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“I’d rather not deal with the arrogant grump again.”
Dad gathered the needed paperwork for the rental cars and crossed over to the check-in counter. “That bad, eh?”
“I’ll ask your opinion later.”
“We only know the pilot’s name. I’ll learn about the owner from his driver’s license on the SUV rental. Maybe he’s originally from Pleasant Valley.”
I snorted. “In the six months since I’ve lived here, I’ve never met a pretentious person like this dude. Surely, he was born in a dark cave.”
Dad’s mouth dropped open. He didn’t raise his daughter to talk this way about others, so my bitterness shocked him. Being a man, he wouldn’t press the issue behind my resentment. Later, he’d tell Mom and urge her to have a talk with me.
By then I’d have it all sorted as to why this particular guy conjured up the heartbreak and anger I thought I had vanquished. “I’m going to help Mom.”
“Give her a kiss from me.”
“She’s just down the hall.”
“Any distance between us feels like miles.”
Aw. His words of love tapped down my frustration.
The end of the long hallway opened into a large shipping warehouse. Mom, along with two employees, Dana and Silvey, bustled around cluttered tables, stuffing boxes with products. Then they filled the empty spaces with plastic blown-up bags before taping them shut.
When my parents bought the small airport a year ago and relocated to Pleasant Valley, there wasn’t a shipping department. But with Dad being a retired airline pilot and Mom’s nose for business, they came up with an advantageous idea. Along with shipping the normal, day-to-day stuff, they added in a side hustle of sending handmade items to a distributor in Montpelier. The local artists loved the idea. So much so, my parents welcomed me moving here to help.
Dad didn’t have to fly as much. And staying busy kept my mind in a positive state.
“Hey, Mom, I’m free to help.”
Eloise Sterling, the best Mom ever, looked relieved. Ever since her bout with pneumonia two months ago, her energy was half the level as before. Dad and I tried to convince her to retire, but she joked and said the only way she’d stop working was if Dad sold the company. He promptly listed it.
That was a month ago. No bites.
“Sit down, Mom. Fill me in on who is shipping what.” She loved to spin tales of imaginary reasons so-and-so would send such-and-such. The workers and I loved her stories since they made the workday fly by.
She promptly sat on a stool without argument, telling me she needed a break. “Did you meet the owner of that fancy jet? My, how majestic it looked as it landed.”
“I met him and his rich man arrogance.” I zipped packing tape across a box.
“Oh, I see. One of those types.” Mom understood my disgust. Having a daughter fired from a major airline after seven years of loyal employment would make any Mom protective. Not to mention the man’s club reason behind the firing.
Or the heartbreaking fib underscoring my treasonous ousting…
Gaaaa. I finally buried the hurt over a month ago. But being in the presence of a powerful, handsome man pushed the terrible memories back into my brain. I kicked an empty box on the floor. My foot landed inside, and the tucked in flaps stuck the box to my boot.
Mom didn’t notice my kid-like outburst. She and the ladies were too busy gawking out a window facing the parking lot. I hobbled over with the box still attached to my foot and peered over her shoulder. The jet owner and pilot moved about, stuffing their bags into two SUVs. Dad stood off to the side, chatting.
“The man in the suit coat looks delicious,” Dana cooed. “He seems familiar.”
Silvey sighed. “I’d take either one.”
Jet owner guy closed the hatch and stood against the wind while he talked with the pilot. His long coat whipped up behind him, similar to the cape of a superhero. The wind tossed his thick, raven-black hair around, which added to his rugged good looks that included a strong chin, perfectly sized nose, and kissable full lips.
Even with a suit and tie, a splendid hunky physique showed. Likely via a personal trainer and state-of-the-art at-home gym. How else could, what I assumed was a very busy man, acquire a hard bod like his?
And those eyes. Earlier, as he drank in my tight jeans, they changed from a tropical ocean blue to the dark hue found on a Blue Jay’s head. Unknown to him, I turned giddy.
Dad waved goodbye and sprinted into the building. The two men bumped shoulders and patted each other’s back before they climbed in their SUVs and drove away.
