Where or When: A Pearl Harbor Romance

by Bretton, Barbara

  "I know.” His grin was lopsided, almost a grimace. "That's why it's time to get you home."

  It hadn't been a dream. She really had been teetering at the edge of a cliff, eager to fling herself over the precipice and into the unknown. "I don't usually--I mean, this isn't....” Her words trailed off, tangled as her emotions.

  He held out his hand to help her to her feet. "You don't have to explain anything to me."

  She took his hand and clumsily rose to stand next to him. "But I do. I've never felt--"

  He kissed her again, long and hard, letting her use his strength to maintain her balance. She needed that strength because her entire world was spinning wildly out of control. His kiss silenced her. While it raised as many questions as it answered, she realized that he understood what she had tried, so clumsily, to say.

  "Come on, Eden.” He gathered up her clothing and draped it over his arm, then swept her up into his arms. "Let's get back to town."

  He was probably right. If they stayed on that deserted beach with the air sweet with perfume it would be hard to deny the fierce longing that pierced her soul. Her skin tingled at the gentle touch of the Hawaiian breeze as he handed her her clothing. The act of buttoning up her blouse seemed invested with even more erotic possibilities than the act of unbuttoning it had.

  But, she hadn't known how it felt to burn with desire then. And now she did.

  #

  "Eden.” Her father's voice boomed from the study before the front door closed behind her. How different her name sounded from his lips than it did from Rick's. "Come in and see your old man for awhile, honey."

  "In a second, Daddy.” Eden stopped in front of the hall mirror. Were her lips still swollen from Rick's kisses? They looked fuller to her, pinker than usual. She could only pray her father would think she'd discovered a new lipstick. Fixing a proper daughterly smile upon her face, she headed toward the sunny room her father used as an office-cum-library.

  Owen Forrester was seated in his favorite leather chair, the one her mother had given to him many years ago as a wedding present. A stack of papers were scattered across the green blotter atop his desk and his fountain pen rested near his ever-present coffee cup.

  She pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Home early, aren't you?"

  He glanced at his watch. "Could ask you the same thing. I thought you had a big day planned. I didn't expect to see you until dinnertime."

  She lowered herself to the small sofa near the window and rested her crutches against the end table. Images of the afternoon on the beach made her smile to herself. "The sun was too hot today. I thought I'd come home and visit with Tony."

  Owen reached for a cigarette and his lighter. "Tony and Lilly went for a drive. They'll be back later.” He paused. "For the party."

  "Party?” She frowned. The only party she knew about was the one her friend Jackie was tossing at her home near Waianae. Tony didn't even know Jackie. "I didn't know anyone was coming with me."

  "I don't know what party you're talking about, honey, but I'm talking about the one I'm tossing for your brother tonight."

  "A party for Tony. What's the occasion?” Tony and Lilly's anniversary was in July and Lilly had made it clear she didn't want a baby shower. Eden couldn't imagine why her father would toss a party for her brother on such short notice.

  Owen leaned back in his overstuffed leather chair. His smile literally went from ear to ear. "Your brother made his decision. He joined the navy."

  "I can't believe it!” Tony had been talking about the navy for years but he'd never been able to make up his mind. One minute he craved the excitement of new places and new circumstances, and the next he wanted the stability of a solid, established medical practice in a town he could call home. "His wanderlust won the battle."

  Owen laughed and reached for the cigar resting on the ashtray.

  Eden smiled at her father. "I must say you look inordinately pleased with his decision."

  "He wasn't going to amount to anything, hidden away on that pineapple plantation of an island. The finest education money can buy and he ends up bandaging cut knees. A waste, that's what it was. A damn waste. It's time he put his skills to better use."

  Her brother's impulsive marriage to Lilly Aoki had put finished to Tony's plans to practice at the medical center in Los Angeles. While Lilly's father was acknowledged as a successful businessman, not even Lilly's own medical degree had been enough to convince the medical review board that Tony could fit in with his colleagues in quite "...the proper way."

  "What makes you think the navy won't frown upon Lilly, too?" she asked.

  "She's not going to help him," Owen conceded, "but there's a bit more leeway in the military than out there in the private sector.” They both knew of a handful of officers who had brought foreign brides home from exotic lands. He inhaled on his cigarette. "Not that the boy's going to rise to the top, mind you. There's not that much leeway, not with Japan breathing down our necks. Now if he'd only picked a Chinese girl or a Swede--"

  "Please, Daddy," Eden said with a sigh, "if you're going to start talking about Tojo and all of that nonsense, I'll excuse myself and take a nap."

  "That's my girl," said Owen. "Always burying her head in the sand."

  "I don't bury my head in the sand. I just refuse to believe there's a war on the way."

  "Believe me there's a war on the way, honey. It's unavoidable."

  "Don't say that.” She shuddered as she thought of the gruesome stories she'd heard about the last great war and what that would mean to her father and now her brother. And to Rick Byrne, as well. "It won't happen."

  He stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray. "Wish I could believe that, but changes are coming fast and furious, honey, and we'll have to make plans."

  Owen grew silent. Eden watched as he stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette then lit another one. Was she mistaken or were the shadows under his blue eyes darker than usual, the lines on his forehead more pronounced? Suddenly she noticed the strands of grey in his light brown hair, so many more of them than had been there a few months ago. An uneasy feeling clutched at her heart.

  "Is something wrong, Daddy?"

  "I'm worried about you, Eden. About the future."

  "My leg is doing just fine.” She wiggled her toes, visible below her cast. "See? I'll be out of this contraption in two more weeks."

  "That's not what I'm talking about."

  Somehow she hadn't thought so. "Don't tell me," she said. "We've received another wedding invitation from one of my classmates...or is it a birth announcement this time around?"

  He took another drag on the cigarette then balanced it on the rim of the ashtray near the telephone. "Your twenty years old, Eden, and I'm concerned about your future."

  "Just barely twenty.” She summoned up her best party mood. "You're such a dear, but there's nothing to be concerned about. I'm very happy."

  That wasn't necessarily the truth, but it would do in a pinch. She'd come to accept that empty feeling inside her heart as part and parcel of reaching adulthood. She had a wonderful life--at least, when she was able to get around and enjoy herself. Enough money to buy what she wanted and to go where she pleased. Freedom. A beautiful home and a loving family, even if Tony had seen fit to bring a stranger into their midst.

  "I've been considering sending you back to the mainland."

  Her blood ran cold and she gripped the arm of the sofa. "You can't do that.” Rick, she thought illogically. She'd never see him again.

  "There's a highly respected women's college in Vermont that would welcome you."

  "I thought we agreed college would be wasted on me.” She forced a girlish smile. "I'm not exactly the academic type, Daddy.” She'd skated through high school on a combination of charm and native intelligence and then bid a fond adieu to higher education. Why sit down and read a dusty textbook when you could go shopping for a new party dress?

  "Fine.” Owen didn't return her smile. "Then what do you pr
opose?"

  "I don't know.” She cast her mind about for a suitable suggestion. "What's wrong with just going along as I've been doing?" Pearl was home. The only real home she'd ever known. It would kill her to be torn away from it. A thought struck her with tidal wave force. "You're not asking for a new post, are you?"

  "I may not have to, honey. The navy might do it for me."

  "Oh my God," she breathed. If her father took command of one of the ships berthed in the harbor, he could be gone for months on end. One of the most wonderful things about her father's position at Pearl Harbor was the fact that he was permanently stationed on Oahu and they got to act like a regular civilian family...or so she had believed.

  "I told you things are changing, Eden," he said, choosing his words with great care, "and it's time we looked at our options in case something unexpected happens."

  She swallowed hard. Wouldn't she ever get used to saying goodbye to her father? You would think after all these years she'd have grown accustomed to farewells. "I'll stay here if they ship you out. I have loads of friends. I'll be just fine."

  Owen rubbed the red spot on the bridge of his nose where his eyeglasses had left an indentation. "You don't know the first thing about taking care of yourself, Eden. You wouldn't last a week on your own."

  "I have Tony and Lilly not that far away. They wouldn't let me starve."

  "Your brother and Lilly will be leaving for the mainland before the month is out."

  "That soon?" She couldn't have been more surprised if Owen had said they'd hitch-hiked to the moon. She brightened. "Mali will stay at the house."

  "Mali has a family of her own."

  "We'll raise her salary. She couldn't say no."

  "Forget it," said her father. "If Japan continues being the aggressor, I'll want you back on the mainland whether I'm here or not."

  "Don't be such a doomsayer," she chided. "Hawaii is all by itself out here. We couldn't be safer."

  "Be that as it may, young lady, it's time you figured out what you're going to do with your life."

  "Why do I have to do anything with it?" she countered. "Sooner or later I'll get married and then I'll have plenty to do.”

  Children...a little boy with hazel eyes flecked with green...

  She must have been in the sun too long. The strangest fantasies were occurring to her at alarmingly close intervals.

  "Damn it, Eden!" her father bellowed. "Do I have to marry you off to the first eligible officer to walk through the door or are you going to make some plans? You didn't even stick with your volunteer work at the hospital."

  "The hospital was depressing," she said. "You know I'm terrible around sick people."

  The look on his face spoke volumes. "You can't spend the rest of your life going to parties and shopping for new dresses."

  "Why not? That's what all the wives at Pearl do."

  "They have families, too, Eden. Husbands and children to care for. What do you have?"

  "I thought I had a family. I thought I had you and Tony--” At least she had until Lilly ruined everything. Her brother had made a life of his own with Lilly and the baby they were expecting, a life that had nothing at all to do with Eden. And now that he had joined the navy, she wouldn't even have these spur of the moment visits to Honolulu to look forward to.

  "I want the best for you," her father was saying. "I want you to be happy, Eden, and safe. I may not always be here for you."

  "Don't say that!” Her voice was high with sudden fear. "You'll live to be a hundred."

  His smile was gently ironic. "You want to put in a good word with the Man Upstairs for me?"

  A gigantic lump formed in her throat. She couldn't bear to think of life without her beloved father. The very thought made her blood run cold. How on earth could she possibly get along without him there to watch over her? All of her brave talk about staying in Pearl if her father left went right out the window.

  "You're strong as an ox," she said, pretending to feel his muscles. "Nothing could possibly happen to you."

  "Just being realistic, honey. I'd sleep a lot better at night if I knew you had someone to take care of you."

  She snapped her fingers as if she hadn't a care in the world. "Who knows, Daddy?" she asked with a toss of her head. "Maybe my prince charming is right around the corner."

  "I hope so," said Owen. "Both for your sake and for mine."

  Absently she touched her mouth with the tip of a finger. Her lips were still warm from Rick's kisses.

  Her father inhaled on his cigarette then released a long plume of smoke. "Tony told me about your phone call."

  She shrugged. "It was nothing. Lilly was having a terrible time and I figured Tony could spirit her away."

  Owen looked at her closely. "Nothing more to the story?"

  "Not really."

  "He told me about Sarajane Hanks and Mitzi Montgomery.” He paused. "There are words for women like that."

  "I don't think the club will ever recover from having both Lilly and Rick under their roof at the same time."

  "Rick?” Owen started to laugh. "Don't tell me Byrne had lunch with you?"

  "Don't look at me like that. It wasn't my idea."

  "Somehow I didn't think so."

  "It was Lilly's.” She tried to forget the vulnerable look on Lilly's face as she faced the prospect of lunch alone with Eden at the club. Eden had never known how it felt to be different or unwanted. She had sailed through life certain that she would be welcome anywhere she chose to go. She cleared her throat. "I'm going to rest before dinner. Rick will be here at seven with the car and now that we're--"

  Owen raised his hand. "I left a message for him to take the night off. We'll use a staff car."

  "Oh."

  "Do I detect a note of disappointment?"

  "Absolutely not!” She reached for her crutches and stood up. "I don't care how we get to the party."

  "Look your prettiest tonight, honey," said Owen as she headed for the door. "You never know who might be at the party."

  Rick won't be, she thought as she left the room. Somehow that was all that mattered.

  #

  Owen Forrester watched his daughter leave the room with a mixture of pride and exasperation. He was familiar with the feelings warring inside him. They'd been there from the day the girl took her first step. His independent little girl racing toward the future without even a nod for reality.

  "You've done too good a job, Forrester," he mumbled as he reached for another cigarette and lit up. He'd done his damnedest to see to it that his daughter was so safe and secure and spoiled that she never had to worry about a thing. The result of his efforts was the beautiful, headstrong young woman who couldn't see what was happening right before her very eyes.

  He rose from his chair and walked over to the window that looked out over the front yard. War was coming. He didn't know where or when, but he could hear the drumbeat in the distance, calling them to battle and when it came, he wanted his daughter as far away from danger as possible.

  From across the room his late wife's photograph smiled at him across the years. "I wish you were here, Marguerite," he said out loud. "Maybe you would know how to handle this.” An unmarried daughter with no skills, no ambition, and no suitor on the horizon. A married son with a pregnant wife whose beauty and brains would never counteract the liaibility of her race.

  Whoever said war was hell hadn't tried to bring up two children on his own.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Rick was lying on his cot, eyes closed, while his overactive imagination replayed the incredible events of earlier that afternoon. Now that he was back in the barracks, surrounded by laughing sailors and the smell of sweat, it was hard to believe the whole thing had happened. He'd held her in his arms, tasted her lips, heard her sigh as he whispered her name against her fragrant, shining hair.

  Nothing was impossible. Today had proved that. Twenty-four hours ago Eden Forrester had been nothing but a name and a reputation. The spoiled littl
e daddy's girl with nothing on her mind but torturing her hapless drivers and looking for the newest dress shop.

  He'd seen one sailor after another toss the keys to the admiral's Oldsmobile down on the floor and swear off women forever. "Somebody ought to take her down a peg or two," Billy had muttered last night after he'd told Admiral Forrester he couldn't take any more. "Hell, I'd pay for somebody to show her who was boss."

  Forrester had been beside himself, ready to lock the girl in her room and keep her there until the cast came off her leg. When Rick offered his services, he'd seen it as the perfect opportunity to score points with his superior. Nothing more. He'd made up his mind to see the job through, no matter how much of a witch she was. He wasn't going to take any stuff from her, but neither was he going to be driven off by one of her temper tantrums.

  "A temper tantrum would've been easy," he muttered. If she'd turned out to be the hell-on-wheels hoyden everyone had complained about, Rick would have known exactly how to handle the situation. You could admire a rose's beauty, but still manage to steer clear of the thorns.

  To find a woman's heart beating beneath the girl's glossy, pampered facade had been the last thing he'd expected. Nobody got a free ride through life, not even beautiful girls with hair the color of autumn. He, of all people, should have known that. If Admiral Forrester had judged him by externals, Rick would still be peeling potatoes in the galley of some rust-bucket ship on its way to Davey Jones's locker. The least he could've done was give the admiral's daughter the same courtesy.

  He cast his mind back to when he was a five-year old-boy, all bumps and bruises and wide-eyed innocence. Even in the Byrnes' cold water flat on the wrong side of town, his mother had managed to find time to let her children know she loved them. Her hands were red and raw from scrubbing rich bitches’ floors but those hands could still comfort a child's tears. He wondered who had been there for Eden, who explained away the monsters in the dark, who had told her the things a young girl should know.

  He'd done a lot of thinking since he'd parked the Oldsmobile in the admiral's spot and walked back to the barracks. She was complex, changeable as the weather, fiery one minute and sweet as honey the next. A man could spend a lifetime with a girl like that and never know all there was to know about her.