Home Front Girls

much choice in the cake department,’ he apologised. ‘But these should keep us all going until dinnertime.’
    He found himself with no choice but to sit next to Annabelle and now it was his turn to feel self-conscious, but soon they were all chatting as if they had known each other for years. As Dotty and Lucy looked after Mary, Annabelle told Joel about her father joining up and her mother’s voluntary work.
    ‘I think she’s doing it to keep her mind off what might be happening to Daddy,’ she confided and he nodded.
    ‘I can understand that. It must be really hard after being married all those years to be suddenly apart. Are you er . . . married?’
    Annabelle threw back her head and laughed. ‘Oh goodness me, no. I don’t even have a boyfriend.’ She instantly wished that she hadn’t told him that in case he thought she was setting her cap at him, but he seemed to take it in his stride. He began to tell her all about what his training had involved and some of the chaps he was stationed with, and she listened raptly until Lucy coughed gently to get their attention.
    ‘I think the lady is waiting to close up,’ she told them, pointing towards the counter where they saw the owner standing with her arms crossed, tapping her foot. Glancing around, they were shocked to see that they were the last customers in there. They had been so engrossed in conversation that they hadn’t even noticed that everyone else had gone. They all hastily rose and bundled little Mary ahead of them until they were once more outside on the cold pavement.
    ‘Look, I have to go back to camp the day after tomorrow,’ Joel said. ‘So why don’t you two both come round for dinner after work tomorrow? After all, I made you miss your meal what with turning up out of the blue like that yesterday, so I’ll do the cooking to make it up to you.’
    Lucy’s mouth gaped. She had never known Joel to volunteer for cooking before, but then she wasn’t going to argue.
    Annabelle and Dotty glanced at each other before nodding in unison. ‘That would be lovely, if you’re quite sure.’ And so it was decided and as Annabelle headed for the bus stop she found that she had a spring in her step.
    The next day she took especial pains over her make-up and set off for work feeling like a schoolgirl going on her first date. This is ridiculous, she berated herself as she stared out of the window of the bus. Joel isn’t even my type. He looks nothing like Clark Gable and he’s certainly not rich! But she still couldn’t stop herself from feeling excited at the thought of seeing him again.
    The day seemed to pass interminably slowly and she found herself glancing at the large clock above the lift doors in her department every ten minutes. If Lucy and Dotty noticed how quiet she was during the day they tactfully didn’t comment on it.
    ‘I have to say, Joel seems quite smitten with Annabelle,’ Lucy confided to Dotty as they travelled down in the lift together following the lunch break. ‘I’ve never even known him to look at a girl before but he must have mentioned Annabelle at least a dozen times over breakfast before I left for work.’
    ‘Well, judging by the way she was looking at him in the café last night, I’d say his feelings were reciprocated,’ Dotty chuckled, her romantic mind working overtime. ‘Although I have to say your brother doesn’t seem anything at all like the sort of man Annabelle is always telling us she wants to snare. No offence meant, of course. It’s just that she always says she wants a rich, handsome older man who will spoil her shamelessly and keep her in the lap of luxury.’
    ‘I know exactly what you mean,’ Lucy responded. ‘And a young private in the Army hardly fits the bill. Still, they do say love is blind. We’ll just have to see what happens, although it won’t be easy for them, what with Joel going off to God knows where the day after tomorrow.’
    Her face became solemn then and Dotty squeezed her hand. ‘Miss Timms always told me that everything happens for a reason, so let’s just sit back and see what happens, eh? If they’re meant for each other, love will find a way.’
    ‘Speaking of love, I’d love to get my mitts on another of your stories. It would give me something to look forward to, for when Joel is gone.’
    ‘That can be easily arranged,’ Dotty promised her as the lift creaked to a halt and then they parted and headed for their different departments.
    Dotty had a