Josie had to admit her friend had been right. The effect of the soft curls around her face and falling over her shoulders was stunning, even if it had taken much longer than her own idea of a French twist.
A knock on the door made her jump. Cindy laughed. “Why on earth are you so nervous, darling? He’s just a man. And tonight he’s your man.”
“I’m nervous because you’re making me wear three-inch heels.” Josie knew she sounded irritated. “I’ll be lucky if I can walk.”
“He’s six-foot-two.” Cindy gestured with the hairdryer. “Even with the heels, you’re only five-seven. You need that extra height or you’ll be talking to his navel all evening. And what if he decides to kiss you? You can’t make him work too hard for it.”
Josie rolled her eyes and hurried to the door as fast as her heels would allow. It would, she suspected, be Alan, waiting to escort her down to the waiting limousine. But she was wrong. When she opened the door, Dan himself was waiting for her, a single red rose in his hand.
“Um…you’re early.”
“Wow.” He grinned, looking her over with appreciation.
“Ooh, he is charming.” Cindy stepped out of the bathroom, the hairdryer still in her hand.
“Always happy to please a beautiful lady.” Dan smiled in Cindy’s direction before turning back to Josie.
“She’s beautiful and only marginally crazy.” Josie sniffed her rose. “Death to two-inch heels and inefficient hair dryers, but otherwise pretty harmless. Dan, I’d like you to meet Cindy Rodgers, fashionista extraordinaire for New York Life.”
Dan smiled. “Do I have you to thank for this?” He indicated Josie.
“I only helped reveal what was already there.” Cindy shrugged, and they both turned to admire Josie.
“I particularly like her hair like that.” Dan nodded at Josie's new waves.
Cindy sparkled. “Totally my idea! She would have put it in a French twist, of all things.”
Dan shook his head. “Ridiculous.”
“If you two don’t stop it, I’m going to go put on jeans and go to this shindig comfortable.” Josie pretended to turn to the bedroom.
“God forbid!” Cindy shrieked. “Get her out of here before she does any damage!” She pushed Dan out the door, Josie in tow. Josie tossed the rose Dan had given her over her head and Cindy caught it. “Have a wonderful evening, darlings!”
“Is she always like that?” Dan pushed the elevator button with a black-gloved finger. He looked particularly fine in a wool-blend overcoat and tailored modern-cut tuxedo.
“Most of the time. She really means it though. When she calls you darling, it’s not an air kiss, you know. She loves everybody until they give her a reason not to. And the people she truly loves, she loves passionately.”
He smiled. “You do look lovely. I have no doubt you’ll be the belle of the ball.” He hesitated, holding the door of the elevator for her as she got off. “She didn’t help you get ready for my party though, did she?”
She snorted. “You sure know how to flatter a girl, Dan Mason.” She accepted his arm as they walked out the door to get into his waiting limousine. “No, that fashion mishap was entirely my own—except the dress, she did get that for me.”
Alan, dressed in a chauffeur’s cap and coat, held the door open for them. “Good evening, Miss Stewart.”
“Cheerio, Alan!” She saluted him and was rewarded by an inscrutable smile before he closed the door.
“For the record,” Dan said, settling into the seat beside her, “I would not at all call the way you looked at my party a fashion mishap. I rather liked it. You looked…more natural. Tonight you glitter, but I can tell it’s on the surface, like most of the women I know, actually. It’s nice to know what’s underneath the glitter is as nice, if not better.”
She blushed. “You actually do know how to pay a compliment.”
“Thanks. And thanks for the column too.”
“What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “I read it with a great deal of trepidation on Friday. When you wrote about my birthday, you barely mentioned my mother and you left my father out of it all together. You could have broken our agreement, you know, and gone ahead and written the story.”
“It crossed my mind. Guess I’m not much of a reporter, huh?”
“You’re a better reporter than you give yourself credit for. And a better person than I gave you credit for.” He shook his head. “How is it a girl like you hasn’t been eaten alive by this city?”
“I’m tougher than I look.” She settled back against the car seat. “Really chewy.”
But Josie didn’t feel very tough half an hour later when the limousine pulled up in front of Gotham Hall. “Oh, damn,” she muttered as they waited their turn to step out onto the red carpet.
“What’s the matter?” Dan looked confused. “You must’ve been to a million of these things.”
“I’m not usually going in the front door.”
“Should I have Alan pull around to the back so you can sneak in through the kitchen?”
“Could you?” She felt as if her heart was going to explode from her chest.
“And walk in alone? No way.” He grinned at her and took her hand. “The only thing you need to be concerned about is the jealousy every woman here is going to feel when I help you out of the car.”
“Why, because I’m with you?” Josie glanced over her shoulder as Alan opened the door for them.
“Nope. Because you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” Then he pulled her out into the maelstrom of lights and sound.
* * * *
As they entered the hall, Dan paused for a moment, scanning the crowd to get his bearings, then glanced at Josie, placing one hand on the small of her back to guide her through the clusters of chatting people.
“Everyone’s staring at me.” Josie looked uncomfortable.
Dan hid a smile. “Of course they are. You’re with me. We look good together.”
“Sure we do. We probably remind everyone of ‘the long and the short of it.’” She grinned when he looked down at her in surprise. “Oh, come on, if I can’t make short jokes, you’re not allowed to, either.”
They paused to speak to one of Dan’s acquaintances who was already seated at one of the round, white linen-covered tables crowding the hall. Moving on, Dan said, “Height is an illusion. Believe me, it’s not always easy being the tallest person in the room either. I’ve discovered you’re as tall as you think you are. And you don’t act, walk or talk like a short person sometimes does.”
“How do you mean?” she said.
“Just that there’s nothing apologetic in the way you look up at me. You don’t mind making me look down to meet your eyes. You expect it.”
“Why wouldn’t I expect it?”
They stopped again, speaking to a computer millionaire. As they wound their way further through the tables, Josie glanced around. “Where in the hell are we sitting, anyway?”
Dan smiled, nodding to someone he knew but evidently didn’t feel the need to stop and speak to. “Head table.”
“With