Chapter 63
Jasmine sent one more message to Nick despite his lack of a response.
I might need to take you up on your offer.
She locked her phone and put on her polite neutral face.
The second the foyer was in sight a large crowd of people jumped up and yelled, “Surprise!”
She tried to feign surprise, but she wasn’t as good at it as her mom.
The entirety of the living space was covered in blue and pink streamers and balloons, all perfectly placed. The back wall was dominated by a massive buffet of food that could feed a small army. Next to the door was a table stacked three boxes high and six wide with gifts, all wrapped beautifully.
The elaborate nature of the event made Jasmine wonder just how long her mother knew, given the amount of planning needed to put this together.
With tentative steps she walked forward and was swarmed by all the well-wishers. Many she recognized from debutante balls and galas from her childhood; she held no love for any of them. They didn’t care about her or her baby either, but they could never miss an opportunity to schmooze and get in good with the Thorntons.
There were many questions asking how her studies had been, was she so excited to be home, would she be taking over from her father after the baby was born.
She gave polite, if vague, answers of “They were enlightening” and “We’ll see what the future holds.”
She was thrust into several party games that she didn’t want to participate in, from making babies out of dough, to seeing who could hang up the most diapers in a minute. It was tedious and dumb, but harmless enough.
The suitors that Susan had invited participated as well; some of them made an uncomfortable amount of eye contact with her, like they were analyzing their prey. Nathan was the only one who actively avoided her and her gaze.
The saving grace was Andrea relentlessly flirted with all of them, particularly the ones that looked like they were about to walk up to her sister. It took the third interference for Jasmine to realize her sister was acting as guard for her.
She wasn’t a lost cause after all. Even now her little sister tried to protect her, hiding behind a veil of promiscuity. Jasmine made a note to make sure her sister was okay and not being taken advantage of.
It wasn’t until the gift time of the shower that things truly got uncomfortable.
Most of the gifts were ones you’d expect at a baby shower, if the expensive versions of them. A bassinet, clothes from high end brands that they would outgrow in a month, and plenty of diapers. She already had the majority of these packed into her tiny apartment, but she kept the polite smile.
She kept track of whose gifts she had opened, and the five smallest that remained were all from her “potential” suitors.
After the third gift, she saw the pattern. Each was an extravagant piece of jewelry, from necklaces to bracelets to earrings. Tucked underneath each bow were small cards with various dates and times that spanned the whole week, accompanied by various sentiments of wishing to get to know each other a little better.
This wasn’t a game she was going to play.
After the final gift was opened, she looked at the gathered men. “Thank you, gentleman, for your gifts. Unfortunately, jewelry is not something I usually wear, and I don’t have any space for it. If you’d like to save your money and return them, I’d understand.”
Despite the careful wording, a flurry of murmurs swept over the room. To deny a gift was the equivalent to a slap on the face, which is exactly what Jasmine was going for. She drew the line in the sand, and the mortified expression on her mother’s face was the cherry on top.
One of them stepped forward, Mark, if she remembered correctly.
“Please, keep it as a form of congratulations. Even if you decide to sell it, I’ll be happy knowing it’s helped you in some small way.”
A woman she could only guess was his mother beamed with pride. He certainly knew how to play the game well.
The others tried to catch up and echoed the sentiment.
“Thank you. I appreciate it, really. Now, you all enjoy the rest of the party. Between the food and the baby, I’m exhausted, and I need some rest.”
A chorus of “Of course, dear” and “We understand” resounded through the room, and Jasmine made a quick departure to her father’s room. She was confident her mom would entertain them until they all left, and even if she didn’t her dad would be a buffer between them.
She laid down on the futon and rubbed her belly absent-mindedly.
“It looks like it could have been worse,” her father said.
“It always could. Did you know she brought men over to try and flirt with me?”
He shook his head. “I knew about the baby shower, but that was it.”
“You could have warned me about it anyway.”
“I thought you’d like it, or at least the gifts.”
She sighed. He still didn’t really understand her, though he was at least trying. “I didn’t need the gifts. I could afford all the stuff on my own.”
“You’re making that much right out of college?”
“It’s a management position at one of the largest companies in the world. Not that surprising.” She wanted to downplay her own initial shock at the salary.
“Has the father contributed anything?” he asked, as if he didn’t believe she could sustain herself.
“He gave me a place to live that Mom and Andrea couldn’t get to.” The bitterness of her family situation returned to her voice.
“You moved in with him?” The distress on his face made her laugh. It was too easy to poke at his traditional buttons. She’d done it a lot as a teenager, and she hadn’t lost her flare for it.
“No. He had an empty apartment he moved me and my friend into.”
His body relaxed. “It seems the last few months have been quite exciting for you.”
“Exciting is one word for it.”
In the silence, Jasmine pulled out her phone and typed out another message to Nick.
Things are okay right now. I hope you’re doing well.
Once again, the message was read but no response. If he was waiting for her, why did he not respond? It felt like some sort of cruel joke.
Just four more days and she’d be back in New York to ask him herself.
Just four more days.