This is the twenty-sixth part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII, Part IX, Part X, Part XI, Part XII, Part XIII, Part XIV, Part XV, Part XVI, Part XVII, Part XVIII, Part XIX, Part XX, Part XXI, Part XXII, Part XXIII, Part XXIV, and Part XXV before continuing.
We got to the restaurant at the same time as Glenda and her parents, and Glenda surprised me by greeting me cheerfully as soon as she saw us. I returned the greeting, not sure if this was a trick. She rushed up to Owen and gave him a big hug that lasted several seconds. He seemed to resist at first, but then she whispered something in his ear and he melted, returning the hug and even rubbing her back the way he did to me when I needed comforting. What could she need comfort for?
Whatever she said to Owen during that hug, he didn’t appear to be mad at her anymore, and she continued to be civil to me throughout dinner.
Even better was getting to meet Chad’s girlfriend, Emma, for the first time. She didn’t seem to be quite as bubbly as the persona I was working with, but she did like to dress up and she was a huge fan of Disney.
Maybe Owen and his brother weren’t that different after all. But that still didn’t explain how Glenda and their mom fit into the equation, because those two were the opposite of my persona.
Emma and I got along as soon as I told her I was applying to work in the American Girl Store near campus. “I loved the American Girl dolls when I was growing up! I had two,” she said.
“Me, too! Which ones did you have?”
“Molly and Samantha.”
“I had Kirsten and Felicity.”
Our conversation took off from there, and to be honest, I kind of forgot Glenda was even there. She and her mom sat across from us at the table apparently talking about politics or something equally boring while I wondered if I could work my newfound friendship with Emma to my advantage regarding my relationship with Owen. She wasn’t part of the family (at least not yet,) but maybe I could use this to drive a wedge between Chad and Glenda. Then I would have almost all the men on my side, and from there, converting Owen’s dad would be a piece of cake, especially if he was as gullible as his youngest son. I’m not above sucking up to get what I want.
“So, what did Glenda say that put you in such a good mood?” I asked as we were driving back to campus.
“What?”
“She whispered something in your ear when we arrived at the restaurant, and whatever it was seemed to pull you right out of your funk.”
“Oh, yeah, she apologized for not inviting you.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
I pondered this for a second. Could it be that easy for her to get Owen back on her side? That did not bode well for my plans, so I decided I had to do something. “Well, she never apologized to me.”
“She probably doesn’t know I told you.”
“Do you think she meant it?”
“What? The apology?”
“Yeah. Or was it just something she said so you wouldn’t be mad at her.”
He was silent for a moment, apparently never having considered the possibility that she had lied to get what she wanted. Men are so simple.
“I think she meant it. She didn’t say one rude thing to you all through dinner.”
“She barely talked to me.” Admittedly, I had largely ignored her and focused most of my attention on Emma, but I wasn’t about to point that out now. I needed to make Owen think she still had it out for me if I was going to keep playing the victim.
Owen thought about this some more. “Yeah, I guess she didn’t talk to you much, did she?”
“It certainly didn’t feel like she wanted me there.”
To be continued…