Today, she thought as she perked up the puffed sleeves on her dress and caught her hair with a ribbon, they would have just as much fun as on the Fourth. She examined her face and was pleased when she saw that her cheekbones were more prominent and that the planes of her face were taking on a leaner look. She peered more closely at her freckles, and although the summer sun always brought out more, especially on her nose, still there didn’t seem to be as many as last summer.
"Admiring yourself?" her mother asked dryly.
Embarrassed, Laura wheeled around and flushed. Mrs. Mitchell was leaning against the door jamb and smiling.
"I like to admire my pretty daughter, too."
Laura blushed even more.
"There’s no harm in an admiring inspection once in a while."
Laura smiled in return. "Do you think I’m pretty?" she asked shyly.
"I think you’re a rare beauty, dear."
"I hope Joe likes my dress." She put forth her left foot and held her full skirt at arm’s length.
"Ha! Now you’re preening!"
"Do you think Joe will like the dress?" Laura persisted.
"He should!" Her mother raised an inquiring brow. "And what about Shawn? What is he doing on this lovely Sunday?"
"Attending a garden party with General Long at Blair House."
"Oh, and you weren’t invited?"
"Not this time," she answered, thinking of the many fancy parties and balls that she had been able to attend because of Shawn.
"He’s a nice lad," Maude said, coming farther into Laura’s yellow-and-white bedroom. There was a brief hesitation, then she asked casually, "How much do you like him?"
"A lot," Laura said. "He’s fun and has a wonderful personality." How could she tell her mother that with Shawn she sprouted wings and could fly over rooftops?
''He’s a charming lad, but I think you’re dazzled by his magnetism and the exciting places he takes you. Perhaps you should tell Joe about Shawn."
"But, Mother," she protested. "He already knows about Shawn. He doesn’t care. Joe is only a good friend, has been since I was a little girl."
"But you’re grown now, and I saw the way Joe looked at you at the picnic." She moved closer, straightened the hem of Laura’s skirt, and affectionately patted her arm. "I just don’t want to hurt Joe, but most of all, I don’t want you hurt!"
She yearned to hug her mother, but something held her back. Her throat tightened, but she had to say what was on her mind. "Look at Sarah, Mother. She dated Frank all through high school. He was her one and only boyfriend. Now look at her. She just had her twentieth birthday, and she doesn’t have a beau in sight."
"Is that what’s worrying you!" Her mother chuckled. "You’ll never lack for boys, Laura. Don’t rush yourself and don’t lead Joe on —"
"What about Shawn?" Laura interrupted.
"Oh, you’re not leading him on." There was a small smile on Maude’s usually sober face as she looked knowingly at Laura. "That boy can take care of himself, and besides, I’ve seen the color rise on your cheeks when he calls for you. The two of you go well together." She took Laura’s hand in a show of fondness, which had been lacking between them for so long. "But you go even better with Joe."
Laura placed her hand in her mother’s. "Mom, trust me. I’m enjoying myself now. For the first time in my life I have two boyfriends, and I don’t know what harm there is in that. Who knows what will happen, but one thing I know is that I won’t hurt Joe. He’s been my big brother too long."
The doorbell rang, and Laura squeezed her mother’s hand. "Speaking of big brothers, there’s Joe now."
"Have a good time," Maude Mitchell said, "and tell Joe about Shawn."
She didn’t look back as she hurried downstairs. She knew what her mother meant. Joe knew about Shawn, but he didn’t know how her heart raced when she was with him. Why did she have to tell Joe? She was comfortable the way things were. She wanted their easy relationship to continue without the complication of Shawn O’Brien’s image hovering between them. If there was an opening in the conversation, she promised herself, she’d tell Joe. Otherwise she’d wait.
Relaxing because of her decision, she greeted Joe with unusual warmth. Joe, responding to her effusiveness, kissed her. It was a brotherly kiss, she assured herself.
Later, as they sat under three oaks on a grassy knoll overlooking the Potomac, which wound below them like a green water snake, she nibbled on a chicken leg. As she licked her fingers she frowned. Should she tell Joe now? She looked up to see Joe watching her.
He grinned, white teeth flashing against olive skin. His thick black brows arched as he flipped a shiny penny. "I’ll give you this for what you’re thinking."
"Hmmm, just something Mother and I were discussing." She gazed out at the field of primroses and bluebells. "Mother and Sarah are good at giving advice." She felt mean talking about them this way… they both wanted only her happiness, and she was belittling their conversation.
"Their advice wasn’t about your love life, was it?" Joe asked teasingly, pouring out two glasses of cold lemonade.
"You’ll never know, Joe Menotti," she answered smartly. Too late she realized that this was the opportunity she needed to confess how much she was seeing Shawn and to give Joe warning that he shouldn’t take her for granted.
Although she knew Joe’s feelings were no longer like those of a big brother, taking his little sister for an excursion, still and all she didn’t want their outings to end. She enjoyed his company too much.
"You look very summery in your pink dress," he said.
"Thank you," she murmured, seeing herself reflected in his dancing liquid eyes.
"You’re a remarkable girl. What new adventure have you been up to?"
"Well, next week the suffragists are parading down Pennsylvania Avenue and having a rally afterward." She hesitated. "I’m leading the parade on a white charger, dressed in armor."
"You’re wearing a suit of armor?" Joe asked incredulously.
"Yes," she said in a low voice. "I represent Joan of Arc." She hadn’t mentioned her role before, for fear Joe would laugh at her, but she should have known better than that by now. Joe took her too seriously to poke fun at anything she decided to do.
"Joan of Arc! You’ll be the champion of women’s rights. I can see you now on your white horse with your hair flying and banner waving. That’s what I call dedication." He gave her a warm, admiring look. "What a sight. I wouldn’t miss it for the world!"
She smiled then. Joe always supported her. She loved Joe. She loved Shawn. Which was the right one for her? She cast a probing glance at Joe and felt her heart stir. Then she remembered what Shawn did to her heart, causing it to pound with excitement. She had to admit that Shawn left her breathless with his persuasive love.
He reached over and took her hand. "I have something to tell you."
She looked down at his long, slender fingers, which were gently tracing a circle on her wrist. A delightful tremor tingled through her. Joe had the delicate, sensitive touch of a surgeon’s fingers. She kept her eyes fastened on his tanned hand, hoping he wouldn’t tell her he loved her. Yet when she looked up into his dark eyes, she didn’t know why she was afraid. Hadn’t she loved Joe Menotti since she’d been nine years old? She’d always love him but not like Shawn.
"What is it?" she asked. "If you’re going to give me bad news, save it until later. Why spoil such a perfect day?"
"It’s not such bad news." He sat up and draped one arm over his bent knee, reaching for a blade of grass, and ran it through his fingers. "It’s just that I’m to be inducted into the Army Medical Corps." He glanced at her to see her reaction. Then his eyes shadowed. "Laura, please don’t look so stricken."