Love Confessions #24

When a sixteen-year-old Norma meets Wade Chapman at a high school dance, his kiss on their first date sets her heart ablaze—but misguided advice from her older cousin Evelyn convinces her to pull away, fearing she'll seem too eager. Wade's hurt silence and sudden departure from town leave Norma heartbroken for years, even as her life moves forward and another suitor, Tom Naylor, begins to court her seriously. Now, facing what might be a proposal, Norma must confront the ghost of her lost first love and the choices that led her here.

When Pam becomes engaged to Greg Chandler, her friend Eva plants seeds of doubt about his loyalty, convincing the trusting young woman that he's carrying on with a coworker named Lois Carter. Poisoned by Eva's insinuations, Pam confronts Greg with accusations she can't prove, driving him away—and setting herself on a destructive path that leaves her lonelier than before. As Pam finally sees Eva for what she really is, she realizes the terrible cost of listening to someone else's bitterness instead of trusting her own heart.

A twenty-one-year-old woman finds herself torn between two men: Bill Medford, a West Point cadet she's loved since high school, and Lawrence Parker, a charming and wealthy suitor who's swept into her life in New York City. When Bill's engagement ring and Lawrence's proposal both arrive within weeks of each other, she discovers that keeping both men in the dark about her divided heart is far harder than she imagined. As her deception unravels, she must face the consequences of her choices and decide which love—if either—is worth the cost.

When Mel Huntley's musical talent catches the eye of Barbara Winston, a wealthy newcomer to town, Ginny watches helplessly as the man she loves abandons their modest dreams of marriage and a printshop for what she sees as a hopeless fantasy. Desperate to save Mel from what she believes is a ruinous infatuation, Ginny takes matters into her own hands—but her intervention only pushes him further away. A poignant look at how misplaced faith in another person can shatter the life you thought you'd build together.