others to meet. Dorothea?"
Young, pixieish, almost boyish , indeed!
Desi glanced down at herself. She was dressed in her usual rather funky style. In fact, what she was wearing was just a little bit dressier than usual because of this opening-day cast party. Her jeans were a dark wash and boot cut, flaring out just slightly over low-heeled ankle boots. A pale melon-green tank top peeked out from under a brown tweed bomber-style jacket. A necklace made of bronze colored discs and chunky green beans was looped twice around her throat.
"Just when it was getting interesting, tool" Dorothea's aristocratic voice carried to every corner of the studio as she moved away on Jake's other arm. "I thought those two girls were going to start a cat fight over you." She shot a coquettish glance at him from her black eyes. "I can't say that I blame them, of course. You're far too handsome for your own good, dear boy."
"And you're a terrible flirt," Jake said.
"Terrible? And here I thought I was finally getting it right. Well," she said with a sigh, "I guess I'll just have to practice some more. But not right now. Right now, I am absolutely parched for some champagne, and I'm quite sure everyone else is, too. Come along, dear boy, we can't start drinking until you do."
"Bitch," Desi said to Eldin when they had moved away.
"Who?" he asked, grinning at her, his soft brown eyes twinkling from under his shaggy gray eyebrows. "Dorothea?"
"Don't try to be cute, Eldin. You know who I mean. Audrey Ferris." And then she grinned back at him. "Well, Dorothea, too. But she's a nice old bitch. Miss Ferris, however... Pixieish!" Desi's voice was indignant. "She's a class A, number one—"
"Don't say it." Eldin covered his ears as she paused, searching for just the right word to accurately describe her feeling toward the movie's female star. "I hate to hear women swear."
"Actress," Desi finished. She opened her blue eyes wide and fluttered her lashes innocently. "What did you think I was going to say?"
"One never knows with you, luv."
She shrugged and smiled at Eldin, and absently watched Jake as he opened the first bottle of champagne, pouring it ceremoniously into Dorothea's glass.
"It wasn't as bad as you thought it was going to be, was it?" he asked hopefully, all teasing gone from his kind face.
"Wasn't as bad as what?" she asked, her eyes still on the laughing group by the refreshment table.
"Seeing Jake again."
Was it? she asked herself.
In some ways, no, it hadn't been. There had been a little awkwardness at first, a bit of embarrassment. Not too bad. But in another way it was even worse than she had expected, far worse. In fact, it hurt like hell to have him look at her as he had, with that cold, unfriendly look on his face and the smile that never reached his eyes, as if they were total strangers who had never shared that gloriously abandoned weekend that had resulted in the birth of a beautiful red-haired baby girl. He didn't know that, of course, and maybe she was wrong to judge him. But he had judged her, she knew. Judged her and found her sadly wanting.
"Desi?"
She looked up to find Eldin eyeing her with concern.
"No, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be," she reassured him.
"I'm glad," he said simply.
She reached up and touched his face gently. "I know, Eldin. Thank you." Her hand fell and she smiled brightly, showing him that she had sustained no lasting hurt. "Come on, let's go get some of that champagne before Dorothea drinks it all."
"Before I drink all what?" Dorothea came up to them, followed by a white-coated waiter.
"The champagne, what else?"
"Even I can't drink that much." Dorothea waved toward the buffet table and bar. "Though I have been known to try. Here. Take one of these," she ordered Desi, handing her a brimming glass of champagne from the waiter's tray.
"Are you sure you can spare it?"
Dorothea chose to ignore that remark. "You, too, dear boy. Drink up. Jake ordered bottles and bottles of
Young, pixieish, almost boyish , indeed!
Desi glanced down at herself. She was dressed in her usual rather funky style. In fact, what she was wearing was just a little bit dressier than usual because of this opening-day cast party. Her jeans were a dark wash and boot cut, flaring out just slightly over low-heeled ankle boots. A pale melon-green tank top peeked out from under a brown tweed bomber-style jacket. A necklace made of bronze colored discs and chunky green beans was looped twice around her throat.
"Just when it was getting interesting, tool" Dorothea's aristocratic voice carried to every corner of the studio as she moved away on Jake's other arm. "I thought those two girls were going to start a cat fight over you." She shot a coquettish glance at him from her black eyes. "I can't say that I blame them, of course. You're far too handsome for your own good, dear boy."
"And you're a terrible flirt," Jake said.
"Terrible? And here I thought I was finally getting it right. Well," she said with a sigh, "I guess I'll just have to practice some more. But not right now. Right now, I am absolutely parched for some champagne, and I'm quite sure everyone else is, too. Come along, dear boy, we can't start drinking until you do."
"Bitch," Desi said to Eldin when they had moved away.
"Who?" he asked, grinning at her, his soft brown eyes twinkling from under his shaggy gray eyebrows. "Dorothea?"
"Don't try to be cute, Eldin. You know who I mean. Audrey Ferris." And then she grinned back at him. "Well, Dorothea, too. But she's a nice old bitch. Miss Ferris, however... Pixieish!" Desi's voice was indignant. "She's a class A, number one—"
"Don't say it." Eldin covered his ears as she paused, searching for just the right word to accurately describe her feeling toward the movie's female star. "I hate to hear women swear."
"Actress," Desi finished. She opened her blue eyes wide and fluttered her lashes innocently. "What did you think I was going to say?"
"One never knows with you, luv."
She shrugged and smiled at Eldin, and absently watched Jake as he opened the first bottle of champagne, pouring it ceremoniously into Dorothea's glass.
"It wasn't as bad as you thought it was going to be, was it?" he asked hopefully, all teasing gone from his kind face.
"Wasn't as bad as what?" she asked, her eyes still on the laughing group by the refreshment table.
"Seeing Jake again."
Was it? she asked herself.
In some ways, no, it hadn't been. There had been a little awkwardness at first, a bit of embarrassment. Not too bad. But in another way it was even worse than she had expected, far worse. In fact, it hurt like hell to have him look at her as he had, with that cold, unfriendly look on his face and the smile that never reached his eyes, as if they were total strangers who had never shared that gloriously abandoned weekend that had resulted in the birth of a beautiful red-haired baby girl. He didn't know that, of course, and maybe she was wrong to judge him. But he had judged her, she knew. Judged her and found her sadly wanting.
"Desi?"
She looked up to find Eldin eyeing her with concern.
"No, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be," she reassured him.
"I'm glad," he said simply.
She reached up and touched his face gently. "I know, Eldin. Thank you." Her hand fell and she smiled brightly, showing him that she had sustained no lasting hurt. "Come on, let's go get some of that champagne before Dorothea drinks it all."
"Before I drink all what?" Dorothea came up to them, followed by a white-coated waiter.
"The champagne, what else?"
"Even I can't drink that much." Dorothea waved toward the buffet table and bar. "Though I have been known to try. Here. Take one of these," she ordered Desi, handing her a brimming glass of champagne from the waiter's tray.
"Are you sure you can spare it?"
Dorothea chose to ignore that remark. "You, too, dear boy. Drink up. Jake ordered bottles and bottles of
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