Loved You First (Jenlisa) COMPLETED

23

Jennie set down her glass of champagne on the white linen tablecloth and surveyed the place. She had to hand it to Lillian. The once generic ballroom of the Daegu Country Club had been transformed into stunning elegance with no expense spared.

Twinkly lights dipped down from the ceiling and an eight-piece orchestra played from the corner of the room as Daegu's best and brightest mingled, sipped champagne, and collectively wished Marco Manoban a happy sixtieth birthday.

All in all, it had turned into a pretty fancy affair, and the turnout was more than they'd hoped for. It would be the most talked about event in Daegu into next year. Jennie knew that much.

It was two hours into the party and everyone seemed to be having a marvelous time. Herself included. The thing about Dr. Manoban was that everyone in town knew and loved him. He was hardworking, playful, and sympathetic to his patients. And in contrast to the relationships he had with his children, he withheld judgment throughout the course of their care. It was the town's steadfast appreciation of their doctor that accounted for the just over two hundred guests there to celebrate his birthday.

Jennie checked the dessert table and noticing the truffles had dwindled, headed to the kitchen for more.

"For the hundredth time, Nini, I've got this," Nayeon said as she rounded the corner with a whole new tray. "Now would you get out from under my feet and enjoy your family's party? You're more annoying than a fly at a picnic."

"I'm not a fly. I just want to make sure everything is perfect."

"And it is. Do you trust me or not?"

"Of course I trust you."

"Then for the love of all things sexy, get out there and have a good time for both of us. Shake hands, kiss babies, dance a little."

"Yes, ma'am."

Jennie offered a small salute and scurried away from the dessert table in search of her father. She'd spoken to him briefly on his way into the party and wanted to make sure he was feeling all right. She'd arranged for one of the nurses to accompany him tonight just in case he got to feeling weak and needed assistance. But there was no way she was going to let him miss the party, no matter how nervous it made her. He needed time among his family and friends.

"Hi, Dad."

She kissed his cheek from behind and slid into the chair next to his at one of the round banquet tables. He smiled over at her as he bopped his head along to the swing dancing taking place on the dance floor a few feet away.

"This is some party." His eyes twinkled when he said it, and that made her swell up inside. "You all did a fantastic job helping put all this together. It shaped up to be pretty fancy in here."

"Thank you."

She threw a glance around at the decorations she'd help put up earlier in the afternoon. Lisa had been there too, and out of respect for her family, they'd kept a small distance between them. There would be a time and place to talk to the Manobans, but it was the furthest thing on her to-do list at the moment. In fact, due to terror, she planned to put it off as long as possible. When the time came, she'd have to plan it out carefully. Strategize. It would require a great deal of finesse. Even thinking about the concept had her feeling a little sick to her stomach. She pushed the whole idea from her head. This was a party.

"Are you feeling okay, Dad?"

"Never better. It's nice to see all of these smiling faces in one place. I'm having a great time. Don't worry about me, kiddo. Why don't you go find your friends and have some fun. I'm gonna go talk to Seojun a bit. See if his golf score's improved any."