It was a steamy, hot, summer day. Jenni kept her head down the entire time. They went into a dress store and bought a bunch of clothes and shoes and jewelry. Jen didn't care for any of the items much. She mostly just sat in a shady area and remained quiet, occasionally voicing her opinion on an outfit for her friends. Bella sat next to her, "Hey, how are you doing?" Jenni lowered her head, "I'm fine. Just a little depressed." "How come?" Bella asked. "It's just...the last time I went shopping for nice clothes was with my mother.

She loved shopping so much. It's a stress to so many people...not to my mother." Jenni sank in her chair. Bella placed a comforting hand over Jenni's and smiled. "It's ok. I know how you feel. My mother loved shopping too before she..." Bella closed her eyes. Jenni did too. Suddenly, a flash of a beautiful white cat and her young black footed-cat daughter skipped along a street. The white cat turned her head to a sign that read "Dresses for U". "Look Jenni Penni, a dress store. Would you like to go in?" "Yes!" the child squealed.

She giggled and jumped up and down with joy. The white cat tried on a bunch of dresses and with each one, the girl giggled louder and louder. Jenni opened her eyes and a small tear slipped down her cheek. The group shopped for another hour before heading back to the hotel. "Hey, we're going to get some ice cream. You want to come?" Dolly asked. "No thanks girls, I need to get some rest for tonight." Jenni said. "You want us to stay with you?" Bella asked. "No, Thank you but no." Jenni answered.

Bella looked at her with concern. "All right then, see you tonight girl." Suzanne said. "See you tonight." Jenni turned and walked into the hotel. She looked around the lobby to see if her mentor had returned. No sign of him. She went up the stairs to her penthouse and laid on her bed. She took off her necklace and rubbed it with her thumb. Jenni's eyes burned with tears, but she rubbed them, "Come on Jen! Pull it together! It was 20 years ago! Stop crying! You're better than this! Be strong!" Jen took a deep breath.

She decided to occupy herself before the dance. She took a long bath, slept in her robe, brushed her teeth, went down to the lobby to check in with Jeremy, the clerk a few times, read her book, and occasionally took a walk around the block. Jenni repeated this process until 9:00pm hit. She checked her watch and started getting dressed. She had a beautiful sparkly red dress that was black on the rims and at the collar. Her gloves and shoes were also black but sparkly. Her bedroom phone rang and she picked it up almost immediately.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Graves, It's Jeremy. Mr. Heller is asking for you."

"Thank you, Jeremy. Tell him to meet me in the Marigold room in 15 minutes...please."

"Right away ma'am."

"Thank you again."

Jenni hung up and sighed. She looked at herself in the mirror. She looked stunning in her dress, and she knew it. She put on some lavender body mist. She also put on her beautiful ruby necklace with the golden chain. She brushed aside her bangs and smiled. It felt nice to look like a lady rather than a professional killer every once in a while. She took a deep breath before leaving her room, she felt nervous for some reason. "She walked down the steps into the lobby and looked around. Jeremy was in a neat tuxedo.

He spotted Jenni and smiled. "Wow Ms. Graves! You look beautiful!" "And you look dashing." Jenni stated. Jeremy smiled and blushed a little. Jen made her way over to the Marigold room door where two tall gray cats stood. They looked down at her, smiled, and opened the doors. Marigold was in full swing tonight. Jenni looked around, awestruck. She strode inside and gasped at the room's beauty. Almost everyone stopped what they were doing to look at her. They were just as stunned by her as she was of the party.

A few muttered to their friends. Others just stood, dumbfounded. Jenni looked amongst the faces to see if she recognized anyone. "Is that her?" Sweet's voice called out. "Ah, the girl of the hour!" Sweet was wearing a white shirt with a black jacket and green tie. He raced over to her and leaned down, "You're not afraid of crowds are you?" "No. Why?" "Just asking." Sweet sauntered off. "Hey there lil' cher!" Jenni turned around to see Serafine and Nico behind her. Serafine's hair was down and shaggy. She was wearing a beautiful white dress. Nico was in a tank top that looked like a tuxedo.

"Don't you look like a sight for sore eyes." Nico chuckled. "Dress up much?" Serafine giggled. "You guys look nice too." Jenni said, "Hey, any sign of Mr. Heller?" "No, but I'm sure you and he will get...sentimental with each other when he sees you lookin' all sharp like that." Serafine said, quietly. Jenni groaned, "God, I hope not." "Jenni!" Jen turned to see Suzanne running towards her with Dolly and Bella at her tail. "Jenni, my I barely recognized you."

"You're stunning!" Dolly cried, "Why don't you dress like this all the time?" "Because not every day is a ball." Jenni said coldly. "The first profound words I've heard all day." a dark voice said. Jenni looked behind her to see Mordecai coming up to the group. "Who are you?" Bella asked. "Oh, girls, this is my partner, Mordecai Heller." Jenni introduced. "Oh, he is a handsome one." Suzanne said, fanning herself. "So you're Heller." Dolly said, "We were just talking about you earlier." "Oh really?" Heller glanced at Jenni.

"Jen told us you were her mentor and that you were helping her learn the ways around here." Bella interrupted. "That's a rather private affair." Heller stated, "But Yes, Ms. Graves can I speak to you? Alone? Please?" "Of course." Jenni nodded to her friends. Suzanne giggled girlishly. Heller led Jen to a small corner away from the crowd. Jen spotted Serafine who winked at her. Jenni rolled her eyes. "Who were those girls?" Heller asked. "They're friends. Bella, the oncilla, worked with Moore like me."

"I recognized her. But what about the other two?"

"Dolly Fisher, the gray cat. I met her at a train station. She was poor and in desperate need of money, so I helped her and she's been my friend since. As for the sphinx cat. That was Suzanne Egypt. She was...one of my employers'...how should I say this without sounding vulgar? She was a slave for...unspeakable acts."

"Oh, I know what you mean."

"A victim of trafficking no doubt."

"Ms. Graves. I understand they're your friends but I don't appreciate you revealing we are associated with one another."

"Relax, they're clean. They're not working for anyone. They're not with the feds. They check out fine."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"100%"

Heller narrowed his eyes. "Still don't trust me do you?" Jenni asked, crossing her arms. "No, especially now that you've proven you can't keep a secret." Heller growled. "Oh, I can keep a secret, as long as it's worth keeping." Jenni said crossing her arms and flicking her tail. "Excuse me?" Sweet's voice echoed through a microphone. The jazzy music stopped, and everyone fell silent. "I just wanted to thank everyone for coming tonight. What an extravagant evening!" The crowd cheered. "Now I know what you all are thinking," "This party is a waste of time?" Jenni said quietly. Mordecai scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Why are we having this party?" Sweet said. "At least we can add 'Psychic skills' to the list of things Sweet isn't good at." Jenni whispered. "Yeah, right next to telling jokes." Heller whispered. Jenni smirked at him before turning back to her boss. "Tonight, we are here to celebrate the growth of our business. We have a new star in the Marigold spotlight! You may remember her by her family name and their business with the rails but this young lady is on the right track to a better future, no pun intended." Jenni brushed her bangs aside and clutched her necklace to her chest.

"She's a stellar shooter, a smart mind, and a stunning new addition to the Marigold family! Please help me give me a warm welcome to Ms. Jenni Graves." The entire house cheered. "Ms. Graves, why don't you come up here and say a few words to our patrons?" Jenni glanced at her mentor who just looked at her coldly but motioned for her to go. She took a deep breath before taking the stage. "Thank you, Mr. Sweet, for that most generous introduction. I'm not one for making speeches. In fact, this would be my first. However, I'll give it my best." Jenni spotted Bella, Suzanne, and Dolly smiling and waving.

"I grew up in New York city alongside my brother, JR. We were born to Bruce and Luna Graves, 10 years apart to be exact. I had a very close relationship with my family. My father gave me this on my 5th birthday." Jenni rubbed her necklace. The crowed sniffed and a few ladies wiped tears from their eyes. "It was approximately 3 years before he died. I think about my father and mother every day and I'm sure they're smiling down on me right now. As for my brother, a special thank you for supporting me." The crowd rose their glasses in respect. "But enough about me, Marigold is the true celebration tonight.

It's not the best or even the safest job in the world but you can always find friends in unexpected places, even with the people who you least expect to be friends with." The whole crowd cheered. "Now, if you will all excuse me, I have more important matters to tend to." Jenni nodded to Sweet who returned it. She walked off the stage, but Heller was gone. She looked around but there was no sign of him. "Jen!" Dolly cried, "That was awesome!" "You could become a professional motivational speaker!" Suzanne said. "Thanks girls." Jenni replied, looking around vigorously.

"If you're looking for your spectacled friend, he walked out just a few minutes ago." Bella said. She pointed to the door. "Thank you." Jenni said. She strode out into the lobby and looked around. Nothing. She walked back in and made her way back over to her friends. Jenni and Bella looked at each other. Jen shook her head and Bella frowned. Jenni didn't see her mentor again for the rest of the night. She chatted and danced with her girlfriends and had one of the best nights of her life.