Page 100 of My All American Girl

She pushed the T6 harder, diving and turning with a devil-may-care attitude that made my pulse race. Her control was impeccable. She handled the aircraft with a finesse that was breathtaking. My heart pounded, but it wasn’t out of fear. I realized there wasn’t a woman alive who could make my heart beat so erratically. Sarah made me feel alive, both in the cockpit and out of it. I was becoming addicted to her, and it scared me.

As we reached top speeds and Sarah unleashed the full power of the T6, reality closed in on me. My mind spun out of control, grappling with the truth. She was my close friend’s daughter, and I was in way too deep. There was only one way this could end—badly. Either Sarah and I would break our own hearts by calling this off, or Mo would find out and implode, potentially taking her and me down with him.

After some wild flying, it was time to return to earth. We landed smoothly. Sarah handled the descent with her usual precision. As she taxied to the hangar, I couldn’t shake the turmoil in my mind. Sarah glanced back at me, her eyes questioning.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, sensing my unease.

“We need to talk,” I said, my voice strained. “Somewhere private.”

She agreed, a playful glint in her eyes. “Sure. A closet, maybe?” She giggled, thinking this was leading to another stolen moment.

But I couldn’t laugh. This was serious. We walked away from the hangar, both of us maintaining a proper distance to avoid anyone noticing the fact we were too friendly. After all, I was her instructor. She was my student. There could be nothing between us. We found a secluded spot on the base, away from prying eyes. As soon as we were alone, she moved to kiss me, but I gently stopped her.

“No.” I shook my head.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Did I make you sick? Are you a little green?”

She was teasing, something I had come to enjoy doing with her. But that had to end.

“We need to talk about this before we go back to Columbus,” I said, my heart heavy.

“Talk about what?” she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

“Us,” I replied, the weight of the word settling between us like a leaden anchor.

She looked at me, her expression shifting from confusion to concern. “What do you mean?”