“Oh, have a heart, Naomi!” he teased. “He’s so young and tender.”
Naomi turned slowly in his direction. She said nothing for the moment but waited until the others got up to dance.
“Well?” He was intrigued by her silence. “Well, Eve, do we tempt young Adam to eat the apple or do we let him go home in peace and grow them?”
“I think we marry him,” she said quietly.
[133]
] Kent gave a start that brought him upright. Then he grinned, that drawling grin tinged with cynicism. The idea of any one marrying Naomi was amusing. She read his thought as plainly as if it had been put into words and her head went up suddenly. Though the lashes did not lift, a flash came through them. It was challenge.
“You think I couldn’t?”
“My dear Naomi—if you’ll pardon my brutality, I should say—not a chance in the world!”
“Why?”
“In the first place I have a hunch that little girl, Nan Crawford, has a pretty firm hold on young Bill. It’s plain to see they’re crazy about each other. Darn sweet kid, too. I suspect she’s here trousseauing. In the second, Bill is probably more sophisticated than you or I imagine. This isn’t his first visit to New York.”
“I’m going to marry him just the same.”