Line by Line by Jennifer Delamere

Author:Jennifer Delamere
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Fiction;Love Stories;FIC042110;FIC042030;FIC027170
ISBN: 9781493425143
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2020-04-27T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

Eighteen

Not for her, this silly idea of romance. Alice cringed inwardly as she recalled how superior she’d felt about the naïveté of others. Who had truly been the naïve one? She was astonished at her response, body and soul, when Douglas had kissed her. Why had she not believed a person could feel something as powerful as that?

And yet, from the first moment she’d seen him, standing in the middle of the office looking impossibly handsome, she had known.

She had known.

Granted, it had been far back in the unconscious portion of her mind, but somehow she’d known that one kiss from a man like this would be so shattering, it would obliterate everything she knew about the subject. That was why she had spent every day since meeting him doing her utmost to ignore the unreasonable feelings he ignited in her. Telling herself they were mere fantasies, the kind instilled into little girls by way of fairy stories.

Now she could not deny that this was something very real. It was utterly unnerving.

They reached the table to find their friends drinking bottled lemonade. Hal was entertaining the ladies with a magic trick. He was pulling a penny from Mamie’s ear. She laughed with delight as though she’d never seen this done before.

“You are returned at last!” Hal said, tossing the coin onto the table as he stood up. “Did you have success? I couldn’t see what you were doing. You seemed to have disappeared behind the shrubbery.”

“We were on the other side of the pavilion,” Douglas answered. “Miss McNeil is an excellent teacher. Her advice about using Morse code worked like a charm.”

Surprised to hear Douglas speaking so casually, Alice turned to give him a disbelieving look. He looked flushed, but in a way that could easily be put down to the exertion of dancing on a warm evening.

“Do you mean to tell me your toes are intact?” Hal aimed this remark at Alice.

“Indeed they are.” She tried to smile as she said this, but she wasn’t able to shake off the powerful effects of that kiss as neatly as Douglas had. Her lips still felt the ghost of his touch.

Hal clapped his hands. “That’s wonderful news! It should bring great happiness to Miss Ro—er, to the ladies.”

Douglas grimaced. Alice supposed he must be tired of his friend’s teasing. She sank down gratefully on the chair Douglas pulled out for her, which brought her to eye level with Lucy.

Lucy studied her with a frown. Unfortunately, Lucy was usually able to read Alice’s emotions with surprising accuracy. To deflect Lucy’s intent gaze from her burning cheeks, Alice pointed toward their drinks. “Is that lemonade?”

“We got one for you,” Hal said, extending a bottle toward her. “I imagine you’re thirsty after all that exertion.” He took a seat across the table from her. Although his manner was casual, he, too, had a sharp gaze. Alice suspected that, like Lucy, he didn’t miss much.

Alice accepted the bottle, taking a moment to enjoy its chill against her sweating hands.

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