Her hair was pulled back and up in a loose collection of waves about her face and gathered into a soft roll at the top of her head. Nestled just over the crown of her hair was a glittering band of stars, a piece of jewelry her father had bought during a trip to India a few months ago. Against the darkness of her hair, she knew the stars glinted and shone like the night sky. When she had come down for the evening, Leo’s lips had parted and his eyes had widened.
She had to admit, she did feel rather beautiful this night, but was she beautiful enough? Lacking self-confidence was unusual for her. Her father had raised her to value her mind, her intelligence, her compassionate heart, and beauty, but only to the extent that she did not focus on it beyond reason. She smiled, remembering what he
