He looked princely in his black tux, and while my classically styled black evening dress wasn’t exactly Cinderella’s luxurious gown, that didn’t stop Ben’s eyes from nearly popping out of his head. Everything seemed perfect. As if we’d truly stepped out of real life and into a fairy tale, where nothing could go wrong and good always triumphed over evil. I knew that this night was going to be fantastic. Well, I thought I knew that. I changed my mind shortly after we actually arrived at the charity event. Nearly two hours later, I sipped my wine in an attempt to calm my jittery nerves, no longer basking in the fairy-tale glow. Glancing around the room, I tried not to stare too hard at Chicago society’s crème de la crème. They were all here: politicians, local and a few nationally known celebrities, and anyone else who might be found on a list of who’s who in Chicago. Not to mention gazillions of Ben’s relatives. Yes, I mean gazillions. They were everywhere. So to say I was slightly overwhelmed would be a huge and complete understatement.
