As soon as Betty sat next to her at the piano, Kate felt better.  Even after everything that had happened recently, Kate felt like she would be all right, as long as Betty was there.  She thought about how scared she’d been when Vera had sent the projectiles flying on the line today, and she instinctively scooted closer, rubbing Betty’s back where ( Read more... )

Chapter Five

Once Betty had finished showing Kate around the house, they settled down in the living room, both sitting on Betty’s green couch.  Kate had turned so she was facing Betty, and Betty was leaning forward, elbows on knees, fidgeting with her glass of whiskey on the coffee table, occasionally glancing to her right to look at Kate.

Kate ( Read more... )

Relatively early on in the dinner conversation, it was revealed that Betty planned to bring Kate back to her place later, ostensibly to show her around.  Gladys was relatively confident that both of the other women had hopes for activities or declarations in addition to the house tour, judging by the longing glances they kept throwing at each other ( Read more... )

When Betty arrived to pick Kate up for dinner, she was just the mixture of chivalry and awkwardness Kate had expected.  She introduced herself to Mrs. McGuire, from whom Kate rented her room, and leaned against the door frame while the older woman looked back and forth between the two girls quite a few times.

“Well, yes, then, you two have a nice ( Read more... )

Kate watched as Betty strolled closer, her heart nearly pounding out of her chest.  It was happening.  Finally.  Finally, she could see Betty again, talk to her, touch her.  She could still remember the feel of Betty’s green blouse under her fingers that night at the Tangiers.  Before everything had crumbled.

Kate tried to resist throwing her arms ( Read more... )

Chapter one

1946

Betty poked at the various children’s toys on the shelf in front of her, trying to entertain herself as Gladys looked at what could possibly be the four hundred eighty seventh set of drapes in the store.  She shook her head and wondered how on earth she managed to get dragged along for this outing.

“Princeeeess,”  Betty dragged out ( Read more... )

Chapter One

Kate needed to ask Gladys a question.   She’d been thinking about this question for a couple of weeks (all right, months, but intensely in the last two weeks), and had very little doubt as to the answer, or what that answer might mean.  However, she just needed to hear it from someone else.  She would normally have asked Betty, who was ( Read more... )

Despite telling Betty that she thought she’d be having better dreams, and changing the subject to the boys at the dance, Kate still found herself waking up in a cold sweat and gasping for air, on the regular.  She just couldn’t shake them.  No matter how happy she was during the day, or how safe she felt around her friends, it seemed that as soon ( Read more... )

Epilogue

Gladys tapped her foot impatiently, checking the clock again, and throwing aside the book that was not at all effectively holding her attention.  She knew how long these picnics took, she’d been living with them for weeks now.  It was four thirty in the afternoon!  They’d left before noon!  Usually Kate swung through the door at around ( Read more... )

Betty was having trouble continuing to lie to Kate.  Well, not lie, but, not be entirely truthful either.  She was her friend, she wanted her friendship-that was true.  But she wanted so much more.  So, she was torn-on the one hand she felt that if she was honest with Kate, even if she assured her that she expected nothing in return, Kate would ( Read more... )