Chapter 5
Ernie knew very well that Heller Airport in Newark was a nightmare to land in.
Miss Aldrich had shown remarkable skill and stamina over the last few days and had remained blessedly silent since running into him at dinner.
He overheard her saying something about him being handsome and arrogant, and she seemed deeply embarrassed by it.
Not that he minded being called handsome and arrogant.
Both were true. And he rather liked the idea of Millie thinking he was handsome.
Still, it was probably best for both of them to pretend it didn’t happen and focus instead on flying.
Today’s landing would be a true test of her abilities.
The runway was too short, and the airport was pinned between two factories with a canal right behind it.
If you came in too fast, you’d end up in the dirt pile at the end of the runway, or worse yet, the water.
He’d talked her through what to do, but now he needed to see if she could do it.
As he watched and circled, he could hardly breathe. If Millie got hurt executing this landing, he didn’t know what he would do. He was trying to get her to quit, not send her to the hospital.
She let her plane drop, just as he’d instructed. His knuckles turned white on the yoke as he watched. So far so good.
At the last moment, she turned hard to miss the Tiffany factory. It was a near miss, but that was how it had to be for the landing to be successful. A trickle of sweat dripped down his neck as she nosed down and wheels touched the ground.
It was a rough landing, but she stopped short of the dirt pile at the end of the runway, which was more than he could say for most pilots attempting it for the first time.
He let out the breath slowly. Thank God she made it!
That was an impressive bit of flying, though he would never admit to it out loud.
Ernie circled around once more and executed the tricky maneuver himself, touching his pocket watch for luck right before he went in.
As his wheels touched dirt, he heaved a sigh of relief.
They were home safe, and he hadn’t killed Millie Aldrich.
He hadn’t convinced her to quit either, though, and he knew he was going to hear about it from Mr. Dickson.
He needed a plan. Maybe the Philadelphia–DC run was too easy.
Maybe he needed to present her with more of a challenge.
Getting out of his plane, he surrendered it to the mechanics and then headed to the locker room.
It was a relief to shed his suit. Miss Aldrich wasn’t wrong about how uncomfortable the damned things were.
He headed to the breakroom for a cup of disgusting coffee to warm up, but as he turned, he bumped right into Mr. Dickson.
“Pritchard. I’m glad you’re here.” Mr. Dickson nodded towards his office.
Ernie followed and sat down as Mr. Dickson closed the door.
“This business with Miss Aldrich has gotten out of hand. There’s a reporter poking around asking questions about whether Millie Aldrich rescued an airmail pilot from a pumpkin patch. Would you know anything about that?”
There was no good answer to that, so Ernie stayed silent.
Mr. Dickson’s expression darkened. “I knew she’d be trouble. Women have no business in my airmail operation. Have you had any luck getting her to quit?”
“Not yet.” Ernie turned his gaze to his boots.
The deep, rumbling noise Mr. Dickson made gave Ernie the willies.
“Burleson says we can’t fire her as long as she’s following the rules and doing her job.
I don’t know why he foisted her on us, but we’re stuck with her until we can prove she doesn’t belong.
What do you think is our best option here? ”
Ernie squirmed in his seat and touched his pocket watch.
Millie had impressed him. He was starting to feel a little bit guilty for plotting to get her to quit.
Much though he hated to admit it, she might actually deserve to fly the mail.
Not that he could afford to come to her defense in front of Mr. Dickson. He needed to keep his job after all.
Clearing his throat, he said, “I think we should try her on a harder route. New York to DC was too easy. Let’s try her on the Chicago route and see how she likes it.
The cold is even more punishing this time of year, and she’ll have to negotiate ‘Hell’s Stretch’ over the Alleghenies.
I’ll do my best to make sure she comes to no harm, but hopefully, it will convince her to quit. ”
Mr. Dickson nodded. “I’ll update your schedules. You’ll leave Monday morning. We need her out of here so that we can get on with the business of delivering the mail. We have enough troubles without a woman here stirring things up.”
The longer this assignment lasted, the less Ernie liked it, but it wasn’t as if he had a choice. “Is that all, sir?”
“Yes, that’s all. Thank you.”
Ernie got up to leave and headed to the breakroom where he saw Millie pouring herself a cup of coffee. His heart went out to her. No one deserved to be drummed out of a job for no reason like this. But there wasn’t a thing he could do about it without risking the ire of Mr. Dickson.
She turned to face him. “When do we fly again?”
Her gaze flickered to meet his and then away. She’d had trouble meeting his eyes since their run-in at dinner.
“Monday morning. We’re heading to Chicago. You’ll want to bundle up for it. This route is much worse than the one to DC.”
She smiled and looked up again, more confident this time. There was an exuberant light in her eye. The madwoman seemed to welcome the challenge. “I’ll be ready.”
He couldn’t help but feel grudging admiration for her bald courage. For a long moment, their gazes locked, and something passed between them that sent warmth all through him. Oh, no. That couldn’t be good.
“Pritchard?” Her cheeks flushed as she said his name, and she glanced away.
“Yes?”
“How was the rest of your date with Vera?” She looked back up at him, a spark of challenge in her eyes.
How was his date any of her business?
“Fine, though I’d rather not discuss my love life with you.
” It was more than fine. Vera was so excited to learn that he was flying with Millie Aldrich that she fawned over him all evening.
Nonetheless, his ears burned, and he squirmed under Millie’s scrutiny.
Why did he feel so defensive all of a sudden?
“Fair. I just wanted to say that I liked her.”
“And?” She obviously had something else on the tip of her tongue. His gaze dipped briefly to her lips, as if he could see what she was biting back. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips, and something inside him clenched.
“And I hope you’re treating her right.” She looked him in the eye as she said it, her fiery gaze scalding him. “It’s obvious that she hears wedding bells every time she looks at you, and I think she deserves better than you.”
He’d been worrying about that too, but he liked Vera. They had fun together. And he’d been clear from the start that this was strictly casual. He tugged at his collar. When did it get so hot in here? “And why is that?”
“I don’t appreciate your attitudes toward women. Just look at how you’ve been treating me.” She stepped closer. They were toe to toe. Too close.
“I’m perfectly respectful towards women.”
“Oh? Then you’re not trying to get me to quit, and your intentions toward Vera are entirely honorable?”
Ouch. That hit too close to home. “My relationship with Vera is none of your business, and I’ll thank you to keep your opinions to yourself.”
Her breath whispered against his neck. Did this woman never back down?
Out of nowhere a vivid memory of Millie in that beaded dress she wore the other night assailed him.
Her lips were too close. He could smell her scent of soap and lemon.
For a split second, the heat of fury gave way to the heat of something else.
Time slowed down to a crawl, and he found himself leaning toward her, lips parted.
Oh, God no.
Spinning away, he walked out, shaking with anger and something else he was trying very hard to ignore. He went to the locker room to grab his bag and headed straight to the car.
He had the whole two-hour drive to cool off, but he needed to get away from her immediately. Cranking up his Model T, he set off, pedal to the metal, speeding along at a blistering forty miles per hour.
Soon, he was at the ferry to Manhattan. He stayed in his car, fuming, for the trip across the Hudson. They couldn’t build that tunnel between Manhattan and New Jersey soon enough, as far as he was concerned. The progress of the ferry was too slow, and he was itching to move.
How dare she pry into his personal business like that!
What gave her the right to sit in judgment over him?
She didn’t understand anything about him.
Vera wasn’t under any illusion that he was going to marry her.
She knew he wasn’t ready to settle down.
He understood Miss Aldrich’s anger at him for trying to get her to quit.
But that didn’t make his relationship with Vera any of her business.
As he disembarked the ferry, he found himself in for even more waiting as traffic snarled his short trip across Manhattan to the Brooklyn Bridge.
The spire of the Woolworth Building seemed to glower down at him along with the lesser towers that had recently sprung up like weeds in Lower Manhattan.
Everyone and everything seemed to be out to thwart him.