Shadows lengthened as Cora glanced at Van. He’d grown pensive in the last few minutes, and she hesitated to intrude on his thoughts. Unless, of course, he needed cheering up. How was she to know what to do?
She stopped along the shoreline of the Y-shaped pond on the west side of the park and bent to pick up a stone. She’d spent many hours with her sisters skipping rocks on the lakes at home. A gust of wind tangled her hair around her face, and she scraped away the errant locks. The aroma of grass, water, and vegetation pushed the ever-present smell of coal to the background. She took a deep breath and heaved the stone toward the water.
One—two—three—four skips, then a plop as the rock sunk.
“Not bad for a girl.” The clouds in Van’s eyes had cleared, and he tossed a stone from hand to hand. “Care to make a wager that I can’t beat you?”
“Not worth my time.” Cora crossed her arms and looked off in the distance, pretending to be unaffected by his dare.
“Afraid you’ll lose again?” He moved directly in front of her and turned her chin so she had to look in his eyes.
Those startling deep, expressive eyes. Her stomach tightened. “Oh, all right. Go ahead and pitch the thing, proving once and for all that you’re Superman.”
Van swung his arm, hurling the rock toward the water.
One—two—three. Plunk.
Cora mimicked Van’s early victory dance by jogging in place, hands raised over her head. “What were you saying about my skills as a girl? And don’t you dare claim you let me win.”
His face flushed, and he chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.” He raked his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Hard to believe there’s a war on with a day like today. Beautiful weather. Lovely scenery. Time away from chasing stories.”
She nodded and gestured to a wooden bench nestled under a small tree.
They sat in silence for several minutes.
Cora licked her lips. “Life never quite turns out how you plan, does it? I mean, not always in a bad way, but we humans think we can arrange every moment, and honestly, we can’t. A ludicrous assumption on our part.”
“You’ve got that right. And like you said, sometimes it’s positive, but I certainly never expected my career to take me overseas to a war zone. I’ve had a chance to make history with some of my coverage and meet some of my heroes.” He gazed at her for a long moment. “And make new friends.”
Her heart thumped. “I’m certainly a different person than when I got here. My experiences have changed the way I look at…people, government, leadership, sacrifice, my job…everything.”
He laced his fingers and cradled his knee. “Nothing will ever be the same again. People will talk about life before the war and after. This conflict has already outpaced the Great War in terms of money spent and lives lost.”
“We’re a maudlin pair, aren’t we?” She rubbed her finger along the seam of her skirt. “Some good has come from the evil. You’re from Iowa, and I’m from New Hampshire. Our paths never would have crossed if it wasn’t for the war.”
“A most serendipitous fortune, my dear.” He grinned, then his smile faltered. “Listen, if we’re going to be friends and not just colleagues, there’s something I need to tell you. I-I-I hope it doesn’t change our new camaraderie.”
What could be so awful that he thought she’d shun him? Had he broken the law? Done jail time for refusing to name a source? Was divorced? Her mouth dried, and she swallowed heavily.
She laid her hand on his arm. “Friends through thick and thin.” Would she regret the promise?
“I…uh…I’m German.”
“What?” Cora drew back. “I thought you were an American. How did you get accredited?” Her thoughts hearkened back to their conversations while working on the internment article. He had been hiding something.
Van held up his hands in surrender. “I am a U.S. citizen, but I have German heritage. My great-great grandfather came to America from Darmstadt in 1806.”
She flopped against the bench. “Oh, well, surely that’s no big deal. The feds would have unearthed that during your background check. Not that their opinion matters to me, but they don’t seem to mind, and I don’t either.”
“Really?” His face lit up, and he grabbed her hands. “That means a lot to me.”
Her fingers trembled under his. She had to keep in mind he was just a friend. Why couldn’t she get her body to remember that? “You’re a good, kind, and decent man. Just because some family members emigrated from Germany nearly a hundred and fifty years ago, doesn’t make you a Nazi or a spy. Anyone who thinks it should have his or her head examined.”
“Did you read our article on the internment camps? Or the ones at home?”
“Fortunately, both governments have come to their senses and released most of the people they should. But in the beginning, hysteria won out over good judgment.”
“Thank you for believing in me.”
She winked. “You’ll just owe me one.” What was she doing? Since when was she a flirty kind of girl? Her face warmed, and she hoped her cheeks weren’t blazing. She cleared her throat. “Besides, evil is rarely tied to a particular ethnic group. We’ve all sinned and fallen short. No one has the corner on the market for heinous behaviors and beliefs.”
“Well said.”
The sun dipped behind the trees, and the breeze that brushed her cheeks sent icy fingers along her spine. She shivered. Why hadn’t she brought a warmer jacket? He’d think her foolish, unprepared.
“You’re cold. Shame on me. I shouldn’t have kept you out this late.” He rose, shed his jacket, and draped it over her shoulders.
“Thank you, but now you’ll be chilled.”
“I’ll be fine.” He dropped onto the bench.
The seat’s legs creaked, then one pair cracked and gave way, snapping in half.
Cora tumbled against Van who rolled onto the ground with a grunt. She landed in a heap on top of him. Her face was inches from his, and her heart beat like a timpani in a Beethoven symphony.
Before she could scramble away, he wrapped his arms around her. His pupils dilated, turning his cobalt-blue eyes into liquid ink. Her breath hitched as his gaze seemed to caress her face.
He lifted his head, and his lips brushed hers. Gently, tenderly. Then his embrace tightened, and he pressed his mouth on hers, saying what words could not. She returned his kiss and wondered at feelings that swept over her. Was it possible that she’d found love a second time?