Second Chances in Lavender Bay (The Lavender Bay Chronicles #3)

31. Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine

1946

“ Y ou can do this,” Laura encouraged Diana.

It was a bitter cold day in February, and Diana was wearing the hat her mother had knitted for her to keep her head warm.

Beside her, Joy nodded. “Honey, it’s not like you need to let these people into your life.”

Somehow, she’d let Laura and Joy convince her to take on a new venture: taking in sewing and mending. She’d managed to save a decent sum in the year she’d worked at the plant, but that wouldn’t last forever, as she knew. The money from Aunt Lavinia was long gone.

Other than the ability to run a buffer, her skill with a sewing needle was the only one she possessed. Because of her accident, she’d never again work with industrial machinery. And that didn’t matter anyway, as the war was over and the boys had come home and gone back to work.

Her first customer was due to arrive today, a woman who’d worked at the aviation plant in Cheever. On their last day at the plant, Laura and Joy had handed out index cards with Diana’s information on it to their coworkers, telling them to contact her for mending, sewing, and alterations. The phone had started ringing.

After the war, Laura began searching for another job to help support her young family, and Joy went back to the role she relished most: wife and mother. Diana envied them their sure-footedness; each knew exactly what she wanted, whereas Diana wasn’t sure what her life, post-accident, would look like or how she wanted it to be. It was similar to feeling around in the dark for the light switch, trying not to stub your toe.

Diana nodded, but her hands shook. She fingered the St. Anthony medal that hung around her neck. Joy had given it to her, and she found great comfort in it.

“You’ve only got one customer to deal with today,” Laura reminded her. She’d opened the red leather diary she’d given Diana as a gift and tapped a varnished fingernail on the name written in pencil for that date. Diana stared at it and blinked. She was committed.

She knew her friends meant well, but she would have been content continuing on as she had been: not leaving the house and not seeing people.

As if reading her mind, Laura said, “I know you’re nervous, but you’ve got to move on with your life.”

Diana went to snap back at her, but Joy cut her off. “You know Laura is right. You can’t hide out in the bedroom for the rest of your life. You’re too young.”

What good was it, she wanted to ask. It wasn’t like she’d ever get married or have children. What was the point of leaving the house if only to be treated like something in a freak show?

The doorbell rang and Diana jumped, but she didn’t get up.

“I’ll get it,” Laura said, and walked with purpose and expedience to the front door and opened it. “Hello, Phyllis.”

Phyllis was someone Diana knew by sight. She’d worked in a different department. She was a tall, solid girl, almost six feet. And she was loud and blustery to boot. As soon as she crossed the threshold of the Quinn household, she said in a booming voice, “I see the gang’s all here!” At her side, she carried a large brown paper bag.

Laura and Joy made small talk with Phyllis for a few moments, the three of them catching up on what they’d been doing since leaving Cheever Aviation.

Phyllis approached Diana. Tentatively, she reached out and touched Diana’s arm. “How are you?”

“I’m okay,” Diana said evenly. Before an awkward silence could set in, she nodded toward the bag in Phyllis’s hand. “What do you need to have done?” She wasn’t going to stand around all day and make small talk.

Phyllis opened the bag and pulled out a few long- and short-sleeved men’s dress shirts, laying them over her arm. “These are my husband’s. He has a habit of ripping open the buttons instead of just undoing them, so they need to be replaced.” She handed the pile to Diana, who nodded. Then she reached back into the bag and handed Diana two pairs of dungarees. With a shake of her head, she said, “The knees are gone in these pants. The boys are as bad as their father with the way they beat up their clothes.” She laughed, and Joy and Laura laughed with her. Diana managed a small smile.

“When can I pick them up?” Phyllis asked.

“How about the day after tomorrow?” Diana said.

“Perfect.” She dug through her pocketbook. “Shall I pay you now?”

Diana shook her head. “No, wait until you come and pick them up.”

On her way out, Phyllis said, “It was good to see all of you again.”

As soon as she was gone, Diana let out a huge breath. She pulled her cigarette case from the pocket of her dress and with shaking hands, lit one. She took a long, satisfying drag.

“It wasn’t that bad, now, was it?” Joy asked.

Diana shook her head. “No, I guess not.”

“It’ll get easier,” Laura said. “You’ll see.”

“Now how about some tea?” Joy asked.

Diana nodded and headed to the kitchen, thinking she’d like something stronger, but tea would have to do.