Page 54 of A Whim and a Prayer

A gulp bobbed in Winnie’s throat when she realized she had an uphill battle ahead.

Not with her parents as a whole, of course.

The smile dissolved on her face. Only with her mother.

“Winnie, I would be happy to talk to your parents for you, if you like, as long as you work out a schedule ahead of time to meet all their requirements for school and chores. Can you do that?”

“Yes, ma’am, I can.”

I hope.

“Good! Then let your parents know what you want to do and if they approve, we’ll set a time for me to come visit and discuss it with them, all right?”

Mrs. C pulled up in front of Winnie’s house with a bright smile, pressing the clutch pedal to shift into neutral before turning to face her. “I am delighted you want to join The Footlight Club, young lady, because I have to admit I was a little sad I wouldn’t get to see much of you after the fundraiser. So, this gives us the perfect opportunity to spend more time together. You already know you’re one of my favorite students, Winnie, but The Footlight Club will help us become good friends and peers as well.”

There was no way Winnie could stop the rush of tears that flooded her eyes, any more than she could stop the impulse to fling herself in Mrs. C’s arms with a broken sob, so very grateful for this woman in her life. “I love you, Mrs. C,” she whispered, clinging with all of her might, “and I hope we are friends forever.”

Mrs. C squeezed her back. “Me too, Winnie,” she whispered, pulling away to cup a gentle palm to Winnie’s face with a soggy look of her own. “Me too.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

Ding-Dong.

Ringing the doorbell, Beck stepped back on the Dennehys’ front porch and buried his hands deep in the pockets of his bomber jacket. Shoulders hunched and collar up to brace against the frigid November wind, he shifted, grateful to be here.

And then again not.

He hadn’t seen Winnie since the last night of the play almost ten days ago, a first in their fifteen-year relationship, except for the war, and he wondered if it bothered him more than it did her. She was clearly avoiding him—having Julia answer the phone to tell him she was busy—so he’d done the same, working overtime as much as he could and studying his law books when he wasn’t.

But when her mother had called last night to invite him to dinner tonight—two hours early, no less—he was grateful he could finally talk to Winnie whether she wanted to or not.

And, apparently, to her mother as well.

He shifted again, pressing the doorbell once more, figuring Mrs. D—the name Winnie had given her mother before she was ever adopted—had noticed his absence, since that, in and of itself, was a total oddity. Especially after those kisses onstage in front of God and everyone.

So maybe she was hoping to mend fences between them, something for which Beck didn’t hold out much hope. Winnie had never done this before—she was far too needy when it came to him—so whatever was pushing her away was obviously bigger than them both. And frankly, Beck needed the space as much as she did, to help purge this unwanted attraction out of his system.

Something else for which he didn’t hold out much hope.

The door squealed open and Julia’s sweet smile was an instant balm to his soul. “Beck, we’ve missed you!” she cried as she held the door wide, giving him her usual hug before closing it again. “Where have you been?”

“Working a lot of overtime, Jewels,” he said with an affectionate tweak of her long blond braid, “and nose to the grindstone on studying the law.” He glanced around. “Is Winnie home?”

A shadow crossed Julia’s face. “No, she’s at Abby’s, but she’ll be home for dinner, so you can see her then.”

“Yeah, that’ll be good.” He shuffled his coat off and hung it on the rack by the door, gaze darting to the dining room. “Your mom in the kitchen?”

“Yes, and she’s waiting to talk to you,” Julia said. “Must be important because she’s making your favorite dinner and she sent me upstairs to clean my room, which is already clean, so I guess I’ll just do Winnie’s.”

Beck grinned. “I’ll have your mom save you a plate, then, because that should take all night.”

She giggled as she turned toward the stairs … and then, before he could even process it, she spun around and shot right into his arms with a crushing hug. “We really, really miss you, Beck, so please—don’t stay away.”

His eyes weighted closed as he hugged her back hard, a sting of moisture threatening. “I don’t want to stay away, Jewels, but it seems your sister is allergic to me after the play.”

Julia pulled back to nod with a perceptive smile. “I think she’s afraid, Beck, because those kisses obviously affected her as much as they did you.”

He blinked, always amazed at the words of insight that came out of Julia’s mouth. For twelve years old, she was a wealth of wisdom, a sage in a little girl’s body. “How do you know it affected me?” he asked with a squint.