“We can do it,” Bertie asserted. “It’s not going to be easy, but this work is too important not to at least try. I intend to sail for Europe to find new partners to carry our food the final leg of the journey to Belgium.”
“But will they allow you into Rotterdam?” Congressman Donnelly asked, and Bertie nodded.
“I’ll sail on a Spanish ship, which shall have no problem landing in Rotterdam.”
“What do you need from us?” Finn asked.
“Money,” Bertie said bluntly. “We’ve already hit up the big donors in New York, so now I need you to travel to Chicago and St. Louis, perhaps even farther afield to California. Thanks to the Hearst newspapers, your story has been spread across the country. Still, nothing beats showing up in person to petition potential donors.”
“I’ll set off as soon as possible,” Finn said.
Delia watched him, awestruck by the ease with which he’d volunteered. No hesitation, no second-guessing, but just a quiet, unshakable resolve to step forward and shoulder the burden. Men like Finn were the ones who kept the world spinning, and in that moment she vowed to do whatever it took to stand beside him, no matter the cost.
Specks of snow floated in the night air as they left Bertie’s house. Finn held Delia’s hand on their walk to the subway station, fearing this might be their last night together for a long time. Taking his fundraising appeals on the road was fine with him, but only if Delia came too. Wesley Chandler was now a free man, and the older man had been staring at Delia like a cat watching a goldfish.He wanted her back, and Finn had no intention of being on the other side of the country when Wesley made his move.
“I want you to come with me to Chicago,” he said.
“Just the two of us?” Her voice was heavy with skepticism. They’d both grown up on a diet of Sister Bernadette’s cautionary tales, and it was obvious what Delia was getting at. Heck, he’d ask her to marry him and solve their problem that way if he thought she’d have him. Failing that, taking her with him to Chicago was the safest route for them.
“I need you, Dee. Who else will keep me in line and make sure I get to my appointments on time?”
“You don’t need me anymore. Your stump speech is perfect.”
“I’m not leaving you here while the old guy is roaming free and missing the world’s best assistant.”
“Don’t you trust me?” Her voice sounded wounded in the cold night air.
They took several paces while he pondered the question. Delia was honest down to her bones. He was the reckless one who gambled on shortcuts and took risks. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her, but a vague feeling of uneasiness plagued him nonetheless. He couldn’t put a name to it, but he’d survived three years of the war by trusting his gut.
“It seems as though we’re at a turning point,” he began. “We’ve handled everything Bertie has thrown at us, and working with you has been great, but things are changing. Wesley is free again. I’m supposed to be heading off on my own, while you’re back here and doing what? Going with Bertie to Rotterdam?” He paused and shook his head. “I want you to come with me to Chicago.”
They were nearing her subway stop, and he wanted a commitment from her before boarding the ferry back to Long Island. “Dee, I want to plan a future with you. If you don’t want me to be a pilot anymore, I’ll try to get out of it. Bertie can probably help with that.”
“You’d give up serving in the Army for me?”
“If it means staying here to rescue you from the clutches of the old guy, then yes, I would. Of course.”
Her smile was like sunshine. “I don’t need you to ride to my rescue, but I love that you’d be willing to do it.”
“Are you sure? I can requisition an airplane and fly protective patrol around you to make sure he doesn’t try anything.”
She laughed. “You needn’t worry about Wesley. The only person you need to fear is Thomas Babcock, chairman of the New York Stock Exchange. You have a meeting with him tomorrow morning, and he has a fearsome reputation.”
“Oh? And why am I meeting with Mr. Babcock?”
“You’re ringing the opening bell, and you have an interview with him beforehand in the hope of bringing in more donations. After that, if you still want to fly patrol above me, I think it would be flattering.”
He turned to soak up the beauty of her face in the moonlight. Snowflakes dotted the air, mingling with the white puffs of their breath in the night. No matter what she said, leaving her alone in the city with Wesley Chandler on the prowl wasn’t a good idea.
“Will you come to Chicago with me?”
She hugged her coat tighter around herself. “Did you know that until that day in December when we traveled to Yale, I had never set foot out of New York City?”
He tried to block the surprise from showing, but given the look of embarrassment on her face, he clearly failed.
“I’ve always been too cowardly to leave,” she explained. “I never had money to waste when I was younger, and then after I started earning a good salary, I didn’t want to let Wesley down by taking time off work. It seemed pointless to waste money on a vacation when my rainy-day fund could always use more.”
“Do you still have a rainy-day fund?”
