Unwed 💍

Chapter Thirty-One: I'm Moving On

She hadn't pressured him to go steady like most girls he'd dated. But, he sensed he would need to make their fling official if he wanted to keep her to himself. He wasn't going to find another Patsy and there were plenty of men standing in line.

"Shall we take a walk outside?" he asked, finishing the rest of his coke.

"Yes," she said with a smile, bouncing out of the booth. "The sun is just about to set. It will be very romantic, I'm sure."

He watched her round bottom sway hypnotizingly as he followed her out of the diner, trying to ignore the googling eyes of the other men sitting at the tables. He knew she was aware of their stares and welcomed the attention—after all, the passion to entertain seemed to be coursing through her veins.

Hand in hand, they walked a short distance to Santa Monica Pier. The sun was just dipping into the ocean as their feet sunk into the sand. They sat together watching as it slowly made its way into the dark blue sea, the orange and purple aura around it fading until it was dark.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to Hoboken," he said turning to Patsy. "I really love everything about this place. It's like it's always alive. Like every soul with a big dream has traveled here and filled the place with their energy."

The lights of the carousel near the pier began to spin and the sound of laughter drifted over towards them.

Patsy laughed. "This place? This place is downright ordinary. Just wait until you see Paris or Italy. Or you play at the Grand Ole Opry. I want it all Wes Rizzo, I'm not a girl to stay in one place."

Wes put his arm around her. "We'll have it all," he said. "You and I—and the boys, of course."

She frowned at his last words, turning towards the ocean. Wes followed her gaze, his mind racing as the waves crashed onto the beach in front of them.

Suddenly, his mind conjured up Izzy, her head bobbing up and down between the waves, the way he'd first seen her when he'd dropped everything and swam out to save her. He sat up straight, his arm dropping from Patsy. He squinted, peering at the waves. No one was really there, of course. Sitting back, he recalled the look on her face when she'd turned towards him, her rescuer. Despite himself a smile spread across his face.

Frustrated, he got to his feet, brushing the sand from his pants. Why was he thinking of that long lost girl at a time like this? All he'd ever dreamed of was sitting right there next to him.

Patsy pulled herself to her feet and looked up at him. "Are you alright? What were you thinking about just now?"

Wes looked at her, mulling his next words around in his mind. "I was thinking what a great couple we make," he said with a crooked smile. "Patsy Carmody, America's dazzling beauty queen and Wes Rizzo, up and coming flutter bum. But I don't think we've made it official. So, here goes nothing. Patsy Carmody, would you be my girl?"

Patsy giggled, grabbing his hands. "Gosh, you scared me. For a moment I thought you'd get on your knee," she said. "Yes. Yes, Wes Rizzo. I thought you'd never ask."

His lips came to hers and her arms wrapped around his neck. He pulled her close, her hair smelling like vanilla. It was getting cooler and she was soft and warm against him. A few minutes later she pulled herself away.

"It's getting late and my sisters and I have a show tomorrow. I should get home," said Patsy. "Will you be there?"

"Of course," said Wes. "I wouldn't miss it."

"And you need to tell old Judd tomorrow," Patsy reminded him. "You're scheduled to begin recording at RCA in the afternoon.

He grimaced, his stomach twisting into a knot. "Right."