He fixed her with a look that seemed equal parts affection and something uncomfortably close to pity. “You need to be ready, Eden. I’ve convinced Lilly to go back stateside. You should think about it too.”
“You talk like going to war is a done deal.”
“It is,” her brother said sadly. “It’s just a matter of time.”
Chapter Sixteen
Eden wasn't going to see Rick ever again. She would stop the attraction before it had a chance to go any further. Her conversations with her brother and Lilly had pointed out just how close her emotions were to the surface, how dangerously open and vulnerable she suddenly was, as if her nerve endings were raw and exposed to everything life could possibly send her way.
She spent the night sitting by her window, watching the moon give way to the dawn. She didn't like feeling open and needy, yearning for something she didn't quite understand. The thing to do was stop cold. Nip it in the bud right now. He was wrong for her. They had no future. Falling in love with someone like Rick would only lead to heartache. She only had to look at Tony and Lilly to see what a mismatched love affair could do to a person's plans.
There were only twelve more days until her cast came off. Certainly she could think of other activities to occupy her mind. She'd shopped at every dress store and had lunch at practically every restaurant on Oahu since breaking her leg. It wouldn't hurt her to spend some time with her sketchbook and paints.
This was the right thing to do. She'd stay home and wash her hair, do her nails, catch up on the magazines collecting dust on the coffee table. And if she wanted to go out, she'd call a taxi but she wouldn't call Rick Byrne.
#
The cold shower restored Rick's equilibrium but not his disposition. What the hell difference did it make that she'd cancelled tonight? It wasn't a date, after all. Let her drive to her damn party with someone else. It was no skin off his teeth. He didn't care if she hitched a ride. That was her business. Not his.
His resolve lasted through chow, a game of cards, and an aborted trip to Mama Kate's in Pearl City. "Left my wallet back at the base," he'd said, jumping off the bus a few blocks before the last stop. "I'll see you there later."
There wasn't anybody at Mama Kate's or anywhere else who could hold a candle to Eden. He hadn't been looking for it. Hell, he hadn't even been thinking about it. But there it was. He wanted to hold her. Listen to the sound of her voice. Smell her perfume. It was Eden and nobody else.
And it was wrong.
Around three a.m. Rick decided he'd give back the keys to the Oldsmobile. He'd been lying on that blasted cot, staring up at the ceiling while twenty other sailors snored all around him, when the answer occurred to him.
He wouldn't see her again. Forrester would be mad as hell, but it was a chance Rick would have to take. Better to put an end to it now before it went too far and he did something he'd regret.
Like tell her he was falling in love.
#
Tony and Lilly flew back to their home on Lanai the next morning to finish packing for their move to the mainland. Tony was expected in San Diego by 1 December, less than three weeks from now. Lilly supported him in his decision to join the navy, but it was obvious that the thought of leaving their patients grieved her. At dinner Lilly had said she planned to return to her work on Lanai when the time came that Tony was assigned to a ship. Right now, that seemed a long time away.
Her father and Tony had talked about changes ahead, but Eden hadn't figured they would start quite so soon.
"Miss Eden."
She looked up to see Mali standing in the doorway to her bedroom. The housekeeper had a funny smile on her face, as if she knew a secret but wasn't telling.
"What is it, Mali?"
"Visitor in the front room."
She frowned. "I'm not expecting anyone."
Mali shrugged, still smiling. "Go see for yourself."
Eden perked up. Maybe one of her old friends had come back to Pearl for a visit. She'd already washed her hair and pinned it up to dry. Her fingernails were freshly lacquered a beautiful pale pink and she'd read the last three issues of both Photoplay and Motion Picture magazines and it was only ten o'clock in the morning. A diversion would be welcome. Grabbing her crutches, she made her way down the long hallway toward the front room.
"Hi, princess.” Rick Byrne rose from the fan chair by the window. He was neatly dressed in uniform, his short chestnut hair combed off his face. The look in his eyes made her weak at the knees. This would be harder than she thought.
She drew in a deep breath. "Did we have an appointment today?"
"Not that I know of."
"So what are you doing here?"
His eyes seemed to darken but his gaze never wavered. "I have a question to ask you."
Her blood thundered in her ears. "You could have asked me on the telephone."
"Not this question."
"Rick, I--"
"Look at me.” It was a command, not a request.
She met his eyes.
"You cancelled your ride last night.” He swallowed. "I want to know why."
A wild burst of joy leaped to life inside her chest. "I didn't cancel the ride. Daddy did. He threw a family party for my brother and we took a staff car.” Why was she telling him this?
But it was too late. The words were out. The next move belonged to him.
#
Rick wanted to whoop with joy. She hadn't cancelled her ride. Her father had. He didn't even care that he hadn't been asked to drive the staff car for the admiral. Last night he'd been plagued with thoughts of Eden in the arms of another guy, and all the time she'd been sitting in a restaurant with her family, toasting her brother's commission.
"Let's go for a ride," he said, unable to contain his elation. "We need to talk."
"We can talk here.” Her eyes were wide and watchful. With her hair skinned back into a ponytail and her mouth devoid of lipstick, she didn't look anything like the sophisticated young woman he'd first seen at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. She wore a bright yellow halter-top and a pair of wide-legged white shorts and he couldn't remember ever seeing a more beautiful woman.
He decided to level with her. "Look, if your old man finds out I took off on my own, there'll be hell to pay. Give a sailor a break and put me to work."
Eden's hands went to her head and she gasped as she realized she still had pins in her hair. "Good grief," she muttered. "Close your eyes!"
He grinned, beginning to feel his confidence coming back. "Too late. I've already seen you."
"Oh my god.” She looked adorably embarrassed. "I look terrible!"
"No," he said quietly. "You look wonderful."
She hesitated. No one had seen her without lipstick since she was thirteen years old. Being pretty had always been the most important thing in her life, the one thing she could count on, and now here was Rick telling her she looked wonderful with her hair in a ponytail and her face scrubbed clean. The strangest thing of all was she believed him. She felt beautiful, really beautiful, for the first time in her life. No perfume or paint. No fancy hairdo or new dress to hide behind. Just herself and, to her amazement, that seemed to be enough for him.
#
Rick stopped the Oldsmobile in front of a sandwich shop not far from Pearl Harbor. "Ham and cheese?"
"Tuna salad," she said. "With tomato and lettuce."
The truth was, she couldn't imagine eating a bite of food. She was so nervous that she could scarcely breathe, much less swallow. How her friends would laugh if they could see her now. Her palms were damp. Her heart beat double-time inside her chest. She couldn't recite her name and telephone number if her life depended on it. Eden Forrester with an attack of the jitters. Who would ever believe it? Why, she'd given the jitters to hundreds of men with her combination of looks and personality.
How the mighty had fallen. Now she sat there with her tongue tied up in knots that would do a sailor proud.
Rick returned a few minutes later an
d stashed the impromptu picnic in the backseat. "I got lemonade," he said. "Hope you don't mind."
"Lemonade is fine," she managed.
"Nice day."
She glanced out the car window. "Beautiful."
They fell silent as the road narrowed into a one-lane highway, winding along the outer curve of the island. The closer they got to the beach, the thicker the silence in the car. Eden realized they'd gone past the point of no return. His unexpected appearance at her door, coupled with her easy acquiescence, signaled a major change in their relationship. They weren't employer and employee any longer. They were a man and a woman.
Why couldn't real life be as sharp and clear as the movies she loved? When you saw Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, you never once had to wonder if there'd be a happy ending. Oh, there'd be a lot of witty dialogue and a few sharp-edged fights, but before the credits rolled, Clark and Claudette would fall into each other's arms and declare their love. The same held true for Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. No matter what happened along the way or how bleak the outlook, Ginger and Fred always persevered--and had some fun along the way.
Looking at Lilly and Tony, all Eden could see were problems. If there was a happy ending somewhere out there, she simply couldn't see it. They had so much going against them that Eden doubted if even Hollywood could make it all work out.
Soft dreamy music floated from the car radio but for Eden it was only a backdrop for her jumbled thoughts. Her friend Melanie and her new husband came the closest to being Hollywood's version of a match made in heaven, but even that didn't make perfect sense to Eden. Melanie wasn't beautiful. Charley wasn't handsome. Yet somehow together they managed to rival Gable and Colbert. She sighed deeply. Understanding Sanskrit would be easier.
"You called your brother, didn't you?" Rick's voice seemed to reach her from a great distance.
"What?” Concentration took enormous effort.
"Yesterday," he repeated. "You called your brother to come get Lilly, didn't you?"
Oh, please, not again. "I thought we were on our way to the beach."
He glanced over at her. "When you got up to go to the ladies room," he persisted. "You called your brother to come and rescue Lilly."
"And what if I did?” She tried to sound blase but failed. "Don't you wish someone had rescued us from those dreadful women?"
"That was a nice thing you did for her."
"Anything to end the lunch."
"Why's it so hard to admit you felt sorry for her?"
"I'd feel sorry for anybody stuck with those two old cows."
He shifted gears as he negotiated their way up a steep hill. "I think you like her despite yourself."
"Of course I like her. She's my sister-in-law."
"Yeah, and she's Japanese. I don't think you're ready to admit it yet, but I think you two could be good friends."
She thought about the odd conversation she'd had in the ladies room with Lilly last night and let the comment sail by. With over two thousand miles separating them as soon as Tony received his orders, it would be easy to be friends. "I don't want to talk about Lilly," she said as he veered off the main road and came to a stop on a sandy shoulder that led down to the cove.
"Good," he said, "because I don't want to talk at all."
The air was fragrant with perfume. Beyond their secluded cove, the blue waters of the Pacific reached as far as the eye could see. He reached for her hand, linking his fingers with hers. He didn't try to kiss her or draw her closer. The joining of their hands suddenly represented something more than physical closeness; it joined their spirits as well.
There it was again, that overwhelming sense of belonging, of being exactly where she was meant to be. This shouldn't be happening. The time wasn't right and neither were the players, but destiny paid little heed to such things. She knew there could be no future for them but she told herself that didn't matter. She would settle for the here and now.
For a little while she was able to forget about her brother and Lilly, about her father's dire predictions, about the way she seemed to be floating through life like driftwood on the ocean. Just the heady joy of being alone with a man who made her feel both dangerously wild and infinitely safe. A combination fraught with possibilities.
Chapter Seventeen
The days passed swiftly in a haze of sweet temptation. Every chance they could, they made their way to the secluded cove on the Ewa side of the island, far from whispers and prying eyes, and there they grew closer. Their kisses were passionate, soul shattering, but he managed to respect her innocence.
She wasn't entirely grateful.
Eden felt as if she'd lived her life encased behind glass, a beautiful objet d'art without heart or soul. Kissing had been a curiosity, nothing more. The touch of a man's hand had been no more thrilling than the touch of her own. But now all was different. Rick's kisses intoxicated her. The sensation of his lips trailing fire down the column of her throat made her yearn for more. Her breasts seemed to swell to meet his hand, her nipples hard and demanding. Her body was a violently lush mass of contradictions, eager yet reluctant and shy.
He could have had his way with her. She understood that in the feminine recesses of her soul. She was too young, too inexperienced, to know just when they would reach the point of no return, when blood called to blood with an urgency that defied time and civilization. She trusted him to care for her even when she was too besotted with desire to care for herself.
And he didn't let her down. There were times, lying with her on the warm sand in that secluded piece of heaven, when he wanted to use the power she'd given him, let the fiery kisses and caresses they shared deepen into the dark wonders of full-blown sexuality.
He wanted to see her eyes widen as he entered her, moving slowly, inexorably past the tender barrier that separated her from womanhood. She would let him. He knew that the way he knew his name. God knew, he wanted to be the first man--the only man--to know the secrets of her body.
But not like this.
She deserved more than a secret coupling on a deserted beach. More than just the trappings of romance. She deserved a church decorated with flowers, a white dress and lacy veil, a shiny gold ring and a man who would love her and care for her until the day he died and beyond.
#
For six weeks Eden had been counting the minutes until her cast was removed. When the day finally came, however, she found herself facing it with bittersweet elation for it meant Rick's days as her driver were at an end.
"You'll be behind the wheel yourself by the first of December," said the doctor, putting away the buzz saw he'd used to hack away the plaster encasing her leg. "One week at the most."
Eden tried to smile but her heart simply wasn't in it. The thought of not seeing Rick on a daily basis made her feel like crying.
"Don't look so sad," said the doctor, his tone hearty and encouraging. "Your leg won't look like that forever. You'll be your old self before you know it."
Eden looked down and shrieked in horror. That ghastly white stick couldn't possibly be the tanned and shapely leg she'd broken six weeks ago. "Oh my god!” She placed her hand against her calf, as if to convince herself it belonged to her. "That's the most awful thing I've ever seen. I must look like the Bride of Frankenstein."
"Not you, honey," chuckled the nurse standing in the doorway. "Come with me. I have a razor and some baby oil in the other room. We'll at least get you on the right track before you leave."
#
"You don't look that bad," Rick said after she'd stumbled her way toward the Oldsmobile on legs as wobbly as a newborn colt.
"I look horrible," she said, sniffing back embarrassed tears. "I should throw a sheet over my leg so you don't have to see it."
"How does it feel?" Leave it to a man to be more concerned with the practical than the aesthetic.
"Like it belongs to somebody else."
"What did you expect?" he said with a laugh. "That leg's been immobilized for a month and a ha
lf."
"I expected it to be normal.” She sank lower in the passenger seat and glanced out the window. "You're not going to our beach, are you?"
He didn't say anything, just kept on driving.
"Rick! I can't go to the beach like this."
He continued driving.
"I look terrible."
"So?” He turned and gave her a quick look. "I've already seen the worst. Now forget about it."
She was tense as a drawn bow. Didn't he understand anything? This was the beginning of the end. Maybe the last afternoon they could spend at their secluded cove with no one to answer to but each other and she looked dreadful.
Rick acted as if that ghastly appendage of hers was an everyday thing. He held her hand as they walked, talking easily about the football game coming up next week at the stadium. It's you he cares for, not the way you look, her heart whispered. Why do you find that so hard to believe?
The tide was rolling in so they set their blanket behind an outcropping of lava rock. Clusters of beach flowers edged the rock with masses of hot pink and crimson blooms. Amorphous swirls of emerald green seaweed streaked the shore, disappearing as the clear turquoise waters inched their way up the sand. The air was rich with the smell of salt and sea life. Coconut palm trees rustled in the breeze, their heavy fronds sounding like crackling parchment. The throbbing brilliance of the colors, the voluptuous beauty of the landscape, the sound of the ocean breaking beyond the cove--how was it she'd ever taken all this for granted?
Rick held her elbow while she slipped out of her shorts and top. She made a production out of carefully folding her clothes and placing them neatly at the near corner of the blanket. When she turned around, Rick was down to his swim trunks, his tanned and muscular body backlit by the midday sun.
He held out his hand to her and they stepped over the vividly colored seaweed then stopped at the water's edge. "You don't know how I've been dying to swim again," she said, sighing as the water lapped about her ankles and calves.
Where or When: A Pearl Harbor Romance Page 13