It was a crush at the Walker's house for Ann's graduation party.
Danny was there with his family to celebrate the occasion and that contingent included his grandparents, who arrived from Tennessee that morning. They'd taken the Red Eye from Memphis and arrived in time for a family brunch.
His grandfather always had an eagle eye and Danny knew that it wasn't lost on the older man that he and Ann sat together that morning. He also knew that it wasn't lost on him that they looked at each other differently. He tried to hide a grin that was almost an 'I told you so' and Danny knew that they needed to take a walk so he could explain things.
As Gramps always loved to do when he and Danny's grandmother were in Hawaii, they went for a walk on the beach. "I guess I don't need to ask if anythin's changed with you and Annie."
Danny couldn't help but smile because whether Gramps knew it or not, he was there at the very beginning. "Nope."
He grinned back. "You ain't goin' to get away with a 'nope' with me son, so give."
"Things have changed as you've already noticed and it started at Thanksgiving." He admitted.
"I had a feelin' about that when I left the two of you alone on the porch. I suppose you poured on the McCawley charm and left her swoonin'."
Danny laughed at his grandfather's comment. "She actually left me swooning."
"That's my girl."
"You know that I've never been the kind of guy that's been comfortable with that sort of thing. But with Ann it's not something I think about, it just seems to come naturally."
Gramps turned serious as he sighed. "And because of that, some other things come naturally too."
"I think I know where you're going with this and that hasn't happened." Danny reassured the older man. He was beginning to really realize just how much the decisions his parents made all those years ago affected them even now. Since revealing that he was interested in pursuing Ann, her parents and his continued to remind the both of them about consequences of actions they might take that were irreversible and now his grandfather was cautioning him as well.
"Well I'm glad to know that. But I imagine that it's a struggle sometimes when you've got her in your arms." He was still serious.
"Yes Sir it is. Now I won't lie to you and say that I haven't thought about it because I have but it doesn't mean that either of us would do anything about it."
Gramps nodded. "I'm glad to hear that son. Kids today are so different than when I was a boy. There were times when I was growin' up when a girl would have to go away for a few months to visit a sick aunt or a young couple would get married suddenly, have a baby come early but it looked like a perfect nine month baby. I didn't understand until I was a young man courtin' your grandmother how the unlikeliest of people could end up gettin' married. They always seemed so unhappy to me and I knew I never wanted to be that way. I wanted the girl I married to be the girl I wanted to marry, not the girl I had to marry like some of those fellows I remember havin' to do."
It was then that Danny revealed something that he'd never told anyone not even Hank, though his best friend probably already knew it. "I was never with Caroline during senior year or when we happened to be in Hawaii at the same time while I was home from the Academy. She tried to maneuver me into it once on prom night by getting a hotel room but I couldn't do it."
Gramps put a hand on his shoulder. "That's because she wasn't the right girl. And if somethin' happened because of it and you'd had to get married your folks would have been real disappointed."
"And I wouldn't have gone to the Academy."
"That's right. Your time with Ann will come and if you're as serious about her, as I believe you are, you can wait."
Danny grinned. "Says the man who married my grandmother when he wasn't even eighteen yet."
He grinned back. "That's true, but I did marry her before we did anythin' we ought not to have done. That's what made our weddin' night so special."
Danny felt his neck begin to warm with embarrassment. "Hold it Gramps that's not something I really want to know."
His grandfather laughed out loud. "You don't realize it Danny but there was a time, a long time ago mind you that your grandmother and I were young and in love and we hadn't become parents yet. We were two young people startin' our lives together and wonderin' if we were sinnin' because we loved each other so much."
"Hey! I don't want to know this!" Danny was becoming further embarrassed and wished his grandfather would change the subject.
"I ain't sayin' this to embarrass you son, but I know you understand what it is that I mean."
"Yes Sir I do."
"All right then, I won't say anythin' more about it. Now let's get back up to the house so we can help Annie's mama clean up." He grinned again as they walked back up the beach.
He thought about wearing his uniform to Ann's graduation later that day but he didn't want any of the attention taken away from her, which his uniform would certainly do. So instead, he wore the casual slacks and shirt that he'd worn on their first date because he knew she would appreciate the gesture.
He hadn't told his grandfather about his plan to give Ann his Academy pin. And as family and friends dropped by after the ceremony during the late afternoon and early evening to offer their congratulations he was beginning to think that maybe Someone was trying to tell him something.
"Why don't you get her the hell out of here?" Danny turned at the sound of his friend's low voice. "I don't think she's sat down once today and she looks like she's about ready to drop. Besides, it'll give you the opportunity to give her your pin."
"I just had to tell you about that didn't I?" He grinned and as Hank had the ability to do, wiped out a mood that was starting to sour.
"You can't help it because I don't leave you alone until you tell me what I want to know." He grinned back. "You should know that by now."
"Too bad it doesn't work that way with you and my sister."
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Let's not go down that road Dan."
It was past time that Hank started to do some talking of his own and Danny put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's take this outside because it's time you talked."
"McCawley." Hank frowned and when Danny wouldn't move, he seemed to sense that his friend wasn't going to let him out of a long overdue conversation. They walked out to the back porch and Danny didn't know why, but had a sudden memory flash. His father and godfather ended up in the same place when Dad was trying to decide whether he was going to stay in Hawaii at the end of the war or go home.
The porch was deserted as he hoped it would be and pulled a couple of beers out of a cooler that Major Walker had stocked. He pried the caps off with the bottle opener that was on the table and handed one of the bottles to Hank as he sat down on the sofa and he leaned against the porch rail. The sense of Deja Vu struck him again.
"All right Henry, give. What the hell's not happening with you and Sarah? And why the hell not?" Danny asked and tried not to sound like he was coming down on Hank like a two by four.
"I wish I knew." And he took a pull on the bottle.
"Come again?" Danny wasn't sure what he meant.
"Things were going along great when I took her to the dance and not long after that I went home for Christmas leave. When I came back something had started to change."
"What was it?"
"If I knew that I sure as hell wouldn't be talking about it with you. I'd be trying to patch things up with Sarah." He frowned and slammed the bottle down on the side table.
"And she hasn't said anything to you that would give you any kind of a clue?" Danny was puzzled because it wasn't like his sister to remain quiet when something was bothering her.
"No." He sighed again before he picked up his beer bottle and took another pull on it.
"Hank, would this have anything to do with Evelyn being with us at Ann's swim meets?" He wondered if maybe that wasn't the problem, the time he was spending with Evelyn.
It apparently hadn't occurred to him because he shook his head. "I don't think so. I always asked Sarah to come with me if she could but she always had a class or a study group. Sitting with Evelyn was just a fluke the first time because Ann invited her to come if she had some time."
"And that would explain why I saw you sitting together at that first meet."
Hank nodded. "She was sitting by herself and I think that if she'd known the Walker's better she would have sat with them. I got there early and saw her and decided to sit with her so she wouldn't feel so out of place."
Danny took a pull on his own bottle. "Did Sarah find out?"
"There was nothing to find out Dan because I told her about it when I took her out to dinner that night. There was nothing to it and I didn't try to make it appear otherwise." He stated without any defensiveness. "It's true that I've been spending some time with Evelyn, even before Ann's meets began but we've never been in a situation that could be misinterpreted and I've never kept it a secret from Sarah." And it suddenly seemed to dawn on him what Danny was getting at. "Oh, jeez."
"This might sound odd, but the fact that you've been so honest with her seems to have led her to the conclusion that there must be something going on." He surmised.
"But if I'd kept anything from her, even though there was nothing to hide she would have come to the same conclusion." He added. "How it the hell do I fix this if anything I say now is suspect?"
"That would explain why Sarah's been giving Evelyn the cold shoulder today, she's jealous."
"Jealous of what? Evelyn isn't any more interested in me than I am in her and Sarah should know that by now."
Danny shouldn't have laughed when he did but he couldn't help it. Evelyn Ahern was going to rue the day that she accepted her transfer to Hawaii and might just wish that she could go back to Colorado. He couldn't say as he would blame her.
"I don't find this very funny McCawley and I don't know why you find it so humorous." Hank's use of Danny's last name again told him just how frustrated his friend was and he wiped the smile off of his face.
"I'm sorry for laughing Hank. It's just that it's so ironic that Evelyn is stuck, yet again in the middle of our love lives. She's going to start begging for a transfer back to Colorado just to get away from us."
He didn't seem to take the bait. "No she wouldn't, she loves it here too much."
Should he ask? "Would you have anything to do with that?"
Hank stood up suddenly and Danny had never seen him so angry. "I should flatten you for even suggesting that." And he yanked the screen door open and walked into the house. From the back window he watched as his friend stomped through the living room and out the front door. He hit a nerve, of that he was sure.
The screen door opened again slowly and Danny looked over to see Ann standing there. She looked puzzled and curious and he thought she'd never looked prettier.
He was beginning to notice that Ann preferred dresses that were simple, usually sleeveless and always stopped just above her knees. Caroline always seemed to try and make a splash with what she wore to get attention but Ann seemed to wear what made her comfortable. "What was that all about?"
"His relationship with Sarah. I finally got him to stop being such a clam and found out some things. If you can break away from this crowd for about ten minutes I'll tell you about it and it'll give me a chance to give you your graduation present."
"I thought we agreed that you wouldn't get me anything." She admonished him.
"This is something I had before you made me agree to that." He grinned and took her hand. "Have I told you yet how pretty I think you look today?"
She smiled back at him. "You just did."
He followed her back into the house and they located her parents, talking to his grandparents and hers by the front door. "If it's all right with you, I'd like to take Ann for a short walk." Danny asked her father.
He looked at his watch and then back at Danny before he nodded. "Don't be long."
"We won't Sir." And he walked her out of the house and down to the beach.
"So don't keep me in suspense." Ann said when they'd reached the sand and she took her shoes off. "You've been a clam yourself since we left my house."
The pin could wait a little while longer.
"The reason things might be stalling is that Sarah seems to think that there's something going on between Hank and Evelyn. He was straightforward with me about it and said nothing is and I believe him. But when I joked with him about Evelyn he didn't take it too well."
"What did you say?"
"I said that it was ironic that she seemed to be in the middle of our love lives again and that she was going to beg for a transfer back to Colorado." He told her.
"And that's what got him so upset? That's not like him." She looked concerned.
"It wasn't that exactly. He told me that she wouldn't request a transfer because she loved it here too much and when I asked if he had anything to do with that he blew a gasket."
"What did he say?"
"His exact words were, 'I should flatten you for even suggesting that'." He repeated. "I hit a nerve Ann and didn't mean to. But I think I know now why things might not be working with Hank and my sister."
She seemed to understand his meaning. "Do you think that he's looking at Evelyn differently?"
Danny nodded. "I think he might be and he doesn't want to see it. He's a loyal guy and if he is feeling something for Evelyn he sees it as a betrayal of Sarah."
"It seems as though she sees it that way too even though there hasn't been anything of the sort. What an awful mess." She sighed. "Evelyn is too nice to have this happening to her."
"And Sarah is too level headed to be thinking that way." He added. "If she can't give him the benefit of the doubt their relationship is going to stall for good."
"Is there anything we can do?"
He shook his head as he took her free hand and walked with her down toward the water. "I'm afraid not. This is something that they have to work out between themselves, just like we did."
"We had a little help Danny, or have you forgotten?" Ann smiled at him.
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Smart aleck. Of course I haven't forgotten, it was Evelyn."
"Maybe she could do the same for them." She suggested.
"That's a big negative. If Sarah is sensing that Hank's feelings for her might be changing, throwing Evelyn into the mix will only make things worse."
"But."
"Ann, the reason it worked with us is the simple fact that my feelings for you were never in any danger of changing and Evelyn knew that. Having her try to talk to Sarah the way she did with you will only make it look like Hank put her up to it. See?"
The look on her face was of absolute frustration. "This isn't fair. They're three wonderful people and this situation isn't right."
"Affirmative, but that's the way it is and we need to stay out of it."
She smiled again. "What's with the negatives and affirmatives? I've never heard you use your military jargon before."
"I am a pilot after all, or have you forgotten?" He smiled back at her.
"What a thing to say, of course I haven't forgotten. Or have you forgotten that I was there when you came home yesterday?"
"I haven't forgotten because it was, by far the nicest part." He said as he leaned over and kissed her. His hands knew exactly where they wanted to go and settled into the low curve of her back. He felt her arms wind around his neck and her shoes bumped between his shoulder blades as she kissed him back.
He heard them hit the sand after she dropped them a moment later and then felt her hands in his hair. He liked that almost as much as the feel of her hands on his back and his own hands began to caress her. He wasn't fully aware that he picked her up bodily from the sand to hold her closer which consequently brought all of her soft curves into contact with his own solid form.
We were two young people startin' our lives together and wonderin' if we were sinnin' because we loved each other so much.
She let out a sigh that made his heart skip a beat and his grandfather's words from that morning came back to him. Without breaking the kiss, he set her back down on the sand and when he finally let her go her face was flushed in a way he'd never seen before. "I wish you weren't so honorable sometimes."
"I sometimes wish you wouldn't work so hard at keeping me honorable." He cleared his throat and felt goose pimples travel up his arms at the sound of her husky voice. "We're asking for trouble Annie."
"That happens every time you kiss me, I thought we agreed on that already." She smiled at him and it seemed to light up her eyes.
"If you wouldn't kiss me back as nicely as you do, it might not be so hard to let you go."
"I can fix that you know." She laughed as he pulled her back against him and hugged her.
"But you wouldn't." He challenged. "You enjoy it as much as I do."
He felt her nod and smiled to himself. She was becoming surer of herself the better that they got to know each other, but there were some things that she was still too shy to say.
"There is something I would enjoy even more." She whispered in his ear and he retracted his previous thought.
"That wasn't the graduation present I had in mind." He whispered back. "But it's a nice thought anyway."
"Maybe we can save it for my birthday." And she began to laugh.
She was a vixen.
"I think your dad would have something to say about that."
"But I'll be eighteen and he can't say anything." She mused.
"Ann." Danny admonished her gently. It was hard enough not to be close to her in the way he wanted and she wasn't helping.
He felt her nod again. "I know. We still wouldn't do it because we made a promise to our parents but it doesn't make it any easier."
The opportunity finally presented itself.
"You're right, but I have something for you that might help." He kissed her cheek and let her go. He reached into his back pocket and felt for the flat box that held his Academy pin. He pulled it out and the look on her face made him smile.
She looked disappointed and tried to hide it.
"It's always been a tradition at the Academies that a guy will give his pin to a girl that he considers someone pretty special. The pin is a sign of the commitment we made to the Air Force and the idea is that if you consider me worth wearing it, then it belongs to you."
"You consider me special enough to let me wear this?" She looked at him with surprise as he opened it and her face began to turn a pretty shade of pink.
He took the pin out of the box and unclasped it. "I consider you special enough to have it."
"In that case, I would be honored to have it and wear it." She watched him as he carefully pinned it over her heart and closed the clasp. She brushed a finger over the small pin and smiled. "It's a beautiful pin Danny."
He handed the box to her. "Not nearly as beautiful as the girl who's wearing it."
She leaned up and kissed him. "You always know what to say."
Danny glanced at his watch. "And what I say now is that it's time to get back to your parents. Your dad is going to start wearing a path on the porch if I don't get you home."
Ann picked up her shoes and Danny took her hand as they trudged back up the beach. "Does this mean that I get to see your quarters now?"