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In a show-off way, I pitched it behind my back. The bottle sailed up and over and broke on something inside the bin. I dusted my hands together and turned with a smile. I stood alone. The door clicked shut beside the propped up snow shovel. My jacket hung on the handle.
Of course, she showed no appreciation.
A snarl erupted from behind the dumpster. Against my gut telling me no, I peeked around the corner. Three pairs of eyes glowed in the dim light. A momma racoon with two babies gaped at me as I gaped at them. Slowly, I reached over the dumpster’s rim and pulled out a half-eaten cheeseburger and a handful of fries, while wondering about the number of germs I had collected tonight.
I tossed the food at the family. Instead of waiting to see if momma would bite the food or bite me, I raced across the parking lot and in through the front door.
After a quick cleanup in the bathroom, I wove through the crowded bar, conversing with people from my hometown, until I reached my siblings. From the look of things, they didn’t wait on me. Four half-full pitchers of beer dotted the six-person table.
Alex slapped my back as I sat beside him. “Here’s our guest of honor.”
Jenny poured me a glass. I surveyed the room while taking a heavy draw. Weird. I had been around the airport woman twice and never learned her name. A loud group near the jukebox drew my attention. So did the waitress in the short skirt and turtleneck.
I yelled in Jenny’s ear so she could hear me over the band playing rock-and-roll. “Do you know that waitress?”
She looked in the direction of my nod. “Lanie Sterling? Sure. She’s a sweetheart.”
Were we talking about the same woman?
“Her parents own the airport,” Jenny added.
So that’s why she felt entitled not to grab my luggage. She stayed in her lane of being an aircraft marshaller, and that was all. Since her parents owned the place, no one would tell her differently.
“Why do you ask?” My sister examined me like I was a sick horse.
“Just curious.”
Kristen squealed as one of her old boyfriends lifted her from the chair and spun her in a circle. After a long hug, they moseyed out to the dance floor and fell into an easy rhythmic beat.
Jenny rolled her eyes at her twin. “She’s also a pilot.”
“Who is?”
“Lanie Sterling.”
Great. The one convenient person who could help me happened to be a woman who acted disgusted with me. I looked back at the table near the jukebox. Lanie was gone. “Really?”
“Yeah. She used to fly for a major airline. Came here to help her parents with the airport. They created a delivery service that’s very popular. Her mom’s health isn’t good, so they want to sell.” Jenny poked my shoulder. “What’s up?”
“Nothing. I need a pilot for my jet, that’s all.” From our two encounters, I could bet my fortune Lanie Sterling would not work for me—voluntarily.
“Hiring Lanie is a great idea. Going from an airline pilot’s salary to working for her parents had to be a huge salary loss. She lives at the airport in an apartment above the office. She’s too busy to ask, but her shift always ends an hour before closing. Lanie loves to get a game of darts going with the locals. You could talk during a game.”
Lanie carried a tray of shots over to a table filled with some guys I knew from high school. She laughed over something they said. Then she noticed me and frowned.
Beating Lanie at her own game was the exact challenge I needed to forget about Hannah’s phone call. “A dart game sounds fun.”
“Stop talking. Here she comes.”
Lanie sidled up to our table and took stock of the empty beer pitchers. The whole time she never looked me in the eye. “Need refills, Jenny?”
I pulled a fifty-dollar bill from my pocket and waved the money at Lanie. “Please, bring another round.”
Lanie scooped up the empty pitchers. For a hot second I thought she might bop one on my head.
“You don’t need to pay until I total tonight’s tab.”
“This is a tip.” I hiccupped and stuffed the bill in a pitcher. “For putting up with our rowdy bunch.”
