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He was positively glowing as he told her, “That was incredible! Thank you so much! How long until I could learn to do that without you?”
Laughing, she answered, “If you’re interested in taking lessons, we can talk. I didn’t know you might want to learn. I thought this was just a one-time deal.”
“That’s what I thought, too. You know, on my list of things to experience before I die, but I had no idea howspectacularit would be. I felt like a bird, soaring through the air. Just…wow.”
She grinned at him, happy she’d been able to give him the experience. They needed to get off the field though, so she grabbed the glider and started pulling it towards the break-down area. “I’m really glad you enjoyed it. You said you didn’t want me taking it easy on you, so I gave you a wilder ride than usual for a first flight, and you seemed fine so I didn’t back off. I can be more daring, but I wanted to be sure you had a good first experience.” She gave him another look from head to toe and back up to his eyes. “Most people are a bit weak-kneed when they first start walking around, but you, Mr. Stick-in-the-mud, are dancing.”
“I can feel my knees more than normal, but I wouldn’t call them weak. That wasperfect. I wish Kyle could enjoy it, too.”
She grimaced. “Not everyone enjoys this kind of thing. He hikes with me, but he doesn’t enjoy heights.”
Marcus sobered. “Yeah, I know. I wish I could help him with it, but until the two of you got serious, he didn’t want any more help. He dealt with his issues enough to be able to fly commercially, and that was as much time and energy as he’s willing to give it.”
She stopped walking and looked up sharply. “So, when he asked me to take him hiking to a cliff, it was for me and not him?”
“A little of both, maybe? Hewantsto enjoy what you do.”
Heather shook her head. “He hated it, and not only did he refuse to get closer than fifteen feet from the edge, he freaked whenIgot within ten feet of it.”
“I know, but he wants to keep going in the hopes it’ll desensitize him. I suggested he might hook up like a mountain climber, so he’d know the rope would catch him should he fall. If he can get close to the edge while secured to a tree, maybe someday he can do it without the rope.”
“I thought psychiatrists weren’t supposed to treat their friends?”
“I arranged for a psychiatrist and a therapist I respect to work with him when he was working towards being able to fly commercially. He signed off on both of them being able to talk to me about anything, and we all brainstormed about the best way to help him. The therapist did most of the office work, but I went with him on his first flight. I can’t be in charge of his file, but I can be part of the solution as long as the lead medical professional and patient are both on board with it. He hasn’t been back to see either of them in a while, and I’m okay with us having casual conversations for now. If he’s going to push hard though, he’ll need to see the therapist again.”
Heather suddenly had a bad feeling. She reached the edge of the field and began pulling the glider apart to stow it, focusing on what she was doing as she casually asked, “You aren’t wanting to have dinner with me to talk about the problems Kyle and I’ve been having, are you?”
“I’ve been wanting to get you to take me on a tandem flight since the second time I met you. That was how many years ago? It’s about time I finally managed to make it happen. I would’ve done this at some point no matter what, but yes, I was hoping to find the opportunity to suggest a few possibilities. I have a decent amount of experience helping children and adults with sensory processing disorder, so it’s not like I’d just be stabbing in the dark.”
Heather didn’t respond, but kept working to properly break the glider down and stow it and all of its parts in the carry bag. Marcus continued after a few moments of silence.
“Kyle’s important to me and he loves you. He’d do anything for you, but unfortunately the things he’s tried are likely the opposite of what you need. I’m not at all surprised none of his experiments were successful.”
He stopped talking, turned to her, and waited until she looked at him before continuing. “I know about this kind of thing, and if I can help the two of you find a resolution, then...” He shrugged, and Heather wasn’t sure if he didn’t want to finish the sentence out loud, or if he wasn’t sure how to end it. She went back to securing her gear while she waited for him to figure out what to say next.
“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” he finally said with a sigh. “If you don’t want to talk about this with me then I’ll give you a card for a female therapist I have great respect for. Or, if you want to talk a little about options, I’m good with that, too. If you think it’ll be easier to talk in my office instead of over dinner, we can do that. Whatever you tell me will make you more comfortable, I’ll do my best to make it happen — but I think I can help you, so please give me a chance.”
She sighed. “Give me a little bit of time, okay? I need about fifteen minutes to get everything stowed away and handle some paperwork. Why don’t you change clothes and then hang out in the lounge, and I’ll come get you when I’m finished. I’ll need to change clothes, too. Just hang out until I come get you, please.”
Marcus looked as if he were going to argue, but then appeared to change his mind, and he turned and walked to the clubhouse.
Chapter 3
Marcus had to work hard to keep his jaw from dropping when Heather walked out of the changing room. Kyle’s girlfriend could be sporty, could be ultra-casual, could do the attractive grunge thing, or she could be elegant.Professionally, he had to look at every aspect of a patient, and noticing differences in hair, makeup, and clothing styles could tell him a lot about someone’s present state of mind. The habit had followed him into his personal sphere, and he hadn’t done anything to curtail it.
Today, she’d chosen casual elegance. Her four-foot ten-inch, eighty-five-pound frame looked five foot seven as her stylishly cut pants moved and swung with her stride. Of course, boots with an impossibly tall heel didn’t hurt the effect. Kyle had a thing for super-high heels, and Marcus had worried she fed his foot fetish and wasn’t as perfect as his friend described until he’d spent some time around the two of them together.
Her hair was ultra-short in the back — only a few millimeters to a quarter inch — but swung down to her jaw in the front. She usually parted it on the side so it swung nonchalantly elegant around her face, but today she’d done something so it swooped across her forehead, and looked like she’d stepped off the pages of Vogue or Cosmo. She’d also applied her makeup to accentuate her Asian features, and she seemed a completely different person than the one who’d just sailed him through the air on the wings of eagles.
Marcus wondered if she’d worked her makeup and hair this way as a form of mask, to make their talk easier.
He stood and walked to open the outer door for her, and told her, “You look stunning. I brought clothes to change into, but I’m underdressed next to you.”
She snorted. “Right. Like anyone can be underdressed next to you. You’re always perfectly put together. Perfect creases, clean shoes, even today when I told you to dress in jeans, you showed up in perfectly pressed army fatigues. Do you even own a pair of jeans?”
Marcus started to comment on how much attention she was giving his clothes, but stopped before saying anything because he didn’t want to create even a mild confrontation. He wanted to put her at ease, so he’d answer her question honestly and forthright. “I have jeans, but they’re old and no longer in fashion, and I don’t like the way the currently fashionable jeans fit.” He shrugged. “When the style returns to something that suits me, I may consider wearing them again.”
She clicked the remote to unlock the doors on her bright yellow Xterra and laughed at him, “You’re one of a kind. Most people who enjoy their first hang-gliding experience as much as you just did are comfortable being casual.” She shook her head. “You’re a contradiction — you dress like an uptight yuppie but you still know how to let go and have fun.”
