all any young woman could ask for in those times.
I remember the way he looked when I accepted his proposal, all smiles and grins, with his hands in the pockets of his brown corduroy pants, which always seemed to hang the wrong way. The wind was blowing his thin, straight brown hair to the side, and he almost looked handsome as he reached for my hand. Almost handsome enough.
As fate, or bad luck, would have it, Elliot was on the boat that day too—with another woman. Elliot always had women around. They swarmed like flies. I remember this one because she wore a white silk scarf wrapped around her neck and a red dress that clung to her body like a tight glove.
Before the boat docked, Bobby and I walked past their seats—not that she was using hers; the woman was practically hanging off of Elliot.
“Hello, Bobby, Esther,” Elliot said, waving to us. “This is Lila.”
Bobby said something polite. I just nodded.
“Well, should I tell them or should you?” Bobby said, turning to me.
I knew exactly what he meant, but I instinctively hid my ring finger, burying it in the side of my dress until I could feel the ring’s prongs burrowing into my skin. It was a fine ring, of course—a simple gold band and half-carat gemstone most worthy of admiration. No, it was my history with Elliot that gave me pause.
“We’re engaged!” Bobby blurted out, before I could interject. His exclamation was so loud that many of the other passengers seated nearby turned to look at us.
When my eyes met Elliot’s, I could see a storm brewing; waves of betrayal, or maybe sadness, churned in those dark brown eyes I knew so well. Then he looked away, stood up, and patted Bobby on the back. “Well, how about that,” he said. “Bobby goes and gets himself the prettiest girl on the island. Congratulations, my friend.”
Bobby beamed as Elliot turned back to me and just stared. There were no words.
Lila cleared her throat and frowned. “Excuse me, Elliot? Prettiest girl on the island?”
“Next to my Lila, of course,” Elliot added, wrapping his arm around her waist so suggestively I had to avert my eyes.
He didn’t love her. We both knew that, just like we both knew that Elliot belonged to me, and that I belonged to Elliot.
I could feel his heart aching and cracking at that moment, just as mine was. But I had said yes to Bobby. I had made my decision. In two months, I would be Mrs. Bobby Littleton, even though I loved Elliot Hartley.
It was almost two a.m. and three chapters later before I set the book down. Esther indeed married Bobby. They had a child together, a baby girl. As for Elliot, he was drafted to the South Pacific thirteen days after their wedding, where he watched them exchange vows from the shadows of the back pews. When Bobby slipped the ring on her finger, she thought of Elliot, and when she said her vows, she glanced toward the back of the church and her eyes met Elliot’s.
No one had heard from him since he had deployed, and every day, Esther walked to town hall, pushing her baby in the stroller to check the updated casualty list for his name.
As I closed my eyes, I thought about Bee. You’d have to know love, and heartache, to write like this.
Chapter 5
March 3
“ E mily,” Bee called out from the hallway. I could hear her voice getting nearer, and then the door opened, creaking a little until I opened my eyes and saw Bee’s face poke through.
“Oh, sorry, dear, I didn’t realize you were still sleeping. It’s nearly ten a.m. And Greg is on the phone.” Her smile was half encouraging, half teasing.
“OK,” I said groggily. “I’ll be there in just a sec.”
I stood up and stretched, put on my sage green fleece robe, and walked out to the living room, where Bee was waiting, phone in hand.
“Here,” she said, whispering. “He sounds excited to talk to you.”
“Shhh,” I hissed at her. I didn’t want Greg to get the idea that I was sitting around waiting for his call, because I wasn’t. Plus, I
I remember the way he looked when I accepted his proposal, all smiles and grins, with his hands in the pockets of his brown corduroy pants, which always seemed to hang the wrong way. The wind was blowing his thin, straight brown hair to the side, and he almost looked handsome as he reached for my hand. Almost handsome enough.
As fate, or bad luck, would have it, Elliot was on the boat that day too—with another woman. Elliot always had women around. They swarmed like flies. I remember this one because she wore a white silk scarf wrapped around her neck and a red dress that clung to her body like a tight glove.
Before the boat docked, Bobby and I walked past their seats—not that she was using hers; the woman was practically hanging off of Elliot.
“Hello, Bobby, Esther,” Elliot said, waving to us. “This is Lila.”
Bobby said something polite. I just nodded.
“Well, should I tell them or should you?” Bobby said, turning to me.
I knew exactly what he meant, but I instinctively hid my ring finger, burying it in the side of my dress until I could feel the ring’s prongs burrowing into my skin. It was a fine ring, of course—a simple gold band and half-carat gemstone most worthy of admiration. No, it was my history with Elliot that gave me pause.
“We’re engaged!” Bobby blurted out, before I could interject. His exclamation was so loud that many of the other passengers seated nearby turned to look at us.
When my eyes met Elliot’s, I could see a storm brewing; waves of betrayal, or maybe sadness, churned in those dark brown eyes I knew so well. Then he looked away, stood up, and patted Bobby on the back. “Well, how about that,” he said. “Bobby goes and gets himself the prettiest girl on the island. Congratulations, my friend.”
Bobby beamed as Elliot turned back to me and just stared. There were no words.
Lila cleared her throat and frowned. “Excuse me, Elliot? Prettiest girl on the island?”
“Next to my Lila, of course,” Elliot added, wrapping his arm around her waist so suggestively I had to avert my eyes.
He didn’t love her. We both knew that, just like we both knew that Elliot belonged to me, and that I belonged to Elliot.
I could feel his heart aching and cracking at that moment, just as mine was. But I had said yes to Bobby. I had made my decision. In two months, I would be Mrs. Bobby Littleton, even though I loved Elliot Hartley.
It was almost two a.m. and three chapters later before I set the book down. Esther indeed married Bobby. They had a child together, a baby girl. As for Elliot, he was drafted to the South Pacific thirteen days after their wedding, where he watched them exchange vows from the shadows of the back pews. When Bobby slipped the ring on her finger, she thought of Elliot, and when she said her vows, she glanced toward the back of the church and her eyes met Elliot’s.
No one had heard from him since he had deployed, and every day, Esther walked to town hall, pushing her baby in the stroller to check the updated casualty list for his name.
As I closed my eyes, I thought about Bee. You’d have to know love, and heartache, to write like this.
Chapter 5
March 3
“ E mily,” Bee called out from the hallway. I could hear her voice getting nearer, and then the door opened, creaking a little until I opened my eyes and saw Bee’s face poke through.
“Oh, sorry, dear, I didn’t realize you were still sleeping. It’s nearly ten a.m. And Greg is on the phone.” Her smile was half encouraging, half teasing.
“OK,” I said groggily. “I’ll be there in just a sec.”
I stood up and stretched, put on my sage green fleece robe, and walked out to the living room, where Bee was waiting, phone in hand.
“Here,” she said, whispering. “He sounds excited to talk to you.”
“Shhh,” I hissed at her. I didn’t want Greg to get the idea that I was sitting around waiting for his call, because I wasn’t. Plus, I
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