Linda looked around at the crowd. Diana knew it was coming. If no one in the room realized who she was, Linda would make sure they all knew. And in the worst light. Scott tightened his arm around her and turned her away.
“We were about to get a drink. Excuse us.” They took a couple of steps and Diana realized he was trying to work them to another part of the room. But obviously Linda was having none of that.
“Wait,” she said. “This is Brainiac.” She stepped forward and grabbed Diana’s arm. “You guys remember her? Diana 4.0.” Linda stepped back, placing both hands on her hips and inspecting Diana. “You’re a Cinderella if I’ve ever seen one.”
Diana heard the expelling of air as people remembered who she used to be. She leaned toward Linda and whispered only for her ears, “That means I get to go home with the prince.”
Linda’s face reddened then drained. Diana turned to the crowd and lifted her head with a large smile on her face. “You all probably remember me as the studious girl who always had her head in a book.” A low giggle went through the room. “Well, I was a scholarship student, and I had to keep my grades up if I wanted to stay in school. So I’m glad you’re all supporting the fund tonight. After all, there may be someone out there just like me. And look how I turned out.”
Diana lifted her arms and twirled around. Thanks to Teddy and her contacts in the world of high couture, Diana was dressed to the nines. Her hair was swept up completely off her face in a ponytail of cascading curls that fell to the middle of her back. Her only jewelry was a huge sapphire teardrop necklace that was circled with tiny diamonds and matching earrings.
She heard the approval from the audience, especially the males in attendance. At one time, most of these now ex-classmates wouldn’t speak to her except to ridicule her. Now they looked upon her as eye candy.
Scott came up beside her and took her arm. “Thank you all for coming,” he said. “And don’t forget. Be generous.”
They headed for the bar. Linda Engles was left standing alone, clearly bewildered that her little attempt to embarrass Diana had backfired. Diana gave the other woman a pointed look and followed Scott.
“That was interesting,” Diana said when they were seated at their table with fresh glasses of wine.
“When did she get back in town?” he asked another guest sitting with them.
“I don’t know, but I hear she’s divorced.”
Diana glanced at Linda. Her back was to them. She was speaking to another couple with animated, if not exaggerated laughter. But she already had her sights on Scott. Diana didn’t tell him how apparent it was that Linda wanted to continue the relationship they’d once had. She couldn’t say it was where they had left things, because she didn’t know the circumstances of their parting. But from the way Linda wanted to tear Diana’s eyes out, she was gunning for Scott and didn’t think Brainiac was an obstacle. Little did Linda know that Brainiac had learned a thing or two and she wasn’t ready to crawl into her dorm room and hide from any insults that might be inflicted upon her.
“I hope she’s only here for the dinner,” Scott said.
“Sorry, but the word in the ladies’ room is she bought a house in Rocky Hill,” a woman sitting across from Scott said. Rocky Hill was small town fifteen minutes north of Princeton.
“Let’s hope she’s learned something in the ensuing years and she won’t let things get out of hand,” Scott said.
“From the way she looked at you, I believe she wants to pick up where you two left off,” Diana whispered.
“That’s not going to happen,” Scott said in a tone that had Diana staring at him. “It wasn’t the best of times,” he told her. “And what makes you think she’s after me?”
“I’m not blind. It was obvious from the way she looked at you, gave you all her attention to the exclusion of the rest of the room.”
She’d only glanced at Diana before she recognized her and then tried to resume her past association with Scott, using Diana as a punching bag. She probably expected Scott to do the same.
Thank heaven he’d been the attentive date. But Diana still wondered. Scott and Linda had been a couple for three years. They hadn’t parted until after graduation. Diana moved to take a job and lost track of the two. She heard that Linda had married a few years later, and was relieved to discover she had not married Scott. She didn’t know where Scott was, and her business was getting started. All her energy went into it, and she didn’t think about him until the day he walked into her office an hour after his lawyer left.
Now she was glad to be on Scott’s arm. But whatever Linda wanted...Linda got.
And Linda wanted Scott. But so did Diana.
* * *
As soon as the dinner and the speeches ended, the dancing began. Scott led Diana to the floor and straight into his arms. The two circled the floor for several dances, keeping step to the music as they held each other for all to see. As soon as the band gave them a breather from all the fast-tempo songs and played something slower, Linda Engles made her move.
“You can’t monopolize him all night,” she said. “Scott, let’s dance for old time’s sake.” Linda grabbed his arm and pulled him away, then pushed herself into his arms. Scott looked back at Diana, But Linda turned his head so he faced her.
Diana moved back, intent on going to her table, when Mike grabbed her arm. “Dance with me,” he said, leading her to the floor. Without a thought the two began to dance.
“I see those two are back where they started.”
Diana looked at Scott and Linda to make sure they were the couple he was referring to.”
“She’s only just back in town.”
“Yeah,” he said. “But she’s got an agenda, and it’s on the floor right now.”
Diana checked the dancers. Sex on the floor was all she could think of when she saw the way Linda danced with Scott. Her gown was skintight. Every voluptuous curve she had was outlined in the shimmering gold fabric. Her body was so close to Scott’s, Diana was sure no air was between them. It was a reenactment of their college days. If you saw Scott, you saw Linda. The two were so closely associated that people spoke of them almost as one name.
Diana scanned the faces of Scott’s friends. Approving smiles showed white teeth and envy. She felt like the outcast. The best couple was on the floor, and few people remember the others. And Diana’s name was never on anyone’s list for any of the “most likely” awards. Linda and Scott, most likely to marry and have beautiful children. Diana, most likely to be forgotten.
But she hadn’t let that stop her. She might be forgotten by Scott and Linda’s crowd, but she was known well in her own circle. Her group of people were not superficial and interested only in themselves. They went on to become the quietly rich and famous in the background, not looking for the limelight. In many ways Diana could see in them the same qualities she found in the high-profile weddings she planned. They wanted quantity, not realizing that something of quality would add more elegance. While Linda might be dressed in the finest Versace had to offer, she still looked like a peasant. And Diana wasn’t just being catty.
The dance finally ended, and the two went to get a drink from the bar. As soon as Scott handed a glass to Linda, he excused himself. Diana smiled. Her heart bloomed in her chest that he was forsaking Linda for her. Unfortunately, he was waylaid by his friends. Diana knew what they were doing. They were congratulating him on the dance. Linda joined the group. Diana got up, lifting their drinks and headed toward them. Wedging herself between Scott and Linda, she handed him one.
“This is for me, right?” Scott asked. He put his arm around her waist, and she doubted a soul in the group thought he meant the glass of wine.
Chapter 8
Decorated as a throwback to the art deco period, the hotel’s ladies’ lounge included private cornices where women could adj
ust their makeup under flattering lit mirrors. Diana sat in one of these at the end of the room. She’d checked her gown, which still sported perfect roses despite the heat her encounter had provoked.
Unknown to her, Linda Engles sat in one a few feet away.
“You won’t believe what she looked like,” Linda said to a woman Diana couldn’t see.
“Has she gained a lot of weight?” the woman asked.
“It’s not that. She’s thin, but that rag of a dress she’s wearing looks like she made it herself.”
“Hmm,” the other woman said. “I thought it was rather nice.”
“Nice?” Linda questioned. “Could you imagine wearing that?”
“Are you kidding?” the woman said, her voice rising as if in surprised. “That dress is a Naeem Khan design, the same woman who designed a dress for Michelle Obama. Of course, I could imagine wearing it. I should be so lucky, but if Michael knew what that cost he’d divorce me.”
“Well, she’s no Michelle Obama.”
“None of us are,” the other woman said. “I better get back.”
“I’ll see you in a minute,” Linda said as the door closed. “Designer, humph!” Linda said the word as if it tasted bad. Then she laughed, a high-pitched sound. It was the final straw. Diana had been trained in customer service. She knew how to defuse a situation, how to allow the customer to rant and rave until they were out of breath or had expended all the anger inside them. She’d spent years soothing nerves and offering alternatives, compromising angry patrons. She took all that knowledge, balled it in to a tight little wad and pitched it in the trash.
Approaching Linda, she walked right into her personal space. She knew what the reaction would be and Linda did not disappoint her. Sudden fear appeared on Scott’s former girlfriend’s face. She leaned away from Diana. Maybe she could feel the anger in the woman she’d teased for years, the one who was through with being the scapegoat or butt of jokes. Maybe Linda was or maybe she wasn’t, but she was about to hear and see something she’d never seen before.
Diana kept her voice menacingly low even though the two of them had the room to themselves. Through clenched teeth she spoke, her lips barely moving. “I am not your whipping girl,” she began. “I will no longer take your barbs or be the person on which you inflict darts. I am here with Scott Thomas at his invitation. If you don’t like that, then I suggest you find your mink or sable or rat and get out of here. If you try this with me one more time, the secret you’ve been harboring for the last ten years will be spread all over Facebook and YouTube, as well as throughout Princeton and Rocky Hill. Then you’ll know what it’s like to be the butt of jokes. The lapdogs who crowd around you awaiting the favors you offer them will learn the truth about Linda Engles. See how quickly they abandon you and that phony smile you give them.”
“What...what could you know?” She tried to act brave. “There is nothing to know.”
Diana smiled at her, although the smile held more hostility than mirth. “I know it all. From the moment you entered that house on Michigan Avenue until you returned to your dorm. I know how many times you went there and what you did inside. And with whom?”
“How?” she asked.
“Does that matter? The point is I know.”
Linda gasped. “Why...why wouldn’t you have used this information before, if you have it?”
“Because, unlike you, I don’t tell other people’s secrets.”
“But you’re willing to divulge mine.” Her voice was stronger.
“I’ve been pushed to the limit by you. I’m at the wall and there is no place else for me to go. If you think I’m going to let you grind me into the floor every time I see you, I want you to know that is not going to happen. You’re done making fun of me and everyone else within my hearing. When you return to that room, you’ll be the model of feminine hospitality. If you for one minute don’t believe I’ll make good on my promise, just try me.”
Diana glared at her punctuating the point that this was no threat. It was a promise.
“I went there to volunteer,” Linda stammered.
“Sure you did. You volunteered community service as part of your parole.”
Linda’s hand went to her breasts. Diana knew her heart was about to jump out of the strapless gown she wore.
Diana moved back, standing up straight. She kept her gaze on Linda who’d gone as white as paste and looked as if a single breath could push her through the back wall.
“There has to be another reason,” Linda said. “You wouldn’t keep that information to yourself all these years to protect me. Not after the way I treated you.” She stared at Diana for almost a minute. Then she sat up straight. The truth dawned on her. “You’re in love with him,” Linda stated.
Diana remained quiet, silenced as surely as if she had tape over her mouth.
“That’s why you’re doing this. Does he know?”
“I doubt it. And I doubt you’re going to rush out of here and share the good news.”
“What does my record have to do with Scott?”
“Don’t you know? Can’t you remember what he was back in school?”
Linda looked confused. “He was popular, outgoing, invited to all the parties. A big man on campus.”
“All those things,” Diana said. “He was a PolySci major. Political Science. Think about that.”
“Yeah, so?” She opened her hands, questioning what one had to do with the other.”
“He talked about law school, going into public office.”
“That was all talk. None of us knew what we really wanted to do.”
“Going to law school was a first step,” Diana reminded her. “He even had application papers for the LSAT. I saw them.”
“Scott has an uncle who’s a lawyer. He worked in his office one summer and talked about going into that profession.”
“And if he had, he’d be linked with you, a felon, a woman who had once served time for theft. What do you think his chances of getting elected would be then?”
“That’s silly, no one would look at me. I wasn’t married to him.”
“But you wanted to be. You did everything in your power to get his ring on your finger. You’ll have to tell me why that didn’t work out someday.”
Linda’s face turned as red as it could under her over made up face and Diana’s menacing countenance.
“My record is clean. No one could find a thing.”
“I found it,” Diana said. She straightened, stepped back and let the point sink in. “Have a wonderful evening.” Diana walked to the door and left the room. Outside she stopped and inhaled a long breath. She’d never expected to let Linda know that she found out that she was seeing a parole officer during college. She came to Princeton a couple of years older than most freshmen. She told the story that she’d worked and decided to return to school because she understood that she wanted a career and not just a job. It sounded good coming from her, but what she’d really wanted was a husband.
She’d been caught shoplifting several times. She was convicted of theft and given parole and community service. She kept it quiet and far away from the old-money structures of Princeton proper. But Diana discovered her secret by accident. She’d been heading to New York to meet her sister when she saw Linda getting on the train. Why she followed her, Diana didn’t know, but Diana got off the train and went to the house on Michigan. After that, Diana used her many skills as the geek Linda accused her of being and found out the rest.
Following her and finding out what was in that building was easy. Posing as a student doing research on the percentage of young felons who turn their lives around, she interviewed Linda’s parole officer right after she left. With Linda’s discussion still fresh in his mind, the parole officer gave Diana examples of young felons. While he didn’t break any laws
or infringe on any protocols, he cited the details. Diana filed the information away. Because Linda had been a minor, her record was expunged.
In a way Diana felt sorry for Linda. But tonight was the last time that Linda would walk on her. Diana was ready to battle anyone determined to wreck her relationship with Scott.
* * *
Scott smiled as Diana approached their table. He stood as if greeting her for the first time. Diana lifted her drink when she reached the table and drank before being reseated.
“Everything okay?” Scott asked.
“Everything is fine,” she said, flashing him a brilliant smile. “Dance with me.”
Together they went to the floor and she slipped into his arms as easily as anyone who knew her lover’s every move. Diana felt great. She’d unleashed ten years of pent-up frustration, and the release was almost sexual.
“What happened in there?” Scott asked.
“In where?”
“Don’t act you don’t know what I’m taking about. I saw who went in first and who came out last. Did she—”
Diana shook her head. “Nothing happened. We talked. Everything is fine.” And it was. Diana had only had a couple of glasses of wine, neither of which she finished. Yet she felt as if she were flying.
Scott leaned back and looked skeptically at her. “Are you sure?”
Diana’s smile dazzled. She put her head next to his and danced. She wanted to close her eyes and fall into the music with him, but she remembered what happened at the Embry wedding and kept herself in check.
At the end of the night, the usual “let’s keep in touch” messages and the exchanges of cell phone numbers and email addresses was done as the party broke up.
When they entered Diana’s house minutes later, she was humming.
“You sound like you enjoyed the evening,” Scott said.
His Love Match Page 10
