“That’s a lovely dress.”

I got the impression that my mother had been standing in the doorway waiting for me to look up for several minutes. I smiled my thanks and went back to studying my dress. There were times in my life that I had friends I just didn’t deserve. This was one of those times.

The dress Mom had just complimented was actually an Armani. It was a couple of years out of fashion, but new off the rack, it still would have cost a couple of thousand. Thanks to Tao's friend, Tarja Caldwell, however, I paid barely a couple hundred. I didn't know what Tao had told her, but she'd sold the dress to me at cost. Now, because of her, my outfit looked like a one-of-a-kind designer piece straight off the runway.

The once-open back of it was now mesh and seeded with tiny little stones that caught the light. There were inserts along the skirt echoing the design. The bodice had the shimmery little stones as well. Pretty, elegant and sexy, with a vague hint of retro to it, the dress was feminine without being fussy. I was playing off the vintage tones by sweeping my hair up into a twist reminiscent of the fifties. I had a strand of pearls as well. The pearls were one the few rare gifts my father had given me that had nothing to do with money.

I thought I’d blend in rather well. At the very least, I wouldn’t look like some street urchin. Maybe I wouldn’t fit in, but I wouldn’t stand out, either. Then I reminded myself that I didn't actually want to fit in with those people.

Sometimes, I still had to tell myself that daily. I’d spent way too much of my younger life trying to fit, to shape myself into whatever mold I thought would please my father, make him love me. When I'd finally realized that wasn't going to happen, it made me go in the complete opposite direction and not want to be a part of his world at all.

And now I was stepping into it voluntarily.

Mom came up behind me and rested her hand on my shoulder.

Meeting her eyes in the mirror, I started to smile. But she asked quietly, “Why are you so sad?”

“I’m not.” I spoke the words, knowing she could read my lips via my reflection. She wouldn’t hear the tremor in my voice, but if I signed them, my hands might shake a little, and I didn’t want her to see anything I wasn’t ready to share with her.

But this was my mother. And mothers, damn them, they could always tell. She leaned forward and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Then, softly, she spoke and sighed, “You let me know when you’re ready to talk. You know I’m always here for you.”

* * *

“Oh. My heart.” Tao clutched at his chest, pretending the organ in question pained him. “Baby, I can’t take it. You look too beautiful for the likes of me.”

I’d put a petticoat on under the skirt, and it swished around my legs as I walked. It made me feel insanely girly and sexy in an odd sort of way. As I came down the last few steps, I rolled my eyes at Tao's behavior.

“Are you going to fall to the floor? If you plan to do so, hurry up and get it over with. We’ll need to grab the lint roller because I haven’t swept in here.”

He looked affronted. “I give you a compliment, and you’re worried about lint? Allie, where’s your sense of romance?”

“It died a long time ago,” I said tartly. I came a little closer and watched as he adjusted the cufflinks on his rented tux.

When he caught sight of me watching him, he grinned at me and shot me a lascivious wink and did a little spin. “Do I look good or what?”

“Not to add to your overblown ego, but yes. You look fantastic.” I leaned in and kissed his cheek before settling back down in front of him. A quick glance assured me I hadn’t left any lipstick on him.

“What?” He reached up to brush his cheek. “Do I have anything on my face?”

Mom came up behind me, laughing. “No. She’s checking to make sure she didn’t leave lipstick on your cheek. I guess she plans on doing a lot of kissing later tonight.”

Tao wagged his eyebrows at me. “Excellent plan, Allie.” He signed as he spoke so my mom could get it too.

My cheeks flushed, and I turned away without responding.

Not because I planned on kissing Tao. That wouldn’t make me blush. The things Tao and I had done together made the two of us insanely comfortable with each other. It was the thought of kisses and...him.

“Come on, Allie.” Some of the humor had faded from Tao’s voice, although when I looked at him, he was still smiling. His eyes had sobered, but he kept the mask up for my mom. Holding out a hand, he angled his head toward the door. “I begged and bribed a friend of mine, and we’ve got a nice ride for the night.”

When I met his gaze, I could tell he’d known exactly who I’d been thinking about. My mom, however, didn't know about any of that.

A few minutes later, we were heading down the stairs, my hand on Tao’s forearm. We’d been just about to leave when Mom abruptly insisted we wait while she rushed into her bedroom. I’d been convinced she was taking off to get a camera, or something and I’d almost pointed out that this wasn’t the prom, but she’d emerged almost immediately, carrying a fluffy bundle of soft lavender – not a camera.

“It’s too cold for you to be out there without a wrap,” she’d signed as I unrolled the bundle. It was silk and something else – all of it woven together in layers that were soft and thick and warm as I threw it across my shoulders, drawing it around me. I’d smiled my thanks before we left and now, as a cold wind cut through the streets, I was even more grateful.

“So…what do you think of our ride?” Tao asked, leaning in and nuzzling my temple.

I came to a stop, looking for his car. Except all I saw was a sleek, sexy red Stingray.

My jaw dropped.

“That?”

He grinned.

“Who did you kill or what did you steal?” I demanded.

“Nothing. I just called in a favor.” He said it nonchalantly, but I knew Tao. The man was pleased with himself. Beyond pleased.

He opened the door for me, and I slid in. He helped me tuck the skirt in around me, giving my leg a little lingering caress. From anyone else, it would've been lecherous, but from him, it was comforting.

When he spoke, I knew why he was offering me comfort. “Just remember, Cinderella, no matter how charming the prince is, your kingdom isn’t ever going to fit with his.”

* * *

“How is Malla doing?”

Smiling at Charles Bailey, I signed, “Mom's doing fine.”

“And your brother?” He paused, frowning. “How old is he now?” He tapped his temple. “The old head isn’t what it used to be.”

I laughed. “I think you just have too many schemes going on up there, Mr. Bailey.”

He grinned.

I launched into a story about what was going on with TJ at school, moving into some of the issues that my brother was facing with the bullies. Charles Bailey was one of the driving forces behind some of the programs we now had for the deaf community in our neighborhood. Even now that he'd stepped back and retired from almost everything, he was still a key figure. He'd also been friends with Tyson and my mom for years. It was nice to see a few friendly faces.

By the time I finished, Charles was shaking his head.

“I wish you folks lived closer to me and Maureen. TJ would get along great with my youngest son. Amar hears, but with all of the rest of us not being hearing, he understands our culture as much as you do.”

“Maybe we should just set up some time for them to get together,” I suggested, signing.

“That’s not a bad idea.” Charles nodded, his lips pursed. A moment later, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a card. He also took out a pen and wrote something down. “My private email,” he said after he gave me the card. “Get in touch, Allie. We’ll set something up. Maybe TJ can come to one of the ballgames with us.”

He hugged me, and I nodded at him before we both moved in separate directions. I saw another familiar face, and she smiled, waved at me, but before we reached each other, somebody cut her off.

“Who is that?” Tao asked, sipping from the mug of craft beer somebody had given him earlier.

“Liz Carter. She runs a sign language class through the library system. It’s the one I help out with when I’m not being worked into the ground,” I added dryly. I studied the crowd around her. “We’ll catch up with her later.”

As we moved off into the crowd, Tao shot me a look, clearly amused. “Look at you. All hobnobbing with the rich and…” He frowned. “You know, the rich and elite just doesn’t sound quite as good as the rich and famous, does it?”

I rolled my eyes at him.

“How many other mega impressive personages do you know?” he asked.

“Does your big ego count?”

“We can count my ego if we can also count my…” He wagged his eyebrows at me.

“Would you hush?” Laughing, I leaned and pressed a quick kiss to his mouth. “You are incorrigible, I swear!”

As I hooked my arm through his, some of the tension in my body fell away. Everything was going fine. Nothing to be nervous about, nothing to worry about, right?

But when I began to scan the crowd again, everything changed.

I looked right past her at first, but her eyes brought me back. She was staring dead at me like she could just will me off the face of the planet. I stumbled a little, thrown off track. No, that was a lie. It felt like the entire world had been thrown off track, not just me.

“Allie?” No humor existed in Tao’s voice now. He knew me so well. He steadied me, his hand immediately moving to my waist.

Tearing my eyes away from the woman across the room, I swallowed and made myself look at Tao.

“Are you okay?” He touched my cheek. “You look like you’ve been stabbed with a hot poker or something.”

“Worse,” I said wanly. Needing a few moments of privacy, I tugged him off to the side, hoping the crowd – or the floor – would swallow us up. Why was she here?

“What’s wrong? You see him? If you did…well, honey, you should have expected–”

“It’s not him.” Well, not just him. Because I had seen Jal too. Standing next to her.

He’d seen me too.

Both of them had.

Jal’s light blue eyes had lit up.

The woman with him had looked like…I didn’t even know how to describe the look on her face, but it didn’t fall anywhere near the realm of pleasant. She’d recovered quickly though.

No surprise, really. After all, Diamond Hedges knew how to hide what she was feeling.

She wouldn’t dare to be caught off stride, not by something insignificant as seeing her husband’s bastard at a gala with her friends.

I swallowed the panicked laugh bubbling in my throat as Tao stroked a hand up my arm. “Tell me what’s wrong, honey.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw her moving off into the crowd, away from me.

“Kendrick Hedges,” I managed stiffly.

Tao jerked as if I’d stabbed him. “What? He’s here? Your dad?”

I didn’t point out that he wasn’t really my father. Not in any way that truly mattered. Even the time he'd spent with me as a child, any money he'd sent, all of it came from curiosity and guilt. But it didn’t matter right now. Shaking my head, I glanced back toward the direction where I’d seen Diamond.

“No. Worse.” I cleared my throat and managed to speak with some strength. “It’s his wife – and she hates my guts.