Love Confessions #22

Holly Wilson, a salesgirl at Kessler's 5 and 10, is head over heels for Tom Hunter, the store's manager—though his dismissive attitude and ambition suggest her feelings aren't returned. When Tom unexpectedly asks her to dinner, Holly's dreams seem to come true, but she soon discovers that his attentions may come with a price she's not prepared to pay. A bittersweet tale of mistaken affection and the hard lessons that come with reaching too high.

Betty Hobson's engagement to her childhood sweetheart Rush Larimore seems perfect—until a tragic accident leaves him blind and forces him to seek treatment far away in St. Louis. As the lonely months stretch on and Rush's letters become her only comfort, Betty finds herself drawn to Fred Beale, a charming coworker who offers companionship and escape from her heartache. Caught between the memory of her true love and the temptation of the present, Betty must confront what her heart truly wants when an unexpected visitor arrives at her door.

A barely seventeen-year-old Shelby Lewis gets a summer job at a record shop and falls for the charming disc jockey Wally Byers—but fearing he'd never notice someone her age, she transforms herself with makeup and sophisticated clothes to catch his eye. When her plan works and Wally asks her out, Shelby discovers that playing grown-up comes with consequences she never anticipated.

Jill Barclay has spent her life chasing flattery and male admiration, moving from one suitor to another without a second thought—until she meets Barry Dunlap, who stirs something genuine inside her for the first time. When his feelings prove deeper than the empty compliments she's grown accustomed to, Jill begins to understand the difference between being adored and being truly loved, even as Barry pulls away after learning about her past. As she waits and hopes for a second chance, she confronts the hard truth about the vanity and cruelty that defined her pursuit of attention.