Wings

But the world tour gnawed at Cassie all the way home. Dangerous or not, she was aching to do it.

14

The Peoria Air Show was the same wonderful circus that Cassie remembered it to be. She had never been happier than when she stood there with Billy and her father. Her mother and the other girls were off somewhere with the children. And Chris was pacing back and forth nervously eating hot dogs.

“You're making me sick,” Cassie scolded him, and he grinned and bought some cotton candy.

All of their old friends were there, her father's cronies, and the younger flyboys. Most of the flying fanatics from miles around had come to visit the day before, at her father's insistence. The Peoria Air Show was an important event in aviation. There were even a couple of girls this year, in one of the tamer events. And Chris was going for his usual prize for altitude in the last race of the afternoon. It wasn't much of a showstopper, but they both knew it would please their father.

“Don't you want to try something, Sis? Dad could lend you a plane.” The one she had flown east in was far too big, and far too clumsy. And also worth far too much money. And it was Desmond's. She had tested it for him right after she had gone to work for him, and they had only recently perfected her recommended changes. For a girl of twenty-one, she had a remarkably important job; everyone here knew how famous she was now and there was a lot of talk about her being there. At Desmond's suggestion, the wire services had shown up in full force to greet her.

But Cassie was quick to tell her brother she wasn't going to be in the air show. “I'm not good enough anymore. I've been flying these boats all year long, Chris. Besides, I haven't practiced.”

“Neither have I,” he said with a grin. At twenty, he looked exactly like their father. He was doing well in school, and still intent on becoming an architect, if he could get a scholarship at the University of Illinois in another year or two. And for the moment, he spent every spare waking moment with Jessie. They were adorable and Pat said he wouldn't be surprised if they got married.

Billy looked no older than Chris did. He seemed to have even more freckles this year, but it was obvious from his performance in the first two races that, unlike her brother, he had practiced. He won first prize twice, and another one half an hour later, in three of the most difficult competitions.

“What have you been doing, practicing all year? Boy, you guys get a lot of time to fool around,” she teased with an arm around him, as a photographer from the wire service snapped their picture. Cassie was careful to give them Billy's name and spell it correctly, and to remind him that Billy had taken first prize three times so far that morning.

“And the day's not over yet,” he quipped with a wink at Cassie.

“What about you, Miss O'Malley?” one of the reporters asked her. “No performance today?”

“I'm afraid not. Today is my brother's show, and Mr. Nolan's.”

“Any romantic ties between you and Mr. Nolan?” he asked pointedly and she grinned at him as Billy pretended to choke on his lemonade.

“Not a one,” she answered coolly.

“And what about you and Mr. Williams?”

“We're the best of friends,” she said with a smile.

“Nothing else?” the man pressed on as her father wondered how she stood it. But she was very patient with him, and very gracious. Desmond had taught her well, and she felt an obligation to him to behave with the press here, although a little mischief with them might have been tempting. They took themselves so seriously, and of course Cassie didn't.

“Not that he's told me,” she said pleasantly, and then turned away to talk to some friends, and they finally left her.

“What pests they are,” Billy said with a look of annoyance. “Don't they get on your nerves all the time?”

“Yes, but Mr. Williams thinks they're good for business.”

“Was there any truth to that, by the way?” Billy asked when they were alone again. “Anything between you and Williams?”

“No,” she said cautiously, “we're just friends. I don't think he wants to be involved. I'm probably as close to him as he is to anyone. He's a very lonely man. I feel sorry for him sometimes,” she said quietly so no one else would hear her. But Billy was in no mood to be serious, and he was always irreverent about tycoons worth over a billion dollars.

“I feel sorry for him too. All that nasty old money he has to take care of. And all those movie stars he probably goes out with. Poor guy.”