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Narrowing her eyes, Olivia stared at her dearest yet sometimes sneaky friend. “What did you have in mind?”
“I just figured we could go see Jax.” She offered a megawatt smile. “All three of us.”
Olivia knew precisely what her friend was doing. She was being nosy and planned on pulling Melanie in on everything as a sidekick.
Jade merely raised a brow and crossed her arms. “I can be showered and ready in twenty minutes.”
“Which is another reason I hate you,” Olivia grumbled, reaching over to pull up her e-mails again. “How can you look like you walked off a magazine shoot and take so little time?”
“It’s the Irish genes,” she explained, batting her lashes. “Now, give me just a few minutes. I’ll let Mel know we’re leaving soon.”
As Jade literally raced past Olivia into the house, Olivia couldn’t help but laugh. Whatever it took to keep her friends’ minds off their own issues. If they wanted to join forces with her when she went to talk to Jackson, the more the merrier. Perhaps Jade could convince him to . . .
What? Did Olivia actually want to make this grand change to the airport? Did she want to devote all the time, energy, and funds to not only get the place up and running to a normal standard, but to make it bigger and better than ever?
Olivia stared at her e-mails as the one she’d been waiting for finally appeared in bold letters at the top. As she opened it and began reading, she realized her life may be getting more hectic than ever, but yes, she did want to make this work.
Somehow, someway, she would. Because Olivia had never backed down from a challenge and if this risky renovation was going to bring in more money in the long run, then she’d be a fool to pursue the sale like she’d initially planned.
First, she needed to reply to her boss, and then she needed to round up her girl posse and head to the hangar. She wasn’t sure if Jackson was out flying or if he’d be around, but she’d be ready for him. And if she had those chaperones they’d joked about, he wouldn’t try anything . . . would he?
Chapter Ten
“I need to get to the station.”
Jax glanced up from the invoices and gave his cousin a nod. “Close the door behind you. I don’t have any flights until later this afternoon.”
“Who’s getting Piper from school?”
Jax loved how his cousins were always eager to pitch in and help with his daughter. It was almost as if she had three dads. When Jax had come back from the air force, Tanner and Cash hadn’t even hesitated to step up to the plate and help. They’d only bashed Carly a little, until Jax put a halt to that. While he loathed her for leaving Piper and ignoring their sweet, innocent baby, he never wanted Piper to overhear anything negative about her mother.
He’d delicately explained that she had to leave and couldn’t come back. No doubt as Piper got older she’d ask more and as he saw fit, he would explain. But for now, she didn’t ask about her own mother anymore . . . she was too busy hooking him up on dates with Livie.
“Cash is picking her up and taking her to the gym. I’ll get her there after work. I just have to fly a couple to Charleston. They’re planning on staying a few days, so I’ll head back up when they’re done. It’s just a quick flight there and back.”
Tanner nodded and started for the door leading to the hangar. “I’ll be covering a shift until eleven tonight, but text if you need anything.”
Jax glanced back down to the invoice currently on the top of his pile, wondering how the hell he was going to get all of this paid on time. The flight today would bring in a good chunk since it was a little farther than most of his clients traveled. But with Piper wanting to join a karate class, he was probably going to have to pay these bills by priorities. Half now and half in
a couple of weeks when the renters’ checks were due.
He wished he could get more pilots to house their planes here. Not only would it generate more income, but it would also add an attraction in a positive manner toward the place he loved to call home.
Women’s voices mixed with Tanner’s, pulling Jax out of his thoughts. He pushed away from his desk and stepped out of his office to see Tanner standing in front of the firing squad—er, Livie, Jade, and Melanie.
“You know this guy?” Melanie was asking her friends as she pointed an accusatory finger at Tanner.
“We went to school together,” Olivia stated. “How you doing, Tanner?”
Tanner looped his thumbs through his belt loops and nodded. “Doing great. Headed out to work now.”
“To give more tickets to innocent people,” Melanie muttered.
Tanner laughed. “If you were innocent, you wouldn’t have been pulled over, and I wouldn’t call speeding nearly twenty miles over the limit ‘innocent.’”
Jax glanced to Livie, who looked like she was holding back her laughter as well. When she met his gaze, the slight grin on her face twisted something in his gut. He didn’t know if she was smiling at him or just at the situation. Either way, he’d take it. He didn’t recall seeing a genuine smile since she’d been back. Even when she lived here before and he’d been an awkward preteen, Livie had never flashed him a smile.
“Tanner.” Jade stepped forward and crossed her arms over her chest. “Haven’t seen you in years.”
