Page 60 of Plane Passion

No. Best not to let his mind go there.

For now, he would take what he could get—anything to be close to her.

Her cup slowly lowered. Her lips parted. No sound came out.

“Please,” he whispered, putting all he felt in his heart into that tiny word.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“All right,” she said at last. “But not here. I’ll call you from Bellefonte this evening. Then we’ll have some privacy.”

Thank God she caved.

“You still have my number?”

Her cheeks flushed pink, and she wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Yes.”

She patted her pocket. A wave of elation washed over him at the knowledge that she cared enough not only to keep it but to carry it with her. Perhaps all was not lost!

“I’ll be waiting by the phone.”

Her eyes flickered to him and then away.

“You should go before anyone comes in and gets suspicious. I already worry about what Thompson must think.”

Jack would keep their secrets. But she was right to be cautious.

“Of course,” he said. “I’ll talk to you tonight.”

He lingered a moment too long, and she shooed him out with her hand.

Rushing back to his car, he wasn’t sure if he was relieved or even more wound up than before. She was going to call, but what would she say? Clearly, she was hesitant to speak to him at all. Whatever she had to say couldn’t be good. He was only hastening his own demise by pushing to speak to her. But he had to have a chance to make his case, which was…what exactly?

Oh, dear. What was he going to say? He hadn’t a clue. All he knew was that he needed to see her again. And again. And again. Until either this mad infatuation petered out or they wound up married.

Ernie nearly crashed into a lamppost when the word “married” crossed his mind.

How could a word that felt so wrong for him until moments ago suddenly feel so right? He imagined what life would be like married to her, waking up every day with her in his arms. They would fly around the world together. And when they were ready, they would have tiny, feisty, little pilot babies with big blue eyes and golden hair like their mama.

Oh, dear Lord. Was he in love with Millie Aldrich?

The thought made him shiver in horror. Of all the people in the world to fall for, why did it have to be her? They barely got along, except when they were in bed. Then he thought about their study date that ended at the speakeasy. He was hard pressed to come up with another evening he’d enjoyed more, despite their skirmishes.

And what about that snow day in Bellefonte, throwing snowballs and eating an awkward dinner with Jack? She made him laugh. They had fun together. He’d never met another woman so daring and brave. It wasn’t just the sex. Something about her appealed to him deeply. He wanted to spend time with her, hear what she had to say. Even their arguments he enjoyed. She was a strong woman with strong views, and he respected that.

He had it bad. There was no denying it.

When he got home, he had the house to himself. The twins were at school. Constance was in class. His mother was out running errands. Pop was out at the church, as always.

He sat down at the desk in the sitting room and pulled out a pen and paper. Maybe he could find the right words to make his case before Millie called.

Fifteen minutes later, the page in front of him was still blank. He put down the pen in defeat. Writing had never been his strong suit.

Inspiration. That was what he needed. Going over to the bookshelf, he pulled down the collected works of Shakespeare. Surely the Bard would have a line or two he could use.

He remembered reading “Much Ado about Nothing” in high school. Beatrice and Benedick bickered like him and Millie, and they fell in love. Maybe there was a line that would suit?

At last, he found the right words and wrote them across the top of his paper.