Sorrento Girl Sneak Peak
Sorrento Girl is a historical novel set in 1930s Seattle tells the story of Ann Brooks, a young woman who’s a student at Seattle College in the early days of coed university life. Friendship, adventure, romance, and some hard lessons about courage all await Ann when she leaves her small town and takes up residence at the Hotel Sorrento.
The following is a sneak peak for you: the first two chapters of Sorrento Girl. The entire book will be available for purchase in digital, paperback, and audio formats on 3.23.20.
Estimated Reading Time: 15 minutes 26 seconds
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CHAPTER ONE
Adventure is worthwhile in itself. - Amelia Earhart
February 1933
Ann Brooks waited on the wooden platform at the train station in Wenatchee with her father on a dark, early Friday morning. She was anxiously listening for the sound of a whistle or the rumbling of wheels on the tracks. A biting cold wind whipped loose several dark curls from the single braid she’d hurriedly made that morning. Ann had taken her gray leather suitcase and left her little home on Hawthorne street well before the sun was up.
When Ann had opened the small piece of luggage from her father last Christmas, she’d discovered a train ticket nestled inside the red satin interior. Printed on the ticket—“Empire Builder, Wenatchee to Seattle, February 3, 1933, 5 AM boarding time.”
Her father’s face had softened, as it only did for her, and a smile had played at the corners of his eyes as he’d explained. Fourteen-year-old Ann was going to see her Aunt Rose for a few days. The surprise got even better. Amelia Earhart, famed aviator, would also be in Seattle. She would be speaking at the Civic Auditorium to a crowd of Girl Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, members of the Women’s Century Club, reporters, and aviation fanatics. Ann and Aunt Rose were going to see the woman they both admired.
The weeks between Christmas and the Seattle trip had seemed endless, but the anticipated day was finally here. In the distance, down the tracks, a single beam of pale light began to grow brighter. Ann squeezed her father’s hand in excitement.
“It’s coming!” She glanced up at her father with a smile. “Thank you for letting me do this.” Her father nodded.
Calvin Brooks was a man of few words, but Ann knew he loved her, and she knew the magnitude of the sacrifice he’d made to provide this adventure for her. It had been just the two of them for as long as she could remember. Life hadn’t been easy, and money was tight.
Now Ann could hear the rumbling as the train approached from the east. It was almost here. Her father took an apple and a piece of cheese wrapped in paper from his coat pocket and gave it to Ann, something he did each morning when they parted ways. He on his way to the orchards—she on her way to school. Only this morning was different. She’d never been to Seattle nor had she ridden a train. It would be her biggest journey yet.
Something—perhaps fear, perhaps excitement—made the apple and cheese unappetizing for the moment. She stashed the food in her case and checked to make sure she had everything for the trip ahead—though there was little she could do now if she’d forgotten anything. The book, For the Fun of It, by Amelia Earhart, sat on top of her belongings. It was waiting (hopefully) to be signed by the author. Beyond that, the remaining items of her case included one other dress, a nightgown, a change of underclothes, stockings, a toothbrush, comb, one round-trip train ticket, a small coin purse with three dollars in it, and a brown felt hat. She was ready. Her father pulled out the hat and placed it on Ann’s head as the train pulled into the station. Ann took out her ticket and fastened the clasp on her case one last time. She and her father were the only people on the platform.
“Your Aunt Rose will be waiting for you. You’ll be there in just a few hours, and I’ll be here on Sunday night to pick you up. Take care.”
And with that, he handed Ann’s gray case to the conductor and patted her back, gently pushing her toward the waiting train.
###
A few hours later, Ann was at King Street Station in Seattle. It was a stark contrast to the sleepy little station in Wenatchee. She scanned the crowd for any sign of her Aunt Rose.
A brick clock tower dominated the view, dwarfing everything else around it. At the base of the tower, an archway opened into a large room where all the other passengers seemed to be coming and going from. Ann followed the crowd, marveling at the room’s grandeur. From the giant globe chandeliers to the inlaid marble floors, and the elaborate plaster reliefs that covered the walls and ceilings, the decor took her breath away. Ann stopped in her tracks and gazed at her surroundings, causing a traffic jam as busy travelers tried impatiently to move around her.
“Ann, Ann! Over here!” Rose yelled while waving her arms around excitedly.
“Aunt Rose!” Ann ran toward the woman, then wrapped her arms around her in a boisterous hug.
From the time Rose was sixteen, she had taken a particular interest in her niece. Lily, Ann’s mother, had died of influenza when Ann was just a baby. Ann’s father, Calvin, had insisted on raising her by himself amongst the orchards in Wenatchee, but Seattle was where Ann’s mother’s family lived. Calvin Brooks was a good father. Ann had an independent spirit and an intense thirst for adventure, just like her mother. Rose often told Ann that her mother would have been proud.
In spite of the miles and the mountains between them, Rose had stayed involved in Ann’s life, mostly through letters, drawings, and books. After the Great Northern Railway began its service through Wenatchee in 1929 on its route from Chicago to Seattle, Ann was able to see her aunt more frequently, making a summer trip for a week each year. Rose was a history professor at the University of Washington. She hadn’t yet found the time nor the inclination for marriage or children of her own, but she was the closest thing to a mother Ann had.
“You won’t believe what you missed. Guess who just came through the station!”
Ann laughed. “I don’t know, Aunt Rose. Who?”
“Ms. Earhart, herself! The mayor was here too, along with a lot of other important people and a bunch of reporters. They were just leaving when I got here.”
“I thought she was flying into Boeing Field …”
“Not in this weather. She had to take the train instead. She’s here! She’s in Seattle, and we’ll see her soon! Are you hungry?” Rose didn’t wait for an answer. “Let’s get some lunch.”
Ann followed her aunt out of the station onto a slush-covered street. They quickly caught a streetcar going toward the Civic Auditorium. Through the fogged glass windows, Ann watched as they rode along the waterfront of Elliot Bay. The city buzzed with activity. They passed rickety shacks, stately tall brick buildings, and street vendors selling everything from fish to newspapers. On one corner stood a wooden pole, at least fifty feet high, with animals carved into it. Ann recognized it as the Tlingit totem her aunt had sketched in one of her letters.
The streetcar was crowded with other passengers, many of them young girls. Some wore their green Girl Scout uniforms. The buzz in the city made it feel like a holiday. They reached the corner of Mercer and Fourth Street, and Aunt Rose reached up and pulled a cord near the ceiling of the car that made a buzzing sound. It was time to get off.
A sideways rain quickly soaked the pair as they made their way across the street toward a small diner. Inside, the smell of coffee permeated the air, and Benny Goodman’s band could be heard from a radio in the corner. Every booth was filled with what appeared to be fellow Amelia Earhart fans, so Ann and Aunt Rose found themselves a table at the counter. Clam chowder and grilled cheese sandwiches were quickly brought out to the ladies after they ordered. Ann sighed with happiness as she bit into the gooey warmth of the cheese.
Aunt Rose grinned. “I think I’m just as excited as you are to see Ms. Earhart, but I want to hear from you. What is it about her that makes you admire her so much?”.
“She’s a trailblazer, Aunt Rose.” Ann loved that word. “You know she was the first woman to pilot a plane across the Atlantic. Right?”
Of course, Rose already knew this. Ms. Earhart was a national celebrity who was breaking down barriers for thousands of women.
“Do you want to fly someday?”
“I already have!” said Ann proudly.
Rose’s eyes widened with a look of surprise.“You have?”
“Yes. Marty, my neighbor is a crop-duster. He takes me for rides in his plane. He’s even let me take the controls a couple of times.”
“Wow, that’s great!”
“But I don’t want to be a pilot, Aunt Rose. I want to be a teacher ... like you.” Ann paused. “Maybe for younger kids.”
Rose smiled. “You’ll be a wonderful teacher.” She glanced at the menu, then winked. “Do you want some cake before we go?”
###
Two days later, Ann’s father was waiting for her as the train pulled into the station in Wenatchee, just as he’d promised. This time, the train was coming from the west. Once again, it was dark, and the platform was empty. Ann was the only person who got off, and her father was the only one waiting. She set her case on the ground, then smiling with newfound confidence, reached out for a hug. “The best adventure of my life!”
The two walked up the hill toward home. Ann talked nonstop as she described the train ride, Seattle, her aunt’s house on Queen Anne Hill, what Amelia wore and said, and how long Ann had waited in line to get Amelia’s book autographed—two hours. Her father nodded along in his usual quiet way.
Normal life would resume tomorrow. Dad would return to work, grafting new trees in the orchard, and Ann would attend school.
“I missed you!” Dad gave her a quick side hug. “It’s good to have you home.”
“I missed you too. Thank you for sending me.” She would never forget the past couple of days. She wanted to be a strong independent woman like Amelia Earhart or her aunt. They were fearless. Neither one of them let society’s expectations regarding a woman’s place in the world dictate their choices. Amelia didn’t allow marriage to stop her from continuing to fly and do what she loved, and Aunt Rose had foregone a husband altogether. And though she loved her home in Wenatchee, she was determined to one day return to live in Seattle. The big city suited her. There, anything felt possible.
CHAPTER TWO
August 15, 1938
King Street Station, Seattle, WA
“Hotel Sorrento, please,” Ann said to the taxi driver as she handed him her suitcase. Getting into the back of the cab, she moved aside the newspaper a previous passenger had left behind, placing her handbag on top. She wanted to take her things to the hotel first, find her room, and get some lunch before walking over to her new school for a meeting with Mrs. Prouty, the Dean of Women at Seattle College. The two had first met a year ago when Aunt Rose insisted on introducing Ann to her friend.
“Where are you going to college?” Rose had asked Ann last summer.
“I’m not.” Though Ann wanted to continue her education, it wasn’t within her reach.
“Why not?”
“I can’t afford it.” She didn’t want to dwell on the disappointment.
Rose, knowing her niece well, hadn’t accepted that answer. “Nonsense. You’re going to come to Seattle, and I’ll help you. We’ll figure it out. I think I know just the right place.” And figure it out, they did. Ann could hardly believe it. Not only had the money for tuition been provided for, through a combination of scholarships and a small inheritance left behind by her maternal grandparents, but she also had a job and a place to live.
She would be working as a mother’s helper for a family with four kids, and her new home would be a room at Hotel Sorrento. One wing of the hotel had been temporarily leased as a women’s dormitory for the college.
Seattle College was a small Jesuit school on First Hill. A College of Education had recently been established within the school after some controversy over admitting women. It was a fight that had gone all the way to the Vatican. Ann would be among one of the first groups of women to graduate from the new program when she finished. According to Aunt Rose, it was a place for trailblazers.
After being assured that Ann would attend college, Rose had taken off on a six-month sabbatical from her teaching job at the University of Washington to conduct some research on cathedrals in England. She would be home soon, and Ann was anxious to catch up with her.
The cab lurched along cobbled roads, and the scenery changed from dusty city streets to a quieter, more genteel neighborhood called First Hill. Stately homes with vast green lawns and iron gates lined the road. Then Hotel Sorrento came into view. The Italian oasis-style building reached seven stories high. Its red-brick L-shape gracefully curved around a large front driveway and formal garden area. A smartly dressed doorman in a red suit with gold buttons stood attentively near the entrance. Ann said a quiet prayer of gratitude and awe as she took in the building’s beauty. “Welcome to Hotel Sorrento, the crown jewel of the Northwest!” said the man as he opened Ann’s door.
Inside, the rich mahogany paneled walls, chandeliers, and thick oriental rugs gave the lobby a feeling of warmth and luxury. Ann had never stayed anywhere so lovely before. After she checked in at the front desk, a bellhop escorted her to her new home—room 302 in the east wing. Ann entered the room, and her breath caught! The view was striking! Through a large window, framed by thick gold-colored drapes, she could see Puget Sound and much of the city.
Two twin beds with mahogany headboards and white matelassé coverlets took up most of the space in the simple and elegant room. A desk with a banker’s lamp sat under the window, and a low bureau with an attached round mirror was near the door. The empty wardrobe indicated Ann’s new roommate must not have arrived yet.
She was alone. After the rush of the last few hours, the solitude felt good. Her suitcase and purse rested on the top of the bureau where the bellhop had left it. There was also a copy of the Post Intelligencer, the newspaper she’d seen in the cab earlier. Would she have enough time to get some lunch before her meeting with Dean Prouty? Ann glanced at her watch. Thirty minutes. The apple and cheese her father had given her before she left Wenatchee on the train that morning would have to do.
Ann brought her lunch and the newspaper over to the desk and sat down to read. “‘Working Wife’ Loses U.W. Faculty Berth.” The headline caught her eye. It went on to say that a semi-secret “Anti-Nepotism” resolution had been put in place at the University of Washington to address the financial woes of the Great Depression. The university administration said that “those married women who were on the payroll whose husbands were able to support them should be dismissed from their positions.” At the request of Governor Martin, a list had been compiled of “married women and relatives” and “married couples” at the university.
Eager to keep the new policy as quiet as possible, University President Sieg had only informed the department chairmen. A favorite tenured professor from the art department, Lea Puymbroeck Miller, had been away on sabbatical the past fifteen months, studying abroad. During that time, she’d married zoology professor Robert Miller. She’d been unaware of the resolution and was promptly fired upon her return. It caused an uproar among the staff and students who loved her.
A chill ran through Ann’s body as she took a bite of her apple and continued to read about the ridiculous and unfair resolution. She wanted a career and a family someday. Hopefully, the situation at the university was an isolated case. Why couldn’t a woman have both? Aunt Rose was unmarried, and therefore safe, but how would she react to the news?
For now, Ann had to get to a meeting with Dean Prouty. She was excited to learn which classes she would take that fall and get settled into college life. She tried to put the disturbing article out of her mind as she looked in the mirror and carefully applied her favorite red lipstick.
She wore a brown silk dress with white bands on the cuffs and collar. Her slim figure was enhanced by the feminine style of the dress—a nipped waistline and tea-length skirt. Two-tone, high-heeled Mary Jane’s completed the ensemble. Her dark wavy shoulder-length hair was pulled up with a tortoiseshell comb on one side, and the only jewelry she wore was a gold Cartier wristwatch that had belonged to her mother. She’d traveled in the same outfit, but there was no time to change. Hopefully, it would do.
###
Later that afternoon, Ann walked into the lobby of Hotel Sorrento and sighed with pleasure. This stunning place would be home for an entire year!
The meeting had gone well, and Ann was smiling. Classes would start in two days. Some of the other women were arriving now too. Maybe her roommate was here. What would she be like? Would they become friends? The concierge stepped out from his podium to hand her a piece of paper with a phone message from Aunt Rose. She was back in Seattle and wanted to meet Ann in the Fireside Room of the hotel at seven that evening.
###
After a much-needed time of rest in her room, a change to evening clothes, and some time spent exploring and marveling at her new surroundings, it was time for Ann to meet her aunt downstairs.
“Hello, darling. I have someone I want you to meet!” Aunt Rose waved to Ann as soon as she stepped into the Fireside Room. A tall, handsome man stood beside her. Ann approached the couple, and leaned toward her aunt to kiss her cheek. Rose beamed as she turned and placed her hand through the crook in the man’s arm.
What was that sparkling diamond doing on her aunt’s left finger?
