We returned stateside on Friday night and, by then, I was beyond exhausted. Mal had worked us hard, and we’d slept for only a few hours each night. Added to that, trying to keep my attraction to him a secret wore me out mentally.
“Tobie.” Mal came over to where I stood next to the taxi stand outside the airport, bags in his left hand.
“Yes, sir.”
“It’s Mal, Tobie. We’re off the clock.”
“I don’t want to overstep—”
“Relax. It’s fine. If you bend over backward any further, you’ll break something.” He smiled at me. “Are you hungry?”
“Yeah, starving actually. I was gonna go home and nuke a frozen dinner.” A taxi pulled up, and I walked to the trunk to stow my luggage.
“Hey, not so fast,” Mal said. “I’m starving, too. I was gonna go to Willie’s over on Sixth Avenue near the office. Care t
