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floor.”
    “Thanks, Cathy. I should never have gone outside.”
    Cathy’s mouth framed the beginning of a question, but Eva felt a sudden rush of cold air against the back of her legs. Someone had opened the doors behind her. Her hand shot to her behind as she remembered her torn dress. She stepped backward and sideways into the sheltering shadow of the wall, pulling Bill’s jacket off her shoulders and knotting it around her waist again. Cathy followed, a look of amused confusion on her face. Before Eva could explain, she heard someone shout Bill’s name.
    “Hey man, you okay?”
    She saw another black GI, shorter than Bill and with small, darting eyes, pushing his way through the knots of people at the edge of the dance floor.

    “I heard about what happened.” Jimmy peered into Bill’s face, taking in the graze beneath his eye.
    “And where were you when I needed you?” Bill dug his friend in the ribs and grunted a laugh.
    “Getting to know a young lady,” Jimmy replied coyly. He glanced toward the door. “Don’t worry—she’s gone home. And in case you’re wondering, no one saw us. What were you thinking of, man? If you want to get past first base without getting flattened, you’d better do your smooching in the dark!”
    Bill’s expression told him to button his lip.
    The music faded out and couples began filing past them, heading for the door. Over the babble of voices the MC bid everyone good night. Where was Eva? Bill craned his neck, looking over the heads for that distinctive long red hair.
    “Wait for me a minute, will you?”
    Jimmy gave him a sideways look. “You be careful, now!”

    Eva was glancing distractedly about the room when she spotted Bill coming toward them. He stopped when he caught sight of Cathy. She bit her lip. What should she do? She didn’t want him to leave. Not without saying good-bye. She smiled at him, angling her head, trying to communicate without drawing attention to them both. She saw him glance at the people on either side of her before stepping forward.
    “Good evening, ma’am.” He addressed Cathy first, with the same small bow he had given Eva earlier. “Would you excuse me? There’s something I need to ask your friend.” He leaned in close to Eva. “Can I walk you home?”
    Eva felt his breath on her face. It set her skin on fire, the blush spreading all the way down to the neckline of her dress. She glanced at Cathy, whose eyes were like saucers. “Well,” she said, “I’m with my friend . . . and my sister. We’re all walking back together and . . . ” She hesitated, embarrassed to be having this conversation in front of Cathy.
    “I don’t mind,” Bill replied. “I’ll walk you all home.”
    Before she could respond, she heard another voice call his name. It was the man Eva had seen before. His friend. He was coming toward them. He stopped when he was still a few feet away from where they stood, cupping his hand around his mouth.
    “Come on, man! You’re gonna miss the wagon!”
    “Could you wait just a second?” Bill said to the women. “I’ll be back, I promise.”
    He strode over to his friend. Eva couldn’t hear what he said, but she could see the expression on the other man’s face. With a frown, a shrug, and a shake of the head, Bill’s friend turned away.
    “Wow!” Cathy whispered. “Where did you find him?”
    Eva just looked at her, tongue-tied. “I . . . I . . . is it okay?” she stuttered. “For him to walk us home, I mean?”
    Cathy nodded. “Fine by me.”
    Bill was coming back. “What do you say?” He looked from Eva to Cathy.
    “Are you sure?” Eva asked. “Won’t you be late getting back to your camp?”
    “It’s not a problem. I’ll wait for you outside, okay?”
    He was halfway to the door, swallowed up in the crush of people leaving, when Dilys came bouncing up to them, hand in hand with her Dutch soldier.
    “This is Anton,” she said, looking smug. “He’s from Holland: Maastricht.”