Chapter 5

March 11, 1947

We meet again . . .

My dayoff from the library was today, and I was very much looking forward to seeing Jayne while she was in town. Since I first met Jacob, I”d spent a lot more time worrying about how I looked, just in case I ran into him again. If I did, I wanted to make a good impression. It had been seven days since we first met, and I seem to be looking for him everywhere I go. I thought this was because of how much I missed him. I sincerely hoped that he was still in Cape Elizabeth.

As I made my way toward ”Belle”s Tea Rooms” to meet Jayne, it was thirty minutes after the midday hour. Belle was originally from Cornwall, but she relocated to the United States after the war so that she could be with her husband, whom she had married while he was stationed over in England. I couldn”t even begin to describe how incredible her scones and cream cakes are, which was why I was so excited for our treat each month.

After giving a quick glance up the street in search of my friend, I didn”t see any trace of her, and then I heard my name being called from behind. When Jayne waved, it made me smile.

“Rose!”

”Jayne, I”m glad you”re not late again.” Whenever Jayne and I made plans to meet, she was invariably going to be late by at least ten minutes, which forced me to stand around and wait for her.

”Let”s get inside. I haven”t had lunch yet.” It wasn’t unusual for Jayne to arrive here without having eaten lunch first. She made up for it with the cakes.

When we openedthe door to Belle”s brightly lit entryway, the first thing that greetedus was an aroma that was absolutely irresistible. My eyes immediately traveled across the room to the display of cakes, but the moment they landed on Jacob, everything inside of me came to a complete and total stop. Because Jayne was preoccupied with what she was saying, she walked directly into my back, which forced me to move toward Jacob, who had walked across the room and was holding both of my hands.

”Rose,” he muttered in a low voice. ”I can”t believe... Rose, you’re here?” He seemed to be waiting for me to vanish before him as he held my hands tightly in his.

”Rose, who is this?” Jayne asked.

Since I”d located Jacob once more, I”d totally lost track of the fact that Jayne was with me. ”Jayne, I want you to meet Jacob. Jacob, my best friend, Jayne.”

Jacob smiled and said, ”Nice to meet you, Jayne,” without taking his eyes or hands off of me as he spoke. ”Please join us?” Jacob extended the invitation, and before I had a chance to respond, he was already guiding us across the room to his friend. When I saw the other woman, I experienced a brief moment of hesitation. He hushed me and whispered, ”She”s my sister,” while giving me a knowing smirk.

”Eleanor, I would like you to meet Rose and her friend, Jayne.”

Eleanorraisedan eyebrow on hearing my name.

Remembering his manners, he pulled a chair out for me, and then he did the same for Jayne. Jacob and I were looking at each other wistfully while Jayne and Eleanor had a conversation.

”Are you really sitting in front of me?” Jacob muttered, unable to conceal the yearning in his voice.

”I thought it was going to be the last time I saw you,” I confessed. ”I thought maybe you had already left Cape Elizabeth.”

It appeared that he was going to caress my face, but at the last second, he pulled his hand away abruptly. ”I couldn”t for the life of me remember where you worked.” He had a chuckle. ”I looked for you all over town and tried to find you in so many different places.”

I took his hand. ”I”m employed at the library. I’ve been looking for you as well.”

Before I knew it, our tea and cake had been consumed in its entirety. While Jayne, andEleanormade their way toward the restroom, Jacob grabbed my hand and led me into an alcove that was hidden by a really large potted plant.

”Will you assure me that you are not going to marry that other man?”

“I’m not marrying him,” I replied.

When he leant in and gave me a gentle peck on the cheek, I was completely taken aback. ”Can I see you again?” He moved closer.

”Yes,” I responded, unable to catch my breath and hoping against hope that my heart wouldn”t leap right out of my chest.

Then, whatever peace I had left is shattered from the hunger of his kiss, which only lasted for a few seconds, leaving me in a whirlwind of emotions. I wanted more.

Jacob”sobservedme intently. He must like what he saw because he grinned, broadly.”Can I see you tonight?”

”Oh, yes,” I enthusiastically responded.

I told him where I lived, and we immediately made plans to meet on the beach at 8:30 this evening.

Jayne didn”t stop talking about Jacob and how much she worried that my parents would disapprove of ourrelationship the entire way out of town. I made it clear to Jayne that it was my life, and that I would visit Jacob whenever I felt like it. She seemed to be in a bad mood as she stormed off. I was not going to let anyone know about him from this point forward. I most certainly did not want my parents to learn about him before I’d spent more time with him.

My father was a snob, and in his opinion, anyone who did not go to work dressed in anything other than a suit was not worthy of his one and only daughter. My mother was the only one he had ever loved. The fact that he viewed my work at the library as a source of irritation was all the more motivation for me to continue doing it.

In the later hours of that day, I gave my hair a good brushing so that it would shine. I put on one of my brand-new dresses, which was a delicate shade of pink and featured white piping around the collar and the cuffs. I started off by putting on my pink lipstick, and then I slid my feet into my pink shoes.

As I quietly sneaked out of my room and made my way downstairs, through the kitchen, and finally out the back door, I felt butterflies in my stomach due to the excitement.

I sneaked through Mother”s rose garden and through the opening in the hedges to the beach path. After five minutes, I came around a bend in the path and saw Jacob, who was grinning broadly as he reacted to seeing me for the first time.

I quickened my pace and Jacob started walking toward me at the same time; before I knew it, we stood face to face.

Before he brought his lips to mine for the most tender of kisses, he reached out with his hands and gently stroked my face with the palms of his hands.

”I simply cannot fathom the fact that you are standing right in front of me. That I am currently pressing my hands against your face. Ifeel as though I”ve known you for years and that it hasn”t only been a few days since we met,” he confessed.

Tears welled up in eyes. ”I understand what you”re saying. I feelthe same,Jacob.”

Before taking a step back and taking my hand in his, he composed himself. ”Rose, please come. Let”s go for a stroll along the beach before it gets completely dark.”

”I”d like that.”

We walked along the sandy beach wrapped in each other”s arms, his warmth as our bodies brushed together caused a blush on my cheeks.

In the past, I had gone out on dates with other young men; during those dates, we had walked hand in hand down the beach and through the streets of town, but none of those dates had ever made me feel as good or as right as being with Jacob did.

Was I developing feelings for him? In all honesty, I was very content in my relationship with Jacob, and I had been from the first.

While we strolled along the beach, he filled me in on everything there was to know about his sister, Eleanor, as well as how close he was to her.

Even though she was ten years his senior, the two of them had been inseparable throughout their childhood. Before the war, she had been engaged, but her fiancé had been killed in France toward the end of the conflict. It appeared that she hadn”t been the same since then, and she continued to feel a deep longing for him.

The number of people who had suffered the loss of loved ones as a result of the war is brought home to me by him. Includingmy family.

All too soon, it was time for me to head home before I was missed.

”Rose, I don”t want to lose hold of you. Please don”t. How is it possible for that to happen after only a couple of meetings?

I mumbled, ”I feel the same,” as I pressed my face into his chest.

He placed his hand under my chin and tilted my face in order to bring his lips closer to mine. He did this very gently.

”Would you be willing to have lunch with me tomorrow? On the grass in the middle of town?”

“Yes.” I quickly turned around and started running toward my house before I remembered that we hadn”t agreed upon a time, so I turned around and shouted,”One o”clock.”

He responded, ”I”ll be there,” while waving his hand.

* * *

March 12, 1947

I can’t wait for lunch . . .

I had spentthe entire morning watching the clock inching its way slowly closer to one in the afternoon. When excited about going somewhere else, why did the passage of time seem to move at such a snail”s pace?

“Rose?”

Mr. Young.

“Yes?”

”I have been speaking with you for the past five minutes, but it seems as though you are only physically present here. Are we keeping you from something?”

”I wouldn”t say that. Is this the end of the meeting?”

I left in a hurry, paying no attention to Mr. Young”s confused expression as I go. Before I left the library to go meet Jacob, I made sure to grab my coat and purse from the staff room.

As I ran along the sidewalk toward the green, I could hardly contain my excitement. When I arrived at the large grassy area in the middle of town, I was greeted by mature trees and winding paths. People were taking advantage of the beautiful weather, dogs were pulling their walkers behind them, and a few kids were having fun playing tag and Frisbee. Wild animals could be seen grazing along the perimeter of the small pond that was located in the middle of the green.

As I got closer to the covered pavilion, I didn”t have to look very hard to find Jacob. I took a moment to gather my composure and noticed that my heart was beating faster than usual as a result of the sight of him. It was hard for me to comprehend how important he had become to me. I even gave my arm a light pinch once or twice to make sure I was not having a dreamabout it.

He went through the motions of pacing back and forth before pausing to take in his surroundings. Was he tense up there? Worried that I wouldn’t turn up? Once more, he lifted his head and his eyes landed on me. He stopped moving, and a broad grin broke out across his face.

I lost control of my body and ran toward him, throwing myself into his arms. He gave me a very intense hug.

”Rose, I can”t tell you how much I”ve been looking forward to seeing you again. This morning, thinking about you made it impossible for me to concentrate on anything else.” After gently stroking my face, he moved his fingers down to my neck and shoulders.

”I”ve spent the entire morning keeping an eye on the clock,” I must own up to it, sheepishly.

Jacob gave me a friendly smile, took my hand, and led me down the stepsto the grassy area below. Before putting his arm around me, he assisted me in settling into a comfortable position on a wooden bench.

”There is only about twenty minutes left for me. Lunch breaks aren”t all that lengthy here.”

”Twenty minutes with my Rose is better than none at all.”

I felt completely satisfied as I laid my head on Jacob”s shoulder. Jacob and I could sit together the whole day in complete silence, and I would still be well aware of hispresence.

”Rose, are you willing to share with me a little bit more about who you are?”

After giving my watch a quick glance, I noticed that fifteen minutes had passed while the two of us had been preoccupied with our own thoughts. ”I”m not entirely certain we have enough time, but I”ll let you know there is also my brother, JT, as well as my parents. In addition to that, we have a housekeeper who does her best to keep JT in line, but unfortunately, she fails more frequently than my parents would like.” When I thought of my prankster brother, I couldn”t help break out in a warm smile. ”I believe that it’s time for us to leave.”

”I know. I”m having trouble moving. I want to spend the entire afternoon holding you in my arms. I”m really falling for you, Rose,” he gulped, appearing to be very vulnerable.

“I’m falling for you too…but I need to get back. My job isn”t something I particularly enjoy doing, but it drives my fathercrazy.” Jacob chuckled at the same time as I did.

He was the first one to stand and was extending his hand to me. As soon as I placed my palm against his, he immediately grabbed hold of my handand leant in for a kiss.

Jacob pulled away and pressed his forehead against mine as he took a strand of hair from my head and twirls it around his fingers.

My heart pounded extremely fast in my chest, and I had butterflies flitting around in my stomach as a result of the way he looked at me. It was almost as if he wanted to eat me.

”I can”t see you again until Friday, but I want to take you dancing. Rose, would you like to come dancing with me?”

I responded immediately with,”Yes,” and enthusiastically nodded my head.

Once we were back on the sidewalk, we discussed the best time and location to get together on Friday, and then we parted ways. Both of us then proceed to walk away, but in opposite directions.