If she didn’t know it already, Kathleen would see Joe’s true colors by the time the night was through. Ricky knew he would shine by comparison. He still remembered her saying how safe she felt in his presence in their early dating days. And while they were together, she’d often comment on his height and broad shoulders. He couldn’t help but draw the conclusion that his strength, size, and confidence had been a draw for her.
And now she was out with Barney Fife? She was so mixed up, it wasn’t even funny. The girl didn’t know what she wanted.
He walked onto the pier and saw the notepad; her words made him smile. Proper Kathleen. So polite, she would have made a good librarian. He picked it up and flipped through the pages. Finding them all blank, he dropped the pad in the water, watching as it momentarily lingered on the surface. He gave it a shove with the toe of his shoe, and it sank, the words lost to the water.
He heard Kathleen’s voice float over the water and Joe’s in response, although he couldn’t make out the words. He kept his eyes on the boat, noticing that they were heading toward a plot of land that seemed to be growing right up out of the lake. An island or a peninsula? Hard to tell. Within a few minutes, they were there. Joe hopped out and pulled the boat up on land, then helped Kathleen out.
Ricky mentally reconfigured his next course of action. His original scheme had counted on Joe’s truck breaking down and Ricky, the masked assailant, beating the hell out of him by the side of the road. This plan was brilliant in a way, but risky. Some nosy parker could come upon the scene at the wrong time and ruin everything. If his identity was revealed, it would wreck his chance of reconciliation with his wife.
This boat outing changed things, possibly for the better. If they could rewrite the script, he could too. Ricky was not about to be outmaneuvered.
Among the rowboats, there was one canoe and a boat with an outboard motor. He unmoored the motorboat and started the engine, which roared to life. As he steered the boat away from the pier, he smiled, knowing he’d catch up to them in no time.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
1916
When John lifted Alice by the waist and swung her out of the boat and onto the shore, she laughed, carefree as a child. After so much time in service to her family at home, she now had an entire evening to devote entirely to herself. It was selfish on her part, she knew, but also long overdue. It had been risky to leave the dance without a chaperone, but she was able to justify her actions. Other people were impetuous all the time, and no one gave it a second thought. Wasn’t she entitled to one evening of foolhardy behavior? Soon enough, John would be gone, and she’d be back to the stove and the washboard, once again mending clothing and weeding the garden. She didn’t mind the work, at least not all that much. Someone had to do it, and she was more than adequate to the task, but one evening away from her chores was not too much to ask.
In the back of the boat, John found a box of matches along with a square privy lantern holding a fat candle. He opened the glass door on one side, lit the candle, and held the lantern aloft. “The owners of this boat are quite generous.”
“And right now they’re dancing the night away, unaware of their good deeds.” She took the lantern from him and beckoned, knowing he’d follow her anywhere.
“So this is the island,” John said as she led the way down a narrow path. “Are we going to run into any buccaneers?”
Alice turned and said, “No buccaneers. No buried treasure either. But I do want to show you something.” She continued onward, her eyes adjusting as they ventured farther. When they came to a large clearing, empty except for four wooden tables with attached benches, she stretched her arm out with a flourish. “Look! It’s a place for picnicking! Isn’t it charming?” She set the lantern on one of the tables.
“Very charming. This is just for picnics?”
She nodded. “Just for picnics and celebrations. The eighth-grade class had only six graduates last year, so they had their ceremony here. When I was a little girl, I used to love to come here with my family. Pearl and I would pretend that we were shipwrecked on this island and had to make it our home.”
“So you have happy memories from being here?” he asked, pulling her into his arms.
“Very happy memories.” She felt her heart flutter as she nestled against him, resting her head against his shoulder. She’d never kissed a man on the lips, but she hoped John would kiss her that way tonight. He wouldn’t think less of her for giving in to such a thing, she knew that much. He really cared for her. A kiss would be a promise between them, a memory in the making.
More important, she just yearned for a kiss, the touch of intimacy between them. She ached to feel his mouth on hers, to know what it was like to be a woman in love, to take that first step. She’d heard older women in Pullman brag that they’d never kissed anyone until the marriage ceremony had been completed. “I was at the altar with a ring on my finger,” Mrs. Donohue had said more than once. When Alice was younger, she’d thought that was the only way, the righteous way. It wasn’t until her father had let it slip that he and her mother had kissed before they’d wedded that she’d reconsidered the matter completely. During the times she’d imagined doing such a thing, she’d worried that if she did kiss a man, her ineptitude would be evident. That was before she’d met John.
She said, “So many happy memories. And now I have one more.”
“Being here with me?”
“Of course.”
He pulled away from her and whispered, “Alice, you have become everything to me. I’ve never felt this way before. I didn’t know I could feel this way. I love you, and every day I fall even more in love with you.”
“I love you too.”
He dropped to one knee and took her hand. “Alice, dear Alice, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
She heard the words, but it took a moment for her to take the meaning. “John, you know that I’d love nothing better . . .”
He stood up, a grin across his face. “I’ve already asked your father, and he’s granted us permission. Say yes. Please say yes.”
“My father agreed to this?” She sounded skeptical, but hopeful.
“Yes, he did. I even told him about my great-grandfather, and he still approved the match. I told him our engagement can last until I finish school. I know it’s a long time to wait, sweetheart, but I will write to you every day and visit whenever I can.”
“My father said yes.” She shook her head incredulously. “I can’t believe it.”
“I don’t have a ring for you yet, but I have money saved and will get one for you soon.”
“I don’t care about a ring. I only care about us.” Alice couldn’t believe it. She’d been so happy at the dance, happier still when they’d arrived on the island. She would not have thought it possible to surpass that feeling, but now the joy in her heart swelled beyond anything she could have envisioned. John wanted to marry her, and her father had given his permission.
“You have not answered my question. Will you marry me, Alice?”
“Yes. Oh yes.”
He lifted her off her feet and swung her around in a circle, making her laugh, then gently set her down, holding her in a firm embrace. Putting his lips next to her ear, he breathed a question. “May I kiss you, Alice Louise Bennett?”