Her Blue-Eyed Lieutenant (Soldiers 0f Swing Book 3)

by Linda Ellen

  For those few hours, he had certainly not seemed like her boss.

  She had hated when the reception had been over and the bride and groom had set off on their honeymoon—a full week at The Brown, courtesy of Dad Tucker and made possible by Steve’s generous commander at the plant, who had agreed to allow him ten days’ leave.

  Afterwards, Gary had offered to see Julie home, or rather, back to the Harriman’s, which wasn’t far from the church. The taxi ride had been over far too quickly. He’d walked her to the door and said goodnight, mentioning that he would be spending the day on Sunday with his father, before his bus left at 9:30 PM, bound for Florida.

  They had hesitated at the door, both unsure what was proper, when finally, Gary had bent to place a sweet kiss on Julie’s cheek. She told him she would like to come and see him off, and he’d responded that he would like that.

  But still—what was all that? There was no statement of feelings, just an intense awareness of each other, and she was sure he felt that too—and a thorough enjoyment of one another’s company. But where did that leave her? He hadn’t declared his love and asked her to wait for him, and he hadn’t said that he was planning on coming back to Louisville after the war. He hadn’t said anything about the future.

  Julie sighed again, thoroughly weary of going over the same old melody—like a phonograph record with a scratch that kept sending the needle back to the previous line.

  “Are you okay, Julie?” Viv asked from the front seat.

  Coming out of her reverie, Julie smiled at her sister-in-law and gave her a nod. “Yes, I’m fine. Just a bit tired, I guess.”

  “Ahh, all right,” Viv answered, and Julie noticed she and Gene exchanging pointed glances.

  Within a few minutes, Gene pulled the Ford into a parking space at the bus station; one of the last ones available. It seemed like half of the city had turned out to see a loved-one off on a bus trip. Julie wondered if they were all enlistees or draftees. Probably, since travel was a bit restricted due to the war and rationing.

  “There he is,” Gene pointed through the crowd once they were in the terminal. Julie looked over several people’s heads and saw Gary and his father—as well as Steve, Mary June, and Steve’s mom. They hurried over.

  Gary turned and his eyes lit up at the sight of them, especially when they rested on Julie.

  “Hey you guys—thank you for coming. You didn’t have to…”

  “Are you kidding, bro? Wouldn’t miss it,” Gene countered, grabbing his brother and dragging him into a firm man-hug with lots of back thumping.

  They all spent the next few minutes making small talk, with Steve and Gene giving their brother some hilarious tips on how to survive boot camp. At one point, Mrs. Wheeler laughed and shook her head. “Surely Officer’s Training School won’t be as bad as all that!”

  Steve opened his mouth to respond when a voice came over the PA system to announce that Trailways bus #371, heading south with stops at about ten different cities including Miami, was now boarding.

  Suddenly, the little send-off party turned serious as everyone realized it would be a long time before any of them saw Gary again, unless he was granted some leave before shipping out overseas.

  Julie watched as he began his goodbyes to each person—the females sniffing back tears and the males trying to act as if they weren’t. When he got to Mrs. Wheeler, she reached to turn his jacket collar up, fussing over him much as his own mother would have done. “You’re sure you’ve got everything? All your paperwork…” He smiled and gave her a nod before leaning to give her a soft kiss on the cheek. Julie heard him whisper, “Thanks for coming.”

  He hugged his brothers, and then his father, who held on for a few extra seconds, his hands gripping Gary’s back as everyone’s eyes filled that much more. Then Dad Tucker stepped back, his voice sounding strained, “Have a safe trip, son. Write when you can.”

  “I will, Dad,” Gary murmured.

  Then, he turned to Julie, gave her a small smile, and unexpectedly reached for her hand and led her a few steps away.

  “Julie…will you do something for me?”

  Julie clamped her teeth on her lip for a moment and nodded, managing, “Of course, Gary—anything.”

  “Write to me? Tell me how Dad’s getting along…the plant…my brothers…anything somebody might not want to tell me?” he added with a soft chuckle. “And…how you’re doing, of course,” he said softly.

  Julie sniffed back tears and gave him another nod. “Yes…I’ll write you. Faithfully. I promise.”

  She saw him smile and then she was in his arms as he hugged her to him fiercely, finally pulling back enough to press warm lips to her cheek for lingering seconds—and then he let her go and picked up his bag, joining the line to board the transport.

  The last glimpse she had of him was when he turned at the door and waved goodbye to them—but his eyes only connected with hers.

  CHAPTER 8

  Friday night, Louisville

  Still towel drying her hair, Julie shuffled out of the bathroom in her pale yellow chenille robe, a hand-me-down with an oversized collar, the belt dragging the floor.

  Although it wasn’t late, she was tired and planned on going to bed early—exactly what she had told several new friends at the plant when they had invited her to the movies. She was worn out after a long week of standing on her feet for eight hours straight each day, packing brake shoes in boxes to prepare them for shipment to the Jeep manufacturers.

  And truth be told, she was a bit homesick for her family…and maybe even a certain fellow…

  Also…she found herself missing the things she had grown up with and that had been a part of her life for twenty years, which she had loudly and frequently claimed she was sick of…like waking up every morning to Rover the Rooster’s hoarse cock-a-doodle-dooing that her brother Jack always swore sounded like the cantankerous old thing was suffering from one heck of a wildberry wine hangover…or listening to her little brother, Jeff, bubbling over with excitement at yet another Burma-Shave jingle he had come across who-knew-where…or even ignoring their cow, Gertrude’s irate “mooooooo!” when she tried to milk her with cold hands on a frosty morning… All of these things she had thought she’d been fed up with while living on the farm seemed almost precious to her now…she sighed resignedly.

  Glancing toward the living room, she spotted her host working on a pile of mending as she sat near the radio. A dance band program was on, and Harry James’ new hit I’ve Heard that Song Before, was playing. Just then, the smooth voice of the band’s “girl singer”, Helen Forrest, began crooning lyrics about a girl reminiscing about who she had been with when she heard a certain song.

  Hesitating for a moment, Julie realized that Harriet was wearing her customary frowsy housedress again, and she let out another sigh.

  Julie just couldn’t understand why Harriet’s whole demeanor seemed once more to have darkened since her daughter’s wedding. She remembered how pretty the mother of the bride had looked for the ceremony. Mrs. Harriman had worn a becoming dress in a lovely shade of blue, and had fixed her hair and even worn makeup. For Mary June’s sake, she had made a true effort to be pleasant throughout the day, and Julie had noticed that Mr. Harriman had paid quite a bit of attention to his wife at the reception.

  Releasing a weary breath, a slight frown crossed Julie’s face as she wondered why the couple seemed to have gone back to their old habits—such as the man of the house rejoining his friends at the pool hall after work, as he had done this night. She understood his reasoning, at least in part—it was easier to avoid conflict than try to work through their problems. But Julie wondered when the couple had gotten out of the habit of doing things together, and what, if anything, she could do to help. The night they had listened to Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy together had been a one-time thing, not the start of a good habit like Julie had hoped.

  Perhaps it was none of her business, but anytime she saw someone unhappy, something wi
thin propelled her to try and alleviate the problem…

  Just then, Harriet glanced up and sent Julie a small smile.

  “Going to bed?”

  “Yes, I’m dead on my feet. I feel like I’m wearing a pair of those darn brake shoes and they get heavy after a while,” Julie let out a chuckle.

  “I imagine so,” Harriet answered, her expression causing Julie to wonder if she wanted to say more or perhaps invite her boarder to join her. But with a small shrug, she added, “Well, good night, then. Sleep well.”

  “You too, Mrs. Harriman. Dinner was delicious, in case I forgot to tell you.”

  “Thank you,” the woman acknowledged, but then raised a finger and wagged it at her. “But I thought you were going to call me Harriet.”

  Julie laughed softly, glad that Mrs. Harriman seemed in a bit of a better mood than usual. “I forgot. Harriet. Well, then, good night.”

  She turned to walk to her bedroom as the kitchen phone rang, and moments after she closed the door, Mrs. Harriman called out, “Julie, it’s for you—long distance.”

  The disapproving tone of the last two words sent a jumble of emotions coursing through her. One of the rules of the house was that she would use the telephone sparingly, especially long distance. Julie figured Mrs. Harriman thought she would tie up the phone chatting with girlfriends, or call Elizabethtown or Ft. Knox every day to talk to her family. She knew how expensive long distance calls were and hoped it wasn’t bad news from her parents, but… Could it maybe be Gary calling her from Florida?

  She hurried to the phone. “Sorry Ma’am…I won’t be on long,” she added, watching the other woman give a grudging nod, her lips pinched in displeasure, as she handed Julie the receiver and headed back into the living room.

  Julie swallowed a bit nervously and raised the handset to her mouth and ear.

  “Hello?”

  “Julie? Happy Friday! It’s Viv,” her sister-in-law’s voice came through the earpiece. “How are you?”

  Julie let out a breath and leaned against the wall next to the phone. “Oh…hello Viv.”

  Vivian laughed. “You sound disappointed it’s me. Were you expecting someone else?” she couldn’t resist teasing.

  Julie smiled fondly and shook her head. “No, not really. Sorry, I guess I’m just tired. Been working hard all week.”

  “Oh yes? I was wondering how you’re doing on the job. I’ve never worked in a factory, but I imagine it’s hard work…”

  “Oh, just repetitive, mostly…and the standing. They’ve talked about getting us some tall stools to perch on, but so far, not.”

  “Ahh.”

  “So…what’s doin’?” Julie asked.

  She heard her brother’s wife release a gentle sigh. “Oh, I guess I’m bored and maybe a little lonely tonight, plus I miss talking to you nearly every day like we used to…”

  “I miss that, too. Lonely? Where’s Gene?”

  “He got called in for some kind of emergency meeting. We had made plans to go to the movies—the theater here at the post is playing Casablanca. But you know the old adage about the best-laid plans of mice and men… Sometimes I forget that the army owns my blue-eyed sergeant. They come first and I come second, at least for now.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry Viv…”

  “Oh, I’m not complaining overly much—I truly am grateful that they allow an active-duty soldier to marry and even let the bride live on-base in housing they provide for the wives and children. And it’s probably just as well about tonight anyway,” she dismissed. “Actually I feel kind of under the weather today. Don’t know what’s wrong. Maybe I’m coming down with something.” Viv’s voice on the other end hesitated, and then ventured, “So tell me…are you and Gary…”

  “What?” Julie’s heart sped up. “No…you mean are we…we’re just friends…he—” she sputtered, but Viv laughed and interrupted, “Calm down, honey. I didn’t mean anything. But just sayin’, if you and Gary did, well, have feelings for one another, I’d think that was wonderful. You look great dancing together, and from what I saw, he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off you and it seemed like the feeling was mutual…”

  Images and sensations from the last time Gary had held her in his arms as they danced came rushing to the fore, nearly overwhelming in their intensity. Julie hesitated, as she wasn’t sure what her feelings for Gary actually were—not to mention that she didn’t really know Gene’s thoughts on the matter. It was such an odd situation that she was Gene’s sister, but yet not Gary’s—and still they were identical brothers!

  As if reading her mind, Viv added, “I’m sure Gene wouldn’t care, if you were wondering.”

  “Oh…well, I…it’s just…” she hesitated again, not knowing what to say. For some reason, speaking about her feelings for Gary wasn’t something she wanted to do right then, even with her beloved sister-in-law. Viv seemed to take the hint.

  “Well, I guess I’ll let you go, don’t want to run the bill up too much. Just wanted to call and say hi, see how you were doing. Tell you I miss you.”

  Julie cradled the handset as affection for Vivian washed over her. “Oh Viv, honey, I miss you, too. We’ll get together soon. Maybe I can take the bus out and spend a Saturday with you sometime.”

  “I’d love that.”

  After a few more words and promises to talk again soon, the girls rang off.

  Julie put the handset back on the cradle and stuck her head around the doorway. “That was just Viv,” she explained, although privately she was thinking Mrs. Harriman should have known that, since Viv was her daughter’s best friend. “She was just calling to say hi.” She waited, but the woman kept her eyes on her mending and acted like she hadn’t heard, so Julie headed back to her room, calling over her shoulder, “Goodnight again, Ma’am.”

  The other woman replied with a grunt as Julie closed her bedroom door.

  Once alone, she wandered thoughtfully across the room and sat down on the edge of the bed, absently running a hand over the familiar and beloved quilt she and her sweet, loving mother had sewn together years before—it had southern belle umbrella ladies adorning big twenty-four inch square blocks edged in yellow, her favorite color. She glanced around the room at the things she’d brought from home, figurines, doodads, a few photographs, and allowed them to lift her spirit a bit from the oppressive atmosphere in the house and her unexpected bout of homesickness.

  With a soft exhale, she began idly brushing out and then plaiting her hair in preparation for bed, her mind on Viv’s words.

  Did she have feelings for Gary? Or more to the point was it so obvious that others saw it? Had Gary seen something? But then…Gary had been so sweet and attentive at Steve and Mary June’s reception when they had talked and talked—they had so many things in common—and how he was when they had gone to see him off at the bus terminal, hugging her…asking her to write…

  As she finished her hair, she came to a decision to do just that—write to Gary, like she had promised—in spite of the fact that he hadn’t yet written to her first.

  Reaching into the nightstand drawer next to the bed, she retrieved the stationery and pen that she had dashed in and purchased at the Taylor Drugstore on Monday as she had waited for her bus, and then standing her pillow on end she settled back comfortably against the headboard. Picking up the library copy of The Grapes of Wrath, which she’d been trying to finish for the past week but just hadn’t been able to generate any excitement for, she positioned it on her lap as a makeshift desk and began writing her first letter.

  Dear Gary,

  How are you doing? I know from growing up close to Ft. Knox that army basic training can be hard for some guys. I hope that’s not the case for you, since yours is officer training. It’s only been about a week now since you’ve been gone and I know you can’t have any contact for the first three weeks, but I asked Gene to get me your address anyway so that I can start writing you and he did. I thought it would be fun for you to get a letter from home. Well, from
Louisville, that is.

  She paused a few minutes, tapping the end of the pen against pursed lips.

  Everything is fine here. Your father seems fine. Steve’s mother took the train back to Indiana the morning after you left and I know your dad took her to the station. Wow, do you think maybe they liked one another? Sure seemed like it. But now I just wonder what will happen with her living so far away. Guess we’ll see, huh? (If I find out anything juicy, I’ll let you know, haha).

  She hesitated again, wondering how he would take that last line, and then decided to let it slide, hoping he would get the chuckle out of it that she intended.

  Haven’t seen Mary June and Steve, but that’s to be expected. My guess is since they returned to the Brown after we saw you off, they haven’t come out of their room—if the gleam in Steve’s eyes told anything when we bid them goodbye. Isn’t it wonderful how much in love they are? Just like Gene and Viv.

  She paused for a moment as a wave of jealousy swept through in regards to her last statement, but she quickly squashed the feeling, silently chastising herself for such pettiness. Determinedly, she forged on.

  It’s still amazing to think you three probably wouldn’t have ever met if you and your father hadn’t decided to start an offshoot of Tucker Manufacturing here in Louisville. How it all worked out is just the bee’s knees, nothing but.

  And now on another subject, Mr. Tucker, I think you started something! This week, we had three more guys from the production line at the plant enlist in the army and will be heading to Ft. Knox in two weeks. I overheard your dad talking with a representative from the Department of Defense yesterday and I could hear the pride in his voice as he was telling him about his soon-to-be-ace son who volunteered his services to fly B-17’s when he didn’t have to.