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Chapter 11
Dean
We’reflying.
We’re so high now that the guys on the ground look like ants. It’s a strange sensation on a chopper, going straight up—that moment when you lose friction with the ground and the subtle shift as the air moves around us.
Through our headsets we can hear commentary between the pilot and the ground crew—noisy and spirited. The plan is to take us for a spin back toward the city and land a couple of times in different locations so the pilot can get used to the handling of the craft. He has over a thousand hours of flying and is very experienced, but this is a brand new, heavier aircraft with top-of-the-line safety features and sensors, and he wants to test them outside of the simulator he’s spent all day in.
John is busy up front, going through checklists and communicating with his ground crew. He might own all of this, but he’s very hands-on and loves nothing more than flying. He’s a great client to have and was more than happy for Abbi to come along with me when we arranged this test flight. He’s always inviting me out here to try out one of his new machines, and this purchase and his plans for its use required some fairly intense legal work, so I was interested to see it for myself.
I look over at the woman on my mind, sitting next to me in the plush cream leather interior of the aircraft. She’s glued to the window and has a grin a mile wide on her face. Exactly what I was gunning for when I planned this.
She thinks us being here is work-related, and typically, in front of a client like John it would be, but right now, my thoughts definitely don’t run in that direction. Ever since I hatched this plan, before that really, I’ve known that Abbi has more than piqued my interest. I’ve never spent the time or energy trying to organize a date so that I’d actually impress a woman. And this isn’t even a date. Abbi certainly doesn’t think it’s a date. And yet I spent the best part of a day organizing this.
Have I lost my mind?
I’m pulled from my thoughts by a gentle hand on my leg. Abbi’s pointing at something out the window—the setting sun is reflecting on the glass windows of the city buildings, which are off to our right, and it’s like looking into a fire. I cover her hand with mine and casually keep it there, mid-thigh. She doesn’t pull away, and my skin under her palm heats up.
A few minutes later, we reach the middle of the city and land on top of the tallest building, but then immediately take off again. I’ve been in all kinds of aircraft and plenty of helicopters, but this never gets old. The thrill of seeing a city from the air, flying high when you’re usually down on the ground with the rest of the masses, is exhilarating. It’s like a rollercoaster ride, straight down then back up again. A few more circles around the city, and we get a different view of the transition between day and night. The city is lighting itself up, and the light in the sky is perhaps the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen, all peach colors fading into lavender and indigo.
Eventually, we head back to the airfield and land. Night has almost fallen now. Lights mark out landing strips in the large open space, and the roadway is also discreetly illuminated. The chatter in the headsets seems to indicate the flight was a huge success, and they managed to get through the battery of testing they had planned for the maiden flight. They’ll no doubt spend the next few hours going over everything and debriefing in the hangar office.
After thanking John, we make our way back to my car, both silent. I imagine Abbi is like me, still buzzing from the flight and taking a moment to absorb the experience. And the best is yet to come. Hopefully.
“Where to now?” she asks, settling back into her seat as I start the engine. I say nothing and smile over at her in the dark interior of the car as I drive right across to the other side of the airfield. I pull up to a viewing platform that John had built on the far side, away from the hangars.
“Right here.” I abruptly turn off the engine, slide back out of the car, and move around to open her door. Her hair brushes against my face and neck as she rises from her seat, and I breathe in her closeness. The little hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I fight back my hands that itch to tug her out of the car and into my arms. But that’s not possible, is it?
“What’s this?” she asks, stepping onto the wooden platform, oblivious to my inner turmoil and looking back across the wide, open space, now almost dark.
“It’s a spot that John said we could park for a while and watch a couple of the small planes practice night landing. I’ve packed us some dinner. And some lanterns,” I say, popping the trunk and pulling out the supplies I’ve packed.
Since I already have everything I need, it only takes me a few minutes to get us set up. Laying out the wool blanket, I push away the image of rolling around with her on it, as we sit.
It’s a beautiful spot with dense dark trees behind us, a wide, open space ahead, and a million stars popping out above. We’re a fair way from the city, and the light pollution doesn’t reach the night sky here.
Down on the picnic blanket, we’re not too close together but not too far apart that the hair on the back of my neck and the semi I’m now sporting in my jeans are going to stand down any time soon. I’m hyperaware that Abbi is just a foot away. She keeps looking around the airfield as she nibbles, which provides an opportunity to observe her unguardedly. Her face is relaxed, her dark eyes flickering over the sight in front of us. Her perfect pink lips are tipped upward in a smile that landed on her face the moment I told her we were flying and hasn’t left since. Okay, maybe once when we dipped unexpectedly.
“Wow, I’m impressed. If this is practice for your next date, you’re doing a fantastic job,” Abbi says, and I cringe internally and let the comment go to the keeper.
“How did you like the flight?” I ask, trying to drag the conversation back to the present, not prepared to let this night be all about the unfortunate fact that she’s my dating consultant and that I’m just a job to her.
“It was amazing. I can’t believe you get to do this sort of thing, and it’s part of your work!” she says. “I mean, I get to go to restaurants and the odd theater or restaurant to scout out date locations for clients, but I can’t say I’ve ever done anything this exciting.” She swipes a cracker and cheese while I open some sparkling mineral water and pass her a bottle.
“Yeah, it’s a pretty great perk. I wish I had more time to fly. I have a license, and it was a lot of fun to get it, but I need to get my flight hours up if I’m going to maintain it. First-world problem for sure.”
Abbi snorts. “Yeah, pretty good problem to have. Hey, I think I can see a plane coming in. Up there.” She points to two tiny pinpricks of light moving across the sky, and once again, I’m looking at her rather than the incoming aircraft.
I wonder if she knows just how beautiful she is. I could honestly stare at her all night.
“Olive?” I ask, offering her one.
“Mmm, thanks.” We eat in silence for a few moments.
“Tell me about your parents,” Abbi asks quietly, surprising me.
“My mom and dad are great. They’re from big families, and I know they wanted to have more children, but it didn’t happen for them. You could say I grew up with all of the attention that would’ve nicely been spread out over three or four siblings.”
