“So I can enjoy the view, too,” he said, his arm brushing hers, and Dash wondered if he meant the ocean or her. It was a line that might have made her roll her eyes coming from anyone else, but with Pete, she felt instantly at ease. She couldn’t remember the last time that had happened with someone outside of her family. She was always good with people, but sometimes she put on a show to impress them. It didn’t feel necessary with Pete.
Before long, Tony reappeared and placed two glasses of beer in front of them.
“Beer! Where have you been hiding these, mate?” Pete exclaimed.
“Special occasions,” his friend said, leaving them again.
Pete held up his glass and gazed in Dash’s eyes. His were the most captivating shade of deep blue.
“Cheers,” he said.
She tapped her glass against his.
“It’s your turn to tell me about yourself,” she said after they had taken a sip.
“All right,” he said, peering into his drink. “Here’s the story. I grew up nearby. My parents live about a half hour from here. Haven’t seen them in a while.”
“Tell me about little Pete.”
“He was a right genius on the piano, little Pete was. Not the brightest star when it came to mathematics or spelling, but hum a tune and that fella could play it for you.”
“I’ll have to be on the lookout for a piano,” she said. “What about flying? When did you start?”
Like her, he’d wanted to fly his whole life, but unlike her, he hadn’t had a kindly uncle to teach him. Lessons were too pricey until the war came up, he said, and his family had never had any money. When the RAF needed more pilots, Pete was first in line.
As they spoke, Tony brought out their meals, but they were both so engaged in conversation they barely noticed him. There was something about the way Pete smiled, the way he gave little self-deprecating shrugs that were all made in fun, the way he lifted his dark eyebrows when he was interested. The candid way he spoke, and the way he looked at her. She was spellbound, and it wasn’t just the beer. He reminded Dash to eat before the meal got cold, but it was too late. She ate it anyway, pretending not to notice, as he told her more about his family, and his younger brother, an army man who had recently been killed.
The very idea of losing Dot was too painful for her to consider. “I’m so awfully sorry.”
His eyes softened, and she caught a glimpse of his broken heart. “They gave me a week off after that.” He didn’t want to dwell on that, she could see. “So you steamed here from Canada? From where?”
“Halifax. In Nova Scotia, on the East Coast.”
“What’s it like there?”
She shrugged.
“Why would you shrug? It’s where you live. You should be able to tell me more than that.”
“I’m not from Nova Scotia,” she told him. “Canada’s a bit bigger than that. I’m from west of there.”
“On the Pacific?”
“Somewhere in between.” She sat back in the old chair and teased him with an admonishing look. “You need a geography lesson, Master Corporal.”
He folded his arms, matching her. “Is that right? Where’s Maidstone, then? Or Folkestone?”
She grinned. “I don’t know where any of those stones are. I know where the airfields are, and that’s all that matters.”
After supper, they walked along the beach and watched the sun go down. Their conversation became more thoughtful as the fading pinks turned to deep purples, but even the occasional silences felt comfortable. Only once did they touch on the subject of war.
“I saw the strangest thing the other day when I was flying into Edinburgh,” she said. “There were a dozen planes lined up on the airfield, but when I landed, I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. They were rubber, Pete. Rubber fighter planes.”
He frowned. “What? Why?”
“I have no idea. I asked when I checked in, but no one would tell me anything.”
“Sounds mysterious,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows. “I love mysteries, don’t you?”
