Page 67 of Plane Passion

He led her up the stairs, and she stopped halfway up, staring at the framed portraits on the walls.

“Did you do these?”

Suddenly self-conscious, he needed a moment to find his tongue.

“Y-yes. For Christmas every year, I draw a portrait of each member of the family. These are the most recent.”

“They’re incredible, Ernie.”

She’d seen a few of his sketches but never a finished work. Did she truly like them? He was only an amateur.

He cleared his throat, not knowing how to respond to her compliment.

“The dining room is through here,” he said, gesturing toward the door to the parlor level.

Leading her into the dining room, he saw his whole family lined up in a row against the wall, like troops at inspection. When did his family become quiet and orderly?

As soon as she saw Millie, Mom rushed forward.

“So nice to meet you, Miss Aldrich. What a lovely cake,” she said, taking the confection and putting it in the middle of the table in a place of honor.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Aldrich. May I take your coat?” Pop said, as Millie hurriedly took off her coat and hat, revealing a modest, light blue dress that matched her eyes perfectly.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Miss Aldrich,” Constance said, shaking Millie’s hand. “I’m Constance, and this is Prudence and Verity. We’re excited to get to know you. Ernie has been very tight-lipped.”

“Yes, he has,” Verity piped up. “But we’ve read all about you. Is it true you invented a new trick that no one had ever done before for your performances?”

“Is it true that you only use Maybelline makeup?” Prudence asked before Millie could answer. “Mom won’t let me wear makeup yet. She says I’m too young.”

“What was it like growing up in the circus?” Verity interrupted.

“Have you read ‘The Mysterious Affair at Styles’ by Agatha Christie? If not, you should, I could lend it to you,” Prudence said, nudging her sister aside.

It was time to intervene.

“Girls, let’s give Miss Aldrich a moment to sit down and get settled before giving her the third degree,” Ernie said, pulling Millie away from his sisters.

Fortunately, Millie seemed to be on the verge of laughter, taking the barrage from his sisters in stride.

He pulled out a chair for her and helped her be seated, then took a seat beside her. Constance took the seat on her other side, much to his relief. Prudence and Verity sat next to Mom on the other side of the table, and Pop sat at the head of the table, as always.

There was a crisp, white, starched linen tablecloth on the table, and Mom had gotten out the good China, hand-painted with roses by Grandma Elsworth. The cloth napkins were embroidered by Constance with light blue flowers. It was a far cry from what she was probably used to, but it was the very best his family had to offer.

He tried not to worry that they were too shabby for Millie. She didn’t grow up rich. Hopefully she wouldn’t judge their humble home too harshly.

“Everything looks beautiful,” Millie said, “and the food smells delicious. Thank you so much for having me! It’s been far too long since I had a home-cooked meal, especially since my parents moved to Florida.”

Ernie reached beneath the tablecloth and squeezed her hand to thank her for saying exactly the right thing. She squeezed it back, and his shoulders relaxed at last. He hadn’t realized how worried he was about her first impressions of his home.

“Let’s say grace,” Pop said when they were all seated. He offered a brief blessing, and then Mom started passing around plates.

“You said your parents live in Florida?” Pop asked.

“They like the warm weather, and my mother needed to move to a warm place for her health.”

“Ah. That makes sense. You’re originally from Garden City, is that right?” Mom asked, pouring water into everyone’s glasses.

“That’s right,” said Millie with a smile. “I loved it in Garden City. Our lives were so much simpler there. Things got complicated when my career took off.”