The It Girl and Me by Laini Giles

Author:Laini Giles
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sepia Stories Publishing
Published: 2017-02-13T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Five

MUSSO & FRANK GRILL, HOLLYWOOD,

July 9, 1929

“Toots, we been futzin’ around long enough,” Harry said. He was in town filming a movie based on “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”

“Whaddya mean?” Clara said, taking a bite of her chicken Marengo.

“Let’s you ’n’ me get hitched. We’re engaged, so let’s get a ring already and do this for real.” Harry tucked into his porterhouse, snapping at the waiter to bring him a bottle of ketchup.

“Then one of us is gonna hafta think about movin’ careers,” Clara said. “You’re the Kinga Broadway, fer Chrissake. You can’t tell me ya wanna move out here.”

“I got nothin’ keepin’ me there. I sold my interest in Club Richman. I can take my title with me. I wanna be wherever you are, Toots.”

Her face lit up the way it did when she read her fan letters. “You mean it?”

“Of course I do. The next step for the King of Broadway is Hollywood. Now that talking pictures are here, I can do both!”

“But you’re goin’ back in three days,” Clara said with a pout. “You’re gonna be with Joe all day tomorrow.”

“That’s business, Toots. You know that.” He took her hand across the table. “I don’t wanna wait anymore.”

I thought I’d bust a gut right there. Just last night, I’d chased Harry out in favor of some fresh-faced new guy I hadn’t recognized.

“We gotta look for a ring, then,” Clara said. “But we won’t have time.”

“Daisy could get it for us!” Harry said.

I nearly choked on a piece of my lamb kidney with bacon. Clara patted me on the back and handed me my glass of seltzer. I gulped it down and caught my breath.

“I can’t buy you an engagement ring,” I sputtered.

“Why not?” Harry said. “You know the kinda stuff Clara likes. You got the time, and ya got access to the money.”

“You’re having Clara pay for her own engagement ring?” Geez. This guy’s all class.

“It’ll all be comin’ outta the same pot pretty soon anyway,” Harry said.

He’s not joking.

“All right,” I said. “So I have two days, then?”

“Yeah,” Harry said. “We gotta call a press conference to show it off.”

“Swell.”

The next day, I took the Whippet to the Windsor Jewelry Boutique on Broadway. In addition to the plush carpets and the shiny, pretty things, it smelled like money. Visiting always put me in a good mood.

“Miss DeVoe! It’s good to see you again.”

You know you’ve become a regular at the jewelry store when they greet you by name.

“Hi, James. I need to see what you have in the way of engagement rings,” I said.

“Certainly! Is your fiancé parking the car? Congratulations, by the way.”

I sighed and rolled my eyes, knowing he wouldn’t believe me. His brows knit in confusion. I lowered my voice. “It’s not for me. As I’ve mentioned, I’m the secretary to a very popular Hollywood star. She and her intended are quite busy, as you can imagine. So I’m buying their ring for them.”

“That’s highly unusual, Miss DeVoe.”

“I realize that. But they did give me some instructions.

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