Page 52 of The Spitfire Girls
‘Yes, sir, I will.’
Ruby jumped back as Tom opened the door again. He kicked it shut and wrapped his arms around her. She held on tight, not knowing when they’d have a moment alone together again. This time when he kissed her, it was full of love and tenderness, a goodbye kind of kiss, and tears welled in her eyes.
‘Goodbye, Ruby,’ he whispered, kissing a tear from her cheek.
‘Not goodbye,’ she said, her voice cracking as she tried to be brave. ‘Until next time.’
‘Yeah, until next time, beautiful,’ he said, stepping back and stroking down her arm until he caught her fingers. He held them up and kissed them. ‘And I’m so sorry. For everything. I acted like an idiot – some of the things I said to you, I’m just ...’ He ducked his head lower and looked straight into her eyes. ‘I’m sorry and I love you.’
She smiled through her tears. ‘I love you, too.’
He kissed her, long and slow, one last time.
‘Will I see you when I come back with the Halifax?’ she asked, wiping her cheeks with the back of her knuckles. ‘Or will you be gone by then?’
His smile faded. ‘If the cloud has cleared, I’ll be gone. This was just one hell of a coincidence, us ending up on base together.’
She watched him dress, stepping closer to hold up his jacket for him to shrug into. Suddenly she didn’t care that all the men on base knew what had happened, that he’d snuck in and spent the night with her. They’d been engaged to be married since before the war, and as soon as it was over they’d be husband and wife. Either of them could go down in a plane before then, and she didn’t want to live with regrets. He might have been an idiot these past months when she’d been wanting his support, but he’d more than made up for it now.
The door shut with a bang and she swallowed a sob as she gathered her things and dressed properly, powdering her nose and using the little mirror in her compact to apply her lipstick. Her stomach growled, but she ignored it.
She had a plane to fly, and it was time to go. There wasn’t time for tears; there was only time to do her job.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
WHITEWALTHAMAIRFIELD,BERKSHIRE,
AUGUST1942
MAY
Over the past few years, May had experienced so many firsts she could hardly keep up with them. But waiting to meet the first lady of the United States? Her head was spinning just at the thought of it. What was she supposed to say? How was she supposed to behave like a normal person without talking too fast or ... ? She glanced up, noting anxiously that black clouds were gathering ominously overhead. She was sitting outside around the back of her old hangar at White Waltham; in less than an hour she would be meeting Eleanor Roosevelt, holding out her hand to greet her and welcome her on base.
It had been a momentous few days. What with Ruby’s overwhelming success on her first solo bomber flight and preparing for the official visit, she’d hardly stopped to breathe.
‘No tea today?’
She looked up at Ben, standing over her, his overalls cleaner than usual and one hand tucked behind his back.
‘Did you send those home for your mother to wash?’ she asked. ‘You almost look respectable for once.’
‘Very funny. Now do you want something to ease those nerves or not?’
He revealed a small silver hip flask and held it out to her. ‘I was thinking this would be better than bringing you a cup of tea,’ he said. ‘Although any more teasing about the state of my overalls and I won’t be sharing.’
She unscrewed the top and took a tiny sip. When she coughed he laughed and sat down beside her, patting her back, then taking it from her hand.
‘Why are you so nice to me?’ she asked, studying his face, realising how much she’d hoped he’d find her. She’d invited Ben to join them on this trip, as a way of saying thank you for all his help since they’d transferred to Hamble, and she was looking forward to spending some time with him.
‘Well, you’re kind of my boss, so I have to be nice to you. I didn’t know I had a choice.’
‘Ben!’ she remonstrated. ‘Seriously, why? Why do you even bother with me?’
He stared at her, tucking the flask into a pocket before raising his other hand to her cheek. May’s heart started to race as he slowly bent forward, his lips grazing hers, brushing her mouth so gently that she wondered if she’d imagined it before pulling back.
‘That’s why,’ he said, his voice low. ‘Why else do you think I volunteered to work on my day off?’
‘I ... I ...’ she stuttered.
