Chapter 9

March 19, 1947

I miss Jacob already . . .

It hadn”t beenthat long since I”d seen Jacob. Actually, last night. I really missed him and wanted to talk to him about my day at work. I wanted his arms around me and, most importantly, his lips on mine. I”d been kissed before, but I”d never reacted to anyone like this before. I”d felt at ease with him...with his touch...since our first meeting. He listened to me as if he was interested in my ideas. He did not speak down to me or over me, but rather included me in the conversation. He looked at me as if I were the only other person on the planet.

I was in my room after a long day, unable to think of anything but the man who was tying my emotions in knots. A knock came on my door as I was about to change into something more comfortable. When I opened it, I found my mother on the other side, looking agitated. ”Mother, what”s wrong?”

”Oh, I”m fine, but Richard is downstairs, and he really wants to talk to you,” she explained. Her excited smile made me nervous. I hoped she wasn”t overjoyed because she thought wedding bells were on the way. That would never happen.

I clenched my teeth, a wave of obstinacy washing over me. ”Please tell him I have a headache.” I swooned onto my bed, placing my hand on my brow. I opened one eye to see my mother still standing in my room, hands on her hips, her smile gone, replaced by a dissatisfied frown.

”Put on your shoes and come on into the parlor. Now.” She then shut the door.

Oh, fiddlesticks.

I went downstairs to the parlor wearing my scuffed-up shoes. Richard jumped up from his chair, nearly splattering his tea all over Mother as he went to put it down and raced toward me. He took my hands in his. ”Rose, I”ve really missed you.”

I didn”t understand where he was coming from with this. I yanked my hands away from his. ”Thank you for coming by Richard.How are you?”

”I”m all right. Thank you for inquiring.” He took my elbow and led me over to the sofa, where he sat beside me.

When my mother stood up and excused herself, he poured me some tea.

He sagged in relief after my mother left. ”What”s gotten into you?” I inquired of him.

”This is a hot mess.”

”What exactly is?” He was completely illogical to me.

He took a deep breath and dropped his head into his hands after a quick glance at me. ”My father told me last night that if I didn”t ask for your hand in marriage today, he would stop paying my allowance.”

“Oh! Please don”t tell me that”s why you”ve come to see me. We”ve already talked about it.”

”Then tell me no,” he begged in despair.

I was stunned and whispered, ”No.”

He let out a sigh. ”I apologize for everything, Rose. I truly am. Do you think we could stillbe friends?”

I was so relieved that this was over. ”Yes, I would like that, but no talk about marriage.”

”Thank you very much. ”Would you like to go to the movies with me on Saturday?” he asked, smiling. ”As friends,” he quickly added.

Even though we were only friends, I hoped Jacob wouldn”t mind if I went to the movies with another man. ”That would be good.”

“Then I’ll pick you up at six-thirty. Is that all right?”

“Yes. I”ll see you later.” I let him outthrough the front door.

He stopped and grinned slightly as he was about to walk through it. ”Um... Rose?”

I looked him in the eyes. “Yes.”

”Your shoes have a tear in them.”

I put my hand to my mouth, trying to hold back a burst of laughter, and shut the door behind him.

”What exactly did you say?”

When I turned around, Mother was standing behind me. I couldn”t stop myself from staring at her. ”I said no, and don”t ask me again,” I said adamantly.

”Well, Rose, really. How will your father react?”

”He”s not the one who”d marry him,” I retorted dismissively. I dashed back up the stairs to my room, this time locking the door.

* * *

March 20, 1947

Only one more day . . .

I couldn”t waitto see Jacob once more. I”d missed him so much, and even when I didn”t see him, he took up so much of my time. Those thoughts had kept me going for the past few days.

After rejecting Richard”s proposal, Father refused to speak to me, and Mother was even colder than usual. Father, in my opinion, was acting like a child.

“Achoo.” The dust.

I”d been dusting the shelves and books in the library for two hours. I”d lost track of how many spiders I”d seen or how many times I”d sneezed.

Mr. Young decided he wasn”t going to let us sit around doing nothing in the library today. That”s why I was sneezing and covered in cobwebs.

“Boo.”

Jayne was doubled over laughing when I turned around after jumping a mile.

”That wasn”t very nice.”

”It was amusing. You should look at yourself. You look a mess... ” she trailed off.

”Thank you, and please keep quiet before Mr. Young finds us.What exactly are you doing here?” She rarely visited the library. My boss frightened her.

”Will you go on a double date with me tomorrow night?”

“Oh.” I needed to think fast. ”I”m sorry, Jayne, but I promised Mother I”d keep JT busy.”

”You”re seriously going to pass because of your brother?” she asked, stunned.

”I”m attempting to maintain peace after rejecting Richard. So, I am on this occasion.” It was close to the truth, and I was desperate to keep the peace.

”I should get back to work.I”ll see you later.” She frowned and walked out of the library, waving over her shoulder as she went.

I ate dinner at home after a long day at work before taking JT to the beach. This time, we had a lot of fun looking for crabs. JT discovered two, while I discovered none. He gloated the entire way home, like a brat. I should stop calling him by his nickname, and maybe he”ll act more mature.

JT was also known as Thomas James. He was twelve years old, and no matter what he thought, I adored him.

* * *

March 21, 1947

Tonight, I meet Jacob . . .

I toldMother and Father at dinner that I was going to town to meet some friends. I dashed up to my room and changed my clothes before they could respond.

I opened my closet and pulled out my new yellow dress, which had a low neckline and exposed too much of my breasts. It was daring, but I didn”t care. Because I knew my mother would not approve, I wore a white cardigan over the dress and buttoned it up high. I slipped my feet into my yellow pumps and inspected my reflection in the mirror. I smiled, feeling good about how I looked.

When I opened the door to leave, I ran into JT. ”What exactly are you doing lurking on the landing?”

”Are you going to meet him?That fella from the cliffs.”

I was speechless and unsure what to say. “Um…What?” He gave me that look that said he knew he was going to get me in trouble. I opened my purse, pulling myself together. “Here.” I gave him ten cents to buy a comic book. ”You must keep quiet about who I”m meeting.”

He was beaming from ear to ear. ”Thanks, sis.”

Brothers!

I crept down the backstairs and out the kitchen. I felt like I was floating through Mother”s rose garden before doubling back toward the beach path.

Jacob was waiting for me as I rounded the bend. He saw me and smiled before beginning to walk toward me. It felt like coming home to be in his arms again. I drew back slightly, but Jacob”s arms remained around my waist. Desire burned in his eyes as he looked down into mine. My skin began to tingle as I became more aware. I needed something, but I wasn”t sure what it was.

He leaned in and grabbed my mouth with his. He tasted ofchocolate and felt fantastic. I didn”t want to let him go.

All too soon, he broke from the kiss and placed small kisses all over my face. ”I”ve really missed you, Rose.”

”I”ve missed you, too.”

He took my hand and led me to the shelter we”d shared the night before. He sat on the blanket and wrapped the other blanket around us both, keeping the evening chill at bay. I unbuttoned my cardigan without Jacob noticing, though he”d catch on soon enough.

”Please tell me more about yourself.I”m curious about everything,” I said, and Jacob laughed.

”I currently work for the fire department, but my ambition is to become an engineer.I”ve applied for a job as an apprentice in Boston.” He smiled. ”I”m a huge baseball fan who can”t wait for the season to begin. I”m a Boston Braves fan, and I”ll be at the game against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 18th... Would you like to accompany me?”

“Yes. Will you take me with you to Boston if you get the job?” I waited for his response with bated breath.

He cupped his hands around my face. ”Rose, I”ll take you anywhere you ask within my means.” He kissed me on the lips.

As he drew away, he noticed my chest and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. I hid a smile as he gulped. I was desperate to feel his hands on me. Heck. I had no idea what was happening, but I was shivering all over. My skin felt alive, as if I were on fire. The sensation was novel, but I craved more.

”Jacob, please kiss me.” I spoke to him in hushed tones.

He caressed my face with a trembling hand. “Rose.”

He sealed his lips to mine and sliding his tongue into my mouth, he moaned in the back of his throat. As my longing for Jacob grew stronger, I was surprised by my own eager response to the touch of his lips.

I climbed onto his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to keep him close. One of his hands traveled up my torso, leaving a trail of heat over the top of my breasts.

With the pleasure more intense than I’d ever felt before, I pulled my mouth away from the wet heat of his. He kissed down my neck leaving me panting for more as I arched into him, which brought me into contact with the hardness between us. His lips continued to leave a blaze of fire across my chest and when he cupped one of my breasts, tingles centered between my legs.

He ran his fingers over one of my beaded nipples, which drew a loud gasp of surprise from between my lips. I had no idea that anything could feel so good. Jacob groaned as his lips moved between my breasts that weren’t covered by my dress.

“Rose.” He murmured. ”My sweet Rose.”

I couldn’t stop rocking my hips on him, my body alive for the first time in my life.

His fingers rested on the first button on my dress as his eyes met mine. I knew what he silently asked and nodded my head. “Please… Yes… Please,” I begged.

“Oh God, Rose.” He unbuttoned the front of my dress and reached into my brassiere, baring my breasts to his eyes. My nipples were so hard that if it wasn’t for the heated look on Jacob’s face I’d have been embarrassed.

Jacob gently stroked over my aroused breasts and when he lightly pinched my nipples, I rubbed hard against his pelvis. I grasped hold of Jacob’s shoulders and pushing myself harder against his groin, I heard his quick intake of breath. His head dipped toward my breasts where he suckled one into his mouth and used his hand to massage the other. My pleasure exploded in a downpour of fiery sensation. I saw fireworks…stars…rainbows. Oh, my goodness.

Panting, Jacob wrapped me up in his arms. “Heck… Rose. That was not supposed to happen.”

“Can we do that again?” I laughed, feeling exhilarated.

He fastened my dress with unsteady hands and lifted me from his lap.

I felt rather languid after the pleasure he’d caused my body to experience.

Finally blushing, I glanced at Jacob and noticed the large bulge I’d been rubbing against.

He pulled his legs up with a wince and took some deep breaths. “We can do that again,” he whispered.

After a few minutes, he stood and helped me up from the sand. “I need to get you home. That’s not what I want to do with you, but I know it’s what I need to do. Now. Before I lose further control with you,” he said blushing. “I’m working until Wednesday. Do you want to go to the movies then?”

A twinge of guilt niggled at me as I remembered my arrangement with Richard. Should I tell Jacob about my movie night with Richard?

We walked back to my house, hand in hand, and I decided I should. “Jacob. I’m going to the movies tomorrow with a friend, Richard.” He stopped walking. “He really is only a friend. You’re the one I want to be with.”

“Okay.” He turned and looked deeply into my eyes. “I can’t say I like you going with another man, Rose, but I trust you.”

He placed a goodbye kiss on my lips. We parted with the promise of the movies on Wednesday. In five days. It was difficult to put one step in front of the other when they only led away from him.