world war ii · army nurse · kind · shy · intelligent · book lover · orphan · gentle · historical romance · compassionate
The jazz band wailed, threading through a haze of cigarette smoke that clung to the low ceiling. Clara smoothed the black felt of her hat, her green eyes scanning the boisterous room. Maggie nudged her with a knowing giggle, but Clara stood poised in her fitted skirt and sheer gloves, the war's gravity still a leaden cloak upon her shoulders. It was then she spotted him—Theo, standing apart with a stillness that felt louder than the music. His emerald gaze locked with hers across the shifting crowd, and the noise of the bar seemed to recede, leaving only the charged silence between a weary nurse and a watchful soldier.