Fire And Ice Read Free Page B

start,” Jan reminded her. “And you helped—you know you did—with that horrible dress. I wasn’t deserting you; I just thought if the two of you were left alone together…” She groaned. “Oh, I made a mess of it myself by not telling you why I wanted you to go to the restaurant. But Margie, you don’t know how important Cannon’s approval is. I can’t ask Andy to give up his family and his inheritance all at once just for my sake. I can’t!” She gave Margie a pleading glance. “And I can’t fight Cannon alone; I’m not strong enough. I can’t even pretend that I’ve got a chance against him.”
    “And you think I have?” Margie asked.
    “Yes, because you aren’t afraid of him,” Jan said. “I’ve seen you charm men. When you turn on that smile and act like yourself, you draw them like flies.”
    Margie looked shocked. “If you think I’d deliberately lead that bulldozer on…”
    “I wouldn’t ask you to,” Jan said quickly. “Never would I do that to you. But you have a knack for getting people to listen to you, for drawing them out. You could convince Cannon that I’m not too young and stupid and unaccomplished to become a Van Dyne,” she continued, unabashed.
    “I’m not sure I want you to become one,” Margie said with a flash of resentment. “You know very well how I feel about cliques and snobbery. And for that matter, don’t you think it’s time you told Andy about Dad’s drinking? You can’t hide your past forever.”
    Jan nodded her head, looking guilty for a moment. “I know. I was hoping to tell him down in Panama City. It’s just that our backgrounds are so different. And Cannon doesn’t think I can cope with their lifestyle—or make Andy happy.”
    “You most certainly could,” Margie argued. “You have poise and terrific manners. And you learned how to organize dinner parties for your boss, with his wife’s help….”
    “See?” Jan grinned. “You’re already sure I could make the grade. All you have to do is sell me to Cannon.”
    “Slavery was abolished by Lincoln,” Margie pointed out.
    “Margie!”
    “The tycoon wouldn’t listen,” came the sullen reply. “He’s a card-carrying chauvinist with delusions of upper-crust grandeur. So arrogant…imagine, a man who makes ladies’ underthings being arrogant!” Her face contorted and she burst into giggles. “Jan, suppose you get Andy to filch me a lacy set of underwear for my statue of Venus…imagine what Mrs. James would say!”
    Jan couldn’t repress a laugh. Margie, in this mood, was hilarious. “Okay, I’ll do it. Now will you please come to dinner with us tomorrow night? Maybe
you
can get me that invitation to Panama City.”
    Margie sighed. “Has it ever occurred to you that I might be more of a detriment to you than an asset? I ought to be horsewhipped for deliberately giving him the wrong impression tonight. I don’t even know why I did it.” She groaned, swinging back her long, tangled hair. “It’s this awful deadline I’m on, with only a month to go, and the book isn’t going well at all….” Her eyes met Jan’s. “Darling, I’m sorry. I’ll try to make amends tomorrow night. I’ll bite my tongue in half if it will help, truly I will. And one way or another, we’ll get you that invitation to Panama City!”
    “I knew you wouldn’t let me down,” Jan said affectionately. She hugged her sister hard. “It will all work out. You’ll see.”
    * * *
    But as Margie dressed for dinner the following evening, she wasn’t convinced of that. She stared at her reflection in the mirror with grave misgivings.
    Her dress was simple—a mass of black chiffon with a slightly sensuous v-neck surrounded by ruffles. She had put her rebellious black hair in a high knot on top of her head, with wisps falling around her face, and schooled herself to look sedate. She was sparing with her makeup and chose a perfume with a light, flowery, almost innocent scent. She looked so different from