A tense silence wrapped itself around them. She couldn’t believe that she was having the most important discussion of her life while standing in her kitchen waiting for the kettle to boil.

Sam’s level gaze trapped hers from across the room. His anger had vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving his face an impassive mask of pride. Abruptly, he spun away, his impatient strides carrying him to the door. He paused and turned toward her.

“There’s a diamond ring in my pocket, Marjorie. I’d planned to ask you to be my wife.”

Calmly she met his gaze. She wanted Sam. The temptation to swallow her doubts and dismiss her pride nearly overwhelmed her. She would have, too, if she hadn’t remembered what his mother had said about him losing interest in the kitten after a while. He had his friends, his mother had said. There was nothing to guarantee that anything would be different when it came to her, that within a few months he would regret having married her.

“I think you already know my answer to that,” she said, looking everywhere but at the huge diamond he now held in his hand.

“You’re right—I do know.” With that, he slipped the ring back inside his pocket. Then he turned and walked away from her in lightning-quick strides.

The door slammed. Feeling incredibly weak, Marjorie cupped her hands over her face and sagged against the counter.

Ten

Confounded, Marjorie stepped out of her manager’s office and paused, her hand lingering on the doorknob. Her mind was racing with the details of her conversation with Bud.

“Well, what happened?” Lydia wanted to know. She walked around the customer-service counter and stood expectantly in front of her friend. When Marjorie didn’t immediately respond, Lydia waved her hand in front of her bemused face.

The action captured Marjorie’s attention. “I got a promotion,” she said, shaking her head, still befuddled. Starting the first of the month, her Sundays would be free. For weeks her schedule had conflicted with Sam’s. Now, when it didn’t matter if she had the day off, her Sundays were open. Life was filled with such ironies.

“A promotion!” Lydia cried. “Cool!”

“I can’t believe it myself,” Marjorie returned, and shook her head in an attempt to dispel her pensive mood. She’d been numb for days; nothing seemed to penetrate the dull ache that had ruled her thoughts and actions since she’d last seen Sam. Not even this promotion, which would have given her plenty of reason to celebrate a week earlier, could penetrate the fog of her sadness.

“What did Bud say to Al Swanson?” Lydia asked next, her eyes wide with curiosity.

“I’m not sure…He’s still in there.” Marjorie had noted how disgruntled he’d looked when Bud announced her promotion. That alone had been worth the apprehension she’d suffered all morning before the meeting.