The party at Diane's house was perfect with perfect-looking guests.
Linda followed Todd
through the thick crowd of people. Guests were chatting and laughing; some held plates while others held glasses of wine. The men looked dignified, dressed in
black tuxedos; and the women were exquisite in their fancy gowns and jewels.
All the guests were tall
and good-looking: the men were handsome and muscular, and the women were beautiful with tall,
shapely figures. She spotted redheads, blondes, and brunettes; each person
unique and gorgeous in his or her own way.
A loud commotion by the
front door broke into her reverie. She turned to watch Hank walk into the party
with a young beautiful blonde on his arm. A throng of people surrounded them,
waiting to be introduced to Hank’s knock-out date.
The striking blonde was
wearing a white, low-cut dress that was much too tight and clingy, decided
Linda. She looked over at Todd to see if he was staring at this new beauty as
he’d done earlier with Shana. Instead, she found him staring down at her. Linda
hoped that the smirk on his face didn’t mean that he’d figured out the full
extent of her errant thoughts about Hank’s girlfriend. She usually had only
kind thoughts about people, but this time she didn’t know why she felt this sudden
hostility toward Hank’s female friend.
She turned to Hank.
“Please introduce us to your lovely friend.”
“Frances, please meet the
residents of Oasis,” said Hank as he introduced the gorgeous woman by his side.
“How…how…do you know each
other?” asked Mike, openly ogling her.
Hank responded with a hint
of humor in his eyes, “Frances is my daughter who is visiting from college this
week.”
“Oh.” Linda swallowed. From the corner of her
eye, she watched Todd hold back a laugh. Annoyed with him, she looked away.
When she spun back around,
she noticed that Hank and his daughter had already disappeared. She could see
them dancing in the middle of the dance floor. He must have led her away pretty
quickly—most probably before Mike had a chance to ask any more questions. Hank
definitely didn’t like being interrogated. She had learned that earlier during her very unpleasant encounter with him at his shop.
