“Well, I think it would be grand to marry, to have a life partnerand travel companion. But as for the settle-down part, I’d like to put that off awhile.”
“You’re a freethinker, Adelaide.”
“Yes, I suppose I am.”
“Very unconventional.”
“Well, a lot of conventional things that women are supposed to do strike me as kind of silly.”
“Such as?”
“Wearing white gloves, and acting like a weakling so men will feel big and strong and protective. Don’t get me wrong—I don’t mind being protected, when I need it. But I love being strong myself, and I don’t think a real man would be intimidated by that.” He whirled me around again, and I feared I’d said too much. “I suppose you think me unfeminine.”
“Quite the opposite.” His eyes were warm blue pools. “I think you’re amazing. And I think it would be amazing to see the world with a woman like you.”
I tamped down the thrill running through me. “You’re laying it on a little thick there, Joe. Better save some of those suave lines for the next girl.”
“What if there isn’t a next girl?” He spun me in a turn.
“With a guy like you, there’s always a next girl.”
His hand tightened on my back, pulling me intoxicatingly close, so close that my chest touched his, and his thigh once again pressed against mine. “Not if I’ve foundthegirl.”
9
adelaide
Joe didn’t leave my side the rest of the evening. Mrs. Brunswick shot me increasingly disapproving looks, and strode up when we finally took a break from the dance floor. “I’m sorry, Adelaide, but you need to mingle with the other servicemen.”
Joe turned his considerable charm on the older woman, explaining that this was his first visit to the USO and the only dance he’d get to attend before he shipped overseas, and could she possibly find it in her heart to let him consolidate the time the other servicemen would get to spend with me over the course of a normal leave into just tonight?
“I can’t believe the old bag made an exception to her own rules,” Marge said hours later as we rode home in the nearly empty streetcar after the dance. We were seated across from each other on the hard wooden seats, and she’d been quizzing me about Joe ever since we’d escaped the chaperone who escorted us to the streetcar stop.
I told her some of the things he’d said, and she feigned a swoon. “Ooh, what a charmer!”
“Maybe a little too much of one,” I replied.
“Well, I guess I’ll have to forgive you for not honoring my dibs.” She dug in her purse for a peppermint. “I think this is a case of love at first sight.”
“You can’t love someone you just met,” I scoffed.
“Sure you can!”
“No. That’s a myth.”
“Well, myth or not, you have to admit you like him.”
“Maybe.” For some reason, I was hesitant to talk too much about him. Part of me longed to gush, but another part of me wanted to hold the memories close and just think about him in private. Everything that had transpired between us felt intensely intimate and oddly momentous.
“No ‘maybe’ about it. You’ve got a glow about you.”
“I’m sure he’s got girls glowing all over the place.”
“He’s a charmer, all right, but he really zeroed right in on you.” She huffed out a sigh. “Maybe I should try pouring water all over someone.”
The streetcar jangled to a stop. Marge’s brown eyes widened. “Oh my goodness. Speak of the devil!”
I was facing away from the door, so I twisted around, and lo and behold, there was Joe, dropping coins in the box. My heart pattered hard as he strode down the aisle, smiling widely, and took off his hat.
