“Oh, Justin, it was awful!” she wailed. “Tansy made me wear this ridiculous dress, and there was this horrid man with the whitest, sharpest teeth you’ve ever seen just like the Big Bad Wolf’s and the most cleverly knotted tie. Better than Penfeld’s even. And then there was Barney lurking in doorways, waiting to jump out at me just like he did at Foxworth’s, and he said the most awful things.” Emily was too intent on gulping in the musky spice of Justin’s scent to realize how strangely stiff he stood in her embrace. Clutching his sleeves, she tilted her head and peered up at his face. It was set in lines of polished granite. She dropped her arms and backed away from him, more afraid than she’d been in the entire terrible night. In grim silence he reached down, pried her lollipop off his sleeve, and thrust the fuzzy offender into her hand. He wouldn’t even look at her. His eyes were all for the buxom woman who came sauntering out of the crowd. Gone was the grandmotherly creature who had spooned warm broth down Emily’s throat and bussed her cheek good night.
