Brad chuckled, again feeling the exhilaration that had swept over him in Hawaii. "Would you like to begin our sight-seeing tour at Fisherman's Wharf?"
"That would be wonderful," Leigh Ann answered, embracing him again. "Let's take the cable car."
"Great idea."
Leigh Ann turned, remembering the bottle of wine and the tray of appetizers. "Before I forget, I want to thank you for your thoughtfulness. The wine and hors d'oeuvres were excellent. That was very kind of you."
"I'm glad you enjoyed them," Brad replied, mesmerized by Leigh Ann's delicate features. "One of my favorite diversions is sipping chenin blanc, with shrimp Louis and sourdough bread, while watching the ships and small boats in San Francisco Bay. That's why I enjoy going to Fisherman's Wharf."
She clasped her hands together. "I can't wait."
"It will be even more special, sharing the afternoon with you."
"Thank you," Leigh Ann said softly, still a little dazed at actually being in San Francisco with Brad. Was it really true?
Was she really here, finally, with the man who had so overwhelmed her in Hawaii? She wondered if Brad felt the same way she did.
"Before we go," Brad stopped, remembering the gift he had purchased at the airport, "I've got a present for you."
"You do?" Leigh Ann replied with genuine surprise.
"Yes, all the way from Japan," he answered, walking to her doorway. Brad grasped the doorknob, then hesitated and turned around. "If you don't mind unlocking the door between our rooms, I'll close our front doors."
Leigh Ann winked. "You're pretty smooth, aren't you?" Brad grinned. "Are you suggesting that beneath my cosmopolitan charm lies an ulterior motive?"
"I'm suggesting," Leigh Ann laughed softly, "that Cary Grant you are not."
"Thanks," Brad chuckled, pulling her door closed behind him. Entering his room, Brad closed the door and picked up the box containing the kimono.
When he walked into Leigh Ann's room, Brad found her at the window. He walked over and joined her. "I apologize for not having it gift wrapped, but there wasn't much time."
"Brad," Leigh Ann smiled as she accepted the box, "please don't apologize. You shouldn't have done this."
"Go ahead, open it."
Removing the top of the box, Leigh Ann's eyes widened. She carefully lifted the kimono and held it in front of her. "It's beautiful… absolutely beautiful!"
She kissed Brad on the cheek. "Thank you. Thank you very much."
"You're welcome," Brad responded, feeling a sense of pleasure as he watched Leigh Ann slowly run her slender fingers over the smooth silk fabric.
She walked to her closet, removed a satin hanger, and hung up the delicately beautiful robe. "I feel awful… I didn't get you a gift."
"Yes, you did."
"I did?" Leigh Ann asked, returning to the window and grasping Brad's hand.
"Yes," Brad responded, suppressing his desire to take her into his arms again. "You being here with me is the greatest gift I could possibly want."
"Well, I feel the same way, but I do appreciate my kimono," Leigh Ann smiled. "You must be exhausted after flying such a long distance. Would you like to freshen before we go to Fisherman's Wharf?"
"Actually," Brad replied awkwardly, "I'd like to take a quick shower, and change into fresh clothes before we leave, if you don't mind."
"Not at all," Leigh Ann said, glancing at her luggage.
"Also," Brad said uncomfortably, "I've got to call a friend's wife. She's pregnant, and I want to see if she is getting along okay."
"Take your time. I need to unpack, and I want to try on my new kimono."
Hand in hand, Leigh Ann and Brad walked through the lobby. They emerged at the entrance in the midst of an arriving group of conventioneers. Working their way through the crowd, they rounded the corner and walked the length of the Fairmont Hotel to Powell Street. Brad and Leigh Ann managed to hop a departing cable car just as it began to roll.
They took seats at the rear of the rumbling car. Laughing together, they rode north on Powell Street before turning west on Jackson Street.
"Brad," Leigh Ann said over the clanging bell, "this is fantastic… being here with you. San Francisco is wonderful!"
Brad smiled broadly as the cable car jolted and clanked through the turn to Hyde Street. Passing Greenwich Street, Brad suddenly turned to Leigh Ann. "Let's get off," he paused while the motorman loudly clanged the bell, "and take a look down Lombard Street."
"You're the tour guide," she smiled warmly. "Whatever you suggest."
"I think you'll enjoy this landmark," Brad replied as they hopped off the cable car. "This section of Lombard Street has been a tourist attraction for years."
They walked over to the top of the steep, winding street. The narrow thoroughfare twisted back and forth in sharp s-turns as the roadway dropped sharply toward the street below.
"This is astonishing," Leigh Ann commented as they watched a green van carefully navigate down the one-way brick lane.
The driver rode the brakes hard, twisting the steering wheel from side to side. Close to the curb, he narrowly missed a number of the ornate pots filled with bright flowers.
Watching the Volkswagen van grind to a halt near the bottom of Lombard, Leigh Ann pondered what would have happened if the brakes had failed. "What's the name of the street at the bottom?"
"Leavenworth," Brad replied automatically. His mind flashed back to what Harry Hutton had said when they chased Major Dao toward Phuc Yen. Was this an omen of things to come? If found out, would he spend time in the federal prison at Leavenworth, Kansas?
"Brad?" Leigh Ann asked, canting her head. "Are you all right?"
"What?" Brad brought his thoughts back to the present. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" Leigh Ann asked with genuine concern in her voice. "You turned pale for a moment."
"Yes, I'm fine," Brad responded, hearing the clanging of another cable car. "We'll continue on to Fisherman's Wharf, or walk for a while, if you like."
Leigh Ann laughed. "Actually, I'm anxious to see Fisherman's Wharf."
Brad and Leigh Ann stopped for a late lunch at a charming restaurant overlooking the bay. Leigh Ann moved her captain's chair closer to Brad. She slid her slender arm under his and clasped his fingers. "Isn't the bay beautiful?"
He looked into her eyes and smiled. "It sure is… and so are you."
"Brad," she responded, squeezing his hand, "you're making me blush."
"I'm sorry, but it's true. You are beautiful."
Leigh Ann lowered her head and withdrew her hand, obviously embarrassed. "Could we change the subject? Those people at the next table overheard you… and now they are staring."
"Okay," he grinned, "if you insist, but I would rather talk about you."
"I insist," Leigh Ann said in a low but firm voice. Brad chuckled, "I'll abide by your wishes."
They sipped their wine and Leigh Ann became quite serious. "Brad Austin, what are you about?"
The unexpected question startled Brad, but he attempted to keep the conversation light. "What am I about? I'm not sure I understand the question."
"Who are you? What do you believe in? What do you think about the war?" She paused, then spoke quietly. "My Dad thinks the war is unjustified and immoral. We had quite a talk before I left."
Leigh Ann noticed that Brad showed no emotion. She wondered if he had even heard her. Leigh Ann decided not to make an issue of what her father had said just yet. Actually, he had been very outspoken about what he thought of Brad and his activity, and had made his daughter feel uncomfortable about meeting the pilot.
"What do you see in your future?" Leigh Ann asked, leaning forward to attract Brad's attention. "Who is Brad Austin?"
Grinning a bit uncertainly, Brad swallowed a sip of wine and placed his glass on the table. "Wow, it sounds as if you would like an account of my life history from birth to now, with a prediction for the future."