Dolly turned away to hide a smile. Her Royal Highness had made her point about cursing. “I think she may be falling in love with Mitch.”
“What!” J.T. slammed on the brakes again as the car skidded into the parking lot of the Marina Hotel.
“I don’t blame either one of them. She needs a little kindness and every woman needs a man to tell her she’s beautiful. She looked great today, didn’t you think so?”
J.T. seemed to be deep in thought as he got out of the car and started toward the hotel, leaving Dolly sitting. She smiled as she got out of the car and went after him. At least she had made him think.
The hotel had once been a resort for the rich but the war had changed that and it was now used as temporary quarters for married officers. But the magnificent old lobby was the same and there was still a gift shop off to the side.
“Wait!” J.T. said as they walked past the window.
“Think she’d like that?” He pointed to a Catalina swimsuit, straight cut legs, a deep, square neckline.
“Sure,” Dolly said, following J.T. into the store. She helped him choose a beach cover, a straw hat, “to protect her white skin,” he explained, and a big matching straw beach bag.
“What else does she need?”
Love, Dolly almost said, but didn’t because she didn’t want to push too hard too fast. “Something to take her mind off Mitch.”
J.T.’s smile left at that. “You have any jewelry?” he asked the saleswoman. “Any diamonds? Emeralds maybe.”
She swallowed. “No sir, but we do have a rather fine selection of French perfumes.”
“Good. I’ll take a quart of whatever you’ve got. No, make that a half gallon.”
“It’s sold by the ounce,” the woman said meekly.
“Then add up the ounces,” he said impatiently. “You ready to go?” he asked Dolly.
“As soon as I go upstairs and get my suit.”
J.T. smiled at her. “Need a new one?”
Never pass up a gift from a handsome gentleman, Dolly’s mother used to say, and worry about the price later. “I would love a new suit.”
Chapter Ten
ARIA was quiet during the drive to Larry and Bonnie’s apartment. The others tried hard to lighten the atmosphere but she kept thinking that they were watching her and that they somehow knew she was different from them.
And it wa
s Lieutenant Montgomery’s fault. That awful, dreadful man had been the cause of everything bad that had happened to her in America—except the kidnapping, of course. He had saved her life then. At this moment she wished he had let her drown.
She was standing in Bonnie’s tiny living room when the door opened and in walked J.T. and Dolly. Immediately, Aria went to the kitchen and J.T. followed.
“I brought you something,” J.T. said softly from behind her.
She turned. “A biography of George Washington including ten essay questions at the end?”
He gave a little laugh then held out a paper sack.
Tentatively she took it and withdrew the dark blue swimsuit. She gave him a skeptical look.
“I picked it out myself. And there’s a hat and purse and a little robe in here. And I got a sack of perfume in the car.” His eyes sparkled. “And not one history book.”
Aria didn’t smile.
“What did you get?” Gail squealed from the doorway.