True Secrets #17

May Duncan, raised in hardship and working the factory floor to keep her family afloat, finds love with her co-worker Jerry Hall—only to face her father’s fears that their relationship threatens their survival. With her mother’s quiet encouragement and her brother Tom’s unexpected news of a new job, May takes a leap toward a future with Jerry, unaware of the truth he’s been hiding: the factory he’s learning to manage is his father’s.

Lorraine Vaughan, caught between her mother’s rigid expectations and her growing feelings for Sandy North, the son of her family’s former caretaker, faces a love that defies class lines. With her father’s fortune lost and her mother’s grip loosening, Lorraine finds herself at a crossroads—free to choose the man she loves, but not without the weight of past choices still lingering in the air.

In "No Escape!", college librarian Jean Rogers finds herself caught in a web of rumors after a quiet evening at Lovers’ Lane with her boyfriend, Jeff Hammond, ends with gossip spreading through campus. When Jean decides to quit her job and leave town, Jeff confronts her, revealing his true feelings and claiming he’s loved her for months—intentions he insists are honorable. Their emotional reunion ends with a tender kiss, but the road ahead remains uncertain.

Jean Draper’s dream cruise to Bermuda takes a dramatic turn when a masked stranger saves her from a flirtatious stranger at the ship’s costume ball—only to reveal himself the next day as Terry Hunter, a charming but penniless artist. As their romance unfolds under the sun and stars, Jean finds herself drawn to the idea of meeting the mysterious admirer who’s been sending her flowers, only to discover his true feelings lie with her roommate, Peggy Gordon [Dowd]. With the truth revealed, Jean’s heart is free to embrace Terry, whose quiet devotion may be the real treasure of the trip.