‘Yes, but unlike your fiancé, mine is happy basking in the sun here, so I doubt he’d ever be gunning to go offshore before he’s asked.’
Eva sighed. Why did Charlie have to be so determined to make a difference? All she wanted was him here, safe, away from the fighting, so that she knew he’d be making it home with her when all this was over.
The horses came into sight, and she watched as a man moved around them. They were tied to a large piece of driftwood, quietly standing in the morning sunshine.
Grace was like an overexcited child when they went closer, but Eva quietly made her way to a beautiful chestnut-colored mare, running her fingers through her mane and stroking her neck. It had been a very, very long time since she’d ridden a horse, but it was a happy memory, one of those rare days that her father’s smile had lit up his face and made his eyes twinkle.
She blinked the memory away and listened to the man give them a safety talk before helping them up into the saddles.
‘Just walk,’ he said, pointing as he spoke. ‘Head all the way down there—they know the drill.’
Eva imagined they knew the exact path to take, that they took tourists on the same route every day and never deviated from the well-trodden trail, and she settled into the saddle and arranged her dress around her so it didn’t flap around and scare the horse.
They fell into formation, the four of them riding abreast but not close enough to touch, and Eva relaxed into the gentle movement of the horse beneath her.
‘This was a great suggestion,’ Eva said, breaking the silence.
‘You can thank Grace for this,’ April replied. ‘She’s been wanting to ride for years, ever since she found photos of our mom all dressed up and riding in some fancy show as a child.’
‘Your mother is a horse rider?’ Eva asked.
The sadness that clouded April’s face made her wish she’d kept her mouth shut.
‘She was,’ April said softly. ‘We lost her when I was fifteen and Grace was thirteen.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ Eva said. ‘Did your father remarry?’
‘He didn’t need to,’ Poppy said, answering for April. ‘My mom always says that men remarry so quickly because they can’t cope without a woman looking after them, but not Mr. Bellamy. April became the woman of the house, and he never needed anyone else, did he, April?’
Eva studied April, noticing how much older she appeared than her sister even though there was obviously only a year or so between them. Her face was more serious, her mouth in a straight line, eyes cautious as she scanned the beach. Grace, on the other hand, was more childlike about everything, and she could see right away that April was very much the older sibling to a sister who was used to being the baby of the family. As she watched April take some pins from her updo and help Grace secure her hair from her face, it was almost like watching a mother with her daughter.
‘Our poor dad did his best, but he more kind of muddled along and hoped we wouldn’t get into trouble,’ Grace said. ‘April was the model child, and she was pretty good at pulling me into line when I acted up.’
April sighed. ‘More like I had to grow up and behave like a forty-year-old overnight while you still acted thirteen.’
Eva could imagine the dynamic—it was still obvious now that April shouldered the older-sister burden, just like her older brothers had taken their role of looking out for her so seriously.
Her horse snorted, and she slipped a hand down to stroke her neck, marveling at how hard the muscle was beneath the hair.
‘How about you, Eva? Do you have both your parents?’ April asked.
‘Yes. My mom has recently gone back to teaching, just substituting at the local school when they need someone, and my dad is a retired army sergeant.’ She didn’t tell them that the reason her poor mother was working had to do with her father drinking away almost all his pension money each week. ‘I have two brothers, and I was the baby of the family.’
She missed her brothers; they were trouble, but they were also kind to her, and she loved their Sunday-night dinners, when they always got together. Her father often wasn’t there, not if he’d gone out earlier to stare at the bottom of a whiskey bottle somewhere on his own, but that always made it even better. Then it would be just her with her mom and brothers around the table, which was exactly how she liked it.
‘Want to try a canter?’ Poppy asked. ‘Walking is boring. I say we blow out some cobwebs.’
Eva was about to say no, but before she knew it, Poppy had kicked her horse in the side, and they all took off after her. She grabbed a fistful of mane as her body jerked, the wind whipping at her cheeks and picking up her hair as they raced along the waterline. If Grace was the Labrador puppy, then Poppy was the Jack Russell terrier, up to no good and getting everyone in trouble!
‘This is the life!’ Poppy screamed. ‘Faster!’
Her horse was stretching out beneath her now, and Eva marveled at the push and pull of her muscles, the way her long legs seemed to eat up the ground beneath them. She clung tight to the reins, her fingers fisting in the horse’s mane, too, to give her a better grip as her knees and thighs clenched tight against the animal’s side.
Soon they were slowing, and Eva tried to steady her breathing, taking little gasps of air as her heart beat so loud and fast it almost pounded from her chest.
‘Fun?’ Poppy asked, her cheeks pink as she slipped from the horse’s back.
‘More like a death wish,’ April muttered.
Eva didn’t say a thing, but when Grace grinned at her, she happily smiled back. She’d been terrified, but Poppy was right; it had blown out all the cobwebs, which was exactly what she’d needed. Charlie might be grounded, but it wasn’t going to stop her from having a fun day out with friends.
They eventually gave the horses back and walked barefoot down the beach, shoes dangling from their fingers, back the same way they’d come earlier, and Eva smiled as she listened to the three girls chat. It was obvious how close they all were, and it was nice to be part of their little group.
‘Why don’t we find a nice spot on the beach and sit for a bit?’ April suggested. ‘We can paddle in the water and sunbathe until we’re hungry for lunch.’
Eva nodded. ‘Count me in. I have hours until I have to go back.’
‘We could always sneak down to see the boys,’ Poppy said, sidling up to Eva and giving her a wicked grin.
‘No way,’ she said. ‘If we were caught, my Charlie might end up with another week without leave!’
Poppy sighed. ‘Well, if you change your mind, I’m in. Teddy would love a little surprise visit.’
April had found a nice spot up ahead under a cluster of palm trees, and they all sat, leaning against the trunks, their legs stretched out in the sunshine. She stared out at the ocean, loving the twinkling glare it created, watching the waves as they gently lapped in and out.
‘What’s it like being at sea?’ Grace asked. ‘Is it nice to be back on land today? I think I’d be sick with all that bobbing around all the time!’
‘It’s not like that,’ she said with a laugh. ‘Honestly, the ship’s so big and we’re anchored so close in, so it doesn’t make you seasick. But I do find it weird not being able to walk outside. Wandering the decks isn’t quite the same as feeling land beneath your feet.’
‘Are you in cabins?’ April asked.
‘It’s a huge ship—honestly, you could get lost in it trying to find your way around,’ she told them. ‘Our quarters are nice enough—we’re in bunks, with about eight of us to a room—and we all get along just fine.’
‘Everyone seems so happy to be part of the excitement, don’t you think?’ Poppy said. ‘I’ve never had so much freedom. I mean, Teddy and I were always with a group or escorted by someone, and now we’re here and we can sneak off whenever we’re not working!’
‘We don’t need to hear about what you and Teddy get up to,’ April said. ‘Perhaps you two do need a chaperone!’
Eva noticed
the way Grace turned away from the conversation, her arms wrapped around herself as she gazed at the ocean. She shuffled closer, wondering if everything was okay with her.
‘Are you missing home? Plenty of the girls get upset at night whenever we’re talking about our families,’ she said gently.
‘Oh, no, it’s not that,’ Grace said, her smile warm when she glanced sideways. ‘I’m fine, just admiring the water. Want to go for a splash?’
Eva stood and held a hand out, tugging Grace up with her. She wasn’t going to ask her more—she could sense that her new friend had been deep in thought, but it was up to her if she wanted to share or not. She had her own secrets, her own triggers that pulled her down and made her wish things could be different, but that wasn’t something she had any interest in talking to anyone about. Except maybe to Charlie.
‘So how long have you been with your man?’ Grace asked as they walked down to the water’s edge, leaving April and Poppy chatting beneath the tree.
‘I’m twenty-two now, and we’ve been best friends since we were about fourteen, I think,’ she confessed. ‘We were going to get married before he was posted here, but we decided to wait.’
‘I can’t believe you’ve been together so long,’ Grace said, walking deeper, her skirt held up high to stop it from getting wet.
‘We were friends for a long time; he was so kind to me, and we used to talk for hours. I think I fell in love with him at first sight, but it took him a year to kiss me!’ Eva clamped her hand over her mouth. ‘Sorry—that was more than you wanted to know.’
Grace laughed. ‘No, it’s nice. I love hearing stories like that. He must be a nice man.’
‘He is. And I like that he’s so gentle with me; he’s so . . .’ She paused, wondering how to explain what she was thinking. So different from my father; that was what she wanted to say. ‘So caring, I suppose. I know he’d protect me from anything, if that makes sense.’
‘It does.’ Grace hurried back as a shallow wave rushed in, holding her skirt higher. ‘If you meet another one like him, can you introduce me? I need someone like that, someone who can look after me and just be kind, I suppose.’
Eva smiled, studying Grace as she held up her hand, staring out at the ocean again. She seemed to be deep in thought, quieter than she’d been the first time they’d met.
‘It must have been so hard for you, losing your mom,’ she said.
Grace’s eyes were filled with unshed tears when she turned, and Eva reached for her hand, squeezing it tight. She could see clearly now that Grace wasn’t just juvenile; she actually wasn’t as confident as she tried to portray herself to be around her adventurous friend and grown-up sister.
‘I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have brought that up.’
‘No, it’s fine. I’ve just been thinking about her a lot lately.’ Grace sighed and brushed at her cheeks as Poppy and April came running up behind them. ‘I suppose I’ve been wondering whether she’d have let us come here, whether we’d be doing any of this if she’d still been alive.’
Grace’s voice had dropped lower as the others approached, and Eva nodded, not saying anything more.
‘What are you two gossiping about?’ Poppy asked.
‘Nothing much,’ Eva said. ‘I was just telling Grace about a nasty boil I had to lance the other day. I’m lucky I have a strong stomach!’
‘Ewww, that sounds revolting. It wasn’t on his bottom, was it?’ Poppy asked.
Grace gave her a wink, and Eva took it as a thank-you for keeping their conversation quiet. But when she glanced at April, she saw that Grace’s older sister was watching, no doubt aware they’d closed a conversation as soon as she’d come near.
A shimmer of water flicked across Eva’s face, and she turned to find Poppy bent over, scooping up water and splashing it at them.
‘Poppy!’ April scolded.
‘What, you don’t like this?’ Poppy asked, flicking even more water.
April squealed when the water soaked her skirt, but Eva just scooped her own handful of water up, expertly splashing Poppy and then chasing after her. Grace appeared beside her, and they both launched an attack on Poppy, kicking up water and scooping it up until they were all soaked through.
‘Enough!’ April begged. ‘Stop!’
They all stood back, laughing and trying to catch their breath. Eva looked down at her dress, soaked through and clinging to her body, showing every bump and curve.
‘Maybe that wasn’t such a great idea,’ Grace muttered beside her.
She looked at Grace and felt her eyes widen, the outline of her friend’s breasts and nipples now visible through her pale-yellow sundress.
‘Um, you might need to grab a couple of palm fronds to cover yourself,’ Eva warned as April gasped beside her.
‘Hey, girls!’
They all squealed and backed into one another, hands over breasts and legs crossed tightly as the navy boys waved at them from farther up the beach. The men were laughing and whistling, and they stood huddled together waiting for them to move on, before bursting into laughter and running out of the water onto the sand.
‘You girls are a terrible influence,’ Eva murmured, shutting her eyes as she lay on her back to dry out.
‘It’s Poppy,’ April said affectionately. ‘It’s always Poppy leading us astray.’
Poppy laughed. ‘Stop moaning; we were having fun, weren’t we? Besides, when else in our lives will we ever have no one caring about where we are or what we’re doing? We have to make the most of this!’
‘She’s right,’ said Grace, propped up on one elbow as Eva watched her. ‘We’re going to look back on this adventure as the best time of our lives. We need to go to every party, stay up late, anything we want to do.’
‘I second that,’ Eva said. ‘I’ve never felt so free in all my life.’ She loved not having to tiptoe around her father, not having to feel like every step, every move she made was being watched and criticized. She was good at her job, she loved nursing, and she wanted to enjoy being posted somewhere so far from home. She’d finally flown the nest, and she was never, ever going back to it.
They all lay side by side in the sun, soaking up the rays, and when Eva felt Grace’s fingers brush hers and squeeze for a moment, she did the same back. She’d started the week disappointed that she wouldn’t be seeing Charlie on her days off, but Grace and her friends had more than made up for it.
She stared at the sky, squinting hard to keep her eyes open. There was barely a puff of cloud, and the light breeze against her skin was warm, helping to dry her wet clothes as she lay as still as a statue. Hawaii was the closest place to paradise she could imagine, and she wouldn’t have wished to be anywhere else in the world.
CHAPTER THREE
POPPY
‘Oh lord,’ Poppy gasped, elbowing Grace in the side. ‘Look at that poor man!’
She tried not to gawp, but there was a man in a full-body cast, with just a big hole cut out in the belly area. Grace started to giggle, but she pushed Poppy away, not wanting to burst into laughter herself. It was awful and somehow funny all at the same time.
‘What are you two on about?’
Poppy shrugged. ‘Oh, nothing. Just wondering what on earth that soldier did to end up looking like a mummy.’
April didn’t crack a smile. In fact, Poppy was certain she heard her make an irritated sound in the back of her throat. ‘He was injured during a maneuver, and that’s the only way they could cast him properly. Stop staring!’
‘Sorry—you’re right,’ Poppy said, giving Grace a sharp stare until she mumbled ‘sorry’ as well. She loved both the Bellamy girls, but sometimes they were as different as night and day. April was as passionate about nursing as the rest of them were passionate about going to parties and listening to music, Grace had only come for the adventure, and she’d only signed up to be close to Teddy.
‘Anything interesting happening down here?’ April asked.
Poppy sighed. ‘Nothing much. Alt
hough we have been invited to a bedside poker game later tonight if our shift is quiet.’
‘Poker?’ April asked. ‘We’re supposed to check supplies and do our rounds if we’re quiet.’
‘April, you need to stop taking everything so seriously,’ Poppy said, taking hold of her friend’s arm and pointing around the occupied beds. ‘These poor fellas could do with some cheering up, and we’re not exactly run ragged. What harm is there in sitting down and playing cards with them if we don’t have any nursing to do?’
April raised her eyebrows, but the hint of a smile on her lips told Poppy she’d convinced her.
‘I suppose you’re right,’ April said.
‘I’m always right. I expected you to know that by now!’ Poppy grinned. ‘Come on—let’s serve dinner, and then we can set up the supply room for the card game.’
Grace had been talking to a young soldier, but she joined them again, her ears clearly pricking up. ‘Ohhh, I can’t wait! Don over there told me he’d teach me how to play.’
‘Hold on—you’re moving the patients and setting up in the supply room?’ April asked.
‘Don’t worry your pretty little head, April. We won’t get caught, and if we do, I’ll figure out a way to talk us out of it,’ Poppy told her.
April didn’t look convinced, but she went off to check on her patients, and Poppy went with Grace to start on serving dinner. They’d already checked most of their patients and given them their evening medication, but with so few men in the ward, they didn’t really have a lot to do.
‘She’s buttoned up so tight sometimes, isn’t she?’ Grace said. ‘Honestly, half the time I wonder if we’re actually related.’
Poppy had heard it all before, and she knew that April was sometimes a little too serious, but she’d also seen firsthand how much her friend did for her little sister. They were so close in age, but what April lacked in letting her hair down, Grace made up for with her childishness sometimes.
‘Don’t be so hard on her—she’s just trying to do her job well,’ Poppy said.
Grace’s eyebrows shot up. ‘You’re defending her now? After telling her to lighten up about the card game?’
The Girls of Pearl Harbor Page 4