Was it possible to fall in love with more than one man at the same time? More importantly, was it wrong to let each of them pursue me? Granted, they were in different time periods, but I possessed only one heart and could give it to only one man.
I gently pulled my hand from Zechariah’s and tried to smile to lighten the mood, to do anything that would break this spell that had been cast around us.
“Do you dance?” I asked as the band began to play “In the Mood.”
A slight frown tilted his brow, and I could see his defenses rising again. “No.”
I licked my lips, trying to look unaffected by our encounter, hoping I was not hurting him. “That’s too bad. I don’t know when we’ll have another opportunity to dance.”
“If you’d like to go back to the dance, I won’t stop you.”
“Perhaps I should. I’m surprised no one has come looking for me yet.”
If I stayed, I was afraid he’d say something we might both regret. I couldn’t allow Zechariah Philips to fall in love with me—at least, not yet. Despite his tough facade, he possessed a defenseless heart underneath, one that could be easily destroyed. I could not be the one to hurt him.
“I wish you danced.” I offered a hopeful smile.
He turned away again, looking out at the water. He was a smart man, and he knew I had pulled away on purpose. How could he not?
“Go on,” he said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
I hesitated, vacillating between staying or going, but in the end, I knew it was best to leave.
21
SEPTEMBER 11, 2001
WASHINGTON, DC
A brilliant blue sky domed over Washington, DC, as I got dressed. There wasn’t a cloud in sight, and the temperature was perfect. I had a rare day off, since I had finished my latest paper the night before, and I was in the kitchen making an omelet when Delilah rolled out of bed.
“You’re awake early,” I said with a smile, glancing at the clock. It was a quarter to eight.
“Your food smells amazing.” She yawned and went to the coffeepot to pour a cup.
“Would you like an omelet?” She usually ate sugared cereal in the morning, despite my lectures about starting her day with something healthy.
“Sure. I’ll try one.”
“This is nice,” I said to her a few minutes later as I set a plate on the counter. She sat on a stool, her purple hair in disarray as she hugged her coffee. “When was the last time we had breakfast together?”
“I can’t remember.” Delilah lifted the plate and took a longwhiff. “Mmm. You’re going to make a lucky man very happy one day.”
“For more reasons than my omelets, I hope.” I smiled as I said a silent prayer of thanks for my food and then dug in, hoping she’d like her breakfast.
“For more than your omelets,” she assured me. She took a bite, and her eyes widened in surprise. “This is actually good.”
I smiled to myself. “Thanks.”
“By the way, howisyour love life going?”
I groaned and slouched on my stool. Did she want to know about Gray, Zechariah, or Seth? I was so confused about the first two and still angry about the last one.
“I saw that Seth sent you flowers.” She nodded toward the red roses sitting in a vase on the counter and batted her eyes playfully. “I thought maybe you two made up.”
“He wants to, but I honestly don’t think I can trust him again.” I toyed with the red bell peppers that had fallen out of my omelet. It had been over a month since I ate supper with Seth’s parents, a month since I sat with Gray on the bench in Lafayette Square, and a month since I talked with Zechariah near the railing on the USSSolace.
It had given me time to reflect on each of my paths. Gray had only visited me once, though he often sent notes, quickly scrawled. Zechariah had put up his defenses again, keeping me at a distance, though once in a while I saw his facade falter. Helen kept a watchful eye on all the nurses, even when we had shore leave, as we slowly made our way toward the Panama Canal, so there were no more stolen moments.
