Page 55 of Soaring Sweethearts

Everyone turned to her, clamoring for news.

Doing her best to hold back tears, she said, “There was a message from a farmer. He landed in a strawberry field near Dover, but the message didn’t say whether he took off again.”

At that moment, a distant buzz made them all turn and stare into the star-studded blackness. Could it be?

Long minutes ticked by as the noise grew louder. It certainly sounded like an airplane engine, but she hardly dared hope. And then the outline of a plane appeared in silhouette—a darker black against the inky sky. But was it safe to land in the dark like this? Heller was a nightmare to land in at the best of times. All the pilots said so.

All she could do was watch and pray as the plane circled and descended, just barely avoiding the jewelry factory next door as it came in for a landing. She held her breath as the plane touched down and skidded to a halt just shy of the dirt pile at the end of the runway.

Cheers went up from the gathered group as the tension of the last few hours gave way to overwhelming relief.

He was here. He was safe.

It was too much to take, and she clung to Ernie to steady her as she took deep, shuddering breaths, her feet suddenly unsteady beneath her.

Ernie wrapped his arms around her, murmuring a steady stream of reassurances. “It’s okay. He’s safe. He’s alive. Nothing bad happened. He’ll be right here in a moment.”

As the tension that had held her upright drained out of her, tears started to fall. She couldn’t hold them back. “I was so scared. Oh, Ernie, how am I going to do this? I thought I was never going to see him again.”

“Shh. It’s okay. You’re stronger than you think. If I couldn’t keep you two apart, then nothing can.”

She smiled through her tears and hugged him tight.

“Come on. Let’s go see him. You can hold onto me for support.”

“Thank you.” Releasing her brother, she leaned on his arm, and they wobbled over to Jack’s Jenny as he swung his legs out of the cockpit and slid down the side.

“Constance.” Jack rushed to her and folded her in his arms.

It was a good thing he was holding her because she melted into a quivering mess in his embrace. “You’re home,” she blubbered against the bulky leather covering his chest.

“I’m so sorry I scared you, sweetheart. I shouldn’t have risked flying home in the dark, but I didn’t want to leave you waiting for hours while I hitched my way back to Newark. Please forgive me.”

“Of course,” was all she could manage through her tears.

“Listen,” said Ernie behind her. “You’re not looking too steady on your feet. Let me take you to sit down in the map room. You can wait while Jack and I get out of these suits, and then you can talk with Jack for a few minutes alone before we head back to Brooklyn. Does that sound all right?”

She nodded against Jack’s chest, now damp with her tears. It was a sensible thing to do, even if she didn’t want to let go of Jack for a second ever again. And the fact that Ernie was allowing them to be alone together was generous beyond all hope, even if it was only for a few minutes.

Reluctantly, she let go of Jack and took Ernie’s arm again.

But before taking her to the map room, Ernie turned to Jack. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Same.” Jack’s rough voice tugged at her heart. Men were so absurdly tight-lipped about their feelings. She knew darned well they had both worried about each other, but this was as much as either of them was likely to say.

Ernie swallowed hard before he put on a stern face. “Now go get out of that stinking suit while I get her settled. You can talk to her while I change out of mine, and then we can all go home at long last. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Constance let her brother lead her inside. He stopped to grab her a cup of water in the break room, then supported her as they made their way to the map room.

“Why the map room?” she asked, as he helped her take a seat and handed her the water.

“It’s private. No one will bother you in here.”

Something told her he spoke from experience. “Oh? Have you and Millie snuck away to the map room for a private moment together?”

Straightening, Ernie let out a sigh. “I’m regretting proposing this already.”