Page 69 of Air Affair

“That’s a perfectly reasonable thing to be concerned about. But have you asked him about it? If he’s truly someone who can make you happy, he should respect your freedom. Have you thought about what you might need from him for you to feel comfortable saying yes?”

“That’s the thing. He’s already bent over backwards and done everything I could possibly want, including drafting legal documents committing that he’ll never take a cent from me. But I’m not sure what would take away the hesitation in my heart. Maybe this is about me and not about him. Maybe I’m not ready yet.”

If only she could put her finger on what would fix her inconvenient feelings, this would all be so much easier.

Evelyn took both her hands and looked her in the eyes. “Then wait until you’re ready. Only you can know what is right for you.”

It wasn’t the most helpful of answers, but she couldn’t say she was surprised. Evelyn was right. This was her decision to make, and no one could make it for her.

“Have you talked to your aunt about this? I’m sure she’d have a thing or two to say about the institution of marriage, considering how poorly things went with her first husband. Something made her decide to marry again, despite all she went through.”

“I haven’t dared. I’m afraid of how she’ll react if she hears about Hank. She’ll say I’m throwing my life away for a man. I’m sure of it.” Rory loved Aunt Alva so much, and she was so afraid of seeing disapproval in her eyes. Her aunt had given her a stern talking to about not throwing her pearls to swine after the Archie incident. She didn’t think she was ready to face Aunt Alva’s censure again. At least not yet.

“Don’t be so certain. She might surprise you. At the very least, you should let her know you’re all right. She reaches out to me almost every day asking if I’ve heard from you. Please let her know how you’re doing so that I can have a little bit of peace.”

Rory squeezed Evelyn’s hands. “You’re right. I should. I’m sorry she’s been pestering you. I’ll get in touch so that she leaves you alone.”

Evelyn squeezed back. “Thank you. She’s like a steam locomotive when she’s on a mission. There’s only so much I can do to hold her back.” Relinquishing Rory’s hands, Evelyn picked up another cookie. “You know, I do envy you.”

That took Rory by surprise. “You do?”

“Mm-hmm. You’ve broken free. You’ve won your independence and can do as you please.”

“Hardly. I’ve burned all my bridges, and I’m cobbling together a life as best I can from the ashes. I can choose my future, but I can’t undo the past. I’ll always be a fallen woman whose family disowned her. I’ll never live that down.” Try as she might to rise above it, her ruined reputation still weighed her down in quiet moments when there was nothing to distract her. Much as she wanted to be a modern woman who didn’t give a damn about convention, she knew the rest of the world did.

Evelyn shook her head. “You’ll be a phoenix, rising from the ashes. Mark my words. Nothing is going to keep Rory Belmont down. Speaking of which, is Hank going to teach you how to fly? Because I want to be your first passenger when you get your pilot’s license.”

Flying. Rory and Hank had talked about it over lunch on the beach the other day. He offered to teach her, regardless of whether she agreed to be his wife. She would have a hard time paying attention to her lessons with him as a teacher, but how could she resist such a generous offer?

“He did. With any luck, I’ll be a licensed pilot by the fall.”

“That’s simply splendid,” Evelyn said, clapping her hands together. “What a marvelous man you’ve found! He sounds like a keeper to me.”

Rory smiled. “Yes, he is. And I have no intention of letting him go. I just need to figure out a way to stay with him without feeling like I’m giving up this new life I’ve discovered.”

“I’m certain you’ll figure things out,” Evelyn winked. “Now tell me more about how things are going with the PBA. I’m dying to know.”

For the next hour, they chatted about the future of the PBA and how they were going to expand it beyond New York City. It would be a challenge, but together, they could accomplish just about anything.

As Rory said her goodbyes, she couldn’t help reflecting on how different her life was without all the trappings of wealth. Living on her own required a lot of hard work, but it felt more real. In Mineola, everything she wanted done she had to do herself, but every day she earned her place in the world. That was an entirely new experience. Under Papa’s roof, she’d never lifted a finger. Everything was done for her. It was good for her to come down from the clouds. What was more, in her new life, she had friends, purpose, and love. And Evelyn was right. She was better off without all the rest.

Something shifted for her during their conversation. A small part of her had been holding back from her new life and clinging to the familiar world she had left behind. But now, she was ready to let it go and embrace new possibilities. She could even picture how she might find her way to saying yes to Hank.

She left the Carnegie mansion with a new spring in her step, ready to face whatever life might bring, even the terrifying, wonderful possibility of love.

26

The three days away from Rory seemed to stretch to eternity, but at long last, Hank was ready to fly the final stretch back to New York.

“Headed home to your lady love?” O’Donnell asked, putting down his turkey sandwich.

Hank threw away the butcher paper his own sandwich had been wrapped in and took a last swig of muddy coffee before rinsing his mug in the sink of the Bustleton Airport lunchroom. Three other men sat at whitewashed picnic tables enjoying the sandwiches Mrs. Richardson brought them from Cooper’s Deli down the street. Hank had eaten his at record speed, desperate to get to his plane and leave Philadelphia behind.

“I can’t wait to see her. I think I may have convinced her to finally say yes.”

O’Donnell grinned. “Can’t understand what she sees in you, myself. But I wish you the best of luck, you old dog.”

Hank laughed. “Thank you. I’ll need it.”