Page 53 of Plane Passion

“I’ll be there in ten minutes,” she murmured back. Then, aloud, she said, “See you in the morning, Pritchard.”

She checked into her room, dropped off her things, and knocked on his door right on time.

19

Mr. Dickson’s furrowed brow and clenched jaw did not bode well.

“You were supposed to get her to quit.”

Every pen and pencil Mr. Dickson owned was lined up, points outward like a spikey barricade aimed at Ernie.

“I thought the Chicago route would do it. I was wrong.”

Truth be told, Ernie no longer wanted Millie to quit. He wanted to keep flying the same route as her and having secret trysts at the hotels along the way. If she quit, would he ever see her again? But there was no question he’d failed Mr. Dickson.

“I’ll keep her on the Chicago route. It’s only October, and I’m willing to bet she’ll quit once winter truly sets in. You, however, have disappointed me. Don’t think that just because you broke a record flying back from Chicago last month that there won’t be consequences. Effective immediately, I’m assigning you to the Boston route.”

Even though he knew it was coming, he winced. “Yes, sir.”

The Boston route was miserable this time of year, and the weather-related delays meant anyone on it was perpetually in hot water for late deliveries. Not to mention the brutal cold in the winter. And, more importantly, he had no idea how he was ever going to see Millie if they were on different routes.

“For some reason, I can’t seem to keep pilots on that route,” Mr. Dickson grumbled. “You are going to provide the coverage we need while I find some other way to get Millie Aldrich to quit. I’ve heard you’ve gotten a little too friendly with her.”

Too friendly? Oh, no. What had Mr. Dickson heard? He thought they were being discreet.

“I’ve heard that you give her compliments and encouragement and that you’re far too patient with her hot-headed ways.”

Phew! If that was all, this would soon blow over.

“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t feel it would be gentlemanly to be impolite.”

Mr. Dickson looked up from under his bushy brows. “I wasn’t expecting you to be ungentlemanly, just discouraging. A woman in an airplane is a danger to herself and others. We need to end this farce.”

“Respectfully, Mr. Dickson, I disagree. Miss Aldrich is a highly capable and experienced pilot. More so than most of the men we bring in to join the team. I’ve had a chance to see her performance firsthand, and I can honestly say she’s probably one of the best pilots we’ve got. And she’s far more determined than most. The airmail would do well to keep her.”

As soon as he said it, he knew he’d made a tactical error, but he wasn’t sorry for standing up for Millie. She was a damned fine pilot, even if Mr. Dickson was too myopic to believe it.

Pinning him with a glare, Mr. Dickson cleared his throat. “You are formally relieved of any responsibilities related to Millie Aldrich, and going forward, if you want to keep your job, you should think twice about contradicting me. Clearly, I assigned the wrong man to this job. You start the Boston route on Friday morning. You are dismissed.”

“But Mr. Dickson⁠—”

“I said you are dismissed.”

Ernie got out of Mr. Dickson’s office before he could make anything worse.

As he cranked up his car, his mind was preoccupied with Millie. How could he let her know that his route had been switched? He didn’t even have her number. He paused in his cranking and went back inside to the message cubbies. He pulled a flier out of his and scribbled on the back.

I’ve been switched to the Boston route effective immediately. I fly on Friday. My number is Brooklyn 65182. Call me. –Ernie

He folded it, stuffed it in her cubby, and headed back out to the car. As he drove home, he wondered how long it would take her to see it. She’d already left by the time he got out of Mr. Dickson’s office, and it would be three days before she was due back. Three agonizing days, and possibly longer if she didn’t see the message immediately. And what if she called after he left for Boston?

Or what if she didn’t call at all? What if she decided their affair was over? It was one thing to sneak into each other’s hotel rooms when they were on assignment together, but something else entirely to intentionally see each other outside of work. Would she see this as an opportunity to end things? It was an easy way out for Millie if she decided she wanted to be rid of him.

Three days! How was he going to survive three days of not knowing?

He wasn’t even going to be at Heller Airport the same time as her. Mr. Dickson said Friday. That was four days away. Maybe he should make up an excuse to go to the airstrip on Thursday to see if he could catch her. No, that would seem too desperate. He needed to trust his note and wait for a call.

Arriving at home, he parked, bracing himself for the noise and chaos he was about to endure. Much to his surprise, the only sound was the clacking of typewriter keys.