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Mack reached around him and pointed out the large letters to mark a country while Lucas tried to concentrate on them.
“B…R…A…Z…I…L.” He looked at her questioningly as he started to sound out the word. “Br…ah…Brazil. Ugh, yuck. That’s where you get bananas from.”
Mack burst out laughing. Bananas were the only fruit that Lucas hated. “Okay, champ. Let me help you find Italy. Otherwise, we might be here all night.”
She turned a few pages back and pointed out the boot-shaped country to him. Lucas took his first sticker from the back of the atlas and with Mack’s direction, found Nice over the border into France. She stared longingly at the sticker and hoped that one day she’d get the opportunity to visit, providing she could get her head around a long flight.
“Let’s go and tuck you into bed.”
Lucas jumped from her lap and ran upstairs as she followed at a slower pace with her usual hot chocolate, and of course, Rose’s diary.
Chapter 9
March 19, 1947
I miss Jacob already…
It really hadn’t been long since I’d last seen Jacob. Last night, actually. I missed him so much. I wanted to talk to him and tell him about my day at work and the funny antics of my boss. I wanted his arms around me, and most of all, I wanted his lips on mine. I’d been kissed before, but I’d never reacted to anyone the way I did with Jacob. Right from our first meeting, I’d felt comfortable with him . . . with his touch. He listened to me like he cared about my ideas. He didn’t talk down to me or talk over me but, instead, included me in the conversation. When he looked at me, it was as though I was the only woman in the world.
I was in my room after a busy day, unable to think of anything else, except the man who had my emotions tied in knots. As I was just about to change into something more comfortable, there was a knock on my door. I opened it and found my mother on the other side looking rather flustered. “Mother, what’s wrong?”
“Oh, I’m fine, but Richard is downstairs and really wants to talk to you,” she told me. Her excited smile filled me with dread. I really hoped she wasn’t excited because she was thinking of wedding bells. That was not going to happen.
I ground my teeth, a wave of stubbornness washing over me. “Please tell him I have a headache.” I placed my hand on my forehead and swooned onto my bed. Opening one eye, I saw my mother still stood in my room with her hands on her hips, her smile gone and replaced by a frown of displeasure.
“Put your shoes on and join us in the parlor. Now.” With that, she shut my door. Oh, fiddlesticks.
With the scruffiest pair of shoes on, I headed downstairs to the parlor. Richard saw me immediately and jumped up from his chair, nearly sloshed his tea all over Mother as he went to put it down, and then raced toward me. He took hold of my hands. “Rose. I’ve really missed you. I’m glad you’re here.”
I wasn’t sure where he was coming from with this. I pulled my hands out of his. “Richard, it’s nice of you to come calling. Are you well?”
“I’m fine. Thank you for asking.” He took my elbow and led me over to the sofa, sitting me down beside him.
He poured me some tea, just as my mother stood and made some excuse to leave. I was too much in shock to really hear what she said as my heart sank over being alone with Richard. Great.
“Thank goodness, I thought she was going to stay with us.” I just looked at him and tried not to panic.
Once my mother left, he seemed to sag in relief. “What’s gotten into you?” I asked him.
“This is a mess.”
“What is?” He really wasn’t making any sense to me.
With a quick glance at me, he dropped his head in his hands and took a deep breath. “My father told me last night that if I didn’t ask for your hand in marriage today, he would stop my allowance.”
“Oh, my God. Please don’t tell me that’s why you’re here? We’ve discussed this already.”
“Then tell me no,” he said in desperation.
Stunned, I whispered, “No.”
He sighed. “Rose. I’m sorry about all this. I really am. I don’t suppose we can be friends?”
I felt such relief that this was over with. “Yes, I would like that, but no talk about marriage.”
“Thank you. Now that we’re friends, would you like to go to the movies with me on Saturday?” he asked with a grin. “As friends,” he added quickly.
I hoped Jacob wouldn’t mind me going to the movies with another man, even though we were only friends. “That would be good.”
