Lost and Found in Lavender Bay (The Lavender Bay Chronicles #2)

26. Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

T he night before Edwin’s departure, the two of them sat alone in the parlor. The Wainwrights had retired early, citing fatigue, but Laura knew better. Her parents were allowing them to be alone. She’d made an effort to remain cheerful, doing her hair, putting on a little lipstick, and making sure he had a good dinner: roast turkey, with an apple pie for dessert. She would not think about tomorrow and how bereft she would feel when he boarded that train with his duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

They’d had a busy day. All the days had been busy, Edwin preferring to do as much as possible in the short time he had. In the evenings they visited family, and one evening they had his Uncle Bert and Lenore and Johnny for dinner. Neighbors would drop in unannounced. Everyone clamored to see him, but Laura liked it best when they were alone in the bedroom at night and she had him all to herself.

The only sound was the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner. Laura picked up the newspapers from the floor, folded them neatly and set them on the needlepoint stool. Finished, she leaned against the back of the sofa.

Edwin put an arm around her. “You’ve changed, Laura.”

She looked up at him. The war hadn’t dimmed the sparkle in his bright green eyes, and she was glad of that. “Have I? In what way?”

For a moment she thought he would remark on her appearance. She was no longer the young girl he’d met almost ten years ago. Raising their two children and working at the plant hadn’t been easy. When she looked in the mirror, she thought she was beginning to see lines on her face.

“You’re more confident,” he said.

She hadn’t expected that. “I am?”

He leaned in and kissed the side of her head. “Yes, you are. You’re more independent, doing things you never used to do.”

“Like what?”

“Working, for one. Paying all the bills. Driving. Making unilateral decisions.”

That much was true. The other day, Edna’s bike had a flat tire, and Laura went ahead and took care of it, using an air pump for the first time without even thinking to ask Edwin.

“Oh.” Had she changed? She supposed she had. But then she didn’t have a choice, did she, with circumstances such as they were.

Was he angry? Was he disappointed? Did he feel left out? Was he going to expect her to go back to the way she was? She didn’t think she could. She no longer recognized that girl from so long ago. Before the war, she could have guessed Edwin’s reaction to a multitude of things. But now, she wasn’t sure how the war had affected him. The other women at the plant spoke openly about their husbands when they returned from leave. For most, the reunions had been joyous but for some, the husbands came back brooding or angry or both.

“How’s the job?” he asked.

She nodded. “Good. Hard, and the hours are long, but I don’t mind.”

“Are there men there who work at the plant?” Edwin asked. He’d gone quiet.

“Yes, but it’s mostly women.”

“And how do they treat you?”

“Well, there are a few women from Lavender Bay, and they do nod hello and all that, but for the most part no one knows about my past scandal.” It was sweet of him to ask, she thought.

Edwin shook his head. “No, not that. I meant the men. Are they giving you a hard time? You’re very pretty, you know.”

She gave him her best smile. “Thank you.” But the first thing that came to mind was Creepy Les. During her last shift, he’d caught up with her, walking by her side, clipboard in his left hand and his right hand on the small of her back, his fingers moving in a slow, circular motion. Laura had been unnerved. When they were out of earshot from other people, he’d asked her in a whisper if she was lonely and if there was anything he could do. The whole incident made her feel like she needed to take a bath.

But she’d never tell Edwin about any of this. First, he’d want to go and punch his lights out, and she didn’t want her husband getting into trouble over that jerk. And second, he’d soon be thousands of miles away again, and he’d worry.

“For the most part, pretty good. But you know, you still have a few who’ll whistle as you walk past.”

Edwin smiled. “Honey, they’re always going to whistle at you.”

They were quiet for a moment before he circled back to the previous subject.

“Like I said, you’re a completely different person to the one I left behind. You’re more of a take-charge type now.”

When she finally spoke, she stammered. “Um, well, I just do things. You know, what needs to be done.”

He laughed, and her posture relaxed.

“I see that. I hardly recognize you anymore.” Absentmindedly, he rubbed her back.

“I’m still the same person,” she assured him.

Would he no longer love her if she was too different? She didn’t think she could bear that.

“When I first met you, and even when we were first married,” he said, “I got the distinct impression that you were someone who needed looking after.”

She winced. Although what he said was true, it made her sound like she had needed adult supervision. Now here she was, a decade later, drilling rivets into planes. It was stranger than fiction.

Reaching for his hand, she whispered, “Maybe I grew up.”

“You sure did.”

She looked up at him. “What do you think of the new, improved version of me?”

“It’ll take some getting used to.”

Her smile faltered. “You don’t like it? ”

“I didn’t say that. You’re different, that’s all.”

She leaned closer to him. “Maybe I am different. Maybe I’ve grown up and matured or whatever you want to call it, but how I feel about you has never changed. It will never change. I love you, Edwin, please know that.”

He laughed and pulled her to him and kissed her. Against her lips, he murmured, “All right, you’ve convinced me.”

In a mocking tone, Laura said, “Whew, you scared me.”

He kissed her once more. “You know, your confidence is very sexy,” he whispered.

“Tell me more!”