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“Yes, you. Doug already thinks you’re interested, and it worked once. If he kissed me after some mildly awkward small talk with you, imagine what he’d do if you really tried to win my attention.”

This was a bad idea. If he agreed, Ernie was going to kill him. But who was he more afraid of upsetting—Ernie or Constance?

Jack swallowed hard.

Her smile grew wider.

“Fine, I’ll do it, but I want to let Ernie in on the scheme.”

“Absolutely not. If this is going to be believable, Ernie can’t know.”

“He’ll murder me and throw me in the East River.”

“Nonsense. You’re his best friend.”

Not for long if he sees me flirting with you. He’d never told her about Ernie’s warnings to stay away from her. The mere idea had seemed so farfetched. But he couldn’t let her down now. Not when she was looking at him with that clever grin and sparkling eyes.

She held out her hand. “Do we have a deal?”

Slowly, reluctantly, he took it and shook. “Deal,” he said with a sigh. This was going to be awful.

“Good, then let’s talk about how we’re going to do this.”

5

“Ihope you like Charlie Chaplin,” Doug said, standing on the front stoop of Constance’s home and offering his arm. His sweet smile gave her a fluttery feeling as she stepped out and slipped her hand into the crook of his arm.

“I do.” She looked deep into his eyes and smiled. To her delight, he reddened. Maybe she could get another kiss from him tonight. That would be lovely. “Are we going to see The Kid? I’ve heard such good things about it.”

“Yes indeed. We’re going to have dinner at Vincenzo’s and then go to the eight o’clock showing.”

Good. Mom and Pop would be asleep by the time he brought her home, so they could have a romantic moment in peace.

As they strolled past Jack’s house, she peered up at the dark windows. It was surprising he didn’t get lonely living in that big old house all alone. Though she supposed he was only there a few days a week between flights. Still, it was no wonder he came over for dinner so often. She’d want company too if she lived in a big old house all alone like him.

“I’ve always liked that house. I wonder if Jack would be willing to sell,” Doug said, noticing the direction of her gaze. “A bachelor doesn’t need that kind of space, and he could make a pretty penny selling it to someone looking to start a family.”

Something seized up inside her at Doug’s words, and she wasn’t sure if she was reacting to his proposal to buy Jack’s house or the idea of starting a family with Doug. She tried to imagine living in Jack’s house with Doug as a husband and couldn’t do it. To her, the Thompsons’ would always be the Thompsons’, no matter who lived in it.

Unbidden, memories arose of her youthful infatuation when she’d imagined what it might be like to be Mrs. Thompson and raise a family with Jack there. She used to sit in the treehouse in his backyard and dream about it. They would have three children—Lucy, Paul, and Ethel. Lucy was strong-willed and independent but doted on her papa. Philip was a kind-hearted rascal with a daredevil streak, taking after Jack. Ethel was quiet and sweet with a sharp mind and a tender heart. Jack adored them all and snuck them candy when Constance wasn’t looking. But he adored her most of all. Her heart still fluttered every time she saw him, even though they were an old married couple.

How silly she’d been. During the war, she let her imagination get carried away. She still had all his letters tied up with a bow in her desk drawer along with several letters she’d never dared to send him where she poured out her heart and confessed her feelings. Fortunately, he’d never know how deep her delusions went. No one would.

And now she had Doug, who was looking at her expectantly. Apparently she’d been lost in her thoughts too long.

“It’s a lovely house,” she said lightly. “You should talk to him about it.”

He grinned. “I think I will. He and I have plans to go golfing next weekend. Maybe I’ll raise it with him then.”

She returned his smile, hoping he couldn’t see the unexpected turmoil his proposal caused. “You made plans with Jack? That’s wonderful. Did you know he’s planning on opening a flight school? I told him he should talk to you to get your advice on finding an investor.”

“A flight school, eh? I might be interested in investing myself. The aviation industry is taking off, not that I’d ever get in one of those crazy contraptions. But it’s a booming industry these days, and I’d love to have a piece of it.”

Her heart sank a little when he called planes “crazy contraptions.” He wasn’t wrong, but she admired the brave souls who took to the skies, even if she didn’t want to marry one. She’d thoroughly enjoyed it the time Ernie took her flying for her birthday, even if it wasn’t something she wanted to do every day.

But Doug was safe. That was the whole point. She should have been glad he never wanted to go up in a plane. “I think it would be marvelous if you invested. You two should get to know each other better.”

“I agree,” he said, leading her around the corner from the treelined residential streets onto a bustling main street with shops and restaurants. The entire neighborhood seemed to be out and about in the mild, clear evening. Young couples pushing prams, men returning from work in suits and ties or workman’s clothes, old ladies with pushcarts buying groceries…