holds.â
Ruby dusted off a smudge of dirt from the knee of her dungarees. âYouâre right. You never know.â She grinned. âA year ago if youâd told me Iâd be staying here for the fall, working instead of going back to school, I never wouldâve believed it. But the decision just felt right.â
âWhat did your parents say?â The concern in his blue eyes was evident. He knew how worried sheâd been about broaching the subject with her family.
âIt wasnât the easiest conversation. But they finally agreed.â She shrugged. âEven though Papa made it clear heâd rather I return to school, he left the final decision up to me.â She smiled. âI could tell he was proud of my promotion to line inspector.â
âAs he should be.â Cliff grinned.
âPlus, I think they feel better about my being here since they know I have a good friend like you.â Sheâd never admit it to him, but she was pretty sure he was a big part of the reason Mama had been on her side when sheâd found out Ruby wanted to stay.
Cliff raised his eyebrows. âYour parents know about me?â His pleased expression made her laugh. âWell, no wonder they let you stay here.â
She slapped him playfully on the arm. âAnd they also understand how much I want to contribute to the war effort.â
âWell, I for one am glad youâre here, regardless of the reason.â His eyes twinkled. âI mean, think about how sad your life would be if youâd never met me.â
She threw back her head and laughed. âThatâs right. Iâd probably just be sitting in my dorm room, refusing to go outside except for classes or meetings.â When he didnât say anything, she looked over at him. His normally sunny expression was serious. âEverything okay?â She nudged him with her shoulder.
âMaybe itâs none of my business, but Iâm kind of curious about something.â
âWhatâs that? You know you can ask me anything.â
Cliff nodded. âI know that. But thereâs something weâve never talked about before. Iâve been too chicken to ask.â
Rubyâs heart dropped. She wasnât ready to have this discussion. She only knew that she enjoyed spending time with him. But she couldnât give him more than that. âWhat?â
âDo you have a boyfriend back at college? I mean, is there a steady guy whoâll be waiting for you when you go back in January?â
Relief washed over her as she realized he wasnât going to press her to talk about her feelings for him. âNo. Nothing like that.â
âBut you must have fellows clamoring for your attention and asking you out for dates all the time.â
She grinned. âI usually say no. Some girls always have a boyfriend. Iâve never been one of those girls.â She sighed. âIâve only had one steady guy, but it was a while ago.â
âWhat happened?â
Ruby knew sheâd avoided telling Cliff because she didnât want to remind him of his own loss. But there was no point in keeping it from him any longer. âJoseph and I met when we were freshmen and went steady for almost exactly a year. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he joined the army. Said it was his duty as an American.â She plucked a clover from the ground and twirled it between her fingers. âHe didnât make it back.â She tossed the clover to the ground. âHe was killed at Guadalcanal.â She shook her head. âSince then, Iâve kept to myself.â
Cliffâs jaw tightened. âRuby, Iâm so sorry. This war has brought so much grief. I hate to hear that youâve suffered a loss too.â He reached over and patted her on the back. âWas it very serious between the two of you?â
âJust before he left, he asked me to marry him. I said yes.â Admitting it to