Sweet Dreams

Chapter 1 - The Rescue

Evy stopped the car and extinguished the engine. For a moment she sat motionless, staring at the main entrance to the restaurant. A large, bright entrance almost invoked customers emerging from the darkness of the parking lot. She was thinking. She deliberately parked quite far away so as not to fall for her father and his family. It was difficult to maintain family ties with someone who had not found time for her for the past five years. Still, she tried. From divorce, parents shared their care. For almost the entire childhood, she lived six months with her father in Canada, half a year with her mother in England. Tiring changes. She did not even notice the moment when she became a recluse. Her friends could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Studies gave her what she needed - rest from both sides. She chose the university as far as possible from her parents. She just finished studies and decided to spend a few weeks with her dad. Unfortunately, father's current wife did not like her for unknown reasons. They talked to each other only a few times and never sensed a woman's sympathy. However, he was a plus of this relationship. She smiled under her breath at the thought of her step sister, she adored her. Amelia was 9 years old. They differed as much as their sisters could differ, the only common feature was the color of their eyes. Green.

Matthew Parker had such eyes - their father.

She noticed a large black limousine stopping right next to the stairs to the restaurant. Dad, his wife Rebecca and Amelia got out of the car and headed to the entrance. Before Matthew crossed the threshold, he looked back. It was a tall, handsome man in his fifties with thin wire-rimmed spectacles and impeccable attire. Evy smiled again, she knew that she was looking for her. She pulled from her legs the sneakers in which she ran the car and put on elegant high heels. She promised him on the phone that she would try to look like a woman not like a fan of a rock band. Father paid a lot of attention to outfit and behavior. He believed that a person with her social status should not run in a T-shirt with the Rolling Stones logo. She opened the car door, slowly put both feet on the parking asphalt, grabbed the bag and got out. The central lock gave a loud click that the car was closed. She walked with a sure step, she was never late and father knew about it. She sighed as she passed the very expensive cars parked, which showed the level of restaurant customers. They did not make any impression on her, with a stony face passed past the golden BMW and the dark green Porsche. She agreed to attend dinner on the occasion of her arrival in Vancouver, but no one told her to be happy about it. She did not like excessive - she avoided it like a fire. She was completely unlike her parents. Did not like spending money unnecessarily, she did not use credit cards without being reminded and the only extravagance she let her father a few years earlier was to buy a car. She clearly indicated that she wanted: a white Mini Cooper, even though her father tried to convince her to more, as he expressed, a representative car.

Entering the restaurant she took a deep breath and straightened her back.

She was quickly led to the right table. She tried to ignore the icy looks of her stepmother throughout the evening. With a studied smile, she thanked her for congratulations, answered questions politely and prayed for a faster passage of time. A long break in visits resulted in the lack of common themes. She had no idea about the father's business, hotels or people management. Her interests and goals were still too incomprehensible to her father and were an ignition. She did not want to start a visit from a quarrel. The small box suddenly put on the table even more tense already nervous atmosphere. She glared at her father angrily. Before she agreed to this dinner, she begged him not to make any gifts for her diploma. He patted her reassuringly on the shoulder, smiling. Evy opened the box, inside there was a key ring - a tiny plush dolphin. A gift from Amelia. She breathed a sigh of relief, immediately pinned the dolphin to the car keys, squeezing the girl tightly. Dinner was passing in a pace, interrupted by inept attempts to establish a dialogue at the table. Finally, she apologized to everyone and directed her steps to the bathroom.