"Yes," I say. "We're finished. Thank you so much for letting us view the map."
"If you ever prove my great grandfather's tale is true, please let me know."
"Of course. Thank you again, Mr. Ellsworth. You have no idea how much this map has helped or what deciphering it means to me." Since I feel a tad guilty about sneakily photographing the map, I decide to share a sliver of my story with him. "My father was an avocational archaeologist, and he believed in the Grand Canyon treasure. His colleagues ridiculed him for that, and he eventually gave up the quest. I want to prove he was right—which would also prove your great grandfather was right."
"I wish you well, Ms. Hartman. Many men and women have gone through what our families have, and it's time someone proved they've been right all along."
Ellsworth walks us to the front door and waves as we climb into the hearse. Then he retreats into his house. Errol insists on driving, naturally, but he keeps to the speed limit. That seems odd, considering the way he's driven every other time I've been in a vehicle with him.
"Are you feeling okay?" I ask.
"Me? Aye, fine."
"I only ask because you're driving, um, like a sane person. That doesn't seem like your style, so I assumed you were distracted or upset about something."
Errol eyes me sideways. "Donnae worry about me, lass. I was thinking, that's all. Deep thoughts require less adventurous driving."
"Oh, sure. Maybe I should drive so you can keep thinking."
"We're almost to the airport. Once we're wheels up, I'll set the autopilot and let Marilyn take over for a wee while so I can concentrate on solving the puzzle of the Havasupai map. Sound good?"
"Yes." I relax in my seat and gaze out the window. "Do you think you really can decipher the map?"
"Aye. I've never failed yet. Puzzles and riddles are my forte."
I believe him, and I trust him. Usually, I need considerable time to get to know someone before I lay all my hopes and dreams in that person's hands. Not this time. I know Errol will figure out the mystery.
Errol's friend meets us at the airport. Apparently, Errol had texted the man while he was driving down the road. I've always believed multitasking was a myth, but Errol proves me wrong at every turn. While his friend drives off in the hearse, we climb the ladder to board Marilyn. Yes, I've decided to go along with the anthropomorphizing of an airplane because, honestly, I've met men who gave women's names to much weirder mechanical devices. Okay, maybe I assign male names to certain devices that I own, the kind that vibrate and never call me "babe," which I've always hated. But I don't need those inanimate stand-ins anymore. I've got Errol.
Why did I think that? It's not like we're dating.
At least he doesn't call me "babe." Or maybe he does. I think he's been speaking Gaelic, which means I have no clue what he's saying sometimes.
Errol plants both hands on my ass to "help" me get into the plane. Oh yeah, I've figured out he's doing that to feel me up, but I don't care. Maybe I'll feel him up too. I get a sliver of revenge when he jumps into the plane and walks past me. Yeah, I slap his ass.
He glances over his shoulder and winks. "Wanting another shag in the cockpit, eh?"
"No. You're supposed to study the map while we're flying back to Scotland."
"Aye, but I'd feel even more motivated to do that if you go down on me while I rack my brain for the solution to the map riddle."
I assume he's joking, though maybe I shouldn't. Errol can be an even bigger enigma than the map.
He scoops me up in his arms and carries me into the cockpit. Then he sets me down on my seat. I watch him hop onto his seat and can't help admiring his ass again while he does that. The man has a fantastic bottom. I'd love to nibble on it. But more than anything, because Errol mentioned it, I desperately want to take his dick in my mouth again. He didn't let me finish last time, and I want to taste him so badly that my mouth waters every time I think about it.
I've never been like this with any other man. Either I'm losing my mind, or I'm finally releasing the wild woman who had hidden inside me for so long.
Errol starts up the engines and contacts the control tower for clearance to take off. Within minutes, we're in the air, flying over northern England on our way back to the Highlands. Errol engages the autopilot and pulls a computer bag out from under his seat.
"Where did that come from?" I ask. "Didn't see it when we left Scotland."
"I keep a spare laptop in the cockpit under my seat." He unzips the bag and brings out his computer. "That way, I've always got computing power on hand."
"That's a smart idea. Do you have another laptop at home?"
"Aye. And both computers are linked via the cloud, so I can access all my files at any time." He flips up the laptop's lid. "Of course, we're well away from the cloud at this altitude. I'll need to let the computer upload everything once we land."
"But we're in the clouds right now."