Flying Home bobbed in the gentle waves where Lizzy and Will had beach anchored it from the bow as close to the sandy shoreline as they could get. She had been correct; not many boaters or sunbathers were out on a day when rain was forecast, let alone it being a Tuesday. Now with the war on, the various ship builders that lined the harbor’s coastline were open around the clock, and weekends were hard to come by. Like every other day, everyone was hard at work—everyone except this Army Air Forces pilot and his debutante sweetheart.
Will leaned back comfortably, digging his elbows into the white sand of Bar Beach, a local, summer attraction on a small peninsula near Mosquito Cove. Just beyond the boat, a diving float barely reacted to the incoming waves, but that image lost its tempting appeal soon enough. Apart from the overall splendid perfection of the beach and the brilliant sky strewn with cotton-shaped clouds, hardly anything held his attention because Lizzy garnered it all.
He watched her intently as she kneeled in the sand before the no longer mysterious, square case—a Zenith battery-operated portable radio. She fiddled with the dial until a signal came in, broadcasting Glenn Miller’s Chesterfield Show. The Modernaires singing, “Moonlight Cocktail” floated into the air, causing the few other beachgoers to search out the source of the disturbance. The audacious creature in Lizzy waved to them, and Will expected to hear her naughty laugh after drawing the sudden attention. Instead, she stood, digging her perfect, painted toes into the sand and with singular deliberation removed her playsuit, revealing a marine blue, two-piece bathing suit on a pin-up worthy shape.
Further thoughts beyond that kiss, which left a delicious tingle upon his lips, and the feel of her soft flesh below his fingertips ceased to exist as he watched her undress. He tried, ever so hard, to be discreet when his eyes particularly settled upon her bosom and truly felt like a wolf of the worse kind, but she did that to him.
Secretly, Lizzy hoped he was as bewitched with her figure, as she was transfixed by his when he disrobed to his navy swim trunks. Growing up on boat and beach, she had seen many men wearing a swimsuit, but none cut a figure like Will. He was all man, not boy, with broad shoulders and a patch of chest hair. Muscles that she already knew were firm to the touch showed him to be a swimmer. Solidly sculpted, powerful thighs and, she almost laughed to admit, nice feet. Not that she had made a purposeful study, but feet were curious things and, well, could ruin the lot if they were ugly. John’s looked similar to eagle talons, her father’s looked like little fat bratwurst sausages, and George Gebhardt’s were weirdly shaped resembling an Egyptian pyramid ascending to a point! Now Will’s, in her opinion, were perfectly proportioned, just like the rest of him.
“You’re staring,” she playfully challenged.
“It’s what I do best. How can I not stare when you undress with such … such … enticement?”
“Are you staring or admiring then?”
“Both.”
“Are you making a pass at me?”
He teased. “Me? No—I’m an officer and a gentleman.”
She playfully twisted those kissable lips of hers. “Yes, I thought the same thing in the boat twenty minutes ago when you were lying on top of me.” Lizzy nimbly knelt beside him on the blanket. “Are you hungry for lunch?”
He had a particular twinkle in his brown eyes, one she was only now coming to understand following his kisses. Therefore, she wasn’t surprised when he replied, “I’m starved.”
“I meant for lunch, Lieutenant Gentleman.”
Lizzy unpacked the picnic basket of all sorts of goodies Mrs. Davis insisted he would enjoy. Things like fried chicken and deviled eggs—two delicacies she had yet to eat. She used a bottle opener and popped the tops of the Hines Root Beer and Coca-Cola bottles kept chilled by cold towels within the basket.
Leaning over to hand him his soda, she hesitated, toying with the two steel dog tags hanging around his neck. “So, what is the notch in your dog tags for?”
“It’s a toothpick.”
“No fooling?”
“I’m just kidding. Rumor has it, they stick it in between your teeth when you buy the farm, but I’m not sure how legit that is.”
“Oh.” She couldn’t help looking away, anywhere, finally settling on Tex Beneke’s voice as though visible upon the radio dial.
Will’s fingers reached over to lift her chin, turning her unusual forlorn expression toward him. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back before you know it. After all, look what I have to come home to.”
“Are you afraid? I mean, do you get afraid when you’re flying, afraid of crashing and not making it home?”
“Not afraid like you think. Like you, I positively love to fly. When Howard Hughes flew around the world in ’38, I became captivated by the idea. Watching in the movie theatre his landing in Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn hit me like a thunderbolt, and I couldn’t sleep for days, contemplating the possibilities as an aviator.”
“I remember that! Wasn’t there a ticker tape parade for him?”
He smiled, pleased that she had remembered this important piece of New York’s history in aviation.
“So you’re not afraid? I don’t think I would be either.” She beamed.
“My fear is more for those I’d leave behind to mourn me if something happened. We’re a close family and I know my mother wouldn’t take it well if anything happened to Lou or me. I also worry about my flight crew, the men under my command. It’s my responsibility to bring them home safely. I suppose, I haven’t given much thought to my personal inconvenience of a premature death. Perhaps, I had just been reconciled to that real possibility.” He thoughtfully toyed with his dog tags. “But now that you’ve agreed to be my girl, it would be most inconvenient.”
“Yes it would be. So don’t be reconciled to anything other than coming home!”
She handed him a fine bone china, luncheon plate piled with fried chicken, which he promptly dug into, grabbing a drumstick off the top and moaning with the first bite.
After a few minutes of Will devouring and Lizzy sampling the basket contents, he asked, “Did you stop in to see the librarian about the book campaign?”
“I did, and Mrs. Tinsdale seems to think that Kitty and I can truly make a difference. My sister will write and telephone our friends, and I am going to do the gathering. I plan on setting up a collection center with the help of Mr. Billings at the club. With all his spare time, Johnny has agreed to put up a donation box in the employee break room at the plant.”
As though able to smell the gastronomic goodness spread out on the checkered blanket, the seagulls on the sand inched closer. A few alerted the others by their call that dinner was served.
Will broke off a small piece of cornbread and tossed it far out toward the lapping water, enticing them away, then watching them dive bomb for it.
“So you’re really excited about the campaign?”
“Oh I am!”
“What does your father say?”
Lizzy gazed out at the boat her father bought for her twentieth birthday. “We’re not going to tell him. If he knew, he wouldn’t be happy with us. He hasn’t spoken directly to Lillian in months since she joined the ARC.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Why is he angry with her?”
“You know; you heard him on Memorial Day. He’s not a supporter of the war, and her volunteering made him snap his cap, but I’m not going to let his opinion stand in my way if that’s what you’re wondering.” Nor will Lillian and I let his negative opinion about you and Louie stand in our way either.
She met his gaze, drinking in the warmth in his chestnut eyes. “It’s just … just that … looking back on the last six months since Pearl Harbor, I’ve been so ignorant and compared to everyone else—so un-American. The boat, the fuel, the Zephyr, everything … I do see that now, and I do want to support the boys. You being the most important one. It’s all thanks to you.”
“Me? I didn’t have anything to do with your joining the war effort. Well … apart from chewing you out about your speeding, but I was joking. No, you did this all on your own, Lizzy, your own essential patriotic zeal and determination. Not because of me, but because of you—for the nation, for you and for the love of your sister Kitty, too, by giving her something to help validate her ability.”
“It was you, and truthfully, I … I want you to see that there is more to me than just a society party girl. I’m not all fun and games, you know.”
“I know that. I also see you don’t give yourself much credit. You’re an incredible woman, who I know will change lives, affect lives, once you put your mind to it. Your willingness to learn, above all, is impressive. Coupled with that loving, jubilant heart of yours, you’re changing my life and I know you will make a difference for others. Your future hasn’t been written yet—you can accomplish anything with it.”
“Do you truly believe that, Will?”
“Of course I do. It’s you who is helping me to see that there is more to me than my serious ways.”
She snorted a laugh. “Well, I think you’re hiding behind that serious persona of yours. A true dud wouldn’t neck with such ‘zeal’ as you do.”
Will wiped his embarrassed smile with a linen napkin.
“Lizzy, this might be out of line, but about John … um … did you used to go steady with him? I mean, you spend a lot of time together, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I’m slightly jealous. He’s a swell fellow with all the qualities that make him a good catch for any girl. I would understand your attraction to him.” He swallowed hard, not that he had food in his mouth to warrant it.
Lizzy would have laughed at the question if not for his pensive expression. If insecurity had been a new emotion to her, well, then his sincere adulation certainly solidified the stirrings of another unfamiliar emotion in her—romantic love.
Shifting her weight, she leaned over to him and placed her hand on his smooth cheek. Cherry bomb lips slowly met his when she deposited a tender, heartfelt kiss filled with such deep ardor that he couldn’t doubt her constancy.
His gaze locked on her brilliant eyes, awestruck once again by her nearness and completely taken aback but thrilled by her forward manner. “Hmm ... what was that for?”
“You silly man. Johnny is just a friend. Has always been my best friend since we were children, nothing more. You’ll never have need to doubt my affections for you. Like the song, I’m yours. Will, don’t you know how nuts I am about you?”
His hand thread upward through her wavy locks, and again their mouths met, this time sharing one heart. She tasted like sweet root beer, and their lips melded with growing passion, tongues determined to explore one another.
“You leave me dizzy, Lizzy, and I’m crazy for you, too.”
Will kissed her a third time, fighting the urgings of white heat coursing through him to lay her down upon the sand. He wanted to forget about decorum, frowned upon public affection, the sea gulls, and the radio announcer talking about the pleasures of cigarettes. All he wanted, before leaving tomorrow for bomber training was to experience every drop of real joy in sweet romance and loving tenderness with this woman. But, his girl knew him well enough … he was a gentleman and would respect her. These many kisses, given and taken with such intensity, were liberties he had never gone so far to take from any girl.
Playful Lizzy emerged from their kiss, grabbing his hand and pulling him up. “C’mon!”
Kicking up sand, he ran after her into the breaking surf, and they laughed when he tried to grab her waist to no avail. Shallow waves splashed around them as she attempted to escape his reaching arms.
“You can’t outrun me!” he laughed.
“Oh yes I can!”
Once in deep enough waters, she dived in, and he promptly followed, eager to catch his girl and perhaps another kiss.
Thankful for the clear water, from below he saw her legs treading ten feet ahead. Long, bare legs bicycled in alluring fashion until he grabbed her ankle, pulling her down toward his body. Lizzy’s hair floated around her, and he kissed her underwater until they both rose to the top, bodies clinging to one another.
Will’s smile undid her, as rivulets ran down his cheeks, dropping from his disheveled wet hair. They panted from more than the playful exertion.
Her legs instinctively wrapped around his middle without thought, and she hung on him, feeling the strength of his hard body gripped between her thighs and pressed against her torso. She thrilled when his arms encircled her waist with one hand dangerously low near her bottom.
With only their dripping heads feeling the warmth of the air, her body trembled slightly. Lizzy wasn’t sure if it was the Sound in springtime or the nearness of Will. Each kiss of his had left her breathless and, this time it wasn’t her stomach where the butterflies fluttered. They fluttered elsewhere, and she wanted nothing more than to give into those urgings of awakening taking over her body and reason. His caress upon her back was doing things to her flesh and she, too, felt hungry for more—forbidden more.
He held her securely as the shifting waves around them caused their bodies to rise and fall. “You’re shivering.”
“I’m okay.” Suddenly shy, she bit her lip and looked at him through her lashes.
Will reached up, touching where a pearly white tooth bit cooling flesh before his soft, wet lips met hers, covering, and warming them. Heated kisses sent her arms around his slick, broad shoulders and she felt a warming rush inside her when his hand cupped her backside, pulling her even closer.
Lizzy could feel his arousal and knew then that his allure was too great to stop her own body’s response to his caresses. She forced herself to address that persistent voice inside her, demanding that she do things she had never done before. Begrudgingly ending their kiss, she breathlessly panted, “Are you a good swimmer, Will?”
“I guess. Why? Is that competitive Renner trait calling for a swim match?”
“Oh, you know me so well. Shall we make a wager?”
He loved her feistiness. “Sure. What did you have in mind?”
“To that diving float and back to the shore. The loser treats the other to a chocolate egg cream at the club.”
He noted the dark clouds rolling in and the seagulls having a frenzied field day on their blanket. The other beach goers were frowning at the activity or was it Gene Krupa’s persistent drumbeat on the radio they disliked? He dismissed the nearby distractions and provoked, “Oh, you know the way to this Brooklyn boy’s heart. I warn you, get ready to part with your money, Pistol.”
“Don’t be so sure, Ducky.” She let go of his waist and positioned her body beside him. “Ready, set … Go!”
The first few raindrops didn’t stop their competition, but once Will made it to the diving float he stopped, letting her continue to the shore line. In the rain, he sat on the wood pontoon, watching her perfect form as her arms chopped the waves and her toned legs kicked. Every few strokes, he was graced a peek at those kissable feet of hers. She reached the shore and raised from the water like Thetis the sea nymph, dripping wet with her swimsuit clinging to her. The latent wolf in him thought she looked just like a cheesecake pin up standing at the breaking surf, waiting for him.
Lizzy called out to him, “What are you doing there?”
“Watching your form; it’s spectacular. You’re right, Lizzy, you are quite the proficient!”
She playfully curtsied then waved him in. “We better get going, unless of course you’re going to swim back to the club like the duck you are. You have an egg cream to buy me!”
That’s just the way he planned it. He stood and dived in, keenly aware of how she was watching his form.
~~*~~
Two hours later, following an extra chocolatey egg cream at the club and the playful banter they both loved so much, Will found himself at the family entrance of Meercrest after a too brief ride in the famous Zephyr. He glanced over his shoulder for a last glimpse of the landscaped gardens and reflecting pool, surmising that the view of the grounds from the terrace above them must be spectacular. The rain seemed to make the already colorful flowerbeds come more alive. Each planting of shrubs, trees, and blooms existed in perfect accord with the marble statuary and French neoclassical style of the mansion. He reflected upon how his mother would love to spend an afternoon enjoying the harmony, either here or with a walk through the apple orchard they drove passed.
“Are you sure it’s okay if I come in?”
“Don’t be silly of course it is. Why wouldn’t it?”
“Well, last time I was here, I let my opinions get the better of me, and I fear I wore out my welcome by voicing them.”
“You’re worried about that? Don’t worry. Father loves debate. You’re my guest, Will, and besides I can’t let you get back on the train in wet clothing.”
They entered into the grand marble vestibule of the fifth largest home in America. Two statues depicting classical ideals towered from recessed niches on either side of the mahogany door. Above the inlaid imported wood floor, a large Tiffany stained glass window added color and light even on the cloudy afternoon. A life-sized standing portrait of an elegant Victorian woman wearing black hung above an Egyptian Revival credenza on one side of the entrance hall.
Will compared “Madame X’s” ivory beauty to Lizzy’s, quickly coming to the conclusion that John Singer Sargent should have lived long enough to paint such as subject as his girl. Even half drenched, she was gorgeous.
Lizzy removed the picnic basket from his hand. “Are you sure you won’t re-consider staying for dinner? I promise, Father won’t be angry and Mother … well, she probably won’t be sober enough to notice.”
He was surprised by her admission to her mother’s drinking problem, but then again, today she had opened up about so many things. There was a deep seriousness and sensitivity about her, which was gratifying to confirm. Her frankness and heavy heart about Gloria and Ingrid’s cruelty to Kitty, her father’s shunning of Lillian, and her inquisitiveness and dismay about the massacre in Vilna, Lithuania of 60,000 Jews all further validated why he was falling in love with her. He had been surprised to learn about her delving into the newspapers every day, even reading Mr. Howard’s Daily News.
Will gazed up in awe at the vaulted ceiling, admiring the ornate moldings above the living hall. He’d never been inside a home such as this but tried not to let his opinion of the magnificent décor or the over the top affluence appear too apparent. He tried to ignore the deadened stare of the taxidermy ostrich standing in front of the diamond designed glass windows.
“I can’t stay, Lizzy. I leave in the morning and as inviting as spending the evening with you is, I need to be with my parents. My mother is planning a special meal and it’s important to us to spend my last night together—as a family.”
“I understand.”
Will heard the disappointment in her voice and took her free hand. “Thank you for today. It meant a lot to me … I had a swell time.”
She smiled wistfully. “Me, too. I’ll miss you, Will.”
Taking a step closer to her, he bridged the small gap separating them and ignored the impropriety. The approaching sound of Kitty’s cumbersome wheelchair provided background noise to the pounding of his heart in his ears.
“I’ll miss you as well.” He bent to kiss Lizzy sweetly, and she rose to her tiptoes, bending her leg upward when his arm came around her bare waist.
The kiss remained as chaste as he could manage given that his spirited cookie’s lips were delicious.
A female throat cleared followed by a giggle, and the sweethearts separated in a start. Lizzy’s hand went to her lips when Will stepped back from her, creating a wide space between them.
“Don’t stop on my account,” Kitty laughed. “That looked almost as good as Rhett and Scarlett’s.”
“Kitty!”
She giggled again. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, but Father has been asking for you for about an hour. He’s been in a foul mood all afternoon and mother’s well … you know … sleeping it off in the tropical house until dinnertime.”
“I’m sorry, Will. Let me find Mr. Howard and get you some clothing.” She backed away from him, keeping her eyes locked with his, resisting the urge to tear up. “I’ll let Mrs. Davis know you are here and she’ll bring you a soda pop.”
“I’m fine, Lizzy. I’ll be in good company with Kitty.”
He watched her departure, once again feeling himself becoming the hungry wolf she had inspired. Unabashedly crazy about her, his eyes drank in her receding form, appreciating her slender waist and the sway of her hips in that wet, cotton skirt of hers. What a day he had, what an incredible afternoon—so much better than the Cyclone at Coney Island. Again, he thought how Louie had steered him in the right direction.
Kitty cleared her throat again, and he met her playful expression with a sheepish grin.
“So, you’re in love with my sister?”
“Perhaps.”
“Are you going to marry her when you come home from fighting?”
He smirked. “Perhaps.”
“Will you have room in your house for a girl with a wheelchair to navigate?”
Will put his hands in his trouser pockets and walked toward where she sat at the threshold between the living hall and the south corridor. “Kitty, I expect that when I come home, you’ll be walking. There’s nothing you can’t do in spite of what others foolishly claim. Heck, by the time I return, you may even be married.”
“Not likely, Will. Girls like me rarely have opportunities to meet killer-diller boys like you.”
He leaned down to her ear, covered by cascading blonde curls. “Think big, Kitty. With a little encouragement from my brother, I finally did and now your killer-diller sister has agreed to be my girl.”
As though the air was suddenly sucked from the room, Renner entered from the north corridor, bursting into the quiet conversation of hope and optimism, bringing a dark, commanding disharmony. His navy blue, double-breasted suit fit snuggly and the expression on his face looked almost choleric.
Kitty sat upright immediately, her smile disappearing in a flash, her hand instantly gripping the arm of the wicker chair tightly.
“What goes on here?”
“Father, you remember Lieutenant Martel from Memorial Day, don’t you? He’s visiting from Brooklyn.”
Like two bulls about to ram, they both stood tall. Will towered over the stout man who repulsed him in every way but, out of respect for Lizzy, he composed his expression and walked toward her father with an outstretched hand. “Mr. Renner, it’s a pleasure to see you again. You have a magnificent home.”
Renner, chin raised, stared him down when their hands met almost painfully. His eyes came to rest on the gold and diamond insignia ring the flyer wore. “Of course it is. Built with railroad money, young man.” Scornful gray eyes locked with inscrutable brown ones. “I remember you. You’re that patriotic idealist, off to fight what you view as tyranny.”
Will readily saw through the now phony smile plastered upon Renner’s face. “Yes, I suppose I am a patriotic idealist.”
“It is a noble position, one all sides of this war embody. Will you be leaving soon to fight, Lieutenant?”
“Yes, sir, I leave tomorrow. Your daughter, Lizzy, and I enjoyed a day out on the Sound until the rain. The hydroplane is an impressive boat.”
“Nothing but the best for my Lizzy.” His eyes drew to where Kitty sat, seemingly dismissing her, causing her to leave the room. The departing squeak of the chair’s wheels filled the hall as Renner boasted, “One day, my daughter will marry someone from our elite society and that little Chris-Craft boat of hers will be but a small pittance in her holdings.”
“And what if she chooses to marry a patriotic idealist with very little wealth but enough love to make her happy?”
Renner took a step forward, leaning in toward Will, his tone grave yet confident, the smile gone. “That will never happen so long as I live.”
Will narrowed his eyes, thankful his brother wasn’t there to elbow him in the ribs or kick him under the table. “Well, perhaps, you won’t live long enough to see it happen when it does.”
“Oh, I assure you I will.” Hubris infused his self-satisfied chortle throughout the hallway as Lizzy approached. “It would appear that with you headed to Europe, your odds of survival are a lot smaller than mine.”
Lizzy’s melodious voice rang out when her effervescent breath of fresh air entered the living hall. “Father, you remember Will, right?”
She knew it was a stupid question but it was the only one she could think of given the serious expression upon her flyboy’s face as she came upon the uncomfortable scene.
Renner smiled, pretending to be imperturbable. “How can I forget? We were just re-acquainting ourselves and discussing who will be the victor … in the war of course.”
Holding a bundle of clothing, Lizzy stood between the two men in her life she loved. Her father—the first and most influential man—owned her heart from the beginning of life in this affluent society. But this humble flyboy was opening a whole new world to her, encouraging her in ways that gave her optimistic hope and determination for the future. Proud, yet guilt ridden, she was coming to feel that Will’s opinions meant more to her than her father’s. His were becoming a great disappointment.
“Why, America will win, of course!” she exclaimed.
Will watched as Renner controlled the shielded scowl behind the contrived smile, even as his eyes narrowed ever so slightly when he took in his daughter’s flush cheeks and still swollen lips.
Lizzy handed the neatly folded pile to Will. “I’ll show you to the powder room where you can change. Mr. Howard is about your physique. Excuse us Father, Will has a train to catch back to the city.”
Once again, Will extended his hand, ending their standoff with both clearly understanding the position of the other. “Mr. Renner.”
“Lieutenant Martel. I wish you good luck. You’re going to need it.”
“Thank you, sir.” He turned his focused gaze toward Lizzy’s quizzical brow. “I have all the luck I need. Lizzy’s my good luck charm.”
They left Renner standing with furious, tight lips beside the antique parlor suite, his rigid hand gripping the frame of the sofa.
~~*~~