Jennie laughed as the door closed behind him.
"Signing my autograph always makes me feel like a queen." She looked around the office. "This is nice."
"It's not mine," Jonas said, pouring coffee into two cups. "It's Forrester's. I'm just using it while he's away."
"Oh," she said curiously. "Where is yours?"
"I don't have any, except the one that used to be my father's in the old plant in Nevada.
I'm never in any one place long enough to really need one." He pulled a chair around near her and sat down. He drank his coffee and looked at her quietly.
She could feel an embarrassed blush creeping over her face.
"Do I look all right?
Is my make-up smeared or something?"
He shook his head and smiled.
"No. You look fine."
She sipped at her coffee and an awkward silence came between them.
"What have you been doing?" she asked.
"Thinking, mostly.
About us," he answered, looking at her steadily. "You. Me.
This last time I was away from you, for the first time in my life I was lonely.
Nothing was right. I wanted to see no other girls. Only you."
Her heart seemed to swell, choking her.
She felt, somehow, that if she tried to move, she would faint.
Jonas put his hand in his pocket and came out with a small box, which he handed to her.
She stared down at it dumbly. The small gold letters stared up at her.
Van Cleef Arpels.
Her fingers trembled as she opened it.
The beautifully cut heart-shaped diamond suddenly released its radiance.
"I want to marry you," he said softly.
She felt the hot, grateful tears push their way into her eyes as she looked at him. Her lips trembled but she could not speak.
It was the headline and lead story in Louella's column the next day.
The telephone had been ringing in her dressing room all morning, until finally she'd asked the switchboard to screen all her calls.
The operator's voice had a new respect in it.
As Jennie started to put the telephone down the operator said,
"Miss Denton?" "Yes." "The girls on the switchboard all wish you the best of luck."
Jennie felt a sudden happy rush of warmth go through her. "Why, thank you."
Later in the afternoon, Rosa called.
"I'm so happy for both of you."
"I'm in a daze," Jennie laughed, looking down at the diamond sparkling on her finger.
"You know that dinner invitation?"
"Yes."
"David and I were just thinking.
How would you like to make it an engagement party?
At Romanoff's with all the trimmings."
"I don't know." Jennie hesitated. "I’d better check with Jonas."
Rosa laughed.
"Jonas?
Who's he?
Only the groom. Nobody ever asks the groom what he wants.
It doesn't have to be a big party, if you don't want one."
"All right." Jennie laughed. "You've twisted my arm."
"And you'll have a chance to show off your engagement ring.
I hear it's a real smasher."
Jennie held out her hand and the diamond winked at her.