Ben was amazed at how much her reaction to his presence galled him. "What would it be like to be the man who makes her lighten up? Oh, rapture, I believe," He thought fleetingly.

He had, of course, seen her when she entered the hall; one had to be a blind man not to, as lots of men and even the women had paid her attention. Ben had just gotten to the event and was waiting for the moment he could say his congratulations to the cookies before beating a hasty retreat. He had just gotten a glass of wine from one of the circulating waiters and took his first...