Just as I Am (3 page)

The woman stopped, her face reflecting remorse. “Oh, I beg your pardon, miss. This ungainly thing doesn’t turn easily, and I couldn’t avoid you. Is your poor foot all right?”

Truthfully, Daisy’s big toe throbbed, but she wouldn’t repay a kind apology with a complaint. “I’m fine. No harm done.”

She flashed a bright smile. “I’m glad.” Although the woman remained in place, she pushed on the pram’s wooden handle to bounce the sleeping baby in the bed. Her gaze whisked from Daisy’s head to her feet to her face again, and Daisy prepared herself for a disparaging comment concerning her appearance. The woman’s smile didn’t dim. “Have you just arrived on the train, miss?”

Surprised by the young woman’s friendliness, Daisy nodded. “Yes. And I need to locate”—she searched her memory for the name of Robby’s factory—“Dinsmore’s World-Famous Chocolates Factory.”

“Oh, Dinsmore’s!” Her bouncing of the pram increased in exuberance, causing the infant to rock back and forth. “My brother Bartholomew works there on the night shift. He always says he’ll get me a job there, too, but I like being nanny to little Susannah here even if it doesn’t pay as much. She’s as sweet as chocolate, don’t you think?”

Daisy gave the expected peek into the pram and nodded her agreement, although Susannah seemed no more special than any of the babies that had spent a few months at the asylum. The babies never stayed long.

“I’ve been her nanny since she was only two weeks old! She’s five months now, so how could I possibly leave her to work in a factory? Although I’m sure you’ll find the work there satisfactory.”

Daisy listened politely, but inwardly she wished the woman would stop talking long enough to offer directions. She didn’t have time to spare. Maybe it would be better to seek out Dinsmore’s on her own.

Apparently the nanny suddenly realized she hadn’t answered Daisy’s question because she slapped her hand to her cheek. “Again, I must apologize, miss. I spend so much time with my darling little Susannah, who doesn’t talk at all except to coo and burble, that when I find someone who is able to talk in return, I tend to ramble on and on.”

Daisy understood. After Robby left, she hadn’t had anyone near her age at the orphanage. She missed their long talks in the evening after the chores were finished and things were growing quiet.
She couldn’t wait to talk to him again. Before the nanny began another long string of words, she prompted, “The factory …”

“Catch the south-going trolley. It’ll cost you a nickel, but it beats walking. Especially when you’re toting a bag. Ride the trolley four blocks to Anthony Street, then hop off and go two blocks east.” She used one hand to continue to bounce the pram and the other to point first south and then east. “The factory sits on the corner of Anthony and Second. It’s a big reddish-orange brick building. You can’t help but see it, because it fills most of the block, but mostly you’ll know it because of the smell.”

She drew in a deep breath, closing her eyes as if savoring the air. “What we’re smelling now is nothing compared to what you’ll smell when you get close.” Setting the pram in motion, she shot Daisy another beaming smile and called over her shoulder. “Welcome to Sinclair, miss, and good luck with your new job!”

Chapter 4

T
hanks to the helpful nanny, Daisy located the chocolate factory and chose a bench near the street to sit and watch for Robby. A sweet aroma escaped the hinged, open windows and hung like a curtain over the entire area, making her stomach quiver in hunger. The cheese sandwich she’d purchased from a vendor when the train stopped at the Newton station hadn’t been enough to fill her. She hoped Robby would be hungry when he emerged so he wouldn’t resist when she suggested finding a diner.

A large clock anchored on the factory’s brick wall showed the time, allowing her to count the minutes. The closer the hands drew to three o’clock, the more excitement built in her middle. She closed her eyes and imagined Robby as she’d seen him last, dressed in the fine new suit of clothes provided by the Jonnsons for his going-away, a burlap bag of belongings thrown over his shoulder, and a wool cap settled jauntily over his thick waves of wheat-colored hair.

If she pressed her memory, she could even hear his voice echo through her mind. “You’re a good kid, Daisy, an’ I’m gonna miss you more than Ma Jonnson’s apple butter on fresh-baked biscuits. Once I’m settled, I’ll write to you, an’ you’d better write back, you hear me?” She’d assured him she would, and she’d kept her promise. In every letter he’d continued to proclaim how much he missed her, so she knew he’d be happy to see her. She couldn’t wait to see his face light in pleased surprise.

She watched people—men, women, youngsters—plod toward the factory and enter a pair of wide-open doors at the front of the building. Some swung pails in their hands, and others held packets in the crook of their arms. The women all wore aprons over their dresses and ruffled mobcaps on their heads, signifying them as workers, but the men’s trousers and shirts reminded Daisy of the farmers back in Brambleville. The arriving workers created an entertaining parade, and the time passed swiftly.

As the big hand on the clock shifted to point to the twelve, a buzzer blared so loudly Daisy nearly fell off the bench in surprise. At the same time a pair of doors opened, and workers spilled out, a throng of talking, laughing, and jostling men, women, and children. Daisy pushed shakily to her feet and scanned the crowd, searching for Robby’s familiar face. He blended in so well with the other men she wouldn’t have known him if his gaze hadn’t met hers and his jaw dropped in recognition.

Her heart leaped into her throat as he broke free of the mass and ran toward her. “Daisy! Daisy!” The true delight in his voice brought a rush of rare tears to her eyes. He reached her and swooped her off her feet in an exuberant hug of greeting, laughing boisterously in her ear. He spun her in a circle, sending her hat flying, but she didn’t care. She clung to his shoulders and laughed, too, happier than she’d ever been in her whole life.

Two other male workers approached, their grins teasing. “Hey, Rob,” the taller of the pair said, “you’re gonna get yourself arrested if you go around grabbing up girls like that.”

“That’s right,” the second one added, giving Robby a slap on the shoulder. “Better put her down before she calls the cops on you.”

Robby let Daisy’s feet meet the ground, but he kept his arm around her waist. He’d never held her snug against his hip before, but she liked the secure way it made her feel. He barked out another laugh and shook his head at the pair of workers. “Daisy wouldn’t call the cops on me. She wouldn’t wanna lose her best fella, am I right, Daisy?”

She gazed into his twinkling blue eyes. He must have grown in the past year because she had to tip her face upward to meet his gaze. Bashful under the perusal of the other men, she only nodded.

Robby laughed again and gave her a squeeze before releasing her. His coworkers wandered off as he caught both of her hands and swung them gently in, out, in, out. “What’re you doin’ here? Did’ja run away from home?”

His question was too close to the truth. She ducked her head and formed a careful answer. “I’m almost sixteen. Time for me to take care of myself, don’t you think?”

“I think I’m happier than a cat with its face in a full bowl of cream, just seeing you again. I’ve missed you somethin’ fierce, Daisy.”

She lifted her face and smiled at him, more pleased than she could express. How had she managed to go so long without him? She said, “Well, I’m here to stay. I have to find a job and a room, but I plan to live in Sinclair from now on. I want to—” She gulped, gathering her courage. “I want to be with you, Robby.”

“Aww …” He lifted one of her hands and planted a noisy smack on the middle knuckle. “That’s sweet. You know how to make a fella feel special, that’s for sure.” He took a step back and slipped his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “Did’ja just get off the train? Looks like you could use a wash. And I bet you’d like somethin’ to eat, huh? Whatcha want first—to find a room an’ tidy up some, or do you wanna eat?”

What she wanted most was just to admire him a little longer. She’d always thought Robby handsome with his narrow, expressive face; thick, wavy hair; and sky-blue eyes surrounded by lashes too long and full to belong on a boy. He was even more handsome now. He’d filled out, gone from lanky to muscular, and his face had taken on a chiseled appearance. Whiskers dotted his chin and cheeks—something new. She marveled at how much a year had carved away the boy and brought forth the man. Although she was only a year behind him in age, she suddenly felt decades behind him in maturity. The realization left her tongue-tied.

“Daisy?”

She’d kept him waiting for an answer too long. She released a nervous giggle—something she
never
did—and started to tell him she preferred to eat first. But before she could say a word, another voice intruded.

“Rob Miller,
there
you are.”

Both Robby and Daisy turned, and Daisy had to practice great self-control not to bristle. A girl with raven-black hair swept beneath a ruffled mobcop, a white apron with its strings tied tight to emphasize her curves, and a flirtatious grin on her heart-shaped face sashayed toward them. Her skirts swirled with the deliberate sway of her hips as she moved directly to Robby’s side. She grabbed his arm with both hands, hugging his elbow against her rib cage. Daisy might have been invisible for all the attention she received from the lovely girl.

“I thought you’d left me.” She gave his shoulder a light slap with her palm, then slipped her fingers around his arm again.

A lopsided smile formed on Robby’s lips. “Sorry, Cassandra.”

Daisy wanted to shrink as she watched Cassandra work her wiles on Robby. Head tipped just so, lashes fluttering, full lips pursed into a beguiling pout, the girl knew her own prettiness and how to use it. Daisy quickly grabbed her hat and tugged it over her hair. She wished she could pull it all the way to her shoulders to hide her face, too.

“You said you’d walk me home today in case that big dog is out of the fence again.” Cassandra’s voice was singsong, wheedling, feminine. Daisy’s stomach began to writhe but not out of hunger.

“I did?” Robby grimaced. “I guess I forgot.”

“How could you forget about me, Rob?”

Daisy couldn’t imagine anyone forgetting Cassandra. Even in a rumpled apron, with silky strands of dark hair escaping the cap to fall in perspiration-dampened spirals around her face, she was beautiful. And now that Robby had seen Daisy side by side with Cassandra, he’d be a fool not to go off with the other girl. Who would choose a gawky turkey buzzard over a graceful swan?

She scuttled over to the bench where she’d left her valise and took a firm grip on the handle. Robby called her name, but she ignored him and took off at a clumsy trot in the direction of the trolley.

Chapter 5

R
ob tried to remove his elbow from Cassandra’s grip, but she held fast. He’d never met a more pushy girl. And since he’d come to Sinclair, he’d encountered plenty of girls, girls hunting for a beau. Cassandra was the most insistent of the entire lot. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but he had eyes for only one girl, and she was running off like someone had lit a stick of dynamite under her feet.

He twisted his arm and hollered out once more, “Daisy, wait!” She didn’t even pause.

Cassandra’s fingers bit into his elbow. “Who
is
that unprepossessing girl?”

Rob didn’t know what
unprepossessing
meant, but he suspected it wasn’t a compliment. Irritation chased away the manners he’d learned from the Jonnsons. “She’s
my
girl,” he said. He gave his arm a sharp wrench, finally shaking loose of Cassandra’s hold, and sidestepped in the direction Daisy had escaped. “You’re gonna have to walk on by yourself, Cass. I gotta—” And he took off at a full run.

In spite of carrying a bag and dealing with her skirt, Daisy had managed to make it all the way to the trolley stop before he caught up with her. Thankfully, though, a trolley hadn’t rattled by yet, so she was pacing near the waiting bench. When he thundered up behind her, she spun around and shot a wide-eyed look of surprise at him.

He came to a heaving stop before her and bent forward, resting his palms on his knees to catch his breath. After working all day he was tuckered. He’d rather sit than go chasing after girls. But Daisy was worth it. “Why’d you run off like that?” His words huffed out between gasps of air.

She stuck her nose in the air, acting an awful lot like Cassandra. “It seemed you were busy. I didn’t want to intrude.”

The trolley bell jangled as the car approached. She stepped toward it, lifting her hand, but Rob leaped forward and caught her wrist. He tugged her hand downward, turning her toward him at the same time. He shook his head, confused and more than a little heartsore. “Cornbread and crickets, Daisy, what’s put a bee in your bonnet?”

“Cornbread and crickets?” She arched her brows and peeked at him from beneath the brim of her little straw hat.

His aggravation with her melted in the space of one heartbeat. She sure looked cute.

“What does that mean?”

He shrugged, battling a grin. “Lots of the fellas at the factory cuss. But it’s not right, using the Lord’s name that way. So I made up my own words to say when I’m mad.”

Immediately she hung her head.

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re mad.”

“I sure am!” He cupped her chin and lifted her face. “You show up out o’ nowhere, giving me the best surprise I ever had. Then you just run off an’ turn all prissy on me. I expect better of you.” Her skin felt soft against his callused fingers. He dropped his hand from her face before his thumb got ideas to start caressing her jaw. He said, “How could you think you were intruding, Daisy? You’re the best sight I’ve seen since I left Brambleville.”

Roses bloomed on her cheeks, matching the bright color of her hair.

“An’ I’m half-starved. Instead of standing here talking, can we go get something to eat?” He sniffed his armpit and cringed. The boiling vats in the factory kept things so hot, he spent the whole day sweating. Most of the time it didn’t worry him because everybody who worked at Dinsmore’s stunk like sweat, but for Daisy’s sake he wished he smelled better. “I know I stink some, but—”