I'd very much like to be your date for next Saturday night."
"Great. I'll pick you up around seven." He paused for a moment, then said, "What's your favorite flower?"
"My favorite—? White daisies."
"White daisies, huh? Yeah, they suit you."
"Danny said that you've stopped by and watched the Bulldogs practice nearly every day," Sheila said. "He was disappointed you didn't make it to the last couple of games."
"I thought it best to put a little space between Danny and me. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"
What she wanted? To put space between Danny and Caleb. Yes, that was what she wanted, wasn't it?
"You understand why I was afraid Danny might become too attached to you, don't you?" She glanced over the desk at Susan, who nibbled on her fries and tried to pretend she wasn't listening to every word of the private conversation.
"Yeah, I understand."
"Will I … will we see you before Saturday night?"
"Probably not," he said. "I'm going to spend a couple of days over in Marshallton with Spence Rand. We're going to do some fishing. But I'll be back in time to clean up real good for the country club. See you then, honey."
"Yes, see you then." Sheila hung up the receiver.
"He wants you to be his date for the big country club celebration, doesn't he?" Susan dropped the half-full bag of fries on the table. "If you ask me, you're begging for trouble by encouraging him."
"I didn't ask you, did I!"
"Gosh, Sheila, don't jump down my throat. I just can't bear to see you get hurt again. Remember, I was around the first time and I know what you went through when you found out you were pregnant with Danny."
"I'm not that foolish, scared young girl anymore," Sheila said. "Maybe Caleb isn't that same selfish, cocky young boy, either."
"I think I have on too much makeup." Sheila peered into the mirror over the dresser in her bedroom. "Y'all have got me looking like a painted doll!" She pulled a tissue from the decorative box on the oak dresser.
"Don't you dare!" Donna Fields warned. "I spent twenty minutes getting your makeup just right."
"You look perfect," Susan Redman assured her. "As a matter of fact, I've never seen you look better."
"Yeah, I know," Sheila told her friends. "That's the problem. I don't look like myself. Caleb will laugh himself silly when he sees me."
"When Caleb sees you, he'll drool all over himself," Donna said. "You are absolutely stunning in that dress. It was made for your long, well-proportioned body."
Sheila tugged on the just-above-the-knee hemline of her little black dress—a dress with a designer label that Donna had borrowed from a wealthy friend. The silk material clung perfectly to Sheila's statuesque frame, accenting her small waist. The neckline was quite modest, revealing nothing but her long, slender neck, whereas the back of the bodice plunged dramatically to her waist, exposing a wide expanse of skin.
"I feel naked in this thing." Sheila glanced over her shoulder into the mirror at the reflection of her bare back.
"You're chic," Susan said.
"You need one more thing to pull this look together." Donna rummaged in her purse, pulled out a satin box and flipped the lid.
"Wow!" Sheila and Susan said simultaneously when they saw the diamond and ruby earrings.
"Here, put these on." Donna lifted the dime-size earrings from their case and handed them to Sheila.
"Are they real?" Susan asked.
"Yes, they're real," Donna said.
"Whose are they?" Sheila gazed down at the shimmery circles in her hand. The most expensive piece of jewelry she'd ever owned was the hundred dollar wedding band Daniel had put on her finger the day they married.
"They're mine." Donna walked up behind Sheila, lifted her wavy chin-length hair behind her ears, then turned her to face the mirror again. "They're the perfect finishing touch. Now, go ahead and put them on. Susan and I have to get out of here before Caleb shows up."
With trembling fingers, Sheila removed the tiny gold studs from her ears and replaced
"Great. I'll pick you up around seven." He paused for a moment, then said, "What's your favorite flower?"
"My favorite—? White daisies."
"White daisies, huh? Yeah, they suit you."
"Danny said that you've stopped by and watched the Bulldogs practice nearly every day," Sheila said. "He was disappointed you didn't make it to the last couple of games."
"I thought it best to put a little space between Danny and me. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"
What she wanted? To put space between Danny and Caleb. Yes, that was what she wanted, wasn't it?
"You understand why I was afraid Danny might become too attached to you, don't you?" She glanced over the desk at Susan, who nibbled on her fries and tried to pretend she wasn't listening to every word of the private conversation.
"Yeah, I understand."
"Will I … will we see you before Saturday night?"
"Probably not," he said. "I'm going to spend a couple of days over in Marshallton with Spence Rand. We're going to do some fishing. But I'll be back in time to clean up real good for the country club. See you then, honey."
"Yes, see you then." Sheila hung up the receiver.
"He wants you to be his date for the big country club celebration, doesn't he?" Susan dropped the half-full bag of fries on the table. "If you ask me, you're begging for trouble by encouraging him."
"I didn't ask you, did I!"
"Gosh, Sheila, don't jump down my throat. I just can't bear to see you get hurt again. Remember, I was around the first time and I know what you went through when you found out you were pregnant with Danny."
"I'm not that foolish, scared young girl anymore," Sheila said. "Maybe Caleb isn't that same selfish, cocky young boy, either."
"I think I have on too much makeup." Sheila peered into the mirror over the dresser in her bedroom. "Y'all have got me looking like a painted doll!" She pulled a tissue from the decorative box on the oak dresser.
"Don't you dare!" Donna Fields warned. "I spent twenty minutes getting your makeup just right."
"You look perfect," Susan Redman assured her. "As a matter of fact, I've never seen you look better."
"Yeah, I know," Sheila told her friends. "That's the problem. I don't look like myself. Caleb will laugh himself silly when he sees me."
"When Caleb sees you, he'll drool all over himself," Donna said. "You are absolutely stunning in that dress. It was made for your long, well-proportioned body."
Sheila tugged on the just-above-the-knee hemline of her little black dress—a dress with a designer label that Donna had borrowed from a wealthy friend. The silk material clung perfectly to Sheila's statuesque frame, accenting her small waist. The neckline was quite modest, revealing nothing but her long, slender neck, whereas the back of the bodice plunged dramatically to her waist, exposing a wide expanse of skin.
"I feel naked in this thing." Sheila glanced over her shoulder into the mirror at the reflection of her bare back.
"You're chic," Susan said.
"You need one more thing to pull this look together." Donna rummaged in her purse, pulled out a satin box and flipped the lid.
"Wow!" Sheila and Susan said simultaneously when they saw the diamond and ruby earrings.
"Here, put these on." Donna lifted the dime-size earrings from their case and handed them to Sheila.
"Are they real?" Susan asked.
"Yes, they're real," Donna said.
"Whose are they?" Sheila gazed down at the shimmery circles in her hand. The most expensive piece of jewelry she'd ever owned was the hundred dollar wedding band Daniel had put on her finger the day they married.
"They're mine." Donna walked up behind Sheila, lifted her wavy chin-length hair behind her ears, then turned her to face the mirror again. "They're the perfect finishing touch. Now, go ahead and put them on. Susan and I have to get out of here before Caleb shows up."
With trembling fingers, Sheila removed the tiny gold studs from her ears and replaced
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