Poppy smiled to herself. Giving Cookie the time of day instead of ignoring her like half the other nurses did had certainly paid off.
‘Come here,’ Teddy said, moving the bag out of the way and opening his arm up so Poppy could scoot over and snuggle up to him.
She sat there, her stomach rumbling as she devoured the sandwich and then happily reached for the cheese, tucked against her man and staring out at the water. Watching the ocean twinkle had become addictive, her favorite thing to do whenever she wasn’t working. Her gaze soon landed on a ship anchored not too far out, and she wondered if that was where Eva was stationed.
‘What are you thinking about?’ Teddy asked, his lips brushing against her hair.
‘Another nurse we met,’ she said. ‘She’s a lot of fun, and she’s stationed out there on theSolace.’
His fingers curled around her shoulder, and she pressed herself even closer to him.
‘They’ve got it good out there,’ he said. ‘Some of the navy boys have said the nurses have nothing to do, and they often sunbathe on deck with a whole lot of leg on show!’
She pulled back and gave him what she hoped was a withering look. ‘They’ve been spying on them?’
‘It’s hardly spying if they’re doing it in full view, is it?’
Poppy sighed. ‘Honestly, you boys are terrible. And those girls aren’t sitting around with nothing to do, I’ll have you know. Eva said she’s been assigned to the ENT ward—that’sear, nose, and throat, Teddy—and she’s often having to attend to things in there.’
‘Well, don’t you sound like a real little nurse now,’ he teased, grinning at her.
‘I’ll have you know that Iama real nurse, Theodore.’
‘Well then, Nurse, can you tend to me? I seem to have something hurting my lips. I think you need to investigate.’
She giggled and decided to play along, pretending to be worried and gasping. ‘Oh, sugar, what could that be? Let me see; does this hurt?’ she asked, gently pressing her lips to his.
He kissed her back, his mouth barely moving. ‘I don’t think you have the right spot. Can you try again?’
She moved to her knees and sat in front of him, leaning closer as his hands found her back, stroking down the length of it as she kissed him again. ‘This?’ she asked.
Teddy chuckled. ‘Maybe I need to try them out myself,’ he muttered, trailing kisses down her neck and making her heart beat so fast she was certain he’d hear it pounding.
‘Mmmm,’ she murmured. ‘I think you should keep doing that. Nurse’s orders.’
Teddy’s kisses were heavenly, every touch making her want him all the more. Only weeks earlier, she’d never been alone with him, but here, they had all the freedom in the world. No mother to scold her, no father to warn Teddy about bringing her home late and keeping his hands off her, and no rules other than to complete her shifts and turn up on time.
She let Teddy sweep her into his arms and lay her down on the sand, his hands soft and his lips even softer. Hawaii was heaven, and Teddy being here with her was the icing on the cake.
CHAPTER FOUR
APRIL
April walked through the ward with Grace a few days later, listening to her run through the various patients she’d had come in during the night. They’d had their first separate shift, and April was surprised by how confident her little sister sounded as she talked about her patients, as if she’d known the men for weeks instead of days.
‘You’re really liking this, aren’t you?’ she asked.
‘I suppose I am,’ Grace said, shrugging as if it were no big deal. ‘I haven’t had to deal with anything gory yet, other than vomit and some broken bones, and they’re nice men. I like talking with them while I work.’
April nodded and took the charts from her, scanning the pages before looking back up at her sister. She’d hardly had to do more than take temperatures, give injections, and check bandages, so she wasn’t certain that Grace actually knew what she was in for if they did end up nursing soldiers injured in combat, but it was nice to see her so happy and finding her feet. She just needed to remind herself to stop checking up on her; Grace could come to her if she needed anything. ‘Any plans for the day?’ she asked.
‘Sleep,’ Grace muttered. ‘I’m definitely not made for doing night shifts!’
‘Is Poppy back on today?’ she asked.
‘Yes, she started just before I saw you. She was still full of talk about her romantic afternoon with Teddy, telling me how they kissed until it was almost dark.’
April touched her arm, wanting her to know that she understood. She knew how hard it was on Grace, because she’d been there that night they’d met Teddy. It had been the first time she’d ever seen her sister’s eyes grow wide with interest over a man and her cheeks flush red, and she’d known in that moment that she was desperate for Teddy to ask her to dance. And she’d also seen the intense disappointment when Teddy had taken Poppy by the hand and felt her pain when they’d stayed hand in hand until the very last dance of the night. But Poppy was their best friend, and she knew Grace would never step on Poppy’s toes or wish her friend’s romance to fall apart, no matter how much it hurt her.
