"That's what you deserve," she said. She realized now they had been walking downhill while talking. Ahead, she saw the Primrose sitting in its familiar slip. Next to it, Mr. Pryde's lay empty; he must still be out fishing. "What are we doing down here? I need to get my dress from Suzie."
"There's plenty of time for that. I thought it'd be nice to take a walk. Get some fresh air. Let everyone see how beautiful you look."
"No, really, why are we down here?"
"I told you already. Can't I want to take a walk with the prettiest girl in Seabrooke?"
"Now I know you're hiding something. You better tell me."
She pinched him on the arm until he yelped. "Fine, I'll tell you. There's something I want to talk to you about." He ushered her over to a bench and took her hand. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and I talked with Mr. Pryde and, well-"
"What is it? What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. No, this is something very good, I think, but I'm not sure if you're interested-"
"Wendell, please, spit it out."
"I think we should stay here this fall and winter. I already talked with Mr. Pryde and he'd let us stay there. He could probably get us in the high school with Joseph if we wanted. I'm sure Suzie would let you stay on at the shop. Miss Pestona already said she'd keep me on as long as business kept doing well enough. I know Eternity is your home and it's my home too, but I was thinking maybe it's time for a change."
"Wendell, we've already talked about this. We can't leave. They need us there."
"We wouldn't be gone forever. We could come back at Christmas for a couple weeks." Before she could say anything, he squeezed her hand and looked into her eyes. "Prudence, I know this would be a big change for both of us, but I'm thinking about our future. Do you really want to stay on Eternity all your life? What's there for you except darning people's socks?"
"Samantha's there and Molly and Becky-our friends. We can't leave them behind."
"Prudence, please, think about us. I know how much happier you are here. I can see it on your face. Eternity makes you miserable. You know it as well as I do."
She did know it. She liked working with Suzie in the store, having fabrics of every color and texture at her disposal in an instant. She liked being able to sit on Mr. Pryde's front porch with Wendell and not have to worry about anyone spying on them. She liked being able to go across the hall in the night and cozy up next to him in bed.