could be an instruction manual from Ikea. “Like I said, I don’t need you to go with me, Tyler, because I’m going with Jake. The man sitting right here beside me.”

“Right. Sorry, man. I didn’t mean to make you feel weird.”

“You didn’t,” Jake says, but his voice is so hard that it’s clear he’s annoyed.

“Oh, Jacob, you’ll have to excuse all of us.” My mom’s voice grates on me. “We tend to go on and on about Tyler and Evie because . . . well, there’s no other way to say it, but we’ve all been waiting for the day they finally get back together and tie the knot.”

Honestly, I’m shocked. I shouldn’t be, but I am. I knew my family was capable of some manipulative shit, but this is so out of bounds. “Mother.” I use that title as a warning. I’m about to lay into her at this table in front of everyone when my dad pipes up, blotting his mouth and setting his napkin down.

“Come on, Evelyn. Enough is enough. It’s time you stop this hippie lifestyle of yours and get back to real life. Tyler is your future. No offense to Jacob, because I’m sure he’s working very hard in his business, but he can’t give you the life you’re accustomed to by owning a small-scale residential architectural firm. But Tyler can give you the life you deserve right now, and he’s willing to do it. I’m sure he would even bankroll your little dog business too, if it means that much to you.”

“Don’t you remember how good together you two were in high school?” asks Amy, jumping in with a smile that I want to smack off her face.

“It’s true, Eves. We were great together, and I’d like for us to be a we again. What do you say?”

Is this really happening? Please tell me this is just a nightmare, and any minute now I’m going to look down and realize that I’m not wearing pants. I’ll wake up in a cold sweat and then immediately call Jake, and he will make me feel better by laughing and saying it was just a dream, because in real life we would never be so ignorant as to willingly set foot in my parents’ house. I feel so silly for trusting that this was ever about her giving me a check for the company.

I don’t want to look at Jake. I’m so humiliated by the way my parents are treating him, especially when his parents were so kind and welcoming to me. But I do, and his expression breaks my heart further. His jaw ticks. His eyes cast down. I can feel him slipping away from me.

I want to cry right here at the table. This night had started out so well for us, promised so many things, and now here we are, sitting at this table, and a wall is being constructed between us for all to witness, just like they planned.

And now I’m pissed. I shoot up out of my seat and make the legs scrape painfully loud against the floor. Good! I hope they leave a big ugly scratch! “That’s it. We’re leaving.”

Jake stands beside me, but his movements aren’t as full of fire as mine are. I grab his hand and Charlie’s leash, and we start walking from the room, hearing everyone’s protests behind us. I then whirl around and level each of them with a searing glare. “For the last time, I’m not going to marry Tyler. And all of you should be ashamed of yourselves and the way you treated me and Jake tonight. Consider yourselves uninvited from the benefit, and uninvited from my life. Lose my number.”

“Evelyn Grace,” my mother says, fire blazing in her eyes. “Are you forgetting about something?” She’s referring to the check she’s trying to dangle in front of my face.

“Keep it. I don’t want your manipulative money supporting my company anyway.”

I grip Jake’s hand tighter and race us through the house and out the front door like we just robbed a bank. The second we’ve put enough feet between us and the enemy, I drop Jake’s hand and turn around to face him. “I am so sorry! I had no idea they were going to gang up on us like that. It was a trap, and I should have seen it coming!” He’s not meeting my eye. He’s looking over my head into the distance, and I can feel that wall between us grow taller. “Jake, please look at me.” He does, but the look in his eyes says things have changed. My heart squeezes painfully.

I’m desperate to get him to understand that I do not share my family’s opinions, so I put both of my hands on his face to hold his attention on me. “Everything they said was a lie. They are master manipulators, and you can’t trust anything that comes out of their mouths. Please believe me. And I swear I didn’t tell them you own Goddard Smith . . . because I don’t even care what company you own. I just want you.”

Jake doesn’t say he wants me too. He doesn’t say everything is okay and that he trusts me. His eyes are meeting mine, but I don’t think he’s really even seeing me.

“I don’t know anymore . . .” is what he says before pulling away and walking toward the truck.

My arms fall back to my sides. “Where are you going?”

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