4. The Party

Shortly they arrived at Wolf Trap. Jaime was determined to overcome Oscar's resistance to her tonight. As they got out of the car, she leaned up against him, placing her head right under his chin, and nestling her head against his throat.

"Isn't this a beautiful night?" Her hair glistened in the early evening light, and it smelled so nice. A breeze tossed it gently into Oscar's face. He summoned all his strength to resist her.

"It sure is," he said as he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently moved her away from his body. "Do you want some help carrying all of this food?" he asked politely.

Jaime was pouting slightly at this point. This man could be SO dense. "Sure. Why don't you grab the wine and the blankets, and I'll carry the baskets." She managed a slight smile, and reluctantly grabbed their dinner as she walked with Oscar over to the others.

Callahan was the first to see them. "Hey there slow pokes – what took you so long?" she asked with a little smirk. Jaime shot her a look of hopelessness and shook her head.

"Oh just a little traffic," Oscar said. "Shall we? I'm starved." He smiled at Jaime and walked with her towards the entrance. The other couples walked hand in hand into the venue.

They found a nice spot on the lawn and setup their picnic. Jaime had thought of everything. The party spread out on the blankets and the picnic began. Steve opened the wine and made a toast. "To Oscar, the best friend a man could have. May your birthday be a special one."

Rudy gave another one "May you have a long and safe life." He had a slightly worried look on his face as glanced at Oscar. This was not lost on Jaime, but she didn't fully know what to make of it.

Jaime piped in "To Oscar, may you always know how much you are loved." She was looking right at him. Again he met her gaze, but then had to avert his eyes in order to prevent himself from revealing his true feelings. I wonder if she knows how much she is loved? I hope not – yet. One day.

"Thank you, all of you. This really is the best birthday I've ever had. Jaime, you have really outdone yourself – how did you know all of my favorite dishes?"

They started eating, drinking and enjoying the evening. They all delighted in the conversation, and funny tales about Oscar. Ken, Lynda and Jennifer found themselves laughing at all of the stories being told about this very proper looking gentleman. They found it easy to feel included in this group of friends. Ken seemed especially interest in getting to know everyone.

As dinner was winding down, the orchestra was warming up. They all settled into listen to the music. All of the ladies leaned up against their dates – using them as cushions, as they relaxed and prepared to listen to the opera – all of the ladies except Jaime. Oscar was stiffly sitting upright next to Jaime, making no move to recline.

Oscar was struggling at this point to resist Jaime. Oh babe, he thought, you have no idea how much I want to hold you like that right now. I just can't. I HAVE to keep you safe. I hope you'll forgive me. He looked over at her. She looked utterly devastated. How could he do this to her? He knew she had planned everything, and he felt horrible about the way he was brushing her off. He thought he saw a tear rolling down the side of her face.

Jaime brushed away the tear . This was NOT the way she had envisioned the evening. SHE wanted to be leaning up against HER date, letting him hold her gently in the warm evening glow. Her date. This was hardly a date. This was more like polite conversation. Reluctantly she propped herself on an elbow and listened to the music.

The opera was wonderful. Pavarotti was amazing, inspiring. At intermission, they all got up to stretch and have a bit more wine. Steve was pouring some wine for Oscar, when he saw a woman approaching the party. She was in her mid 40's – tall, brunette and impeccably dressed. "Oscar, don't look now, but I think Margot is coming your way."

Margot? Who the hell is Margot? thought Jaime.

Oscar cringed. He had gone out on a blind date with Margot a year ago. While she was quite striking, she had a haughty, cool demeanor that Oscar found completely unattractive. She, however, seemed to be under the delusion that there had been a spark between them.

"Oscar, dear, how ARE you?" She wrapped her arms around the neck and kissed him hard on the lips. Before he had the chance to push her away, she stepped back and placed her arm around his back. "How quaint. Whose birthday?" she said as she spotted the partially eaten cake.

"It's Oscar's. And who might you be?" said Jaime in a terse voice.

"I'm Margot . Oscar, you should have called me if you needed a date." She had quickly surveyed the party and realized Jaime was the only woman that was alone.

"It was a surprise Margot, sorry." Oscar could see Jaime was visibly shaking. He longed to hold her and defend her against Margot, but he couldn't risk it. Unbeknownst to him, this was a wise decision. The pair of eyes that was watching him in the garage was watching him again.

"No estoy seguro. Hay otra mujer. Voy a averiguar." (I'm not sure. There's another woman. I'll find out.)

Mercifully, the intermission was over, and Margot had to return to her seat. Jaime was completely distraught and sat down over by Callahan and Ken, avoiding Oscar as much as possible. It was all she could do to keep her composure during the rest of the Opera. Oscar tried to enjoy the rest of the evening, but couldn't help looking over at Jaime. His resolve was weakening.