Chapter 9

The party was a success.

Well ... there Was an incident.

Do I haveta?

Okay okay okay!

I’ll admit the dress was sexy as hell ... and the men ... junior partners and CEO’s kept me out on the floor most of the night ... and there might have been a nipple slip or two ... maybe.

Big boobs and bouncy rock and roll do not mix.

This dress was cut so low even I was wondering what kept it up. I kept expecting...

And it did.

Exposed ... eventually they would call a wardrobe malfunction ... tonight it was just embarrassing.

I’ll admit ... the accident kept me out on the floor a lot more than I was used to.

And I was careful ... but.

The open bar ... which, by the way ... came outta my check ... thanks daddy. The open bar had the party rocking ... in a clumsy kinda way and there were a couple of middle aged execs that were paying really close attention to my cleavage ... much closer than I was comfortable with ... and this vice president of one of our clients...

Well ... he said ... that’s an interesting watch ... and reached. But he wasn’t reaching for the watch ... he was headed elsewhere...

So I grabbed the watch with one hand and squeezed it and slapped the grin off his face with the other.

And ... you’re not going to believe this ... I wasn’t there ... honest. Denver was just woods and snow ... everything was gone. The watch ... the broken 1890 Blue & Multi-Colored Enamel Lady’s Hunter Case Breguet Lapel or Pendant Watch With Keys ... the watch that has been sitting on my mantle for the past five years ... the watch that Maddie dusted every day along with the iron meteorite that so rudely burnt a hole in my sixty thousand dollar Persian rug ... the rug under my solid oak dining room table ... yeah ... that meteorite ... next to that eighteen thousand seven hundred seventy seven dollar watch hasn’t been broken ... it’s laid dormant on my mantle and all it took to make it tick was a panic squeeze.

I went from a personal slap his face panic to a full-bore run in circles and scream ... which wasn’t a good idea because the scream brought out creatures of the night ... who, I might add were hunting unwary passersby to invite to dinner ... creatures to whom I looked like a tasty snack. I squeezed it again...

The second squeeze brought me back to the party ... the VIP sprawled at my feet and all eyes on us. Him more than me.

And I couldn’t leave. It’s my party ... and I’ll cry if I want to ... and I did.

Daddy took me to an anteroom and calmed me down ... babbling ... did I mention I was babbling...

“You flickered,” he said. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

“I wanna talk about it NOW!” I said, holding on to the watch for dear life.

“Tomorrow ... tonight, you have guests. You need to confront Mr. Babcock and either apologize or have him escorted home. Nice right, by the way. Caught that asshole right on the temple. How’s your hand? Not broken? Flex your fingers. Good. Cool watch.”

Daddy was as calm as ice. Spoke to me in a matter of fact way. He was wonderful. Tonight ... I realized why I was unmarried. I need to find a man just like him. David was just like him ... spilled milk, girl.

We moved smoothly back to the party. Babcock was gone so I didn’t need to politely pitch his philandering ass to the curb. Calm down, Wendy.

The band played a Texas Two Step, Daddy took me to the floor and we cut a rug. Conversations began to buzz ... drink glasses clinked ... waiters moved again ... and the party recommenced.

“Nice Two Step, Wendy,” Daddy said.

“You’re pretty good, yourself.”

Have I bothered to mention? Probably not ... so I will. Denver, the mile-high city, for all it’s cosmopolitan and sophisticated, is still Western. There are a tick shy of three million inhabitants in the Metro area. All kinds of people ... from all walks of life ... make Denver their home ... and most of them are movers ... newcomers compared to the locals. Sure they’re locals too. Everybody came from someplace. And there ARE bars and taverns where people mingle ... and dance. Polkas, fox trots, box steps and the Texas Two Step ... we are Westerners and pleased to be such.

But ... We are also theWall Street of the West, the investment capital of the United States west of Chicago. And we’re not like Detroit. Detroit is the biggest little hick town in the United States.

Nope ... Denver is finance ... and beer ... and rodeo, cowboys and cattlemen and John Denver ... and

For all it’s a mile high ... Denver is nice winters, Universities and Colleges and mountains and mountain bikes and ... Denver is just great ... and I’m rambling ... probably because I’m scared ... and the watch is ticking ... oh God.