“I like you, Maggie.”
“I like you, too.” I was very aware of the rise and fall of my chest against my corset as I tried to breathe.
“I don’t know when I will be free, but I would very much like to call on you.”
“Even though I have secrets?” I tried to tease, but my voice sounded more serious than I intended.
“Perhaps because of your secrets.” He lowered my hand but did not let it go. “You are the most remarkable woman I’ve ever met. Kind, thoughtful, intelligent, compassionate, fearless, bold—not to mention beautiful.” He smiled. “I was beguiled by your dimples the first time we met, and I’ve never seen eyes such a stunning shade of blue in my life. They captivate me. You captivate me.”
It was hard to concentrate, to keep my wits about me—though the wordbeguiledmade me think briefly of Dr. Philips. “My feelings have not changed, Gray. If you would like to come, I will not turn you away. Though if you intend to stand me up again, I will not be as understanding the next time.”
“I understand.” He smiled. “I would be at your house every day if this war did not require so much from me.”
“It is requiring a lot from all of us.”
He brought my hand back up to his lips, kissing it again. It was nothing like the kiss Seth had given me. It felt vulnerable, authentic ... dangerous. When he kissed my hand, it was all I could think about, all I could feel or see in that moment.
Everything else faded away.
“I hate to bring this evening to an end,” he finally said, “but your father will wonder what keeps us.”
I nodded, not wanting to break the spell that surrounded us but knowing that we must.
He stood and then drew me up, tucking my hand into the crook of his arm again.
As he slowly walked me home, I decided to put aside my misgivings about Gray. I hated that we were both keeping secrets from one another, but I wanted to believe the best in him, and I wanted him to believe the best in me.
20
AUGUST 9, 1941
NEW YORK, NY
The USSSolacewas anchored like a majestic beacon of hope in the New York Harbor as we walked up the gangplank. That very morning, it had been commissioned into the United States Navy and would be leaving within hours to make its way to Pearl Harbor via the Panama Canal and Long Beach, California.
“I feel like Rose onTitanic,” I whispered to Anna as I looked at the impressive ship, the seagulls circling overhead, and the bright blue sky. The vessel had been painted white with a green stripe around the hull and a red cross in the center. At the top, the smokestack had also been painted white with a red cross. There was no mistaking the purpose of this ship.
“What does that mean?” Anna asked. “I know what theTitanicis, and I would thank you not to mention it as we board a huge ocean liner, but who is Rose?”
I laughed, feeling a bit lighthearted, though the future looked bleak for the almost five hundred officers, enlisted men, and nurses boarding the ship. My evening with Gray had left mefeeling hopeful in a way that surprised me, even if we couldn’t share our secrets. I had to trust that he had a good reason for not sharing his, just as I did. “It’s a movie that came out a few years ago in my 2001 path. Rose is the protagonist. You would love it.”
“I’m sure I would.” She smiled, her face shaded by the brim of her hat. “Maybe I’ll live long enough to see it.”
“I hope you do.” I gave her a side hug and readjusted the grip on my valise. Maybe she already had. It was strange to think that Anna might be living as an older woman in my other path. Mama had warned both of us not to look for each other, so I never had. If our paths crossed unexpectedly, that was one thing, but nothing good could come of seeking each other out.
There were only twelve nurses in all, led by our fearless Nurse Daly. We wore our blue uniforms, and despite our relative rank as lieutenants, a few of the enlisted men whistled at us from the dock as we entered the ship.
Before the USSSolacewas a hospital ship, it had been a luxury ocean liner, and it still bore the markings of elegance. Beautiful dark wood covered the walls and ceilings with thick, ornate trim. Crystal chandeliers hung overhead, and plush carpet padded our heels.
“We will have our own quarters,” Helen Daly said to the group of nurses. “Our own dining room, staterooms, and recreational area. The only time we will interact with the other members of this crew are when we are on duty.” She smiled. “And during the occasional social gathering, such as tonight.”
The nurses looked at each other excitedly.
“Captain Benjamin Perlman is holding a dance for the officers in the ballroom. There are over three hundred officers on board, including eleven medical officers, whom you will be working with directly. With only twelve women, I can guarantee you will have a dance partner, if you so choose.”
Eager exclamations erupted from several of the ladies.
Anna and I hadn’t been to a dance since that night at the Army and Navy Club, and I knew my sister was anxious to put her dancing shoes back on. I hadn’t seen a trace of her former melancholy since we’d left Washington.
