March 6, 1942
Willard crossed his fingers. He’d prayed about how to approach his friendship with Audrey, and this was the only idea he had. He strode through the Franklin hallway toward Audrey’s classroom. He had checked with the office so he could time his arrival for when her class played in recess. He hoped she would be in the gym with them, since he hadn’t seen kids on the playground when he arrived. But maybe he’d missed them on their way to the gym or outside. Either way he just knew he wanted to surprise her in a good way for once.
He peeked through the small window on the door to the classroom. No one sat at any of the desks, so he slipped inside. He walked to Audrey’s desk and placed a handful of pink carnations tied with a rosy ribbon on her desk. After finding a piece of paper, he scratched a note to her. With a deep breath, he tucked the note beside the flowers and left.
Audrey led her tired second graders back to the classroom after recess. Spring whispered an imminent return on a soft breeze. The kids had romped outside, thrilled to be outdoors instead of trapped in the gym on the days the temperature sank below freezing or the snow fell. The playground was saturated with melted snow, so they’d gone on an exploration, pretending all the while that Piglet and Pooh joined them.
She stilled when she saw a small bouquet of flowers placed on the corner of her desk. The delicately frilled edges of the carnations begged her to touch them.
“Who are these from, Miss Stone?” Emilene Wilcox gently touched the ribbon. “They’re beautiful.”
“I’m not sure, honey. It’s what we call a mystery. Some unknown person left them for me. How could we figure out who they’re from?”
Janey raised her hand. “Read the note. I bet that’ll tell you.”
“You’re always thinking, aren’t you?” Audrey smiled at her students. “All right. Everyone back to your desks. We’ll solve the mystery if we have any time left after geography.”
Audrey ignored their groans and pulled the large world map down over the chalkboard. As she walked them through the countries in Europe, her thoughts wandered back to the flowers and whether Willard doubled as the mystery bearer who left them for her.
When the bell finally rang at the end of the day, Audrey waved her students off and settled behind her desk. She reached for the note, but then sank back. She’d avoided reading it all afternoon and successfully distracted the kids from it. She’d enjoyed not knowing, and now lifted the carnations to her nose to inhale their clean, lightly sweet scent.
Audrey returned the bouquet to her desk and picked up the note. What could he say that would settle her emotions? She replaced it unread on the table, afraid its message would somehow confuse her more.
She reached past her fears for the note and unfolded it. A firm script wove across the page. Dearest Audrey, Please join me at the Canteen tomorrow? I would like to spend time serving with you. Willard
As the words sank in, Audrey grabbed the flowers and danced around the classroom. “I’ll give you another chance, Willard. Please let us work this time, Lord.”
She came to an embarrassed stop when she saw Coach Wellington looking through the window. With a sheepish smile, she darted to her desk and collected her items. Burying her face in the bouquet, she made her way out of the school and headed home, her mind whirling with possibilities.
Saturday morning Audrey stood in front of her wardrobe and considered her options. Usually what to wear for a day at the Canteen didn’t require much thought. She would pick a clean blouse and skirt that were comfortable and made her look nice. If she had Lainie’s choices, she knew she could hit the right balance of eye-catching and practical. But she’d run out of time and was limited by her smaller assortment. Finally, she settled on a dove-gray flannel skirt with a green long-sleeved blouse. The detail work on the collar caught people’s attention, and the color highlighted her clear skin and hair. The outfit should turn Willard’s head without looking like she’d made the attempt.
When she arrived at the Canteen at eight, Willard already held a place in the sandwich assembly line. She couldn’t prevent her jaw from dropping as she watched him slap homemade mayonnaise on slice after slice of bread while keeping the conversation around the table running. His family joined him, with even little Norah helping get food ready for the soldiers.
“Cat got your tongue, Audrey?” Pastor Evans winked at her with a glint of glee in his eyes as he placed slices of beef on the bread Willard passed to her.
“I guess I didn’t realize it was the church’s day to serve. You’ve already accomplished a lot for so early.”
“You’re a bit late.” Willard flashed his Clark Gable grin at her. Oh, how she’d missed that. “The first couple of trains have come and gone already.”
“You should have seen them snatch all the donuts Mother made last night.” Margaret scrunched her nose as if locusts had descended on her mother’s precious offering.
Audrey laughed at her expression and looked at Willard. “Is there room at the table for me to help?” She stopped breathing at the look that softened his gaze. It held so much promise of not just today, but all of their tomorrows, too. As she moved to the spot beside him, she prayed he could live up to everything his eyes promised.
The time flew. Audrey hadn’t laughed so much in a long time. Willard turned every mundane task they undertook into an adventure. She realized that, until then, their friendship had revolved around movies and food. As the hours melted away, she saw parts of Willard he’d never shown her. His depth of character drew her as he interacted with everybody in the kitchen equally.
Still, she wondered how he would react if asked to help serve the soldiers face to face. She needed an answer to that question.
As two o’clock approached, Willard wanted to run up Dewey and shout. It had worked! Audrey couldn’t believe he was serving. She’d brightened progressively over the course of the morning, but he could see a question hiding in the shadows of her eyes. He needed to resolve her question, whatever it was.
He carefully considered everything he’d done. Had he missed anything? Had he overstepped in any area? He didn’t think so, but couldn’t afford to miss it. Nope. Everything seemed fine on those fronts. What could it be? Willard looked around the room and it hit him. He’d hidden in the kitchen all day without realizing it. The only time he’d entered the lunchroom was to help with trash after the soldiers had reboarded their trains.
The phone rang, and a woman answered and then yelled, “I have the coffee on.” He took a deep breath and took Audrey’s hand. “Let’s find a job in the lunchroom for this train. I’m tired of the kitchen.”
The smile she gave him blinded him. They worked side by side at the coffee table until five. At that time, Rae Wilson came by and shooed them out of the depot. “The reinforcements have arrived. You lovebirds go find somewhere else to shine your sappy smiles at each other.”
Willard itched to get out of there and spend time with Audrey without the crowd of observers. He also knew he would return. “Let’s get a bite to eat at Molly’s.”
“How could you want anything to eat after being around food all day?” She swung his hand as she teased him.
He looked down into her face and stopped. As he gazed at her, he understood something was missing. The lingering doubts were gone. He tipped her chin up and leaned down. He read her expression, looking for any sign of hesitation. Instead, all he saw was a gentle invitation. After his lips brushed hers, he said, “I love you, Audrey Stone, woman with a servant’s heart.”
A grin stretched his cheeks as he watched contentment flood her face with fresh beauty.