The Songs That Could Have Been by Amanda Wen

Author:Amanda Wen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Published: 2022-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

“Rosie girl!”

As usual, Ephraim didn’t turn around when she entered the choir room. He simply greeted her over the rippling, bluesy arpeggios. Normally the sound soothed her, but today it merely worsened the churning in her gut. Two hours removed from her conversation with Gordon, and she still didn’t know how to tell Ephraim. What if he didn’t understand? What if he thought—heaven forbid—she liked Gordon?

The music fell silent as she sank onto the bench beside him, and the warmth of his gaze caressed the side of her face.

“Oh, come on, now. What’s wrong?”

Her eyes stung at the compassion in his voice. “Gordon McIntyre just asked me to prom.”

“I see.” Ephraim rolled his lips together. “Do you want to go with him?”

“No, no, of course not. I don’t want to go to prom with anyone except you.”

He reached for her hand. “Aw, Rosie girl. You know we can’t.”

“I know.” Her free hand balled into a fist in the lap of her red poodle skirt. “I know, and I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.”

“Easy now.” Ephraim wrapped her in his warm, secure embrace. She laid her head on the shoulder of his crisp white shirt, inhaling the fresh scent of his shaving soap.

“But I’m up for prom queen.”

“I saw.” The smile shone through in his voice. “I voted for you.”

She lifted her head. “You did?”

“Course I did.” Mischief gleamed in his dark eyes as he slipped a folded piece of paper from his shirt pocket. “Your steady girl’s up for prom queen, you darn well circle her name.”

He handed her the paper. Sure enough, her name was circled, with a penciled note next to it. Forever my queen.

“Ephraim.” Her eyes stung again, but for an entirely different reason. She pressed the paper to her overflowing heart. “That’s just the sweetest.”

“Keep it,” he said. “I snagged an extra. Didn’t put any editorializing on the one I slipped in the ballot box, though.”

Laughing, she squeezed his hand, then returned her head to its nest on his shoulder. The spot where it fit so well, as though God himself had designed it to lay there.

The lightness of the moment faded, and she sighed, studying the ballot he’d given her. The ballot with her name circled.

“I have to go to prom,” she said. “It would be too suspicious if I didn’t.”

“I know.”

“And Gordon cornered me. Asked me to be his date before I even knew what was happening. I told him I had a boyfriend, but—”

“You did?”

She grinned. “I had to think fast. So if anyone asks, your name is Jimmy Edwards, and you’re at KU studying to be a doctor.”

“A doctor, huh?” His brows lifted. “Mama’d be proud.”

“So I told Gordon I’d go with him as a friend only, if Jimmy approved.” Oh, please let him understand. “And I wish I didn’t have to. I wish I could go with you, Ephraim. I wish we could let everyone know how much we love each other.”

“I know.” He pressed a kiss to her hair.

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.