“Actually, I’d thought about doing it for years. When I turned twenty-five, I decided to give myself a birthday present. Bought the plane and enrolled in pilot classes.”
“Your twenty-fifth birthday,” she murmured. “So, ah, you’ve been flying for almost three years now. You’re a trustworthy pilot, I’m hoping.”
I breathed out a small laugh. “Yes, you can trust me. I’ve flown to Colorado several times over the years, and in the winter, I fly to Lake Tahoe almost every weekend.”
She nodded, her hands clasped in her lap, knuckles white. Was she really scared to let me fly her home? I reached over, my own hand easily covering both of hers. “Hey, seriously, you’re safe with me. I won’t let anything happen to you. I can’t promise there won’t be a few spots of bumpy air, but that’s expected.” I tilted my head, glancing at her again as I pulled my hand away. “Had you flown before this?” The last time I’d seen her, she’d never been out of Colorado.
“No. A couple of days ago was the first time I’d ever been on an airplane. I didn’t like it much. But I’m sure . . . I’m sure it will be better on a smaller plane—more room and all that.”
“It is roomier, but you can feel the bumps more easily. How about a splash of Bailey’s in your coffee?”
She laughed softly, looking at me a little shyly, and my heart tripped. Dammit. My hands clenched on the steering wheel.
I’d gone home the night before, tense and upset, even though I’d had one of the strongest orgasms of my life, and hadn’t fallen asleep until almost dawn as I’d tossed and turned and gone over and over our date and all that we’d talked about. And yet, despite my sleepless night, I wasn’t upset with Audra. Other than the confirmation that we were still deeply attracted to each other, what our interaction the night before had told me was that Audra bristled every time I mentioned the past. She wouldn’t talk about that time, because if she did, she’d have to talk about Theo too, and I had the feeling she still couldn’t. And though I’d tried to resent her for that, to make it easier to watch her walk away again, the realization that she avoided the topic spoke to the fact that she was still hurting deeply. All these years, and her pain was still raw.
It was drizzling lightly again when we pulled into the airfield and after I’d parked, I grabbed my umbrella from the backseat, walking quickly around the car as I opened it. I pulled Audra’s door open and she stepped out and under the small covering. I retrieved her suitcase and my duffle bag and pulled up the handle on hers, pulling it along behind us.
My plane was on the field as I’d instructed, and I greeted Dean, the maintenance guy, as we approached. “All ready to go?”
“Yup. Looks great.”
“Thanks, Dean. This is Audra Kelley. She’ll be flying with me today.” I handed her the umbrella so she could use it as she climbed the stairs.
Dean greeted her and then took her bag from my hand. “I’ll get this. You hold on as you go up the stairs, Ms. Kelley. It’s slippery this morning.”
“Thank you,” she said, as she began climbing the steps to the plane, one hand holding the umbrella and the other on the rail. Dean followed her up and I waited as he descended. “Have a safe trip, Mr. Townsend.”
When I got inside, Audra turned around, obviously having been checking the plane out. “This is just a little nicer than the one I came here in.” She smiled, but with a little bit of awe that made me smile in return.
“Thanks. I’m glad you like it. I’m both your captain and your crew, and I’ll try to serve both roles well.” I winked at her and she laughed. “I’ll start by making some coffee.”
I brewed a pot at the small kitchen station at the back of the plane and Audra and I chatted a little about the aircraft as I completed the task. I poured two paper cups and then walked to the front where there was a small bar, taking out the bottle of Baileys and adding a splash to Audra’s coffee, placing lids on both. As I handed Audra her cup, I asked, “Do you want to sit up in the cockpit with me?”
She looked momentarily surprised, her eyes lighting. “Can I do that?”
“Yeah.” I smiled. God, she was sweet. “I’d like your company.”
Audra nodded, taking the olive branch I had offered, our eyes meeting for a moment as all the swirling thoughts whipped through my mind. “I’d like to sit in the cockpit with you.”
Fifteen minutes later, I’d double-checked all the numbers and readings and Audra and I were buckled in, me in the pilot’s seat, and Audra in the copilot’s chair. I fired up the engines and put my sunglasses on.
As we taxied down the runway, I looked over at Audra and noticed that she was gripping her armrests, her shoulders rigid. I gave her a reassuring smile. “Look, the rain’s cleared just for us. See those blue skies beyond the clouds?”
Her eyes snagged with mine, and for just the fraction of a moment, the world stopped. Her lips tipped up in a tremulous smile, all her sweetness and vulnerability right there in her expression, and my guts clenched with that old familiar need to protec
t her. Love her. Oh Christ. I managed a smile of my own before focusing back on the task at hand: getting this plane off the ground.
I increased the speed and lifted off smoothly, the plane rising swiftly into the winter sky. I heard Audra take in a small, surprised breath that held the hint of a laugh. I grinned over at her and, though her hands were still gripping the arms of her chair, her shoulders were more relaxed. She laughed again, a bigger one, her teeth flashing.
I spent the next ten minutes or so climbing to flying altitude and explaining to Audra what I was doing, showing her which dials indicated what and the actual simplicity of flying.
We chatted easily for a little while, and then Audra took her lip into her mouth the way she did when she was thinking, tilting her head. “So, um, are you going to talk to your grandmother as soon as we get to Laurelton? Today? Or do you think tomorrow would be better?”
“I planned on today, yes. There’s no reason to put it off. I’ll drop you off at your house and come over to let you know what she said after I’ve spoken to her.”
“Oh, you don’t have to come over. You can just call me. I mean, it’s incredibly generous what you’re doing, but I don’t want you to have to go out of your way.”
My jaw felt tight and I made a conscious effort to relax. “All right then. I’ll call you and give you an update. I’m also going to talk to my lawyer and find out what we need to do to make sure Luella can’t try something like this again.”