“I’ll have...” Jonas picked up the menu and glanced at it. “The same.”
“Gre-e-at! I’ll have those right out for you.”
Jonas waited impatiently for Amanda to walk away, and then leaned across the table, his head whirling, heart pounding. “I didn’t go far enough before. You actually told Erik the truth about yourself on Friday because you’re in love with him.”
She waggled her index finger back and forth. “Not admitting that.”
“C’mon, Sandra.”
“I told him because he has this superpower that makes me tell him things I’m not intending to.” Her voice thickened. “And then after I do, I feel closer to him, and then vulnerable and terrified and I swear I’ll never do it again. And then I do. I think I’m cracking up.”
“That would explain—” Jonas clapped his hand to his head. “God, I’m an idiot.”
Sandra snorted. “If the trouble between you and Allie is your fault, no argument there.”
“No big trouble. Just a snag.” He drew his hands down his face, suddenly filled with all the energy he’d been missing over the weekend. “So how did you and Erik leave it?”
“We just left it.” She sighed. “Still stuff to deal with. How did you and Allie leave it?”
“We just left it.” He sighed. “Still stuff to deal with. But you know, if things don’t work out with Erik, you’ll always have me.”
She patted his hand. “If you don’t make things work with Allie you’re a moron who doesn’t deserve any happiness for the rest of time.”
Jonas smiled tenderly. “Aw, thanks, babe.”
“Here we go!” Amanda put down their burgers. “Will there be anything else?”
Sandra picked up her burger. “There might be someday.”
“Nothing, thank you,” Jonas said. “Ignore her, she’s on leave from the clinic.”
“Ah!” Amanda threw her head back and laughed extremely loudly, then walked quickly away.
Sandra smiled affectionately at Jonas, a real sweet smile, brimming with affection. He smiled back.
“I want you to be happy, Jonas.”
“I want you to be happy, too.”
“Good. Enough sentiment.” She gestured to their burgers. “Time to harden our arteries.”
“Absolutely.” He picked up his burger and took a fabulous juicy bite. “And then I need to make some serious plans.”
* * *
Diary, my dreams all came true tonight—not the way I planned, but does it really matter? After Walter came in from nighttime fishing on the lake with his friend Ted, I was going to meet him at the door of his room wearing the absolutely fabulous white beaded lace dress that I got for my birthday but haven’t worn yet, and underneath it, white lace knickers. To give him a taste of the sweet virginal girl I can be.
But it didn’t work out that way. Ted got sick, so Walter invited me out instead, for a romantic ride. Of course I couldn’t wear the dress in a rowboat! But he didn’t seem to mind. He rowed me out to the middle of the lake, and then he brought out candles and a bottle of dessert wine and some wonderful cakes he’d bought in Glens Falls. It was so beautiful and so romantic.
When we’d had enough to eat, and probably too much to drink, Walter got on his knees and proposed! I nearly fell overboard. I am so very, very happy, and so much in love. We want our children to come up here with us every summer and grow to love the place as much as we do.
Walking on air tonight!
* * *
ALLIE CLOSED AND LATCHED the last trunk in the attic. Jonas and Erik had arranged for a moving company to stop by midweek to pick up the clothes and deliver them to Julie’s parents’ apartment in New York, which had enough storage space. The idea of starting her own shop appealed to her—either online or in an actual, physical space—using the clothes from the attic as inspiration for her own creations. In the meantime, she’d accepted the new job that morning and would start the following Monday. Since there wouldn’t be much of a learning curve, her hope was that she’d have time to work on her new career, though crunch times during any ad campaign meant long hours in the office. Just the idea made her feel claustrophobic. But the reality of her situation was that she needed a job. The people seemed nice there, and they’d been pleased she accepted the offer. It was the right thing to do.
She stood and indulged in a good stretch, freezing at a noise downstairs. Was someone here? The mysterious Clarissa? Or Erik, back from Boston? He wasn’t due back until tomorrow. She hoped he and Sandra had a good time, and that he’d be bringing her with him for his second week of vacation. Funny to think how so recently he’d wanted to spend those two weeks alone with her.
Footsteps sounded below.
“Hello?” she called over toward the trapdoor, her silly, overoptimistic heart hoping it was Jonas, while at the same time she scolded herself for being ridiculous. After that strained horrible weekend together she’d be surprised if he ever wanted to see her again.
Julie had sure been right! Unlocking the truth about Allie’s past had set a whole lot of stuff in motion that was making her really, really happy! Which was why she’d cried herself to sleep the previous night.
Come to think of it, she hoped it wasn’t Jonas. She looked like a puffy-eyed clown.
“Hey, girlfriend.”
“Sandra!” She was desperately happy to hear Sandra’s voice, feeling suddenly as if she was stuck in a snowbank and Sandra had a keg of rum around her neck.
“What’s going on?” Sandra’s beautiful face and shoulders appeared through the hole in the floor, followed by the rest of her. Even in jeans and a simple blue striped top, she looked exotic and glamorous. Immediately Allie could tell something was different about her, but couldn’t figure out what. “Oh, you’re packing up! What did you decide to do?”
“Nothing for a while.” She shrugged dismissively. “I had thoughts about starting my own business designing clothes.”
“You should! If your designs look anything like these clothes you’ll be huge.”
“Thanks.” Allie smiled, wondering how Sandra could have that much confidence in her when she’d never seen anything Allie had designed. More confidence than Allie had in herself. She gestured impulsively to one of Bridget’s trunks. “Listen, I was going to offer anyway, but didn’t know you’d be here before I left. Would you like some of the gowns for your shows?”