Contents ( 66)
- Cover
- Books by Valerie Fraser Luesse
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Map of Florida
- one
- two
- three
- four
- five
- six
- seven
- eight
- nine
- ten
- eleven
- twelve
- thirteen
- fourteen
- fifteen
- sixteen
- seventeen
- eighteen
- nineteen
- twenty
- twenty-one
- twenty-two
- twenty-three
- twenty-four
- twenty-five
- twenty-six
- twenty-seven
- twenty-eight
- twenty-nine
- thirty
- thirty-one
- thirty-two
- thirty-three
- thirty-four
- thirty-five
- thirty-six
- thirty-seven
- thirty-eight
- thirty-nine
- forty
- forty-one
- forty-two
- forty-three
- forty-four
- forty-five
- forty-six
- forty-seven
- forty-eight
- forty-nine
- fifty
- fifty-one
- Epilogue
- Keep Reading for a Preview of Valerie Luesse’s Next Book!
- Prologue
- one
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Back Ads
- Back Cover
“And I still do, every single day. May I?” He offered her his arm as they made their way to the auditorium.
“Last time we were stationed here, you were a lieutenant. Back then, did you ever think you’d make colonel so fast?”
“Back then, I was just trying to get more flight time.”
Lisa stopped and fussed with the medals on his jacket. “I’m mighty proud of you.”
“Sure you don’t want to go onstage with me?”
“No. You’re the one she’ll want. I’ll sit with your mother.”
Inside the auditorium, Peyton went to the stage and stood in the wings, peeking through the curtain to make sure Lisa found his mother. And then a long line of newly minted Air Force nurses filed in. There were the usual speeches and presentations before it was time for the pinning ceremony. One by one, the young women crossed the stage until finally, Bonnie’s turn came.
She looked stunned to see Peyton standing there with her pin. “We’re so proud of you,” he whispered as he pinned her. They saluted each other before he escorted her offstage.
Outside, Peyton and Bonnie stood in a shady spot with Lisa and Kate, waiting for the parking lot to thin out before heading back to Kate’s house on Tybee to celebrate.
“I sure miss Aunt Gert and Finn on days like this,” Bonnie said.
“Me too, honey,” Kate said. “But I like to think they’re looking down on us and smiling.”
“Hey, Lisa,” Bonnie said, “who’s minding the munchkins?”
“Mama,” Lisa said. “It’s been a long time since she’s had two kids in the house, let alone three, but she insisted. I hope they’re not tearing the place apart.”
“C’mon, everybody,” Peyton said. “Let’s see how many people can fit into the greatest automobile ever made.”
Peyton’s mother joined him on a wide deck overlooking the Atlantic. They stood by the bannister, looking out at the ocean, and watched as Bonnie stepped onto the sand down below and walked toward the water. She was carrying an old quilt Aunt Gert had given her. As she spread it on the sand, Peyton’s mother sighed and said, “If ever there were a young woman in need of a father right now, it’s Bonnie. Why don’t you go see about her, son?”
Peyton hugged his mother and headed for the beach, where he joined Bonnie on her quilt.
“Does the brass know you dress like the Beach Boys when you visit your mom?” she said with a smile.
“I don’t see any need to trouble ’em with that information. Speaking of withholding information, you ever gonna tell me where Jasper is? You’re gonna give yourself whiplash with all the ducking and dodging you’ve been doing.”
Bonnie sighed and looked him square in the eyes. “He’s in a commune in California. There. Now you know. He’s a full-on hippie. And he’s protesting the war.”