The Glory Game by Janet Dailey

his forehead at her crisp response, but he said nothing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him walk toward the kitchen. With the placement of a lampstand, the living room was put back in order. A vacuum cleaner hummed in the dining room. To Luz’s inspecting eye, there appeared little left for the catering staff to do, except finish loading their equipment into the van.
    â€œI managed to save the last of the coffee before they poured it down the drain.” Drew returned, carrying a cup and saucer in each hand. “I brought you a cup.”
    â€œI don’t care for any.” She crossed to the French doors and closed them, checking to make sure they were securely latched.
    â€œEmma said to tell you the kitchen has been cleaned.”
    â€œGood.” Her head was throbbing with tension. She didn’t think she could take another minute of this without screaming.“In that case, you can stay down here and lock up after the caterers leave. I’m tired. I’m going upstairs.”
    She left him standing in the middle of the room, staring after her. When she reached her dressing room, she stripped off the two-piece lounger. For once she didn’t take the trouble to hang up her clothes but left the crushable pleated outfit in a pile on the floor, adding her black stockings and flesh-colored lingerie to the heap. Her necklace and earrings she dropped on the vanity table. She pulled a narrow-strapped nightgown of green silk over her head and paused long enough in front of the lighted mirror to pull the pins out of her hair, but she didn’t bother to remove her makeup. The agitation that pulsed within her was too strong.
    Before leaving the dressing room, Luz grabbed her hairbrush. She ran it through her hair as she walked into the bedroom to sit on the edge of the satin-quilted bed. With hard, brisk strokes, she raked the bristles through her hair until her scalp tingled with pain, as if she needed the physical discomfort to alleviate her inner torment.
    She could hear the distant murmur of voices coming from downstairs. A door closed. Then she was able to distinguish Drew’s voice when he wished Emma a good night. She held the hairbrush in her lap until she sensed Drew’s presence in the sitting room. Her door stood open, and she knew he could see her sitting there.
    â€œEverything’s all locked up.” He leaned a shoulder against the doorframe, bending one leg.
    â€œGood.” Luz continued brushing her hair.
    He stirred, entering her room. It took all her control not to throw the brush at him. “It was an excellent party. You outdid yourself, as usual.”
    â€œI’m surprised you noticed.” She tried to suppress the cattiness in her voice, but didn’t succeed.
    â€œWhat does that mean?” A confused laugh broke from him.
    Unable to sit still, Luz stood up and paced restlessly away from the bed. “How can you ask?” The anger simmered just below the surface.
    â€œBecause I want to know what you’re talking about.”
    â€œHow can you stand there and say that after the way you behaved all evening?” She turned on him.
    â€œWhat did I do?” He lifted his hands in a gesture of confusion.
    She didn’t want to put it into words, but she couldn’t stand his innocent attitude. “You didn’t take your eyes off that Baines woman all evening.”
    â€œWhat?” Drew laughed with incredulous amusement.
    â€œEveryone noticed. It was so humiliating to have people watch me and whisper behind their hands, wondering whether I saw what was going on. You monopolized her the whole time and ignored all the rest of our guests.”
    â€œLuz, that simply isn’t true. Yes, I was with her. What did you expect me to do? She didn’t know a soul at the party. I couldn’t very well let her stand around by herself. As the host, I felt it was my duty to take her around and meet the other guests, so I did