Chapter 7

March 14, 1947

I put my dancing shoes on . . .

This evening,I would finally get to see Jacob, and I could not wait! I could hardly contain my excitement because he was going to take me dancing and he was going to meet me at the end of the driveway.

The door to my bedroom was opened by my mother exactly five minutes before it was time for me to leave the house, and she asked me why I was wearing such a big smile. I ignored her and told her that I was thinking about something Jayne had said earlier in the day. Of course, I didn”t take her seriously. I was so preoccupied right now that I didn”t even care if she believed what I said or not.

As I got closer to the end of the driveway, I looked around for Jacob but didn”t see him anywhere, which made me wonder what time it was.

I stepped onto the sidewalk and looked in both directions, but I couldn”t find any trace of him. I concluded that it would most likely be in my best interest to wait away from the road in case anyone I knew saw me and began questioning what I was doing...or even worse, asked my parents what I was up to. Ugh!

I was about to take a step back when armsencircled me,and hislips brushed against the base of my neck. ”Hello, Rose,” he murmured, and the sound of his voice sent chills down my spine.

I allowed myself to become more at ease in his presence and turned my head ever-so-slightly to kiss his lips. I mumbled, ”I”ve missed you, and I”ve been looking forward to this evening so much.”

”Me, too.” He spun me around so that we could properly embrace one another. ”We had better get going if we don”t want to miss the bus.”

Jacob did not let go of my hand until I had handed my jacket to one of the cloakroom attendants at the dance hall.

”Hey Rose, how about we start off with a drink?”

“No… Please take me in your arms and dance with me. I beg you.”

As he dragged me onto the dance floor, his eyes narrowed and focused on my flushed face. That”s My Desire by Frankie Laine was one of my favorite songs and being in his arms while listening to it was one of life”s greatest pleasures.

We didn”t stop dancing for close to two hours straight without taking any breaks. A portion of me was worn out, but there had never been a time when Ifelt so alive. My body temperature had increased because I was being held in his arms while we danced and because I could feel the movement of his muscles under my hands. I got goosebumps whenever he ran his fingertips down the back of my neck and shoulders.

I had fallen head over heels for Jacob. Even though I”d never experienced love before, I was sure that I loved him. What I intended to do about it, on the other hand, was a different matter. It wouldn”t be long before my mother and fatherfound out about us. In light of the fact that my father was extremely authoritarian, chaos would inevitably ensue. I forced the thoughts out of my head and made the decision that I would cross that bridgewhen it came to it.

It was getting late by the time we got back into town, so Jacob walked me back to the house, gave me a quick kiss goodbye, and told me that we would meet again on Tuesday.

* * *

March 18, 1947

The day I lost my heart . . .

The past fourdays had been spent with me wistfully thinking about Jacob. He was required to work nights, but for some reason I had not questioned him about the nature of his work. I had no idea how or why that took place.

On the other hand, I would get to see him tonight.

When I finally left the house, it was five minutes before eight thirty as I snuck out through the kitchen. I was running late. With a flashlight in hand, I quickly made my way to the beach.

As I rounded the bend, I caught a glimpse of Jacob up ahead. He saw me and started walking toward me. I picked up the pace and ended up running into him, wrapping my arms around his neck as he pressed his lips to mine while he cradled me close to his body. I felt safe and secure in his embrace.

”Being in your arms just seems to make everything better.” I moved in closer to give him another kiss.

When it seemedlike forever, he finally letgo of me and tookmy hand, guiding me to a more secluded part of the beach. A couple of blankets had already been spread out on the ground by him. As soon as we were seated, he pulled me between his legs and keptone arm around my waist while we drank from a thermos of hot chocolate.

My heart beat faster whenever I was around him.

When I was with him, it was as if I”d known him my whole life, and when we”re not together, I found myself yearning for his company with every fiber of my being. He made me feel safe and cherished, as if I could withstand anything that came my way.

To look at his face, I tilted my head ever-so-slightly to the side. ”Will you tell me more about you?”

”What exactly do you want to know?” He gave me a friendly smile while gently stroking my face.

“Everything.”

Then, with a chuckle, he pressed me against his chest and pulled me back. ”I was born in the great state of New York, and I am twenty-two years old. In 1931, my parents made the move to Boston. Eleanor maintains her residence in Brookline, Massachusetts, where she also operates a respectable boarding house. Regularly, she comes to see me. The only time she was unable to come see me was when I was serving in the military in England, which was during the war.”

I was concerned as I faced him. ”Where specifically in England?”

”Leominster, located in the county of Hereford. Towards the end of the war, I was a member of the 5th Ranger Division. I seem to recall that the kids in the neighborhood were a lot of fun. In exchange for them buying us fish and chips, we used to give them candy and gum. Sometimes we even got free food! The children were the most enjoyable.” The memory made him break out in a warm smile, and I was relieved to hear that he retained some positive experiences from the war.

I moved closer to him and gave him a kiss. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”

My hair hadbecome unclipped, so he tookhold of it and smoothedit behind my ear while simultaneously massaging my face. He didthis several times. ”Now, I would like you to tell me about yourself.” When I looked up into his eyes, I saw that they sparkled with desire... for me.

After giving me such a gentle kiss on the lips, he gave me the sweetest smile. ”Just because you”re sitting there looking stunning and ready to be kissed does not mean that I don”t want to hear about you, Rose,” he said. ”I”m very interested in what you have to say.”

I smiled back at him in response, before turning around and leaning against him. ”Cape Elizabeth has been my home for the entirety of my life. Charlie was my older brother. During the war, he was shot and killed in France.” I started to sniffle. When I thought about Charlie, I couldn”t help but well up with tears every time.

”Rose, I beg you not to cry. Please. I am truly sorry to hear about the passing of your brother.” Jacob gently wiped away my tears with the padded tips of his thumbs as I turned my head slightly to the side.

After a short while, I took a deep breath and wrapped my arms around Jacob”s waist, drawing myself closer to the warmth of his body. ”The other day, I brought up my younger brother, JT. It”s the antics he pulls with his buddies Walt and Levi that never fail to make me laugh out loud. Father grounds himalmost every other day. However, this does not last for very long because mother becomes irritated when he is constantly in the way throughout the day. After that, he will go and find his friends, which will result in him being grounded once more. He has the potential to be very obnoxious.”

Jacob laughed. ”Isn”t that what it”s supposed to be like when you have brothers?”

I gave him a light nudge in the side with my elbow. ”Would you kindly assure me that Eleanor never found you to be an obnoxious brother?” I raised my eyebrow in question.

Jacob pulled me closer. ”Most likely, but not always,” he replied. ”Eleanor is a great sister. Without her, I”m not sure where my life would have taken me.”

I said, ”I feel like that about JT—well, some of the time,” just as Jacob leaned in to give me a sweet kiss. ”I really don”t want tonight to come to an end.”

He looked at his watch as if the spell that had been cast around us had been broken by my words. ”It”s getting late, there”s a chance you”ll be missed.” Before we could untangle ourselves, Jacob took my hand and gave me a nod of approval. He picked me up off the ground and immediately carried me into his arms where we shared a passionate kiss.

After pulling away from the kiss, Jacob ran his fingers through my hair and tucked the ends behind my ears. ”Will you meet me again, Rose? I”ll be working the next few evenings, but I should be free to meet up with you on Friday.”

“Friday it is.” I couldn”t help but laugh to myself as I began to count the seconds until then.

He exhaled a sigh as though he was sorry for the words that were about to follow. ”Come on, I”ll walk you back.”

Jacob concealed the blankets by wrapping them in some type of water-resistant sheeting and placing them between some large rocks. After that, he grabbed hold of my hand and pulled me back into his arms before we begin our walk toward my residence. Before we came into view of Mother”s parlor windows, he turned me toward him and kissed me with such fervor that he left me unable to take a breath. My toes curled and a tingly sensations ran through my skin, but before I knew it, he was pulling away once more. ”I”ll see you at the same place, but if you can make it earlier on Friday that would be great.” Before turning on his heel, he leant over and kissed my knuckles. I just wanted to break down and cry about it.

How was it possible for me to feel this way for a man that I had only known for the past two weeks?