But as good-looking and as obviously established and successful as some were, none caused my heart to flutter the way Garland Foxworth first had that night at the Wexler gala. I guessed what I feared was coming true. I was doomed to judge and compare him to anyone I met forever and maybe never find a man who would satisfy me. Garland would surely think so and be the first to express it with that arrogant smile invading his eyes and his lips. Try as I might, it was a smile I simply could not forget.

Sometimes, as the days went by, I thought my mother was actually upset that I was doing so well. My father never stopped talking about me at dinner, and suddenly, he and I had more to discuss. When he talked about some redesigning for the bank lobby, I could offer an opinion. If he ruminated about things he wanted to change to make the everyday business more efficient when and if he became board chairman, I could explain why I thought this suggestion or that might work out well. It was funny how I never considered the impact my working at my father’s bank would have on our father-daughter relationship.

I put it all in my diary.

Any of the girls or boys my age or a little older who saw me working were impressed, too. Daisy came to the bank with her father just to see me at work, and Arthur Raymond came in when he was back for a long weekend and had heard about me. He tried so hard to get me to pay more attention to him, but older, far more sophisticated young businessmen drew my eyes and ears away from him even while he was standing there and talking. Finally, he left the bank like some puppy with its tail between its legs, glancing back at me with disappointment dripping like tears from his eyes. I almost felt sorry for him, but then I thought that years from now, he would thank me for getting him to grow up faster.

I was actually enjoying myself at the bank these days and loved how surprised I was about it. I took more care with my appearance, did just what my father suggested, and spent my earnings on things that would enhance my looks. I bought new handbags, a parasol for almost no reason at all, and another pair of shoes for work, even though I spent very little time on my feet.