Her mother’s haughty tone droned on in Callie’s ear. “I’m calling to let you know I will be coming to Portland tomorrow, and have made reservations for us to have lunch at La Lumiere bistro. I want you to meet a lovely young man, whose family are staunch supporters of your father. Assuming things go well at lunch, Joseph is willing to escort you to your father’s dinner on Saturday.”
Callie’s eyebrows shot up and she couldn’t keep the shock out of her voice as she said, “Escort me? Seriously Mother? I don’t need you setting me up like that.”
“I had no choice, Callista. You do not seem to be putting any effort into finding a suitable man with whom to start a relationship.”
With a long-suffering sigh, her mother went on. “It is time for you to grow up and do what is best for your family. Your father and I made it clear years ago that we would tolerate your ridiculous ambition to become a doctor, provided you remembered where your priorities lay when the time came. Now is that time, Callista. You owe this to your family. Your father and I expect you to present a suitable appearance during his campaign, and that means securing an appropriate partner now. I shall see you tomorrow, please do not be late. Joseph abhors tardiness. Goodbye.”
Stunned at her mother’s audacity, Callie stared speechless at her now silent phone. It was one thing for her parents to arrange suitable escorts to take her to high school dances, but another thing entirely for her mother to orchestrate a lunch date for Callie now that she was a grown woman. And she hadn’t given Callie a second to get a word in, much less tell her about Jake.
Her mother’s voice still rang in her ear.“You owe this to your family…”Callie could still remember overhearing her parents arguing when she was only ten years old. Her father had been berating her mother for the fact that having a child had never been a part of his plans. She knew, without either of them ever saying the words, that they both felt Callie was a nuisance, a barrier that could slow down his political progress. She had grown up believing that and wishing desperately to change their minds – to make them want her. So, if a relationship that profited their ambition was how her mother thought Callie should contribute, she felt powerless to resist. Even if the cost was her future happiness. The impossible situation she found herself in was enough to make Callie’s stomach turn.
“Oh god, Reagan, what do I do?”
“You say no! How could there be any other answer. Callie, come on. You can’t go to that lunch!”
“I have to go. I have to, even if it is only to tell my mother about Jake and ask her to back off.”
Wringing her hands with the overwhelming anxiety that was consuming her, Callie started to pace the floor of her small kitchen.
“That’s what I’ll do, I’ll go to lunch and tell Mother and this Joseph guy that I have a boyfriend and I plan to bring Jake to the party. Maybe that will keep my mother off my back for now.”
Reagan looked at her friend, frustrated that even after all these years, Callie was still so conflicted by her relationship with her parents. “Callie, you know nothing will satisfy her. Nothing. So why do you keep beating your head against the wall?”
“Trust me, Reagan, I wish I knew.”
* * *
Standing outside the upscale French bistro the next afternoon, Callie felt sick. Even though she had only been dating Jake for a short time, she couldn’t deny that what she felt in her heart was real. Being here today, knowing that her mother had essentially arranged a date for her, made her feel uncomfortable – as if she was betraying Jake. Last night she had been unable to sleep, worrying about whether she should tell him about the lunch or not. In the end, Callie decided not to say anything, and hoped that Jake would never find out about the lunch. After all, how could he possibly understand her mother’s extreme level of crazy controlling interference.
As she walked through the glass doors of the restaurant, she saw that her mother was already seated near the front window. A man was seated beside her, with his back to Callie. She winced when she realized she must be late if they were already here and winced again when she noticed the bouquet of flowers lying on the table in front of what was obviously her seat. Clearly this Joseph person figured this was a date no matter that her mother was there too.
When she reached the table, her mother looked Callie up and down, obviously critiquing her appearance. Callie started to run her hands down the pale lavender dress she was wearing then stopped. Straightening her shoulders, she tried not to let her nerves show.
“Hello, Mother, Joseph, it is nice to meet you,” Callie said. She hoped the cool, detached tone in her voice would send the message that she was not here by choice.
Before Joseph could say anything, Callie’s mother stood up and replied, “Well, Callista, it’s about time you arrived. I will be late for my appointment if I do not leave now. Do enjoy your lunch with Joseph, he is such a charming young man.”
With the briefest of air kisses aimed in Callie’s direction, her mother walked away from the table. Callie was left speechless once again at her mother’s obvious machinations.
Stunned, Callie sat down and stared at the man she was apparently eating lunch with. Joseph appeared to be slightly older than Callie, with thinning hair, and the beginning of a paunch underneath his boring white dress shirt.
Placing his napkin on the table, Joseph barely concealed his lascivious appraisal of Callie before he spoke. “I’m pleased you agreed to have lunch with me, Callista. You mother is a delightful woman and obviously wanted us to have some time alone to get to know one another.”
Callie barely held back a snort at the haughty tone in Joseph’s voice, as well as his description of her mother as delightful. Her response was biting as she said, “Look, Joseph, you need to understand something. I didn’t agree to this arrangement, my mother didn’t give me that choice. I apologize for you being stuck in the middle of whatever game she is playing, but you should know I already have a boyfriend. I hope you enjoy your lunch. I’m leaving.”
As Callie stood, Joseph stood as well, a shocked look on his face. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, he put his hand on her arm as if to stop her from leaving. At that exact moment she happened to look up to see Jake on the other side of the window, staring at them, anger and disbelief marring his handsome face.
Shaking off Joseph’s hand, Callie grabbed her purse and ran out of the restaurant. She stopped in front of Jake who was pacing back and forth on the sidewalk, running his hands through his hair in what Callie had come to realize was his habit when he was under stress.
“Jake, it isn’t what it looks like, I swear.”
Callie grabbed his arm, pleading with her eyes for him to listen to her. Shaking off her hand, Jake kept pacing, like a man whose emotions couldn’t be contained.
“Okay, so it wasn’t my girlfriend having lunch with another man, a man who brought her flowers no less. Shit, this is the last thing I ever thought I would see.”
Pain was evident in his voice, as he looked at her with desperation in his eyes, pleading her to tell him he was wrong. Callie’s eyes filled with tears as she realized how deeply she had wounded Jake by not telling him about the lunch. She had been such an idiot to think it was best to keep this from him.
“My mother insisted I meet Joseph today. She only told me about it last night and I didn’t have a chance to say no. I promise you I came here to have lunch with my mother and Joseph, and to tell them about you, about us!”
