Chapter 20
Hank could hardly wait to get home so that he could propose.
He had it all planned out—a romantic dinner, a drive to the airfield, a proposal in front of the Jenny where he met her.
Last year, his mother had given him his grandmother’s engagement ring in case he ever met the right woman.
He never thought he would use it, but now he was glad to have it.
He landed at Belmont Park and handed off the mail. As he was about to get in his Model T and go home to Rory, Major Fleet stopped him.
“Hawley, I need to speak with you a moment.”
“Yes, sir. What is it, sir?” he said, saluting.
“I have Glenn Curtiss here, and we were just talking through design modifications to make a new aircraft custom-made for the mail. I was hoping you would share your thoughts. You always have more engineering insights than the rest of the team combined.”
Glenn Curtiss. Exactly who he needed to talk to. He followed the major eagerly into the mess hall.
“Mr. Curtiss,” the major said, “I believe you’ve met Hawley here.”
“Indeed, I have,” he said, standing up and shaking Hank’s hand. “I tried to steal him out from under you, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He wanted to keep flying.”
“I think he’s just the man to tell you all about what we need from this new plane,” said Major Fleet. “I’ll leave you two alone with these design specs.” He bowed out and headed for the door.
Part of Hank wished he could follow. Rory was waiting for him at home. But he needed to speak with Curtiss, and he hadn’t promised Rory he’d be home at a specific time.
They spent half an hour pouring over the technical details of the design when Curtiss said, “Are you sure you won’t work for me? I could use a guy like you. It’s not as exciting as flying, but it’s a hell of a lot safer. Pays better too.”
“Now that you mention it, I have been thinking about getting into a safer line of work.” How could he walk past such an obvious opening?
“You don’t say. Looking to settle down finally, Hawley?” he asked with a smirk.
“Yes, sir, Mr. Curtiss. I met someone. I don’t want her to spend her whole life worrying about whether I’m going to survive my next assignment.” For Rory, this was a sacrifice worth making.
Curtiss gave him an all-too-understanding smile. “Well, I’m sure you’ll make the little lady happy. She has my thanks if it means I finally get you on my team. Come by my office tomorrow, and we’ll work out the details.”
“Yes, sir. I will do that. Now if you don’t mind, I should be getting home. Someone’s expecting me.” And if he didn’t see her soon, he was going to climb out of his skin.
“Don’t let me keep you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Hank had to restrain himself from running to his car, and he drove a trifle faster than he ought on the way home. He rushed in the door and found…an empty house. Where could she have gone?
He looked all around the house and finally saw the note on the table in the breakfast nook.
“Hank,
Thank you so much for letting me stay at your house when I had nowhere else to turn.
I am deeply grateful. While you were away, I managed to procure employment and a place to live.
I rented the third-floor apartment above the flower shop on Main Street.
I would love it if you would call on me when you return.
Yours truly,
Rory”
“Good God,” he said aloud. “Rory moved in with the O’Donnells?” He could just see Bill O’Donnell’s smug face now. He didn’t live with his parents, but Hank was sure he’d be over at their house every night once he found out about Rory. “Christ.”
Taking a deep breath, he regrouped. His plan didn’t need to change very much. He could still go over, invite her out for an evening walk, and then propose. Retrieving his grandmother’s ring from deep in his sock drawer, he shoved it in his pocket and set out for Main Street.
Arriving at the florist, he just caught Mr. O’Donnell as he was closing up. “Mr. O’Donnell, I—”
“I’m so sorry, Hank, but I have to close up. The missus says dinner is almost ready.” He was rapidly putting away the day’s flowers in an icebox.
“I’m not here for flowers, Mr. O’Donnell. I’m here to see Miss Belmont. I understand she just took the third-floor apartment?” Come to think of it, flowers weren’t a bad idea. “Though I would love to buy those roses right there,” he said pointing to a bunch that hadn’t gone into the icebox yet.
“Lovely girl, Miss Belmont. Very decent sort. Well educated. Offered to teach our Adelaide French if you can believe it. She had her first lesson today and she can already say yes, no, and hello.” He grabbed the bunch of roses Hank wanted to buy.
“Wait, Mr. O’Donnell, I’ll give you five dollars for those roses.”
Mr. O’Donnell paused, narrowing his eyes. “But they’re only worth eighty cents.”
“Yes, but I need them.” Hank tried and failed to keep the desperation out of his voice.
“Oh, aye? A romantic emergency, is it?” Mr. O’Donnell asked with a wide smile.
“Something like that,” Hank said, shoving his hands in his pockets and pulling out his billfold.
“Well, since you’re such a good friend of our Bill, I’ll give them to you this once. One dollar, please.”
“You said eighty cents.”
“And you said five. I think this is a fair compromise.” Mr. O’Donnell wrapped the flowers in paper and tied a bow around them. “Here you are.”
“Thank you.”
“I take it these are for Miss Belmont?” Mr. O’Donnell asked, going back to closing up the store.
“They are.”
Mr. O’Donnell nodded slowly. “I should warn you the missus has other designs. She’s determined to make a match for our Bill. Myself, I don’t think it’s right to meddle in these things, but Shannon does as she pleases, God love her.”
Getting impatient, Hank asked, “May I go up to see her now?”
Mr. O’Donnell smiled at his impatience. “If you like. She’s with the missus on the second floor helping get dinner ready.”
Oh no. Hank had hoped to get her alone, but it looked like he was going to have to pry her away from Mrs. O’Donnell, not an easy feat.
He climbed the stairs with some trepidation, wondering how he was going to get his plans back on track.
The door was open when he arrived on the second-floor landing, but he gave a little knock anyway. Mrs. O’Donnell came bustling over, wiping her hands on her apron.
“Lieutenant Hawley, what a surprise! And what lovely flowers! Did Finn send those up for me? He’s such a romantic, even after all these years.”
Rory appeared behind her, watching the scene unfold with great amusement. His heart lurched in his chest. Good Lord, she was beautiful, and to his immense surprise, she looked perfectly content and at home in the O’Donnell’s humble kitchen.
“Well, I—”
“I’ll just take those and put them in water. Such a sweet and thoughtful man, my Finn.” And before he could get a word in edgewise, she whisked them away and deposited them in a vase with some water in the middle of the dinner table.
“Did Bill invite you to join us for dinner, Hank? He might have given me some warning. But never mind that. You’re welcome at our table, as always.
We can squeeze in an extra seat down by Adelaide.
Oh, and I should introduce you to our new tenant.
Hank, this is Miss Aurora Belmont. Miss Belmont, this is my son’s friend, Lieutenant Hank Hawley,” she said, turning from one to the other.
“Miss Belmont only moved in yesterday, and she’s started teaching little Adelaide to speak French. ”
At that moment, Adelaide came zooming in, playing airplanes with her brother.
“Adelaide, show our guest how good you are at French,” Mrs. O’Donnell called over the ruckus.
“Oooeeeeee,” squealed Adelaide as she ran by.
“That means yes in French,” Mrs. O’Donnell explained confidentially. “She’s very good at French. Learned three words on her first day of studying. Ah, here’s our Bill,” she said rushing in to smother her son in a hug.
Bill saw Hank and raised an eyebrow. Then he saw Rory, and his eyes went wide, both eyebrows nearly reaching his hairline.
“Bill, meet our new tenant, Miss Aurora Belmont,” Mrs. O’Donnell said, turning to tend to a pot on the stove.
Bill’s jaw dropped as he looked at each of them in turn, eyes wide as saucers.
“You should show her your medals from the war,” Mrs. O’Donnell said over her shoulder to Bill.
“Take her downstairs and show her,” she ordered Bill.
“Our Bill is very brave and did our country a great service,” she told Rory.
She shooed the two of them out the door and grabbed Hank’s elbow.
Hank managed to give Bill a dirty look as he was on his way out. Bill shrugged helplessly.
“Hank, would you be a dear and help me put everything on the table?” She began handing Hank pots and trivets, which Hank dutifully laid out.
Mr. O’Donnell appeared in the doorway. “Oh, there you are, dear,” Mrs. O’Donnell said. “Thank you so much for sending those roses up with Hank. They’re just lovely.”
Taking in the table centerpiece, the pot of mashed potatoes Hank was holding, and the absence of Bill and Rory, Mr. O’Donnell gave Hank a sympathetic look. “I take it you’ll be joining us for dinner, Hank?” he asked, taking a pot of green beans from his wife and depositing it on the table.
“Yes, it seems I will. Your wife has kindly invited me to join.” Mrs. O’Donnell shoved a plate and silverware in his hand after he set down the potatoes.
“If you wouldn’t mind, set your own place,” Mrs. O’Donnell said. “I know you don’t stand on formality, Hank. Right down there next to Adelaide.”
Helpless to refuse, he set his place at the foot of the table, next to the cup painted with flowers that marked Adelaide’s spot.
“Dinner,” bellowed Mrs. O’Donnell. Her voice was truly deafening at full volume.
Up the stairs came Bill and Rory, followed by Bill’s sister, Mary, with little Connor and Adelaide in tow.
Mrs. O’Donnell steered everyone to their assigned place.
Mr. O’Donnell sat at the head of the table.
To his left were Rory, Bill, Mary, and Connor.
To his right were Mrs. O’Donnell, Adelaide, and Hank, who was about as far as he could be from Rory.
When they were all seated and served and done saying grace, Mrs. O’Donnell said, “Miss Belmont, you must tell us all about yourself. We’d love to get to know you better.”
Rory met Hank’s eye for a moment, and they exchanged a panicked look.
Then she cleared her throat and said, “I grew up in the city. My father works in banking. My mother died in childbirth when I was born, so I never met her. My father remarried when I was twelve and my stepmother raised me as best she could. I was a bit of a wild child and spent far too much time getting into trouble with my brothers, but my stepmother tamed me.”
If Rory was tame, Hank was a monkey’s uncle.
“I went to college and studied history,” she continued, “and now I work in charity. I run the Pilots’ Benevolent Association and manage its endowment.”
“What’s an endowment?” asked Adelaide.
“It’s the money a charity uses to do its work,” Rory explained with a smile. It was a good explanation for a child. No need to go into the details about reserved funds and interest and all that nonsense.
“Hear that, Bill?” Mrs. O’Donnell said. “She does work to help the families of pilots. A very impressive young lady, isn’t she?”
Bill nodded, his mouth full of roasted chicken.
“When he’s not flying, our Bill has an excellent head for business, don’t you, dear?” Mrs. O’Donnell said.
Bill glanced at Hank and then at Rory, his eyes still wide as could be. “I helped my father rearrange his shop to bring in more business, and my mother thinks I’m a genius now,” he said to Rory, flushing red. Rory smiled at him.
That smile was supposed to be for Hank. This dinner was supposed to be alone with Hank. Everything about this was going wrong.
Clearing his throat, Hank interrupted all those friendly gazes, saying, “Bill, can you pass the green beans?”
Mrs. O’Donnell deftly grabbed the green beans and passed them down without a glance in Hank’s direction. Her full attention was on the couple sitting in front of her. Hank could practically see the hearts and cupids circling above their heads in her mind’s eye.
How long was this dinner going to last, and how was he going to get Rory alone so that he could propose?