swam with images of packed theaters, beautiful love stories made even lovelier by song, and a dozen red roses waiting in her dressing room by a mirror ringed in lights.
“You’ve got talent and more charisma than any leading lady I’ve seen on Broadway,” Forrest said. He looked at Ruby, who stood gossiping with Glitz and Glamour while Marty moved toward the door. “Don’t you think, Ruby?”
Instantly Ruby was at Forrest’s side. “Absolutely,” she said. But she was looking at Forrest, not Gloria.
“Ruby, are you coming?” Marty called from the doorway impatiently.
“You go ahead, Marty,” Ruby replied dismissively without even looking at him. Before, Ruby had at least pretended to care about her husband, but now she only had eyes for Forrest. Was she really getting up the courage to leave Marty?
Forrest smiled dreamily at Ruby for what felt like a full minute before he looked back at Gloria. “Sorry, what were we talking about?”
“You were saying how Gloria could be on Broadway, and I was agreeing,” Ruby answered, her eyes glittering with delight.
“Right, right. Anyway, the other stuff can be learned easily enough,” Forrest said to Gloria. “You’ll have plenty of opportunities in your life to sing your heart out on the Great White Way—there’s no doubt in my mind.”
Gloria paused to think. This adventure into the city would mean she wouldn’t get a chance until tomorrow to call Hank. But she couldn’t hide her excitement. Jerome would want her to seize this opportunity, wouldn’t he? She could meet producers and other people in the industry. That way, once she was free of the charges against her for good, she’d have a way to support them both.
Gloria had been eager to see a show since she’d arrived in New York. She couldn’t think of a better introduction to the wonders of Broadway than doing so as the producer’s personal guest.
“Thank you, Forrest, I’d love to!” she replied.
“Fantastic!” Forrest said. “Then put on your glad rags, girls, and do it fast! I expect to see you outside in half an hour.”
“Half an hour!” Glamour exclaimed. “That’s barely enough time to get my eyelashes on!”
At five-thirty, the group gathered around Forrest’s black Lincoln and Marty’s surprisingly rusty old red Model T.
Gloria had never seen a smart set dressed more smartly than Forrest and his friends. He and Marty both wore gray suits, but the similar outfits only exaggerated the differences between them. Marty looked short and pudgy in his ill-fitting suit and bright red shirt—what had Ruby ever seen in him? Forrest’s suit was like an expensive second skin that accentuated his trim, muscled build. He wore a pale yellow shirt with a white collar that looked delicious against his tanned skin and made his dark eyes even more arresting. His hair looked carelessly tousled; the effect was sexy enough to make Gloria wonder why so many boys bothered with slicking their hair back.
Glamour was a ray of sunlight in a gown of gold brocade. Glitz’s outfit coordinated well with her friend’s—she wore an ivory dress with a gold lamé hip band.
Ruby looked possibly the most beautiful Gloria had ever seen her. She wore a full-length burnt-orange dress with Grecian-style beading on the shoulders, and diamond earrings dangled from her ears. Her dark, wavy hair was parted far on the side so that a wave fell over one sparkling dark brown eye. Her dress was easily the longest of the four girls’. But Ruby was a girl who didn’t need to dress sexy to be sexy—her sheer essence gave her all the sex appeal she would ever need.
Gloria knew she didn’t look too bad herself. She’d chosen a Jeanne Paquin dress made almost entirely of sea-green lace, with two satin panels on the sides. The dress brought out her eyes, especially with her matching jade earrings.
“So I guess we should figure out who’s driving who?” Ruby asked. There was something a little strained and nervous about her typically musical voice.
“What?” Forrest asked. He’d been staring at her in stupefied silence since she’d walked out the front door.
Ruby smiled. “I was just about to say that Gloria could come with me in Marty’s jalopy and you all can have Pembroke drive you. You don’t mind, do you, Marty? Gloria wanted me to give her some advice on auditioning and I just don’t want to bore you.”
Gloria hadn’t even noticed Forrest’s manservant near the marble steps to Forrest’s front door. Wearing a black suit, he stood with his hands clasped behind his back like