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best described as reckless, she found herself
drawn to Lon�s easy ways and had gradually come to love him.
Despite the long hours he worked, he was good to her. He was a
gentleman, mature and responsible, and during those terrible periods
of the war when she needed someone to hold her, he never once
turned her away. She felt secure with him and knew he loved her as
well and that was why she had accepted his proposal.
Thinking these things made her feel guilty about being here, and she
knew she should pack her things and leave before she changed her
mind. She picked up her handbag, hesitated and almost made it to the
door. But coincidence had pushed her here, and she put the bag down,
again realizing that if she quit now she would always wonder what
would have happened. She couldn�t live with that
She went to the bathroom and started a bath. After checking the
temperature she walked to the chest of drawers in the bedroom, taking
off her gold earrings as she crossed the room. She found her sponge
bag, opened it and pulled out a razor and a bar of soap, then undressed
in front of the chest of drawers. She looked at herself in the mirror.
Her body was firm and well proportioned, breasts softly rounded,
stomach flat, legs slim. She�d inherited her mother�s high cheekbones,
smooth skin and blonde hair, but her best feature was her own. She
had �eyes like ocean waves�, as Lon liked to say.
Taking the razor and soap, she went to the bathroom again, turned
off the tap, set a towel where she could reach it and stepped gingerly
into the bath.
She liked the way a bath relaxed her, and she slipped lower in the
water. The day had been long and her back was tense, but she was
pleased she had finished shopping so quickly. She had to go hack to
Raleigh with something tangible, and the things she had picked out
would work fine. She made a mental note to find the names of some
other stores in the Beaufort area, then suddenly doubted she would
need to. Lon wasn�t the type to check up on her.
She reached for the soap, lathered up and began to shave her legs.
As she did, she thought about her parents and what they would think
of her behaviour. No doubt they would disapprove, especially her
mother. Her mother had never really accepted what had happened the
summer they�d spent here and wouldn�t accept it now; no matter what
reason she gave.
She soaked a while longer in the bath before finally getting out and
towelling off. She went to the closet and looked for a dress, finally
choosing a long yellow one that dipped slightly in the front, the kind
that was common in the South. She slipped it on and looked in the
mirror, turning from side to side. It fitted her well, but she eventually
decided against it and put it back on the hanger. Instead she found a
more casual, less revealing dress and put that on. Light blue with a
touch of lace, it buttoned up at the front, and though it didn�t look
quite as nice as the first one, it conveyed an image she thought would
be more appropriate.
She wore little make-up, just a touch of eye shadow and mascara to
accent her eyes. Perfume next, not too much. She found a pair of
small hooped earrings, put those on, then slipped on the tan, lowheeled
sandals she had been wearing earlier. She brushed her blonde
hair, pinned it up and looked in the mirror. No, it was too much, she
thought, and she let it back down. Better.
When she was finished she stepped back and evaluated herself. She
looked good: not too dressy, not too casual. She didn�t want to overdo
it. After all, she didn�t know what to expect. It had been a long time�
probably too long�and many different things could have happened,
even things she didn�t want to consider.
She looked down and saw her hands were shaking, and she laughed
to herself. It was strange; she wasn�t normally this nervous.
She found her handbag and car keys, then picked up the room key.
She turned it over in her hand a couple of times, thinking - You�ve
come this far, don�t give up now. She nearly left then, but instead sat
on the bed again. She checked her watch. Almost six o�clock. She
knew she had to leave in a few minutes�she didn�t want to arrive
after dark�but she needed a little more time.
�Damn,� she whispered. �What am I doing here? I shouldn�t be
here. There�s no reason for it.� But once she said it she knew it wasn�t
true. If nothing else, she would have her answer.
She opened her handbag and thumbed through it until she came to a
folded-up piece of newspaper. After taking it out slowly, almost
reverently, she unfolded it and stared at it for a while. �This is why,�
she finally said to herself, �this is what it�s all about.�
NOAH GOT UP at five and kayaked for