Delia waited until a waitress took their order, and then she slid the newspaper across the table to Finn. “TheNew York Journalis William Randolph Hearst’s newspaper, who’s famous for splashing patriotic stories all over the front page. He’ll gladly feature a profile of you, and we can mention how relief supplies from the CRB helped save you in Belgium.”
“How do we make that happen?”
“I’ve already called and made an appointment. Mr. Hearst will host you at a private dinner with several of his journalists. You’ll have plenty of time to tell your story.”
And charm them. Finn could charm the birds out of a tree, and if he could manage to get on Hearst’s good side, it would pay dividends for the duration of the war. Not only was theNew York Journalthe most popular newspaper in the city, its articles were syndicated to newspapers all across America. After they exhausted the donor class in New York, she and Finn could start approaching other wealthy donors from coast to coast.
The waitress brought their orders. Delia had a single scoop of strawberry ice cream, while Finn indulged in a banana split piled high with strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla ice cream.
Finn looked enraptured as he eyed the bowl before him. “Dee, I’ve seen the Eiffel Tower, theMona Lisa, and the spires of Notre Dame, but nothing looks quite as good as this banana split.”
He picked up his spoon and took a huge bite of ice cream, closing his eyes in delight. She left her own dish untouched. Sometimes the greatest joys in life came from witnessing someone else’s happiness.
At the front of the ice cream parlor, Hilde suddenly stood, looking as pretty, cool, and blond as ever. She had a notebook propped in the crook of her arm and wore a sly smile as she wended through the tables toward them.
“Brace yourself,” Delia whispered to Finn. “A wolf in sheep’s clothing is heading our way.”
Hilde approached Delia and preened before their table. “Care to donate to Liberty Bonds?”
“Thank you, but no,” Delia said in an equally poised voice.
“Oh, yes, our local pacifist.” Hilde swiveled her attention to Finn, a man in uniform and certainly no pacifist. “Did you know Delia here is a German sympathizer? She claims to hate the war and bores us all with her pacifist sermons.”
Finn managed a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yeah, Delia’s always been upfront about that.”
“So you knew?” Hilde said, her nose wrinkling.
“Yeah. Dee and I go way back.”
Hilde tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking annoyingly attractive as she focused on Finn and trailed her finger along the edge of the table. “I can’t imagine staying neutral in times like these. Almost everyone at the Martha Washington has pulled out all the stops to do their part for the war effort, but I guess some people aren’t cut out for it. Anyway, I want to thank you for your service, sir.”
Finn tossed her a quick smile. “Thanks,” he said, twisting on the bench to face away from Hilde, who didn’t get the message.
“Can I coax you to join our table at the front of the parlor? I promise, we’re much better company than the kaiser’s little pet here.”
Delia wanted to snatch away that notebook of hers and smack her with it.
Finn, however, seemed unfazed. “Hilde, if you would put as much effort into supporting our boys as you do into taking little digs at Delia, we may have won the war by now.”
Hilde’s fighting spirit was pricked, and she lowered her chin. “I’ve raised more money for Liberty Bonds than anyone else in this district.”
“And yet somehow you still seem bankrupt of compassion,” Finn shot back. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m on a date, and our ice cream is melting.”
Watching Hilde’s face seize with mortification was a guilty pleasure. Better still, all the women at Hilde’s table had witnessed it. Delia shouldn’t gloat, but it hadn’t been easy being Hilde’s pincushion, and it was nice to have someone defending her.
“What’sherproblem?” Finn quietly asked after Hilde had retreated.
Delia tried to sound as if it didn’t bother her. “I’m something of a pariah around here. Most of the women have brothers or boyfriends who are suiting up for the war, so my being a pacifist doesn’t go over very well.”
“Do they come at you like that a lot?”
She shrugged. “Sticks and stones.”
“Why don’t you move somewhere else? There are lots of places to live in New York.”
Her gaze trailed beyond the front windows of the ice cream shop and into the walnut-paneled lobby beyond. She used to love it here, and trying to find a new place to live would upend her world all over again.
“I hate change. I’d rather put up with it than move. Why should I move when I can keep enjoying the cold shoulders from the people here?”
