Love's Pure Light by Susanne Dietze

Author:Susanne Dietze [Dietze, Susanne; McNear, Shannon; Raney, Deborah; Rosche, Janine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781643526201
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2020-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 2

You’re a tough one to get ahold of, Clyde.” Ben relaxed his grip on the telephone’s handset. If his wartime pal hadn’t answered this time, Ben was going to hop on the next bus to Los Angeles and track him down.

“If I weren’t, everyone would get a piece of me. You know that.” Clyde’s movie star voice slid over the line smoother than hydraulic oil. However, Clyde Irving wasn’t one to shy away from fans, cameras, or a good press opportunity. Over the years they’d spent together, Ben had seen the way Clyde offered pieces of himself to every passerby. “How are you, Benny? It’s been too long. Have you reconsidered my offer to come out to Hollywood to be my assistant? There’s a whole lot of pretty girls out here who’d love to meet an all-American kid like you.”

Kid. Clyde was only five years older than Ben, although he acted younger than Rhoda. That didn’t stop him from offering his wisdom. And Clyde’s favorite subject to lend advice about? Women.

“Nah. I’m calling about something else.”

“Oh, that’s right. You’re back home with that pretty gal pal of yours. Goldilocks.”

“Elodie.”

“Goldilocks. Elodie. One and the same. Let me guess. You came back, dropped down on one knee, and now you’ve got the house, the wife, and the baby on the way.”

“Not exactly.” Ben hadn’t hidden his adoration for Elodie from Clyde. They’d become friends of sorts, in the dark of night when the cameras shut off and they were just two soldiers in a foreign land dredged with the muck of war. And yeah, Ben had talked a big game about all that he planned to do when he saw Elodie again. It would involve just what Clyde had mentioned.

But the Elodie that Ben had parted from before the war had returned with a shadow lurking behind her. They all had. And the cottage with a front porch and a big oak tree needed to be put on hold. Not that she’d changed entirely. She was still Ben’s childhood chum, but she needed to find her place again. Maybe this fundraiser would help.

“My manager wants me to settle down. Can you believe that? Clyde Irving settle down with just one woman? Foolishness. But he says it would be good for my image.”

Just last week, Clyde had been spotted out with yet another young starlet. This one barely eighteen. The two were caught canoodling late into the night outside a Hollywood bar. While Middle America didn’t love his gallivanting ways, they were still fascinated by his celebrity. And he’d bring in the big bucks for Elodie’s cause.

“I have another idea for how you can rebuild your image,” Ben said. “Elodie is hosting a fundraising ball on December 23. The money will go to helping veterans adjust to their lives at home as well as families whose soldiers won’t come home at all. It’s something she’s passionate about and—”

“You’re passionate about her.”

Ben said nothing.

“You need me to make an appearance? Over Christmas?”

Clyde didn’t have family.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.