Chapter 7 #2
“I know I have that wonderful, autographed napkin already, but would you mind signing this photo of Ernie and me?” She pulled a rigid envelope from her purse and slid a picture from their first date out of it.
They were standing in front of an airplane at the county fair, and the stars in Vera’s eyes were unmistakable.
This was no good at all. “Make it out to both of us. We’re going to treasure this for the rest of our lives. ”
Damn it. He’d tried to pretend he and Vera were on the same page about their relationship, but obviously, they weren’t.
There was no ignoring the weight of her expectations now.
But he really liked her, and he didn’t want to have to break up with her so soon.
And if he did, he’d be proving Millie right, which was unacceptable.
“Of course, Vera,” Millie said with a kindly smile.
“You remembered my name!” She squeezed Ernie’s arm. “Ernie, she remembered me!”
Vera planted an unwelcome kiss on his cheek. Normally, he enjoyed her easy affection, but suddenly, he felt the need to put some distance between them, especially given the judgmental look Millie was currently directing their way.
Vera was oblivious. “Ernie didn’t want to come today, but I dragged him here. I think you managed to impress him, Miss Aldrich, and that’s not easy to do.”
“You flew very well today,” he admitted, grudgingly.
Millie laughed. “High praise.”
She finished signing the photo and handed it back to Vera.
“Can I speak to you a moment in private?” Millie asked him, looking suddenly serious. “It’s about work,” she told Vera.
“Of course,” he answered. “I’ll be just a moment,” he assured Vera.
They took a few steps away, just far enough to whisper without being heard.
“Does she know you don’t have serious intentions? Because she’s obviously got matrimony in mind,” Millie hissed in his ear.
“I told her from the start that I’m not ready to commit, and she said the same. I’m not deceiving her about anything.” Not that it was a good enough defense, but he’d always been forthright.
Millie was too close. He could smell her spicy citrus scent. He could feel a magnetic tug that he didn’t like one bit from her proximity.
“You can’t do this,” Millie said.
“Do what?” As if he didn’t know.
“String her along. I like Vera too much to let her fall prey to a cad like you.”
“This is absolutely none of your business, Miss Aldrich, and I don’t appreciate you involving yourself.”
She leaned in closer. How was a man supposed to keep his composure with such a woman inches from his nose?
“I don’t care how you feel about it. I’m determined to see you do the right thing. I don’t want to see her get hurt like I was.”
He’d had about enough of this conversation. There had to be some way to distract her. “Your public is getting restless.” It was true. The people in line were starting to give them looks.
“This conversation isn’t over.”
“It is as far as I’m concerned.” Enough was enough.
She let out a long breath between her clenched teeth and glanced at the line again. “Fine. I’ll let it go for now. I’ll have to wait until our study session tomorrow to give you a piece of my mind.”
Crap. He’d completely forgotten. “About that. Can we reschedule? I have dinner plans with Vera.”
“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to make your excuses and cancel them. There are bigger things at stake here than your dinner date.”
What was she talking about? The only thing at stake was his love life. “You’re ruining a perfectly pleasant evening for me, you know. I won’t forget it.”
“Good. I don’t want you to forget it.”
“I’m finished with this conversation,” he growled, then turned to rejoin Vera.
“What was all that about?” Vera asked, as he returned to her and hurried her back to his Model T.
“She reminded me that I scheduled time with her tomorrow to go over the routes. I’d forgotten. I can’t go to dinner with you tomorrow. I’m sorry. I was really looking forward to it.”
“Poor Ernie.” She reached up and kissed his cheek. “I’ll have to make it up to you next time I see you.”
Guilt churned in Ernie’s belly. “Vera, you know I like you, right?”
“I sure do!” She beamed at him with a worrying dreamy look.
Yup, she was definitely hoping for wedding bells. There was no avoiding it. He had to do the right thing.
All the way to her place, he stewed as he drove.
Vera didn’t seem to notice. She spent most of the trip gazing adoringly at the signed photo and humming popular love songs.
He was an utter cad. Millie was right. He should have seen the signs sooner.
Vera was just so cute and spunky that he didn’t want to see the obvious.
She wanted a future that he couldn’t give her because, much as he liked her, he wasn’t in love.
And he certainly wasn’t ready to settle down.
They pulled up in front of her apartment building, and he turned to her.
“Vera, I think you’re really swell. I’ve had such a wonderful time on our dates, but…” He couldn’t quite bring himself to say the words.
Her cute, adoring face fell. “But what, Ernie?”
He really didn’t want to do this, but he had no choice.
“I think we should take a break. My flying schedule is getting so busy, and my family needs me at home more. And…I worry that maybe we’re taking things too fast.” He winced as he said it.
Her sweet, sassy mouth turned down in a frown.
“When we started going out, we said we were going to just have fun and not take things too seriously, but it seems like maybe that’s not the case for you anymore.
” He tilted his head toward the photo she was clinging to.
“But Ernie, I thought we had something special together.” A tear trickled down her cheek and then another.
Damnit, he made her cry. “I know. And the right man is going to come along before you know it to sweep you off your feet. You deserve someone who is going to love you with all his heart.”
“And that man’s not you?”
Ernie almost broke at the sight of her sweet, sorrowful, wide-eyed expression, but he had to stay strong. “I’m sorry, Vera. Really, I am.”
“I don’t know what to say, Ernie,” she said after a long silence. She sniffled and turned her face away. “I guess this is goodbye.”
She climbed out of the car before he could open the door for her and fled up the stairs of her stoop without looking at him.
God, he was an absolute prick, wasn’t he? But he’d done the right thing. He had no intention of marrying her, and it was better to end things before she got her hopes up any further than they already were.
At home, alone in his bedroom, he took off his shoes and sat back on the bed. What was he going to do now? He had no doubt Millie meant every word she said about trying to change his ways. It didn’t help that she was absolutely right.
And a damned good pilot.
And devastatingly gorgeous, especially when she was angry at him.
And she smelled really good, though the fact that he had noticed was not a good sign.
Maybe Mr. Dickson had a point. Millie was too much of a distraction.
The sooner he got her to quit, the better.
She was a danger to his sanity, and he couldn’t afford to soften towards her.
He needed to be rid of this woman once and for all.
As soon as she was gone from the airmail team, he’d be free again to see who he chose when he chose with no interference.