Chapter 27 Olivia #2
“Of course I’m pleased.” He wiped his brow with a handkerchief. “I just wasn’t planning to see you until Easter.”
She focused her gaze ahead, trying to calm her anger by inhaling the crisp, spring air. “Your secretary didn’t even know you remarried.”
“My associates aren’t privy to my personal business.”
“Introducing your wife is polite, Simon. It’s like you’re trying to hide me.” From his family and colleagues and, in hindsight, from his housekeeper who’d never once called her Mrs. Farrow.
If he was keeping their marriage a secret, what else was he hiding?
“I’ll introduce you later,” he promised. “To all my colleagues.”
“And to your housekeeper.”
He stopped walking. “You met Izzy?”
“She answered the door and introduced me to her daughter.”
Simon scrunched his forehead like he was trying to remember that Izzy had a child. “Did you meet her husband?”
Olivia’s lungs deflated in relief. “No.”
“He’s my groundskeeper and handyman. I don’t have time, as you can imagine, to keep up with the maintenance and lawn. They live in the cottage behind the main house.”
Of course, he’d hired a couple to assist him. Why was she so suspicious? Just because he was different than Graham, even if things were different between them, she needed to embrace a modern marriage like he’d embraced having a writer instead of a homemaker for a wife.
“Can we please go back to your house?” Their home. She belonged in Winfield as much as he belonged at Haven House.
“I’d rather talk here,” he said, “without the extra ears.”
She stopped near a wisteria-draped wall, but she could hardly appreciate the beauty spilling over the stone. “Clinton called yesterday with surprising news.”
“Another movie deal?”
“No.” She paused, breathing in the honey-soaked scent. “He said he couldn’t loan me any more money.”
Simon angled his head like he’d misheard. “You were borrowing money?”
“No.” She shook her head, perplexed. “Clinton said you called for a loan against my next advance.”
“We already talked about that.”
“I don’t remember—”
“During our last visit.” He crossed his arms over his black tie. “You saw the damage on my car.”
“That was over a year ago . . .”
“Apparently my entire engine was ruined,” he said. “I needed to purchase a new automobile.”
“You didn’t have enough money saved?”
“I’m sorry, Olivia, I thought we discussed it. Either way, I didn’t think it would be a problem. Ruthie and I shared everything.”
“But I’m not Ruthie, and we agreed to keep our accounts separate.
” Graham used to handle their financial matters, but she’d done well enough with her money since his death.
She didn’t need or want Simon to intrude when they continued to live apart.
Maybe one day, if they chose to combine their households, they would develop a better plan for their accounting.
“I’m sorry,” he said again. “I overstepped.”
“I’m not trying to be selfish, Simon, but I’ve never taken a loan on my writing income. If you didn’t have enough to purchase a car, I would have withdrawn the money from my savings account.”
He looked surprised that she had such a significant nest egg in reserve, but she rarely traveled and had no need of the latest fashions or new furniture.
Since the success of Lavender Ridge, she’d been able to save her royalty income from book sales.
In a few years, if she planned well, a portion of it would go right back out for Eli’s education.
“Please don’t contact Clinton again.”
He studied her face. “Have you eaten today?”
Had she? She thought back to her quick departure from the motel and the confusing drive. She couldn’t remember eating anything today or even last night.
“You’re hungry,” he said, alarm etched in his gaze. “No one can think clearly when they’ve neglected to feed themselves.”
She wanted to explode at the diversion, but perhaps he was right. Her mind was quite muddied.
“Let’s put the talk about money behind us,” she said, grateful for his apology and concern. “I’d like to spend some time in Winfield now. Meet your family and friends.”
He took her hand. “I’ve actually been meaning to phone you, but I didn’t know how to break this news.”
He looked more tired than the last time she’d seen him, his eyes red. Something was weighing on him, and she’d been so intent on her own frustration that she hadn’t noticed earlier. “Break what news?”
“Let’s find a place to eat first,” he said. “Then I’ll explain.”
“I want to know now, Simon.”
“Are you certain?”
She nodded, wishing she could collapse again on her kitchen chair.
“All right.” He took a deep breath. “I received a letter from the government.”
Goosebumps shot up her arms. “What kind of letter?”
“A draft notice.”
She reached for the branch of a nearby tree, trying to steady herself. They’d discussed the possibility months ago, but she never thought the military would actually contact him. What benefit would he, a professor and writer, be as a soldier?
“There has to be a mistake.”
“Unfortunately, there’s not. The world is going to hell, Olivia, and they’re calling up every able-bodied man to fight against the evil.”
“Oh, Simon.” A hundred possibilities raged through her head, none of them good. It would take days to fully comprehend.
No matter how long until he left for training, she would stay in Winfield. Together, they could close up his house. Savor every moment as husband and wife.
“I have to report to Fort Knox on Thursday.”
She stared at him, shocked. “That’s in two days!”
“I know.”
She felt as if she might explode now, and it wasn’t from hunger. “When were you planning to tell me?”
“I’ve been scrambling to wrap up my classes, but everything is finished now. I was all packed to drive to Catawba in the morning, but now that you’re here . . .”
“It’s not enough time.”
“The war won’t last long,” he said, trying to reassure her.
“You can’t see the future, Simon.”
“President Roosevelt won’t let it drag on.”
She released the tree branch, and it sprung between them. “Will they send you to Europe or Japan?”
“I don’t know.”
“Maybe they’ll let you stay in Kentucky. You could teach.”
Laughter rattled his lips. “I doubt the Army has much use for lectures on literature or theology. Perhaps they’ll let me work as a chaplain.”
She was being selfish, she knew, when they needed to fight collectively against the evil, but she couldn’t bear to lose someone else she loved.
“I need more than two days with you,” she said, hating how small her voice sounded. Like she was begging to spend time with her husband. “We need more than two days together. If the draft office knows you’ve just married, perhaps they will give you more time.”
“Marriage will not stop them from sending me overseas.” When he kissed her cheek, she smelled smoke on his breath. Had he taken up that wretched habit after he received a draft notice? “We have to enjoy our last hours together.”
She agreed. “I want to meet your parents tonight. We can support each other while you’re gone.”
“They’re visiting friends in Chicago for Easter.”
“Right before you leave?” And in lieu of meeting their new daughter-in-law.
“They already said goodbye.” He looped an escaped lock of hair behind her ear. “But even if they hadn’t, I want to spend my last hours focused on you.”
And how could she argue with that?
A half hour later, he transferred a suitcase to her sedan, and they drove to an elegant inn near Cleveland. The spark rekindled between them as the hours slipped by, their time too short. Early Thursday morning, she drove him to the draft office.
His kiss blazed through her skin again, reigniting her confidence. “Can I visit you at Fort Knox?” she asked as they lingered in the parking lot.
“I hope so,” he said. “I’ll write to let you know.”
Her thoughts returned to the young woman and baby in his home. “Will you keep Izzy and her husband employed while you’re gone?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll check in with them each week.”
“You have enough on your plate, my love. My parents will be responsible for the Winfield house.”
Her eyes bleary with tears, she began her long drive back to Pennsylvania.
It wouldn’t be long, she feared, before Izzy’s husband was drafted too.
After Easter, she would send Izzy an invitation with her phone number and address. If the woman needed anything while Simon was gone, she could contact Olivia in Catawba.