The Paper Daughters of Chinatown - Heather B. Moore Page 0,114

tease, but his brows pulled together.

“You’re the only woman I would take anywhere, Dolly,” he said. “Do you think I’m seeing other women?”

“No.” A slow burn spread across her cheeks. “And even if you were, it’s not as if . . . I mean, we haven’t seen each other in years.”

Charles’s frown remained. “I thought I made myself clear before I left San Francisco.”

Dolly could only nod. He’d said some sweet things, yes, and now she felt guilty about being petty. He had never given her cause to believe he wasn’t completely loyal to her. Except . . . for the years and space that divided them. Perhaps the distance had bothered her more than she’d allowed herself to admit. Or perhaps the emotional buildup to this time and place of being with him again had made her thoughts unreasonable.

“Dolly.” He reached across the table for her hand.

She let him take it, and the warmth of his fingers was like a gentle caress to her troubled heart.

“You are everything to me, darling.”

And she believed him because she didn’t think his green eyes could lie, and in them, she saw only earnest truth. Yet, shouldn’t being “everything” to someone mean that they lived in the same city, or at least the same state? Didn’t it mean that vows would be made and lives fully shared?

She had to ask; she was ready to ask. “So how much longer will we be apart?”

“Two years at the most,” he said. “Then I’ll be fully qualified.”

She tried not to let her disappointment show or her eyes swim with tears. She took a sip of her water to keep the trembling in her heart at bay. It didn’t work.

“Look,” he continued. “After our meal, I want to show you something, and I think you’ll enjoy the walk.”

What else could she do but agree? He hadn’t proposed or anything, but perhaps this was the best he could do right now, under their circumstances.

The waiter brought their steaming pasta, and they spent the next several moments enjoying their meals. Dolly was soon full, and while she waited for Charles to finish, she told him of the latest events at the mission home. His attention was rapt, as usual, and he asked many questions about the rescued girls.

Despite the heavy disappointment of his two years pronouncement, she loved discussing events with Charles. He was always so interested and complimentary. She couldn’t deny that she enjoyed the appreciative gleam in his eyes when she told him of her more daring rescues and close calls with court cases.

Once Charles had paid the bill, they walked out of the restaurant. He placed her hand on his arm, and they headed along the wide sidewalk. A soft breeze had kicked up, and clouds meandered across the vast blue sky. They walked along Market Street, and the bustle of the citizens and various shops was a distraction for a while. Philadelphia felt open and wide compared to San Francisco. She caught sight of a couple of Chinese men walking briskly on the other side of the street.

Charles noticed her diverted attention. “We have a Chinatown here, much smaller than in San Francisco, you know. We could visit?”

“No,” Dolly said immediately. She couldn’t allow any attachments to form here, more than she already had in Charles. Her plans were set, starting with the steamer departure tonight. But it did give her more to consider. Living in Philadelphia wouldn’t mean she would have to be cut off from a Chinese community. It just wouldn’t be her community.

After leaving Market Street, they walked along a quieter road until they reached an apartment building that was three stories high. The dark red brick was elegant, the rows of windows tall and stately, and the building was topped by soaring flags that seemed to rise to the sky.

Charles brought her to a gentle stop and peered up at the upper stories. “What do you think?”

“It’s a beautiful building,” Dolly said. “Do you live here?”

“Not yet.” He glanced down at her. “But I’d like to. The apartments have two to three rooms, large enough for a family starting out.”

Dolly met his gaze, and he smiled that smile that always tugged her heart.

She should have been warmed through, but instead, the clouds seemed to darken overhead, casting a temporary shadow upon them.

“Surely you know that I intend to marry you, Dolly,” Charles said. “We both have callings in life, but I believe we can be even stronger together.” He squeezed her