“You can be whoever you want to be.” Luke hated that he was begging and clamped his mouth shut. He felt sick. He'd thought they might have a chance. “Please don't say no.”
Mattie pulled away. “I…I can't.” She turned and took a step, then looked back. “Please stay safe, Luke,” she said and hurried away.
Chapter 3
LUKE FELT A SHARP NUDGE IN HIS SIDE.
“You gonna sleep all day?”
With a groan, he pried open his lids and looked at someone's foot.
“Get up, lazy bones.”
Recognizing Barry's voice, Luke pulled his pillow out from under his head and covered his face. “Leave me alone. I worked all night.”
“I did too. Remember?” Using the toe of his shoe, Barry prodded Luke again. “It's 1400 hours. And we've got better things to do than sleep.”
Luke lifted the pillow and peered up at his friend. “Like what?”
“Like get off this can. Me and some of the guys are taking liberty. It's Saturday. The clubs'll be jumping tonight.”
Luke let his eyes shut, then yawned. “Give me a few minutes.”
“I'll be back in thirty.” Barry headed for the door. “Be ready.”
Luke nodded, but Barry had already gone. He rubbed his eyes, glanced at his watch, then looked up at Mattie's picture and remembered the reason for his heavy mood. She'd never be his. He should have told Barry to go without him. He was in no mood to whoop it up.
He traced the edge of the picture with his finger. “Why can't you wait? We could have a life together,” he whispered. Frustration replaced melancholy. “What's so bad about our past? Everyone has a past. I'd be good for you.”
Luke's mind roved over his own painful history. Sometimes the only thing a person could do was leave the memories behind—pretend they never happened. He smirked.” 'Course, that doesn't work either.” Maybe by the time I'm discharged she'll feel different. She just needs time to have her independence and live her own life. Yeah, and maybe she'll meet someone else, the cynic in him said.
He rolled onto his side and off the bunk, careful not to hit his head as he climbed free. He yawned again and stretched. It'll be good to go out with some of the guys, he decided. I could use some fun. I can't spend my life mooning over a girl I'll never have. He grabbed a towel from his locker and headed for the showers.
By the time Barry returned, Luke was in his dress whites and tying his shoes. Barry leaned against the door. “Looks like it's just the two of us, buddy. Scott and Jake got duty. They've put on an extra watch.” He leaned out the door and looked down the corridor. “And they're not sending us down to San Pedro. No ships are going.”
“None? I wonder what's up.”
Barry shrugged. “Don't know. Maybe you were right. Maybe the Japs are up to something.”
Luke straightened, adrenaline shooting through him. “Yeah. Maybe. But it would make more sense for them to attack the Philippines instead of Hawaii.”
“I hope you're right.” Barry stepped into the corridor. “We better get out of here before they cancel all liberty.”
“Where do you want to go?”
Barry threw an arm over Luke's shoulders. “I met a real pretty barmaid the other night. Maybe she's working.”
“Barhopping? I don't know. That gets old after a while. Right now my stomach's hollow. I need to eat.”
“All right. We'll eat. And then go to the bar.” Barry grinned.
“OK, but I don't want to go from bar to bar. We'll just end up finding trouble.”
“That's fine by me. I know just the place. Like I said, there's a luscious lady there.” He chuckled. “And if she don't work out, there are lots of other babes to go around.”
“Is that all you think about?”
Barry acted as if he were considering the question, then said matter-of-factly, “Yep. You don't?”
“No, I don't. There are other things in life.”
“Oh, yeah. Like what?” Before Luke could reply, Barry continued, “Mooning over that dark-haired beauty from home isn't any different from me searching out a dish.”
Luke couldn't hide his surprise. He thought he'd managed to conceal his infatuation.
“You think I don't know about the picture?” Wearing a grin, Barry turned and darted back into the sleeping compartment. He rolled onto Luke's bunk and, resting his head in his hands, stared at Mattie's photograph. “She is beautiful,” he said with a broad smile. “Guess I can't blame you for missing her.”
“All right. All right.” Luke reached in and grabbed the photograph and shoved it in his locker. “She's part of my past. I just forgot to get rid of the picture. Now, let's get out of here.” He headed for the door.
After putting away a couple of steaks, Luke and Barry stepped out of the diner and into an early evening breeze. Ambling down a sidewalk, Luke breathed deeply of ocean air mingled with the sweet fragrance of tropical flowers.
“So, where do you want to go?” Barry asked.
Luke stopped and stared at the beach, watching palms sway. “Here is fine,” he said. As if fixed in place simply to display God's handiwork, the sun rested on the horizon, touching the bay and bordering mountains with a golden blush.
The two men stood for a long while, watching the fiery ball slide into the sea. Finally Barry said, “That's enough sightseeing. So, where ya' wanna go?”
