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Oh, shit. My blood pumped harder through my veins to catch up with the rapid pace my heart was beating out. I didn’t want to get my hopes up that Panther and I could somehow end up in the same place, but…fuck. What if that was exactly what these envelopes meant?
I looked at Panther, who was still staring down at the letters in his hand. When he looked up at me, I could see the hesitation and excitement in his eyes.
“Please,” Commander Levy said, gesturing for us to open them.
I tore into the first one, trying to hide the fact that my hand was shaking, but fuck, this was my future, something I’d never given much thought to before Panther but was now all I could think about.
Please don’t be the maintenance crew of the next Elite team.
I read over the letter quickly, but when the full scale of what it said hit me, I had to read it again.
I jerked my head up. “Are you serious?”
“Like I said,” Levy replied. “Don’t make me regret this.”
“What does it say?” Panther asked.
What I held in my hand left me speechless. I handed Panther the letter, and as he read over it, his jaw dropped.
“Holy shit,” he said.
I nodded. “I know.”
“This is for real?”
“While Solo may be a bit of an unorthodox choice for our teaching methods, we believe his outside-the-box thinking could prove useful for future Elite trainees,” Levy said.
“You’re offering me a job here?” I said, needing clarification even though I’d read the letter twice. “As an instructor?”
Commander Levy inclined his head. “If you’d like to join us, we think you’d be an asset to our team. Provided you stay within the parameters, of course, but your growth over your time here hasn’t gone unnoticed.”
“Sir, are you telling me you think I can color in the lines now?” I couldn’t help the massive grin I gave him, because he had lost his damn mind. Never in a million years had I expected anyone to hand me an instructor position, and never one at NAFTA. But I would take it in a heartbeat—depending, of course, on what the rest of the envelopes contained and what Panther chose.
Commander Levy finally cracked a smile. “I’m telling you there’s potential in you, Lieutenant Morgan. Don’t let me down.”
I quickly tore open the other two letters, one an instructor position in Charleston and the other my choice of missions. By the end of the third letter, my head was spinning, but I still needed to know what Panther’s options were before I made any decisions.
Nudging him in the side, I gave him a small smile and nodded toward his unopened envelopes. “Your turn, Lieutenant Hughes.”
He swallowed as he slid his thumb beneath an opening in the envelope and made a clean break. As he read over the letter silently, my anticipation got the best of me.
“Okay, you’ve got to read that out loud, for the love of God,” I said. “What does it say?”
“It’s an offer…to join the Blue Angels.”
“What?”
“The Blue Angels.” Panther looked at me. “They want to offer me a spot in their upcoming season.”
Now my jaw dropped. “Wow.”
“Yeah…”
“I don’t imagine it gets much better than being a badass showpiece for the Navy.”
“It’s rare for anyone to get an offer from them,” Commander Levy said. “But the chief happened to have a meeting here the day you won against your father, and let’s just say she was impressed.”
I let out a low whistle. “Talk about good timing. They’ll be lucky to have you.”
“I didn’t say yes yet,” Panther said.
“What’s gonna beat that?”
“I don’t know, let me look.” The next letter he read out loud for my sanity, and it was a choice of missions also in prime locations. I skimmed my letter and compared it to his. We matched on two.
That was something. It wasn’t the Blue Angels, but it was more than we’d hoped for. With hope flaring inside me, Panther opened the third envelope, but he didn’t get a chance to read it out loud when I saw the same words that had been on mine.
“No fucking way,” I shouted, jumping in the air, and when everyone in the near vicinity turned my way, I waved them off. “Nothing to see here. Carry on.”
Panther looked up at Commander Levy. “You want me as an instructor here too?”
“We’d be crazy not to ask you. You exhibit the ideal conduct, skills, and talent of an Elite winner and of the Navy.”
“Thank you, sir,” Panther said, and then read over the letter again. “Wait—does this offer mean only one of us can accept it?”
“It’s extended to the both of you separately, so one or both of you can accept a position with us. On your own, the two of you are damn fine fighter pilots, but together you’re a force that almost can’t be beat. That’s something we could use here.”
