Once inside, my father and I were amazed by the extravagant arrangements for the party. There was a full forty-piece orchestra set up along a white-tiled dance floor in the center of the glass building. Three bars, and an assortment of buffet tables, were set around the edges of the room. Dozens of white candles were floating in a pool behind the pavilion, their flickering lights shimmering through the glass walls, making the great hall look as if it were filled with a magical essence. Even the gardens surrounding the pool were lit with thousands of white lights, adding to the fairy tale atmosphere of the event.
Other guests had already arrived and were filling the hall as we made our way in. Everyone was lavishly dressed, and all the women’s gowns sparkled in the pavilion lights. There were black tie waiters and waitresses darting about, making sure everyone had a glass of champagne—another trademark of Val’s parties; the only thing that was ever served from the bar was champagne.
“Oh my dear, you’re here.” A cool hand reached out and tapped my bare shoulder.
My father and I turned to see a short, round lady dressed in gold taffeta, holding out her plump white arms in greeting.
“Val.” My father gave her a hug. “You look fantastic.”
“No, I don’t. I look like I should be on top of a trophy, but thanks for trying, Billy.” She winked at him with her playful blue eyes, and patted her gold, spray-painted hair. “I’ll never get this crap out. I’ll probably die of toxic poisoning or something.”
“Auntie Val.” I kissed her cheek. “You do look wonderful, and this place….” I motioned to the orchestra and the room around me. “You’ve outdone yourself this year.”
“The New Orleans Philharmonic owed me this huge favor, so I made them pay up. This is nothing, wait till next year.” Val always said that at every party. “Look at you,” she said, holding me at arm’s length and looking me up and down. “You’re all grown up and just as beautiful as your mother.” She turned to my father and frowned. “Don’t let her get near any of the losers here tonight.” Then she winked at me. “If any of these boys gives you any trouble, I’ve got a .357 in the car.”
“Don’t worry about me,” I affirmed. “I’ve already got the best looking date in the crowd.” I took my father’s arm.
“She’s not yours, Billy.” Val laughed her big-hearted, raucous cackle. “She must have been switched at birth. Nobody could look at you and think you were the best fella here.”
My father chuckled and patted my arm lovingly.
“Go have fun you two.” Val ushered us toward the buffet table. “I’ll see you again.” Her gold dress was immediately lost amid a sea of black tuxedos.
My father pulled me toward the serving tables overflowing with gumbo, crawfish étouffée, stuffed merlitons, seafood jambalaya, boiled shrimp, and crawfish. Dad set off for the food while I made my way over to the bar and inspected the champagne. Val served only the best at her parties. There were dozens of bottles of Veuve Clicquot and Piper-Heidsieck standing in oversized silver ice buckets.
I took one of the crystal flutes filled with the gold liquid from a silver tray on top of the bar. Relishing a long sip, I realized I had better slow down, or I would be drunk by the time I saw David. The inevitable meeting loomed over the entire evening like an approaching thunderstorm.
From the bar, I observed as my father wandered his way around the long buffet tables. He saw me and waved. The orchestra began to play, but it was too early in the evening for people to lose their inhibitions and hit the dance floor.
“You are off in your own world,” a high-pitched voice said next to me.
I swerved to see Colleen. She was dressed in a long, purple silk gown that clung tightly to her ample figure. There were hundreds of gold beads sewn down the front, and the neckline plunged dramatically below her voluminous cleavage. Her hair was piled atop her head like a beehive, with gold and green ribbons woven throughout.
“Like it?” She twirled for me.
“Words cannot express my amazement.” I couldn’t imagine how my aunt had let her out of the house dressed like that.
“It’s neat, huh?” She lovingly patted the purple fabric. “I designed it, and Mom found a lady in town to put it together.”
“Chanel herself would be mesmerized.”
Her brown eyes lit up. “Do you really think so?” She searched the room. “Have you seen Eddie?”
“No. I’m sure he will be here soon.” Colleen frantically scanned the hall again, but this time I knew what she was looking for. “The bar is that way.” I pointed to the corner of the room.
“You’re a life saver.”
As she walked away, you could hear the clinking of gold beads on her dress.
I had no sooner turned back around, when I saw Hattie coming toward me.
“Hello my dear.” She pecked my cheek. “Where did the girl go off to now? Did you see her dress? She designed it herself.” Hattie rolled her eyes. “I didn’t want her to wear it here, but she insisted. You know how difficult she can be.” She inspected the hall eagerly with her eyes.
“I wonder where she got that from?” I mumbled.
“Is your father here?” Hattie waved to someone across the room. “Oh, there’s Alicia McAlester. I have to see if I can get her to join my Garden Club committee.” She was off before I could get another word in, waddling away in a tight red taffeta gown with a large green bow covering her rear.
I reached out to a passing waiter and deposited my empty flute on his silver tray, then hastily removed another, filled to the brim with champagne. The room was starting to fill up, and the lines at the buffet and bar tables were getting longer. My father soon joined me with two plates piled high with all sorts of Cajun goodies.
“The way you’re swilling that stuff, I thought you had better have something to eat.” He handed me a plate.
I put my champagne down on a nearby table. “I guess I’m nervous.”
He looked at me quizzically, as he forked a large crawfish. “About what?”
I examined my plate. “Just all the people.”
He let it go. “The Hoover sisters make it yet?” he asked, sampling an egg roll.
I pushed some jambalaya around on my plate. “Yes, Hattie and Colleen are here. Really, Dad, you need to think of something else to call them.”
The orchestra interrupted us with a melody from an old Humphrey Bogart film—the one where he lost the girl but gained the police chief. Just then, Colleen and Hattie reappeared, champagne flutes in hand.
“Hello, Bill,” Hattie said, kissing my father.
Colleen kissed his other cheek, leaving a large pink lipstick smear. I noticed my father eyeing Colleen’s dress, but he refrained from commenting.
“This has to be Val’s best party yet,” Hattie chirped. “She goes to such trouble every—”
At that moment, Colleen squealed and pointed to the entrance. “Eddie’s here!”
I spun around, nearly dropping my plate.
Colleen was already rushing for the door before her mother could grab her. Undeterred, Hattie took off valiantly behind Colleen, chasing her through the crowds. I strained to see if Eddie had arrived alone or if Sammy was with him.
“Don’t tell me you’re eager to see Eddie Fallon?” Dad commented.
I faced him. “I was just curious who…who Eddie brought with him tonight. For Colleen’s sake.”
He frowned. “Colleen and her obsession with Eddie….” I could not hear the rest of what he said because the orchestra interrupted him with the theme from Star Wars.
Putting my untouched food down on a nearby table, I nursed my champagne and nervously glanced around the room. We stood there for some time as a few friends—more accurately acquaintances—stopped by our spot and made the usual polite inquiries. The Hendersons, the Trotters, and the Heberts all came by, shaking hands and giving us their best. Parker Roy even came over. He shook my father’s hand and gave me a friendly hug. I thanked God Colleen was not around to buzz i
n my ear about wasting such a great dating opportunity. By the time we had gotten through all the social necessities, I was on my fourth glass of champagne. My father kept giving me stern looks with every full flute of champagne I snatched from a passing waiter. I knew he was counting.
Colleen breezed by with Eddie in tow. He looked attractive in an expensive tuxedo with his red hair slicked back.
“You look beautiful!” Eddie shouted to me while Colleen dragged him to the dance floor.
I watched the two of them begin dancing to a medley from the James Bond movies. There were only two other couples on the dance floor and everyone was taking in the show. My father must have sensed my concern because he grabbed my hand and led me out to the dance floor to join the bold and uninhibited.
“I figured if they were willing to make fools of themselves…what the hell.” My father twirled me around as Eddie and Colleen came up beside us.
Dad was quite a dancer, and as the music slowed, he swept me away in a sort of waltz. Eddie brushed by us and yelled something at my father that I could not hear. Before I could object, the two men had switched partners. I found myself eyeball-to-eyeball with Eddie.
“I never got a chance to say hello,” he mumbled. “I think you look beautiful tonight.” His thick hands pulled me closer.
“Thank you, Eddie. Don’t you think Colleen looks pretty this evening?” I tried to pull away a little.
He hesitated. “Sure, but—”
I did not hear the rest. The orchestra changed tempo again and the music sped up. I broke free of Eddie’s grip and attempted to jitterbug.
“I have to speak to you, alone!” Eddie yelled in my ear, struggling to embrace me.
I was just about to make some excuse or another when a hand grabbed my shoulder and spun me away from him. It took me a moment or two to recover from the dizzying spin and register the face in front of me.
“David,” I gasped.
His gray eyes momentarily melded with mine. Over David’s shoulder, I caught a glimpse of a thunderous looking Eddie, standing alone in the middle of the dance floor and glaring at David’s back. Colleen then came dancing up to him after having abandoned my father. She was desperately trying to coax him into her arms.
David seemed oblivious to everything around us. Laughing, he kept spinning me around and the room began to blur. I suddenly regretted all the champagne I had consumed. Mercifully, the music slowed and I was able to catch my breath. David let me go and stood in front of me, extending his hand and smiling.
“Shall we?”
I hesitated, contemplating extended hand. “What about Sammy?”
His smile faltered, then he put his arm around my waist, tugging me close. “Tonight, there is no Sammy. No Eddie. There is no one but you.”
“Don’t you think you’ll get bored?” I countered, somewhat sharply.
“Why are you so difficult?” His eyes tunneled into mine. “I came here alone. I wanted to see you again. I knew when you didn’t come to my showing that I would have to come to you.”
His other hand reached for mine, and his body moved in time with the rhythm of the music. He was gliding me around the dance floor with him.
“I’m flattered, but Eddie is here. He’ll run to Sammy and she will not be a happy with your…our conduct tonight.”
“Why do I suddenly feel as if I have been called to the principal’s office?” he chuckled. “I don’t know why Sammy and Eddie bother you so much. I don’t understand why I can’t dance with an old fishing buddy.”
“I just know Sammy, and she is very possessive over things she owns.”
He stiffened slightly. “Sammy does not own me.”
I looked him squarely in the eyes. “Not yet.”
He spied the crowds gathered around the dance floor. “Let’s get out of here.” He nodded to the gardens.
As soon as he pulled me off the dance floor, we stepped right smack into my father. He had been standing there watching us all along.
He had a smug grin on his lips. “Nicci, I see you’ve made a new friend.”
“Dad, I would like you to meet David Alexander.”
David nodded and extended his hand.
“David Alexander.” My father examined him like a meatpacking inspector trying to figure out what grade to give him. “You’re the painter?”
“Yes,” David said, a little surprised. “At any rate, I’m trying to be a painter.”
“A good one, from what I hear.” My father glanced around the room. “Lovely party, isn’t it?” He turned to me and smiled. “Don’t look so worried, Nicci. I’ve found this to be very…what’s the word, interesting.” He winked at me and then turned back to David. “You two have fun.”
David nudged me, as we walked away from the dance floor. “So you told your father about me? There’s hope for me yet.”
David scooped two flutes of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray. He handed one to me. I quickly drained my glass without taking a breath.
“Hey, I want you sober.” David took the drink from me.
“Why? Easier to take advantage of me the other way.”
“I don’t need booze to help me with that.”
“Don’t get cocky.”
“Follow me.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward a pair of arched glass doors leading to the gardens.
As we stepped out into the night, I felt a cool breeze brush against my flushed skin. He led me down one of the dimly lit garden paths, past the pool with its floating candles, as the din of the party grew softer behind us.
“Maybe we should stick close to the party,” I suggested.
“Why? It’s quieter out in the gardens and we can talk.”
“Talk?” I almost laughed out loud.
“Come on. I don’t bite.”
“It’s not your teeth I’m worried about,” I muttered.
I diligently followed him until finally the path opened up to reveal a large white gazebo with a small pond next to it. In the center of the pond was a gold cherub with water spouting from his puckered lips. The pond was lit with pink and red lights that enveloped us in an eerie glow.
David took a seat in the gazebo and patted a spot on the bench next to him. When I sat at a discrete distance, he arched an eyebrow, but said nothing.
I gazed up through the roof of the gazebo into the starry sky. Not a single cloud impeded the view of the big dipper and the surrounding stars. I gave a heavy sigh and leaned back against the white railing.
“It is pleasant out here,” David commented, as if in agreement.
I turned to him and smiled. He had undone his bow tie and unbuttoned the first two buttons on his shirt.
“Ties must be very uncomfortable,” I mused, attempting some benign conversation.
David rolled up his tie and placed it in his jacket pocket. “Yes, they can be.”
A few more moments of nerve-wracking silence passed. I picked at the wood in the bench, played with the folds of my dress, and wished desperately that I had another glass of champagne.
“So what did you tell your father about me?”
“I told him that we met at a party and that you were a painter.”
“Nothing about me, or Sammy, or our fishing trip?”
I shrugged. “What’s the point, David?”
“I was just wondering if he was going to come after me with a shotgun or something.”
“No he doesn’t like guns. He’s into crossbows.”
He winced. “I’ll keep that in mind. What does he do?”
“You don’t know?” I asked, furrowing my brow.
“No. Should I?”
“Living with Sammy, I would have thought you—”
“I don’t live with Sammy,” he said, cutting me off.
“Sorry.” I turned away and noted how the breeze rustled the leaves on the camellia bushes surrounding us.
“Nicci,” he said in a low voice, “I want to talk to you about something.”
I felt the ha
ir on the back of my neck bristle with anticipation. “I’m listening.”
David scooted along the bench to my side. “You seem to be very nervous tonight.”
“Me? Well…you’re making me nervous.” I avoided his eyes.
“Sorry. I need you to tell me something.” He gently turned my face to his. “I need to know how you feel about….”
His hand was caressing my cheek and his lips were getting closer to mine. I could hear the distant beat of his heart, or was that the drums from the orchestra? I wasn’t sure. I was falling into a trance from those hypnotic gray eyes. My mouth was inches from his. His lips parted slightly.
“Stop!” The voice came from me, but it sounded odd.
I pulled away from him and stood up from the bench. I took a deep, gulping breath of night air. My body ached with the realization of his intentions, but my mind was screaming with rationalizations and reasoning. It was very hard being so practical sometimes.
“What?” David demanded.
“What are we doing here?”
He leaned back on the bench and threw his arms up in the air. “You lost me, Nicci.”
I glared at him. “What were we about to do here?”
“Well, I was about to kiss you.” He got up and proceeded to my side.
“Kiss me?” I yelled at him.
“Yes, kiss you!” Now he was yelling. “Is the thought of that so repugnant to you?”
“What the hell am I to you, David? Do you think I am that sweet little girl you can use while you run around with Sammy?”
“Now wait a minute!” Instantly, he was mad.
“No, you wait. What is the point of this, David? I’m not looking for any type of commitment with you. So you don’t have to play games with me.”
The Nicci Beauvoir Collection: The Complete Nicci Beauvoir Series Page 7
