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at work. Branch was right—there was no point in having everyone talking. “It’s your reputation I’m worried about, not mine,” he had said. “Even though my marriage has been over for years, I’m still officially married.”
    She had dated so many pilots, there would be more than the usual amount of chatter when she let the cat out of the bag that she was dating yet another. Her coworkers were pretty quick to catch on, though. They knew the look, the glance, the little mating dance. If a very junior pilot and a very senior flight attendant always flew together…how discreet was that?
    But if they came to work in the same car after Branch had spent the night at her house, Dixie would drop him at the terminal first and then go park. When they checked into a hotel on a layover, they went to their individual rooms and met in hers later. They never went to dinner together on layovers unless it was with the entire crew. Tonight they might just break that rule, though, since it was such a special occasion.
    When Dixie got to the plane, Branch was doing a walk around out on the ramp, so she started checking meals and liquor in the galley.
    Every flight was a little like a stage play, with a different cast of more than two-hundred-fifty every time. You never knew what would be in the script, and that was one of the things Dixie loved about her work.
    She was the senior flight attendant on this trip and chose to work in the back cabin. Their Boeing 767 would be nearly full and they had four crew members in the back. The flight had a stop in Denver and they were getting a late start.
    When Branch finished his walk around outside andreturned to the plane, he found Dixie in the forward galley. He looked around. The captain’s back was to the door, there were no connecting passengers in first class, and there didn’t seem to be any flight attendants nearby. He grabbed her and gave her a nice, long kiss, his large hand planted on her butt. “Missed you,” he said against her lips.
    The lav door opened and Bea, another crew member, stepped out. Smiling, she said, “Ha! I saw that.”
    Dixie put a finger to her lips to shush her and said to Branch, “Get to work.” But Dixie was not upset. The truth was she’d be happy if people found out about them, because Branch was handsome, successful and sweet. What could be bad about finally falling in love with a great guy? So what if it complicated the work thing? They’d downplay it a little. But how long were they supposed to continue this ridiculous game of pretending not to know each other? Dixie was sure it showed all over her face every time she heard Branch’s name.
    Moments later the passengers started to stream aboard, and once everyone was safely seated, the plane pushed back and nosed toward the runway. Dixie and Bea sat in the first-class jump seat for takeoff. Bea was young, just a kid. Twenty-five and engaged. “So?” she asked Dixie. “How long has that been going on?”
    â€œShh. No reason to make a big deal out of it in the workplace. But we’ve been seeing each other for about six months.”
    â€œIs it serious?”
    â€œVery. He doesn’t want anyone to make a fuss over him, but today is his birthday. That’s one reason I made sure to get this trip.” She winked. “I have a little birthday party planned for F.O. Darnell.”
    â€œYou’re a bad, bad girl,” Bea laughed. “You think there will be a little something to announce soon?”
    â€œMarriage? Well, now, I don’t like to count my chickens, but I was born and raised in Texas, and I know these Texas men. Kind of old-fashioned about their women. They like taking them off the market.”
    The flight went fast, dipping into Denver before Dixie knew it. Some passengers deplaned to catch connecting flights while others boarded for New York. Soon Dixie was serving dinner. The sun was