“Ethan’s dad, I hope I’m not disturbing your dinner? It’s just that the birthday gift Ethan gave me a few days ago—I really loved it. To thank him, I bought three tickets to the Broadway show Castle in the Sky this afternoon, and I’d like to invite you and Ethan to join me. Do you have time?”
Jason’s smile was practically spilling over.
“Oh, Ms. Emily, you’re too kind. Really, you shouldn’t have gone to the trouble!”
The moment Ethan heard the invitation, he cheered excitedly,
“Yay! A Broadway show—with Ms. Emily!”
Just then, Emily noticed me briefly appear on the screen.
She froze for a second, her face flashing with a hint of awkwardness.
“Oh, Ethan’s mom is home too? But Ethan told me you had gone back to Miami to visit your family—that’s why I only bought three tickets.”
“How about this, I’ll see if I can get one more right now…”
As she pretended to fiddle with her phone, my heart sank.
I had never said I was going back to Miami. Clearly, Ethan had made up that lie to get rid of me in front of her.
I was about to refuse this fake display of kindness when Ethan impatiently cut me off,
“No need, Ms. Emily!”