When she walked, the bottom of her dress trailed lightly behind her, as sparkling and silvery as the huge chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling. She smiled inwardly when she noticed the admiring stares of her male colleagues as she crossed the brightly lit room. The gown had been a good purchase.

She saw someone wave at her from the corner of her eye and beamed as she recognized Gilly Grant, whom she had arranged to meet at the cocktail. The two women hugged before sitting at a nearby table.

"Well, the champagne is sure flowing already!" Holly remarked amusedly while she glanced around them. "Should be an interesting night. How is Los Angeles treating you?" she added more earnestly. She hadn't seen her ex-employee for a few years now, not since she had left Springfield for a job as anchorwoman in Los Angeles. Holly was genuinely happy to be able to spend some time with her again.

Gilly tossed her hair, which was now much longer, behind her shoulders and grinned broadly. "Oh Holly! I love it here. It's a totally different vibe from the Mid-West or the East Coast, you know? I mean, people here work very hard and there are definitely business sharks to look out for, but outside of work, the way of life is much more laid back. People exercise, eat right…and then there is the ocean. Just can't be beat!"

Holly hugged her hand warmly. "I'm glad to see that you've finally settled down into a more balanced routine. I remember how ambitious you used to be."

Gilly burst out laughing. "I still am, make no mistake." She took a sip of champagne and glanced at her ex-boss. "And coming from you, it's a bit like the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think? I heard about all those acquisitions that you made in the last few years. How did you managed to do it so quickly?"

Holly shrugged and looked away. "Touché! I worked like a dog. I did nothing else for years. Now, I can start to relax. That is, if I don't buy another station soon."

"My, Holly! You have turned into a regular media mogul. What gives?"

Holly looked for the right way to phrase her reply. "Well, I need to feel busy. Blake has her own life now with the twins, and it's not as if I had someone waiting for me to come home at night," she said flatly.

A concerned expression flashed across Gilly's face. "I heard about you and Fletcher; I'm sorry it didn't work out between you two."

Holly shrugged for the second time. "Don't be. Looking back, I see that it was never meant to be serious between us. We kid ourselves into thinking that we could play husband and wife, but I think that mostly we were just good friends." She forced a smile on her face before she continued, "But what about you? Are you seeing anyone special these days?"

She could tell from the sparkle in Gilly's eyes that she was. The latter nodded and even blushed a little. "His name is Chris and we have been dating for almost a year now. He's wonderful!"

"Is he in this business?" Holly asked, pointing her chin at the people mingling around them.

"No, he's in finance. Venture capital, that sort of things. Maybe you could meet him while you're down here? I was thinking about inviting you to dinner, that is, if you're planning on staying for a little while after the convention."

"I was thinking about it, yes. I haven't been in California for so long, and I just can't imagine leaving before dipping into the Pacific at least once." She smiled then looked at her hands for a few seconds. There was a question that had been burning her lips since the beginning of their conversation, but she was too uncomfortable to utter it.

Fortunately for her, Gilly decided to broach the subject on her own. "So, do you ever talk to Roger anymore?" she asked.

Holly smoothed her dress and shook her head. "I haven't spoken to him since he moved to California."

Her friend looked surprised. "Is that so? I assumed that both becoming grandparents had brought you into contact again."

"Not at all. Roger has only visited twice and both times I was out of town. I know that he talks to Blake on the phone regularly." She took a big gulp of champagne to give herself the courage to ask what she really wanted to know. "What about you? Do you ever see him now that you live in the same city?"

Gilly chuckled and tipped her head on the side. "Of course not! You know that there is no love lost between Roger and me after what how he handled my brother's trial at WSPR. Other that he's no longer at the head of the Western division of Spaulding, I don't know –"

Holly opened her eyes wide and raised a hand to interrupt Gilly. "What? Roger doesn't work for Spaulding anymore?"

"I thought you knew. He quit a year ago. It was in the local news."

Holly sank back into her chair. Blake had never mentioned it, but then again, Holly had asked her not to discuss her father with her, just as she had asked that Blake not reveal to Roger that Holly was getting a divorce. He had made a new life for himself with Amanda and gotten the job that he had always wanted, and she did not want to ruin it for him.

She suddenly wondered if by quitting his job, Roger also had left Amanda, before remembering that Alexandra had reveled in telling her, just a few weeks ago, how the two lovebirds were still sickeningly in love. It was obvious that Alexandra enjoyed torturing her with these tidbits of information. She had never forgiven her for marrying Fletcher, even if he had returned to her in the end.

"Bitch," she mumbled under her breath.

Gilly's voice snapped her out of her musings. "What was that?"

Holly raised her eyes and shook her head. "Nothing important."

"Listen, I really should start mingling before dinner, but how about we catch the first conference together tomorrow morning?"

"Sounds like a plan!"

Gilly got up and bent over to whisper in Holly's ear. "And don't look now, but there is a dashing gentleman who has been eyeing you for the last fifteen minutes."

She winked and blew Holly a kiss before disappearing into the crowd.

It took him almost an hour, but the gentleman in question finally approached Holly while she was waiting at the bar. She had been trying to get the barman's attention for a few minutes, but throngs of waiving people kept obstructing the way.

"I don't need a drink this badly," she thought before turning around. That's when she bumped into him. She tipped her head back almost as far as she could to be able to meet his eyes. Then she found herself blushing in spite of herself. Gilly had been right; this man was devastatingly handsome.

"Do you need any help?" he asked in a deep voice while nodding toward the bar. His smile was warm and there was just a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Holly shook her head and smiled in return. "I was going to order something, but then again it might be more judicious to pace myself. It might be a long night," she added.

There was no mistaking her flirtatious tone and the man caught on as quickly as she had hoped. "In that case, may I ask for the next dance?" he said, extending his arm.

She slipped her arm around his and silently followed him on the dance floor. When he took her in his arms, she closed her eyes and sighed with contentment. They chatted about the convention, her job and his job as a journalist in New York, and Holly could soon see that he was not only handsome but also witty and charming. Most importantly, Richard, which was his name, had no ring on his finger. Before the dance was over, she had decided that if he made a move, she would take him on as a lover for the duration of the convention. And when that was over, they would each go their separate way. It was a win-win situation, really.

They joined their respective table for dinner then met again for the reception afterward. They spent the most part of the night dancing away, holding each other closer as the hours went by. At the height of the party, Richard finally pulled away from her and gazed into her eyes, searching for the answer to his silent question. She smiled and nodded imperceptibly. She waited five minutes after he had left so as not to set the tongues wagging, and then she followed him to the elevators.

"Which floor?" he asked huskily once they were inside.

"Thirteenth. I hope you're not superstitious."

He took her in his arms and pushed her gently against the back wall. "A little, but for you, I'm willing to risk it." He gazed into her eyes before bending his head and kissing her urgently.

Just as the doors closed, a man quickly exited the banquet room and rushed past the elevator. All he had time to make out was the back of Richard, but it was enough for Roger to know that he had found the man he was looking for.

He slowly walked toward the lobby and took his cellphone out of his pocket.

"I found him," he said to his interlocutor.

"Can you establish a contact with him tonight?" the woman at the other end of the line said.

Roger chuckled. "Unfortunately not. I got here too late and now he's, how shall I put it, otherwise occupied."

"Tomorrow then."

"Tomorrow."

Roger hung up and briskly left the hotel. Once on the sidewalk, however, he stopped dead in his tracks. Something was off about the scene in the elevator, but what? He closed his eyes and replayed in his mind the few seconds before the doors closed. He could clearly see the man's back, but the woman had been almost completely hidden by his tall frame. Roger had only been able to see a glimpse of a sparkling silver dress, and slight, white hands tightly wrapped over the man's shoulders.

Roger snapped his eyes open and his heart started to pound loudly into his chest. Those hands. He turned back on his heels to go back to the hotel, but then he stopped once again.

It couldn't be. Holly was married to Fletcher. There was no way that she could be in that elevator, kissing THAT man.

He shook his head and walked away.