Page 24 of Plane Passion

The drive and ferry ride passed quickly as she mulled over speeches to give to Ernie about his treatment of poor Vera. Before she knew it, she was pulling into the dirt lot at Heller Airport. Ernie’s Model T was already parked there. He’d beat her there, a fact that shouldn’t have irked her nearly as much as it did.

She made her way to the map room, ready to give him a piece of her mind. As she pulled open the door, she glanced around the small, cozy space with floor-to-ceiling cubbies of maps and papers, seeking out the object of her ire.

Ernie looked up from the pile of maps he’d assembled on the round table at the center of the room, a lock of too-long blond hair falling in front of his impish brown eyes. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing his muscular forearms and swallow tattoo. The effect raised the temperature by several degrees, which she was determined to ignore.

She cleared her throat. “Pritchard.”

His lazy smile and annoyingly charming dimples made her stomach somersault. “Miss Aldrich.”

“Just call me Aldrich. You call everyone else by their last names.” And she wanted to be treated like everyone else on the team. She’d never much liked being called “Miss.” It suggested someone prim, proper and coquettish—in other words, someone totally unlike her.

“Sure thing, Aldrich.” He straightened with a flirtatious grin that made her want to punch him and kiss him at the same time.

Hang on a moment. Kiss him?

“Err…tell me about the maps,” she said like an idiot. All her rehearsed speeches about Vera abandoned her as she grappled with the unwelcome tug of Ernie’s smile. No wonder Vera fell for him. “And after that, we’re going to have a little chat about Vera.” After she collected herself a bit and remembered all the scathing things she had to say.

“Whatever you say, Aldrich,” he teased.

God, she liked her last name on his lips a little too much. It was a good thing he was taken and out of her reach.

“But you should know I broke up with Vera after our date.”

Did he just say…? “You broke up with Vera?” Her voice was too high-pitched for her liking. She cleared her throat and lowered it. “Why did you go and do that? I had a whole speech rehearsed about how you should do right by her and settle down.”

She wanted to be angry at him. She wanted to rage and lecture and put him in his place, but one thought obliterated all the others. Ernie is single.

“It wouldn’t have been fair to lead her on. I didn’t feel the same way she did.” He stood straight and cocked his head, challenge written in his eyes.

He didn’t feel the same way she did. Why did that send Millie’s heart soaring? She was supposed to be furious on Vera’s behalf. No possible good could come from mooning over Ernie. Even if he wasn’t a complete cad, there was Mr. Burleson’s order not to fraternize. He was off limits, and that was the end of it.

“Fine,” she said, shoving away unwanted thoughts.

“Fine?” Ernie looked at her like she’d grown another head.

“Yes, fine. I’m letting it drop so that we can focus on what we’re supposed to be doing here. Show me the maps.” It was a transparent diversion, but she hoped that if she looked stern enough, she could pull it off.

Ernie chewed his lip as he stared at her for a long moment. She met his gaze and held it, silently daring him to question her, even though it sent warmth coiling in places she didn’t want it.

At last, he shrugged and pointed down at one of the maps. “Here’s our route from Heller to Chicago. I’ll walk you through it step by step and tell you all the things you won’t find on the map. Do you have a notepad?”

Did she? Checking her purse, she came up empty-handed. Damn it all! How could she forget her notepad?

Ernie smirked. “Don’t worry. See that cubby over there?” He pointed to the far wall. “We’ve got notepads to spare, and the pencils are in the cubby below.”

She narrowed her eyes at him before turning to gather her supplies. The cubbies were low, and she had to bend down to get what she needed. When she turned back around, she caught him looking at her for a split second before he turned his gaze to the ceiling, a faint flush creeping up his neck. If ever she needed proof that he was a cad…

“Eyes here, Pritchard.” She pointed at the map on the table. “We have work to do.”

Ernie cleared his throat and looked down at the map. “Right. Well, this is Heller right here.” He pointed to a tiny, hand-drawn star on the map. “The first leg of the journey is from here to Bellefonte.”

Ernie launched into a detailed description of the route, noting every landmark they would pass. For the most part, they would be following rail lines, but for some stretches, they would follow roads instead, and once they were in the foothills of the Alleghenies, there would be no place to land until Bellefonte. This would be a good test of her navigation and distance-flying skills, which weren’t nearly as well-honed as her barnstorming tricks.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Ernie asked as she puzzled over the winding path they would need to take once they reached the foothills. “I know you’re a damned good pilot, but this is a very different set of challenges than you’re used to.”

He wasn’t wrong, and his compliment made her giddier than it should have. But it irritated her that he was trying to dissuade her. “Yes, I’m sure. This should be a piece of cake. Are you worried that I’ll show you up by getting there first?”

“Only if you want to crash into a mountain. There’s no way you could navigate to Bellefonte on your own without following my lead.”