Page 23 of Plane Passion

“I sure do!” She beamed at him with a worrying dreamy look.

Yup, she was definitely hoping for wedding bells. There was no avoiding it. He had to do the right thing.

All the way to her place, he stewed as he drove. Vera didn’t seem to notice. She spent most of the trip gazing adoringly at the signed photo and humming popular love songs. He was an utter cad. Millie was right. He should have seen the signs sooner. Vera was just so cute and spunky that he didn’t want to see the obvious. She wanted a future that he couldn’t give her because, much as he liked her, he wasn’t in love. And he certainly wasn’t ready to settle down.

They pulled up in front of her apartment building, and he turned to her.

“Vera, I think you’re really swell. I’ve had such a wonderful time on our dates, but…” He couldn’t quite bring himself to say the words.

Her cute, adoring face fell. “But what, Ernie?”

He really didn’t want to do this, but he had no choice. “I think we should take a break. My flying schedule is getting so busy, and my family needs me at home more. And…I worry that maybe we’re taking things too fast.” He winced as he said it. Her sweet, sassy mouth turned down in a frown. “When we started going out, we said we were going to just have fun and not take things too seriously, but it seems like maybe that’s not the case for you anymore.” He tilted his head toward the photo she was clinging to.

“But Ernie, I thought we had something special together.” A tear trickled down her cheek and then another.

Damnit, he made her cry. “I know. And the right man is going to come along before you know it to sweep you off your feet. You deserve someone who is going to love you with all his heart.”

“And that man’s not you?”

Ernie almost broke at the sight of her sweet, sorrowful, wide-eyed expression, but he had to stay strong. “I’m sorry, Vera. Really, I am.”

“I don’t know what to say, Ernie,” she said after a long silence. She sniffled and turned her face away. “I guess this is goodbye.”

She climbed out of the car before he could open the door for her and fled up the stairs of her stoop without looking at him.

God, he was an absolute prick, wasn’t he? But he’d done the right thing. He had no intention of marrying her, and it was better to end things before she got her hopes up any further than they already were.

At home, alone in his bedroom, he took off his shoes and sat back on the bed. What was he going to do now? He had no doubt Millie meant every word she said about trying to change his ways. It didn’t help that she was absolutely right.

And a damned good pilot.

And devastatingly gorgeous, especially when she was angry at him.

And she smelled really good, though the fact that he had noticed was not a good sign.

Maybe Mr. Dickson had a point. Millie was too much of a distraction. The sooner he got her to quit, the better. She was a danger to his sanity, and he couldn’t afford to soften towards her. He needed to be rid of this woman once and for all. As soon as she was gone from the airmail team, he’d be free again to see who he chose when he chose with no interference.

8

Millie perused her closet, trying to decide which dress was the most somber. She didn’t want Ernie getting any ideas. This was a study session, not a date, even if they were planning to spend hours together in a tête-à-tête. She’d keep everything strictly professional, and if she played her cards right, she’d be able to set him straight about Vera too. Her calf-length navy blue dress with half sleeves and a bateau neckline would do nicely. It was all business. There was no mistaking this dress for something flirtatious.

“That dress makes you look like a military commander,” Beth said when Millie emerged from her room. “Are you sure that’s what you want for a date?”

“It’s not a date.”

“So you’ve told me. But you aren’t fooling me for a minute with your ‘study session.’”

Millie narrowed her eyes at Beth.

“At least let me do your hair,” Beth said. “You can’t be seen in public with it like that.”

She patted her messy bun with wisps falling out and sighed.

“All right. You can do my hair.”

Half an hour later, her hair was sculpted into a finger wave and gathered elegantly at the nape of her neck. Beth finished it off with a blue, beaded ribbon, which Millie took off. It was too flirtatious for sitting and looking at maps.

Was the hairdo too much? It would have to do because it was time to head out. Putting on a coat, she hurried out to her roadster.