Ethan regarded himself in the mirror and considered changing outfits for the third time that evening. The three-piece suit was the only one he owned, but he couldn’t decide if it was too dressy for the dinner or not dressy enough. Maybe the tie was the problem. Was red too bold? He looked at his tie drawer and tried to decide if he owned anything appropriately restrained. Ties were his favorite method of expressing himself via clothing—other than socks, but he had already chosen some painfully plain gray trouser socks tonight in case his polka dots might offend—but he didn’t really own any boring ties.

  “Aren’t you ready yet?” Zoe asked from the doorway, eyebrows lifted in amusement as she watched him sift through his ties. “I swear. You’re fussier about your appearance than most women!”

  “Says the woman who barely has to make an effort to look perfect in anything she puts on…” he muttered, noticing how elegant she looked in the simplest of black dresses, her blond hair wrapped up on her head in a chignon and only a delicate diamond pendant hanging around her neck for ornamentation. For Ethan, his clothing was part of his brand and he had cultivated the perfect balance of refinement and casual accents to balance his sophisticated taste with a sense of humor and fun. Zoe, on the other hand, could wear a t-shirt and sweatpants and look like she was ready for the runway.

  “Come on! We don’t want to be late.”

  “This is my first time meeting your father,” he protested. “I want everything to be perfect.”

  Her expression darkened and she looked away, that pinched look that sometimes appeared when she talked about her family asserting itself once again. “It’s just dad. And it’s more important that you arrive on time than you look perfect. He probably won’t even notice what you’re wearing.”

  “Fine.” Ethan gave one last look in the mirror to smooth his suit and then followed her into the hallway.

  They had moved into an apartment near campus at the beginning of the school year, and while it was still spartan the few elements they had purchased to decorate the space were high-end and carefully selected. He doubted many college students could match the style of their cheap apartment, all the more impressive since he didn’t have much money for such things and Zoe was reluctant to ask her father for any help at all. But she had a part-time job on campus and he spent every moment he wasn’t working on coursework doing freelance design projects. His portfolio was already overflowing with paid work. All he needed now to get a job was the degree. One more semester and he would be there. He already had an internship lined up in the city with a big ad agency.

  Zoe grabbed a tiny black purse and locked up while he collected the bottle of wine and fine chocolates they had bought for the occasion. Their apartment was on the bottom floor so they simply walked out the front door to her car, a purple toyota truck with over a hundred thousand Micah on it. He had offered to drive, but he’d gotten a flat tire last week and he didn’t have enough money on hand to get it fixed.

  Jumping up into the car seat and tossing her miniature purse inside, Zoe started the car and slammed her shiny black pumps on the pedals while she through the truck in reverse. He always found it amusing that she preferred a stick shift to an automatic, but she had never looked more ridiculous driving this beat up truck than she did tonight in her party dress.

  Ethan wasn’t prone to anxiety, but he had to admit he was a little nervous about this dinner. Zoe’s father wasn’t merely the father of the girl he’d been dating for a year and a half. He was a well-known philanthropist and a former senator. Ethan wasn’t worried he’d make a fool of himself or anything. He was good at small talk and also good at hiding his humble roots, but those skills required effort and focus and he had to properly prepare. He’d been reading up on Mr. Stevens’ career and probably knew more about his political exploits at this point than Zoe did, but he really wanted to impress the man. Ethan had big ambitions for his career, and a man like Richard Stevens could help him get there.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “You’re so quiet,” Zoe commented as she exited the highway into suburbia. “Are you really that worried?”

  “I just want this to go well,” he said.

  “You don’t have to worry so much. He’s never been the overly protective sort. I don’t think he’s ever grilled a boyfriend when I brought them home before. He’s barely interested, honestly. I mean, if you were abusive or something he might actually kill you, but beyond that he just can’t be bothered. And you couldn’t hurt a fly, so you have nothing to worry about.”

  “You’re not making me feel much better.”

  She smiled at him as she turned the truck into the long gravel driveway which was long enough that Ethan could barely see the massive house in the distance until they were halfway down it. Ethan’s family had lived in a three bedroom apartment and he had shared one of the bedrooms with three brothers until he turned eighteen and could escape. His childhood home could easily fit in one wing of the house before him now.

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah. It’s pretty embarrassing, she said, turning off the car and sighing as she stared through the windshield at the house. “Like living in a museum. And now I doubt I’ll even recognize it. I wonder how much she changed…”

  Ethan covered her hand with his own, feeling suddenly guilty for being so wrapped up in his own concerns that he forgot that she had just as much to worry about. Her parents divorced shortly before she left for college and she hadn’t been back home since he remarried. Glancing at him with gratitude, she turned her hand over so she could fold their fingers together.

  “You let me know as soon as you want to leave,” he said. “Give me a signal and we’ll be out of there in a flash.”

  “Thanks.”

  The entryway to the house was cavernous and Ethan tried not to stare as he handed his coat to a man who introduced himself as a butler—an honest-to-god butler. A woman with elaborately trussed blond hair stalked into the room on slender silver heels. Her red dress was gauzy and hardly covered her legs or chest, but she didn’t seem concerned.

  “Zoe!” she gushed in a southern accent, spreading her arms wide for a hug. “It’s so good to see you. And this must be your boyfriend.” She winked at Zoe. “What a catch!”

  Smiling stiffly, Zoe dodged the hug by plucking the wine and chocolates from Ethan’s hands and pressing them into the woman’s outstretched arms. “Here. We thought we’d bring something along to celebrate the occasion.”

  “Oh, that is so sweet.” The woman’s smile was so blindingly bright that Ethan had to look away.

  That’s when he saw the tall man behind her. Broad shouldered and thick like a retired football player, Mr. Stevens stretched out a hand to Ethan. “Good to meet you. Evan, was it?”

  “Ethan,” he corrected, trying not to grimace at the strength of Mr. Steven’s grip.

  “Susan” he said to the woman in the red dress, placing a hand on the small of her back to guide her away. “Let’s get out of this drafty room and back into the sitting room. You must be freezing in that dress. Come along, Zo.”

  Ethan glanced at Zoe as the pair walked away, noticing the tension in her posture. Rubbing gently at the back of her neck to ease her tension he smiled slightly in encouragement and she nodded. Taking a deep breath, she led the way down the hall and he marveled at her strength.

  Despite the tension, the night passed swiftly and Ethan got along with Zoe’s father better than he could have ever imagined. Unfortunately, he suspected that his rapport with Mr. Stevens was the death knell for his relationship with Zoe. They broke up two weeks later.