Brooklyn woke up to the smell of eggs and bacon entering through the cracked door. Slipping into different attire, she walked downstairs and into the kitchen.
"Good morning, Brooke!" Georgia greeted, placing a plate at an empty place at the table. Sitting at the table, Finley glared at Brooklyn. A suffocating silence lingered throughout the meal, and Brooklyn returned to her room as quickly as she could.
After getting dressed in a black dress, she combed her hair and looked for Georgia. "I will be looking for a place to stay, do not expect me at lunch." Brooke said to the slightly shorter woman folding laundry. "Are you sure?" Georgia asked, placing the folded shirts in an empty basket. "Yes, Mademoiselle" Brooklyn nodded, placing a beret on her head and leaving.
~~~~~~~
"When will I be able to move in?" Brooklyn asked, handing the tall woman the payment. "Within a week. We are going to fix a few problems, and then it'll be all yours!" She smiled, pocketing the money. "Sounds great." Brooklyn sighed. "Is there something wrong, Ms. Legrand?" The seller asked. "Oh, well..." Brooke trailed off. "Nothing. It's just- a friend, I suppose, is acting strange his return from the war. He is married you see, but during the war he gave me a feeling of, of love. His wife has two children, and I'd like to assume there is another one on the way. Nothing happened between us, except he kissed me. I suppose it was just a kiss, nothing special. No." Brooklyn fiddled her thumbs. "You are afraid. You are afraid that you have fell in love, and that you will lose him to his wife. It is safe to assume, Ms. Legrand, that he fears he will lose his children if he leaves her." The landlady replied. Brooke nodded, and then the two left after signing the papers.
~~~~~~~
"Hello, Brooke." Georgia greeted, taking a break from peeling potatoes. "Hello, Mrs. Evans." Brooklyn replied, setting her scarf and hat on a peg in the entryway. "Please, call me Georgia." Finley's wife replied, turning back around to continue peeling potatoes. Finley walked in the room, and locked eyes with Brooke. A mix of love and hate filled them. Brooklyn looked away. He is married, and has two children. Possibly one on the way. Georgia smiled, turned around, and pecked Finley's lips. "Mmm. Potato soup!" Finley sang aloud, glaring at Brooke once his wife turned around. "Leave." He mouthed. Where would she go? "I'm moving into my own apartment in a week or so." She blurted. "Oh, great!" Georgia cheered, continuing to stir the pot of potato soup.
They all ate and talked about their days, but Brooklyn remained silent. The glares she was getting from Finley frightened her beyond measure, but she was a French woman. They never crumpled under ridicule and hatred. Never. After dinner, Brooklyn and Georgia washed the dishes.
"I know what happened between you two, ya know." Georgia smiled, not looking up from the dish she was scrubbing.
"What do you mean?" Brooklyn asked, placing a dry plate in the cabinet.
"You and my husband. No matter how long I tried to tell myself it didn't happen, I know it did. You and Finley had it." Georgia's smile faded a little.
"Oh, no, no! We most certainly did not, Georgia! I assure you, it was just a kiss." Brooklyn explained.
"It is the air between you two, Brooke. You both love each other very much. I understand that. In desperate times, we humans always find ourselves in situations. In your case, love." Georgia giggled at the last part.
"What do you mean?" Brooke asked again, leaning on the counter.
Georgia stopped from her task, and leaned against the counter as well. "You are in love with Finley. Just like I was."
"Was?" Brooke questioned.
Georgia nodded. "I still am, of course. Know this, Brooklyn Legrand: Finley and I were arranged. I love him very much, but I knew that even all those years ago in our youth, his parents wanted us to marry."
"Wow, Georgia. I'm-I'm sorry I intruded." Her face flushed.
"It's alright, really. We love each other dearly, but it will never be true love. I love him unconditionally, but his eyes are on someone else," Georgia looked up at Brooklyn. "You."
~~~~~~~
Brooklyn's heart was racing as she watched the fan in her room spin around. Finley Evans was in love with her. Her! Although there was one problem, he was happily married. Or at least seemed to be. Brooke's mouth felt dry, so she decided to go downstairs for a glass of water.
Once in the kitchen, she grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled her cup up. Once she turned around, she bumped into someone. The glass of water splashed onto her nightgown, and hit some of her face. "I'm terribly sorry." She reached for a rag, but stopped when one was handed to her. "Thank you." She whispered, dabbing her nightgown. Most water was absorbed, and she finally took a look at whom she had bumped into. Finley.
"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Evans." Brooklyn said, afraid that she would upset him. Finley's lips formed a small smile, but no teeth were shown. "It's fine, Brooke." He said, handing her a fresh glass. The two of them sat down at the table, and sat in silence for a few minutes. "So, you're moving out within a week." Finley's voice broke the wall of silence that was building. "Yes." She nodded. "You can stay longer if you need to." There was almost a plead mixed in with the tone of his voice. Maybe he did want her to stay. No. Not an option. He is happily married and has children. Officially has one on the way, Georgia's bump is getting bigger by the second.
"I- We will miss you." Finley replied, meeting Brooklyn's gaze. She just nodded. What was the heck was happening? "Well, I must be returning to bed." Brooklyn eventually said, standing up. Finley followed suit, and the two headed for the hallway at the same time. They bumped into each other. They were so close. Brooklyn could feel his breath hit her facial features. Suddenly, Finley tilted her chin up and leaned down. No matter how hard she tried to fight it, she met his lips. After a few seconds, Brooklyn pulled back. "No," She gasped. "You are married to Georgia." Finley sighed, and the two departed.
YOU ARE READING
My Dearest Finley
Historical FictionThis is a story about a wife of an American soldier during WWII. Georgia continuously writes letters to him, and when he can, Finley responds. In this book, we will see all the horror of WWII, as well as what it did to people involved.
