Jennifer Lutz: Serial Dater

Chapter 14

Friday 9 August 2013 18:30 Scott Family Mansion

“You don’t have to be nervous, it’s just my family,” Charlie says reassuringly, and I scowl as I tug on my dress. We’re outside his family’s mansion, our relationship two months old and going strong, and it was about time that I met his family, aka the people I desperately need to impress and get the approval of if I want to stay with Charlie. So shoot me if I’m being paranoid. This is something I have no control over, and everyone knows how much I hate not being in control, so I don’t exactly know how to survive my current situation since I’m not used to being in it anymore.

            “It’s not like I can help it,” I snap at him.

            “Come here,” he says, pulling me into a tight hug. “There’s nothing to be scared about. They’re going to love you because I love you. You’re bloody brilliant, and I just know they’ll see what I see in you the moment you step through that door.”

            “You lost me at ‘I love you.’ Isn’t it too early for that?”

            “Not with you it isn’t.”

            “So let’s go because I love you too.”

            So we go. The walk from the car to the door is excruciatingly slow and fast at the same time. But before I knew it we’re inside and I’m being introduced to Charlie’s family. They’re all kind of lined up horizontally in the main hall, which reminds me of the Von Trapps and scares me even more, and all I could do is smile nervously as Charlie says, “Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Jen.”

            He walks me to the left of the line, to a sweet-looking little girl who looks something like a female version of Charlie.

            “I’m Lizzie,” she says, smiling up at me. “I think you’re very pretty.”

            I don’t know how she did it but just hearing those words slightly lessen my paranoia. I start to regain my confidence and smile back at her, saying, “Then you must be looking at a mirror because I think you’re very pretty. Happy birthday, by the way!”

            She giggles, thanks me, and I move on to the next family member, who’s a bit shorter than Charlie and has the same brown hair but a bit straighter.

            “Eddie,” he says, his voice so soft I could barely hear it. I know him as the introvert brother because that’s how Charlie described him to me, and the moment I saw him look down at the floor out of shyness was the moment I decided to try to help him grow out of it. I used to be like that, after all, and it wasn’t exactly pleasant, so I could definitely empathize with him.

            I slowly hold out my hand for him to shake, treading ever so lightly so as not to scare him away. “I’m Jen. It’s very nice to meet you,” I say, shooting him the warmest smile I could muster.

            He sends me a warm smile back, shakes my hand, then whispers something in Charlie’s ear. After a few seconds, Charlie smiles at me and says, “Yeah, I like her too.” Two down, four to go.

            The next brother has curly blonde hair and has Charlie’s dimples. Charlie told me he’s the family genius and even expressed his hope that I wouldn’t fall for him instead, to which I replied that that would be highly improbable.

            “Hi, I’m Greg. How do you do?” he says, not sounding like a nerd at all, although the fact that he said “How do you do?” implies that he’s already waiting to show me up, expecting me to actually answer the question, and the arrogant look on his face just confirms my suspicions. This, however, makes me like him even more, because he reminds me a little too much of myself.