Free The Glory Game by Janet Dailey Page B

house to circulate and greet the latest arrivals.
    The coffered, mirrored ceiling in the dining room reflected the sumptuous buffet set up for the party guests. Instead of the usual boring fare of dainty canapés, cheap caviar, and fruit and fondue dips, Luz had opted for a menu that included scandalously tasty finger ribs and crispy fried chicken. She loved the sight of diamond-bedecked women licking their sticky fingers.It created a wonderfully informal atmosphere, breaking down barriers and letting people be themselves. Bound for so long by the constraints of family expectations and pressures herself, she enjoyed the informality as well.
    The lively sway of her dangling earrings, each a large pearl suspended on a long black bead, seemed to match her personality, bold and outgoing. The crystal-pleated two-piece lounger was comfortable yet dramatic in its use of black and white, slightly puffed shoulders, and wide, full sleeves. She wore her hair in a sleek uplifted wave away from her face, its length secured atop her head in a smooth coil. The simplicity of style and color exuded elegance.
    She paused in the doorway to the living room and skimmed the crowd with a glance. There was a constant ebb and flow of guests around the fully equipped wet bar, strategically positioned near the French doors to the patio. Luz noticed Trisha hovering near the front entrance hall, obviously still waiting for her guest to arrive.
    â€œThere you are, Luz.” The woman’s voice came from behind her, and she turned.
    â€œConnie!” she declared in delighted recognition of her chubby friend, who was delicately sucking barbecue sauce from her fingers while holding a tray full of food in her other hand. “How long have you been here?”
    â€œLong enough to know I’m going to fill some doggie bags before I go home.” The dark-haired woman unabashedly admitted her love of food, and the proof of it was the way she was packed into her red dress. “Speaking of food …” She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial level. “Have you seen Veronica Hampton? She and George came only a few minutes ago.”
    â€œI was outside.” Her glance searched the crowded room for the newcomers.
    â€œOver by the bar.” Connie Davenport directed her gaze to the tall, painfully thin woman in pink. “She’s been on that new diet. Isn’t she pathetic? She’s nothing but a sack of bones.”
    â€œI believe that’s called ‘stylishly anorexic,’” Luz murmured.
    â€œWhatever it is, I’ll never know.” Connie laughed.
    â€œNeither will a lot of us,” Luz agreed, although she had never had a weight problem. Between horseback riding and other outdoor activities, she had managed to keep a trim figure.
    â€œWhere’s Rob? I haven’t seen him yet.”
    â€œHe left for school. Trisha goes back tomorrow. It’s going to be very quiet around here with both of them gone. I probably won’t know what to do with myself,” she admitted ruefully.
    â€œYou should be used to that by now.”
    â€œWhat makes it worse this year is having Jake gone, too. Late winter’s the time my father and I usually spent together in Virginia arguing bloodlines, and which mare to breed to which stallion, or checking out the crop of two-year-olds for polo prospects. I’ll miss that.”
    â€œYou could still go there. By yourself, I mean,” Connie suggested. “I know it wouldn’t be the same, but it would be better than doing nothing.”
    â€œMaybe.” She shrugged a shoulder. “I know Audra has been talking about closing the house there. I think she has decided to live year-round here in Florida. If she does, maybe I could
go
back and supervise the closing for her—and have a last look around my childhood haunts.” It was a possibility to consider, but hardly important now. “We’ll see.”
    â€œEither way, with the