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She drew in a breath. “I think he was stepping out on me. In fact, I know it. Not that he confessed, but my gut is telling me not to ignore the warning signs.”
Hot anger raced through him, and his jaw tensed. “I’m tracking him down anyway. He needs to be taught a lesson.”
“Sam,” she said, her voice pleading. “He’s already left for California. I guess he didn’t want my father banging down his door. Besides, I’m finished with him. You were right all along.”
For once, he didn’t want to be right. Not about this. Or at least not with Norma ending up pregnant and alone. He wanted to be right two months ago and have her dump the idiot. “He shouldn’t be able to get away with this,” Sam ground out. “I’ll track him down in California and—”
“No,” Norma said, her voice stronger now. “You’re my best friend, Sam. I need you here, with me. I need you to be my friend for the next two days before I’m shipped off to my aunt’s. Then I need you to continue with your own life. Live your dreams for me while I’m gone. And then maybe, someday, when I’m back, we can have our late-night talks at this café again. It will give me something to look forward to.”
She was crying again, and Sam rubbed at his jaw, his own tears starting.
With Norma going away, he’d be losing his best friend too. Again. How had it all come to this?
“Now, listen to me,” she said with a steadying breath. “I’m starving. Can you order some food? I don’t want to waste our last couple of days together with sad stuff. Let’s eat and talk about you for a change.”
Sam decided that Norma was the strongest woman he knew. He moved out of the booth, put in a giant order of food, then did just as she asked. They talked for the next couple of hours about his schooling, his flight training, what she’d pack for Oregon, how she hoped to take a leave of absence from clerical school and return in eight months.
By the end of the night, a plan had formed in his mind. He left Norma’s side with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Walking home in the opposite direction of her place, he slipped his hands into his pockets, hunching his shoulders forward. They were meeting again tomorrow night at the café. And before that happened, he had several things to do.
The following morning, Sam made his inquiries, then he visited Norma’s father. The man was surprised to hear about his plan, but he didn’t protest. Sam considered that a sign he was doing the right thing. Now, all he had to do was convince Norma.
The day passed quickly, and when night fell, he headed to the café. But Norma wasn’t there. Sam told himself not to panic. He was earlier than usual since he’d taken most of the day off to get his errands done. His stomach was too knotted up to eat any of the food that he’d ordered in good faith, hoping Norma would indeed be showing up.
As the minutes ticked by, he began to imagine all sorts of scenarios. Her father had changed his mind, or Norma had fallen ill with her pregnancy, or David had turned back around and swept her off her feet...
“Sam?”
He snapped his head up. There stood Norma, her brow puckered in concern.
“I wondered if you’d fallen asleep sitting up,” she said with a smile—a smile that struck him in the chest. How had he not noticed how pretty and sweet she was? Well, he’d noticed, but he’d never internalized it before.
“No.” Sam pushed to his feet. “I was, uh, thinking.”
Her brows lifted, and she slid into the booth seat across from him. “You were waiting for me?”
A spread of untouched food sat on the table. He’d barely sipped his drink. And the drink he’d bought for her had its ice mostly melted.
“Yeah, are you hungry?” Suddenly he didn’t know what to say, or how to begin.
“Definitely hungry.” She took a long sip of the Coca-Cola, then stabbed a fork into the garden salad.
Sam reached for his drink as well and gulped half of it down.
Her forehead creased. “Something’s off about you. What’s going on? Are you sick?”
“No.” He pushed the drink aside. “I’m not sick. I’m...I need to talk to you, Norma, and I want you to know that I’m in earnest. And you need to know this has nothing to do with Susan being engaged.” Or at least he didn’t think it did. He’d decided not to let that thought go deeper. “I visited your father this afternoon.”
“What? Why?” Her eyes widened. “Did you try to talk him out of sending me to Portland? He was probably furious.”
“Not exactly,” Sam said. “I mean, I did talk him out of sending you to Portland, but it’s not what you think.”
Her mouth opened, then shut.
Sam reached for her hand. “Norma, I’m sorry for all that’s been happening in your life. You must know that you’re my best friend too, and the best part of my week is sitting with you at this café. You make me laugh. You encourage me. You give me hope for a good future. You’re a bright, talented woman, and you’re drop-dead beautiful.”
Her cheeks went from pink to red.
“I know that you cared for David, and you know that I cared for Susan,” he said. “Both of them have moved on, and here we are.”
