by Debby Lee
“Wonderful.” Philip pulled out his wallet.
Crawford went to the window with his ledger and scribbled the numbers, then he came back to the counter and spoke to Mr. March. “That will be two hundred thirteen dollars. Would you like them delivered?”
“We can discuss that in a moment. Why don’t you get Miss O’Brien, and I can speak with her while you box them up.” Philip handed the man a stack of bills.
“Of course. Certainly.” Mr. Crawford turned on his heel and headed for the curtain.
Jeni jumped into action and ran back to her workroom. Philip had just purchased more than two hundred dollars’ worth of hats! Just to see her. She put a hand to her chest to steady her heart. Footsteps approached.
“Jeni. Quick. I need you out front. Someone has asked to see you.” Mr. Crawford grabbed her arm and practically dragged her to the counter.
Face-to-face with Philip, she offered a slight smile. “Good morning, sir.”
Crawford went to the front window and started boxing up hats.
Philip leaned a bit closer. “I need to talk to you.”
“All right.” She kept her hands clasped on the counter in front of her.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said this morning, and I would like to offer an argument on my behalf.”
She felt her eyebrows raise. “Oh?”
“You see, you think that we are different classes. We’re not. I believe that all are equal in the sight of God. And it’s nobody’s business anyway. I think you’re the most incredible milliner in all of New York City, and I’m just a lowly baseball player.”
“Philip. Please—”
He held up a hand. “I thought we were friends? That we’d always be honest with each other? Wasn’t that part of our agreement when we began? To just be ourselves?”
“Yes, but—”
“No buts. Don’t argue with me. I don’t care what anyone thinks. I don’t care that you’re Irish. In fact, I love it. I love how you speak. I’ve spent enough time with you to know that I want to know you even better. Yes, there will probably be press there. But they follow me everywhere. I had to sneak through two different alleys just to keep them from following me here. Please, won’t you reconsider? I thought we were friends?” He held out the bouquet of roses to her. “These are for you.”
After his rush of words and the thrust of flowers in her face, Jeni wasn’t sure what to think. He was the most amazing man she’d ever met, and, if she was honest, she’d have to say that she truly wanted to go with him to church. But fear kept creeping its way up the back of her neck. “I don’t know …”
“I just purchased a bunch of ladies’ hats so I could speak to you, Jeni.” The expression on his face made her want to giggle. “As ridiculous as that was, you realize I’m serious, don’t you? That I won’t give up easily?”
With a nod, she gave him a slight smile. “Yes. I think I can see that.”
“Please? Will you reconsider?” The eagerness on his face just about did her in. Never in her life had she had a man pay such extravagant attention to her. And she really liked him.
“Yes. I’ll accept your invitation.”
The smile that spread across his face made her heart flutter. “Thank you, Jeni.” He reached out and squeezed her hand. “See ya tomorrow morning?”
She bit her lip and nodded.
“Great.” He picked up his hat but kept staring at her with that great big grin on his face.
“You better tell Mr. Crawford where you want to have all your new hats delivered.”
“Oh. Right.” He dipped his chin to her and then turned toward her boss.
Watching him walk away, Jeni picked up the bouquet and took a long inhale of their scent. No one had ever given her flowers before. And these were roses—weren’t they expensive? Her heart did a little flip.
She couldn’t wait for Sunday.
Opening the letter with a quick rip to the envelope, Bridget yanked out the sheets of paper and started to read.
According to her friend Betsy, the Irish community in Wisconsin wasn’t thriving as well as Bridget had hoped. While a number of them had done well with dairy farming, it was still a tough economy, and if one didn’t have the money to start up a brand-new business, the wages offered to the Irish were still lower than others.
After reading all the news from her friend, Bridget sat down with a huff in front of the window. The news wasn’t what she wanted to hear. She’d hoped for excitement and enthusiasm and a prosperous economy to be able to tell Jeni that Wisconsin was where they needed to go. So what was she going to do with this?
She squinted her eyes as a new plan unfolded in her mind. Jeni didn’t need to know all the details. With the money she was saving up for a new shop, they could manage the move and still probably open a small shop too. Bridget stood up and paced the floor. Perhaps there were other things she could do to help them save money faster. Maybe she could sell some of her baked goods like she used to before Jeni started making all the money. No reason to tell her niece what the plan was. Bridget could just surprise her with the news and the extra money once she had everything in place. It could work. Perhaps she could even write to Betsy and find out if there were any storefronts that could be rented. The more she thought about it, the more her plan made sense.
“Aunt Bridget?” The apartment door shut. “Are you here?”
Shoving the letter into her apron pocket, she squared her shoulders to greet her niece. “In here.”
Jeni came to the doorway of her room. “Did you have a good day?”
“’Twas decent enough.” While she hated the distance between them, the cold shoulder treatment worked better than anything else to keep her niece in line.
“That’s good.” Jeni turned around.
“What’s that over ye arm?” It looked like a garment bag.
“Oh nothing. Just a new dress for Sunday.”
“What’re ye doin’ spendin’ money on a new dress? I thought ye were savin’ up for a new shop.”
Jeni’s spine stiffened. A sure sign of her stubbornness. “Don’t worry, Auntie. My friend Mary made it.”
“Why do ya need a new dress anyway?” She’d been giving her niece the silent treatment, but whatever her Jeni seemed to be hiding made her prod.
“Oh Auntie Brig, I’m tired. I don’t have the energy to argue with you over a dress.” Jeni walked away with a sigh to her bedroom. Which was actually a large storage closet, but Bridget had insisted on having the one bedroom to herself. She was the elder, after all. Now she wondered if she should have rethought it. Her niece had entirely too many secrets.
“It would have been nice if you would have asked about my day.” Jeni’s words were mumbled, but Bridget still caught them.
“What was that, dear?” Her tone was too sharp, which was a sure giveaway, but she had the right to be aggravated.
“Nothing. I’m going to bed early.”
“But what about yer dinner?” Bridget placed her hands on her hips. What a rebellious child.
“I’m not hungry. Good night.” Jeni cut off the conversation and closed the door to her room.
Well. The city was having a bad influence on her girl. And that wouldn’t do. On top of the fact that her cold shoulder treatment—a tactic she’d used for years with Jeni—didn’t seem to be having the effect Bridget had hoped for. Maybe she needed to change her game plan.
When her niece left for work tomorrow, she’d just have to see what the girl was hiding. No self-respecting young woman would keep things from her aunt who only wanted the best for her.
Chapter 9
Sunday, March 26, 1911
A rapping on the front door brought Philip scurrying out of his room with his tie only halfway tied. He flung the door open to see his manager, Charlie Jones, with a big grin on his face. “You ready to go to church and smile for all the cameras?”
“Um …” Philip went back to tying his tie. “I’m picking up a friend today.”
“Okay, well let’s go get him.” He waved his hand like he was waving Philip into home plate. “Come on, come on. I want to get there early.”
“Charlie, you go on without me.”
His manager’s eyes widened. “Oh, I see. This is a lady friend you’re picking up?”
“Yep. And I’d like to do it alone.”
“Well, this is a first. Who is she?” The smile that spread across Charlie’s face made Philip want to grin along with him.
“You wouldn’t know her. But I’ll introduce you this morning.” He finished with his tie and picked up his suit coat and hat. “Now, if you don’t leave, I’ll never get there on time.”
Charlie held up both hands. “All right, all right. I’m leavin’.”
Leaving his apartment, Philip jogged down the stairs and headed to the front where his doorman had his Stoddard-Dayton 50 11-K Torpedo ready. He’d only bought it this week when he realized that he wanted something sleeker to impress Jeni when he picked her up.
They’d shared several glances and even a couple of private conversations before and after lessons this week. Their camaraderie was better than ever, but every once in a while it actually felt like they were flirting with one another. He didn’t know if it was acceptable—or if that was what it was even called—but he sure enjoyed their banter. So on an impulse, he’d gone out and bought a new car. A very expensive, very fast, new car.
He’d paid almost three grand in cash for it, and Philip wondered if it had been a bit too extravagant. But he’d been blessed, and he wanted to shower Jeni with everything.
The breeze tugged at his bowler hat as he navigated the streets to Jeni’s apartment. Maybe his thoughts were getting ahead of him, but as soon as he’d convinced her to go to church with him and then for a drive, he couldn’t help but think of the future. Yeah, baseball would be an amazing part of that for a while, but he wanted to dream about life after baseball. When he could have a family.
Now everywhere he went, he was noticing couples. Families. And he wanted that.
It had been one thing to keep his heart closed to everyone all his life because that was how a kid made it on the streets. But now it was entirely different. It was like his eyes were open for the first time. He didn’t want to wake up from it if this was dreaming. Because it was wonderful.
When he found the block for her building, he slowed down and pulled to the curb. He hopped out and looked at the numbers. Finding the right door, he pulled on the handle and opened it to see Jeni standing at the threshold. Her green eyes shimmered in contrast to her almost black hair. His breath escaped him as he took in her beauty.
While she was always dressed like a lady, he guessed what he always saw her in must have been her working clothes. Because the dress she wore today was different. The material matched her eyes and shimmered and sparkled in the light. The hat on her head had to be one of her elaborate designs, because it was exquisite and matched the dress perfectly. It sat at a slight angle and made the line of her jaw beg for his touch.
What had come over him? He shook his head. “Miss O’Brien, you look … beautiful.”
A shy smile lifted her lips before she ducked her head. “Thank you, Mr. March.”
He held the door for her while she exited and then offered his arm to walk her to his car.
“Excuse me, Jeni. Now ya wait just a minute.” The door slammed behind them.
Philip turned, and he heard Jeni sigh.
“Aunt Bridget, I didn’t think you were awake.”
The older woman stomped toward them. She lifted her chin and narrowed her eyes at Philip. “And who might you be?”
He gave a slight bow. “Philip March, ma’am.”
“Ye’re not Irish.” The woman looked affronted.
“No, ma’am. I’m from Brooklyn.”
Jeni tightened her grip on his arm. “Mr. March, I’d like to introduce you to my aunt. Bridget O’Brien.” The words were a bit stiffer than usual.
“Nice to meet you.”
The older woman just stared at him.
“Well, we better get to church.” Philip wasn’t sure what to do with the fiery and angry-looking woman in front of him. He tried to turn Jeni around.
“I’ll be back later this afternoon, Auntie.”
“What is it that ya do, Mr. March? To afford such a fancy car? Yer not into gamblin’ or any criminal activity, are ya?”
The woman’s words made him stop and turn his head back to her. “No, ma’am. I’m a baseball player for the New York Giants.”
“He hit the most home runs in 1910, Aunt Bridget. Isn’t that amazing?”
“Pshaw. Where did ya meet my niece?”
“At Professor Montgomery’s office.” He blinked at the woman, waiting to see if she would ask any more probing questions.
“Ah, so you’re tryin’ to fix Jeni’s speech too?” The woman planted her hands on her hips. “She’s not good enough for you?”
“No, ma’am. I’m not. And I think she’s entirely too good for me.” Philip turned completely around to face Jeni’s aunt. “I love the way she speaks. I love the fact that she’s from Ireland. It’s my own speech that needs improvement. The boss wants me to talk to crowds, and they think I need to be more understandable.”
“Humph.”
“We really must be going, Auntie.” Jeni grabbed Philip’s arm and steered him back toward his car.
He looked back to the older woman and nodded his head.
Opening the passenger-side door to the Torpedo, he held Jeni’s hand as she climbed in. Then he raced around, cranked the car, and drove away.
“Is she still watching us?” he dared to ask.
“Of course she is.” Jeni sighed. “I’m so sorry about that, Philip. Auntie hasn’t been herself for a while now. And I’m not quite sure what to do about it.”
“So … I take it you haven’t told her about me.”
“There hasn’t been a good opportunity. I’m sorry. I was hoping it would be under better circumstances when you met.”
“She’s very protective of you. It’s endearing.”
Jeni let out a long sigh. “It feels more like smothering.”
Philip reached over and squeezed her hand. “But it’s got to be wonderful to have family.” He pulled his hand back and felt her gaze on him.
“I’m sorry, Philip. I know you don’t have anyone. You’re right. Aunt Bridget is all I’ve got left. I should be more appreciative.”
“You don’t need to apologize. I can see that she’s quite the handful. But every once in a while, it would be nice to have someone be that protective of me.” He wasn’t sure why he’d said it out loud, but now that the words were out, he was glad he’d shared them with Jeni.
“What was it like growing up on the streets without anyone to look out for you?” Her voice was soft and tender.
He gave a half shrug. “I guess I didn’t think about it much. All us newsboys stuck up for each other and made sure everyone had something to eat and a place to sleep. When we’d get kicked out of a place, we were always on the lookout for something new. Even if it was underneath someone’s porch. We were just kids. And we worked a lot. Then played stickball in the streets as much as we could.”
“That’s how you got to be so good at baseball?”
“Yeah, I guess so.” He pulled the car up to the church. He should’ve known better than to tell his manager what he was up to.
Because out in front of the polished steps were several reporters with Charlie grinning wide.
All watching him.
“Uh, Jeni?”
“I see them.”
“Why don’t I park around the corner?”
“That sounds like a good idea.” She took a deep breath as he moved and parked the car.
“Are you ready for this?”
“I think so. Whatever made you choose this church?”
“It was kinda a requirement when I started playing for the team.”
“Re
ally?” The statement puzzled her.
“Well, they gave me three to choose from.” He shrugged.
“And who was that man waiting for you?”
“My manager.”
“Oh.” Her hands twisted in her lap. Then she turned her green eyes on him. They sparked like fire. “This isn’t some sort of publicity stunt, is it?”
His heart ached at the look on her face. “No. Oh Jeni. No. Please don’t think that I would ever do anything like that to you. Or to anyone.”
She looked him in the eye for several seconds. “All right. I believe you. Now what do we do?”
He got out and rounded the car to open her door. “Well, the way I see it, the best way to deal with situations like this is to face them head-on. Just smile and keep on walking. You don’t have to talk to anyone or answer anyone’s questions. You don’t owe them anything. So just hold tight to me and I’ll get you into the church as quick as I can.”
“Sounds like a plan. I think I can handle that.”
“When there’s someone I’d like to introduce you to, I’ll let you know. Otherwise we’ll just smile and nod our way through the crowd.”
She nodded. “Good.”
“Good.” He offered her his arm and headed for the front of the church. “Here we go.”
Chapter 10
Jeni gripped Philip’s arm tighter and tighter the more people they passed through. But it was like the parting of the Red Sea. Everyone moved aside as they walked at a brisk pace up to the entrance of the church.
Doing her part, she smiled and nodded at everyone she made eye contact with. But it was distracting to hear all the chatter.
“Who is that on Philip March’s arm?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him bring a woman to church.”
“She must be someone famous.”
“She’s a beauty.”
“And so glamorous. Look at the gorgeous hat.”
She tried not to blush under the scrutiny and kept smiling.
On and on the comments went. The stairs to the entry were one thing, but then they entered the massive building, and Jeni realized she had a long way to go. People were everywhere. Lots of the wealthy women she recognized from Mr. Crawford’s shop. Of course, she’d only seen them as she peeked through the curtain. But she recognized them nonetheless.