Fly Like You've Never Been Grounded (Summer Lake, #4) (8 page)

Rochelle was at the desk this morning. “Hey, Smoke. Have you got everything you need?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Rochelle. My passenger should be here any minute and we're filed for ten thirty. I expect we'll back late afternoon and I'll need refueling then.”

Rochelle smiled at that. “Thanks, Smoke.”

He nodded. He tried to manage his fuel so that he could buy it here in Summer Lake. It was slightly more expensive than at the big airports, but at least here he knew he was helping a family stay in business. “I need to catch up with you about the hangar fees, too.”

“Whenever. I know you're good for it.” Her eyes lit up as a man appeared in the doorway beside her.

“Smoke! How you doing, man?”

Smoke grinned and went to shake the other pilot’s hand. “Jason! I'm good, thanks. And you? How long are you back for?”

“I've just had a couple of days. I'm leaving this afternoon. The Seoul run again.”

“Yeah,” Rochelle was smiling at Jason. “Just a couple of days. I have to make the most of him while I've got him.”

Smoke laughed. “I'll leave you to it then. My guy's here.” Jack's truck was pulling into the parking lot.

“I won't see you before I leave, but talk to Rochelle will you?” said Jason. “We've got a couple of ideas we want to run by you.”

Smoke nodded as Jason pulled her into the office in the back. He smiled, knowing full well what they were up to. Jason was a lucky guy. He and Rochelle had been married for years, had a couple of kids, and she still lit up whenever she talked about him. Practically glowed whenever he was home. She was so proud of him. He flew for a big corporation based out of San Jose. Their executives traveled to Korea a lot and Jason was gone most of the time. He seemed to have hit the jackpot. He had the freedom to fly and a woman who loved him when he was home. She supported his career, didn't try to ground him like most women did once they hooked a pilot. But then she knew the deal. She'd grown up in the world of general aviation. Her family had run the airport since it was nothing more than a grass strip on their land.

Smoke shook his head as he went to meet Jack. Rochelle was rarer than a winning lottery ticket.

He met Jack at the doors. “All ready to go whenever you are, boss.”

“Great.” Jack handed him a cup of coffee. “Thought you might need one. I know I do.”

“Thanks.” Smoke took a sip, straight cappuccino with two extra shots. Just as he liked it. Sometimes he appreciated Jack's attention to detail.

“I'm all set if you're ready,” said Jack.

Smoke led the way to the door and swiped his pass.

Jack looked over at the desk. “Is there no one around today?”

“Rochelle's in the back. Something came up that she had to take care of.” It made Smoke smile that she was obviously so eager to make the most of every moment with Jason. In his experience, women were more likely to ruin the time they could spend with a guy by sulking and whining about the times he couldn't be there.

Once Jack was settled, Smoke pulled the steps up and secured the door. “Is everything okay at the office?” he asked. Jack rarely went to the city anymore, and when he did he usually booked it and grumbled about it at least a week in advance.

Jack gave him a funny look. “Yeah, no problems there. What are your plans for the day?”

Plans? As if Jack had given him time to make any! He raised an eyebrow at his friend, sensing some kind of tension, but not understanding it. “I figure I'll stop by and clear the apartment. It shouldn't take long. I already brought most of my stuff up here. After that I'll just hang at the airport and wait for you. You got any idea what time you'll be done?” Smoke was starting to think that maybe, if Jack didn't take too long, he could get back in time to persuade Laura that she didn't need to stay mad at him. Despite all the reasons not to, he really wanted to finish what they'd started this morning.

“I won't be long,” said Jack. There was still that odd tension about him.

“What's your deal, Jack?” They knew each other too well, and had done for too long for this kind of shit. Smoke was starting to think he wasn't the only one who had Laura on his mind, but he wanted to hear it from Jack.

“I think you know what my deal is. And I'll be honest, I don't even need to go to the office.”

“Oh, for fuck's sake!” Smoke was pissed. “So what the hell are we doing?”

Jack shrugged. “Let's go anyway. I can check in with Lexi while you go collect your stuff. I'll meet you at that place near the airport for lunch, yeah?”

Smoke nodded. “You're the boss.”

Jack had settled in one of the big club seats, which was unusual. But then Smoke didn't think he wanted him sitting up front today.

***

A
t one o'clock Smoke sat in the burger joint across the road from the airport. He was agitated. He knew Jack was going to warn him off Laura, and he understood why. He'd be doing the same in Jack's position. But Smoke had been thinking about it while he'd collected the few things he still had in the Santa Monica apartment, and he wasn't willing to back off. Even though, after this morning, that might not be his choice to make. She'd been ready to give in to him, even been ready to go back there after he'd left her high and dry. But she'd been madder than a scalded cat when he left. Maybe this little chat with Jack was a pointless exercise. He pursed his lips. But no matter what Jack said, no matter what Laura might say, no matter even what the better part of himself knew to be the wise thing to do, there was a stubborn little voice in his head that wasn't about to quit.

He nodded as Jack came in and made his way over to the booth where Smoke was sitting. He slid in opposite Smoke and gave him a rueful grin. This morning's tension was gone. This was the Jack of old, his college buddy, his partner in many ways.

“Sorry, bro. I feel like an asshole, but she's my little bitty baby cousin.”

Smoke laughed, glad to release the last of his own tension. “She's no little bitty baby anything, Benson! She's a fine woman who knows her own mind and can hold her own with anyone, if you ask me.”

Jack nodded, “Yeah, she can that.”

“So what's the problem?  I mean, I know I wouldn't want a guy like me around
my
sister, but Laura's nobody's fool.”

Jack sighed, but said nothing as the waitress came to take their order. She smiled at Smoke and leaned a little too close as she refilled his water. “You were right, Smokey. Your friend is handsome, but I'd still rather have you. Maybe we could bring him along for Ashley?”

Smoke shook his head at her. “Leave it, Vicky.”

She put a hand on his shoulder. “I'll wear you down one day, Smokey.” She turned her smile on Jack. “I know what Smokey wants, how about you, handsome?”

Jack laughed. “I'll take the Swiss burger, thanks, with everything but pickles.”

“Coming right up.” She walked away, her backside swaying with every step.

Jack watched her go then looked back at Smoke. “That's more your style. Why not stick with something like that? Nice and easy.”

Smoke frowned. “Maybe I've had enough of nice and easy?” As he said it he realized it might be true. Yeah, Vicky was hot, blonde and curvy, wanting and willing, and Jack was right, she was more his style, but looking at her now, she did nothing for him. He wanted the tall, slender, blue-eyed, dark-haired challenge that was Laura. “You know damned well Laura can take care of herself. What are you worried about?”

“Honestly?” Jack was always straight up honest, when he asked permission first it usually meant he was about to slam home a particularly hard truth.

Smoke nodded warily, not knowing what to expect, but knowing that he wasn't going to like it. “Yeah, your honesty is always useful—if mostly painful, too.”

Jack shrugged, “The truth is like that, bro. It can be a bitch.”

“Go on then, lay it on me.”

“Honestly, I'm as concerned about you as I am about her.”

Now
that
was unexpected.  “Why?”

“Because last night Em and I were at the Boathouse for a beer and I saw the two of you having dinner. Alright, I didn't just see you, I sat there and watched you for a while. And do you want to know what I saw? I saw my old buddy, Smoke, Mr. Fuck 'em and Forget 'em, go through a whole range of emotions as my little bitty baby cousin talked. I saw Mr. Don't Care start to care.
And
I saw my closed off, men-are-as-disposable-as-vibrators cousin start to open up. She poured something out to you and you didn't turn and run. You didn't even lighten it with a joke and a laugh. You reassured her. You took her hand and you took her home.” Jack gave him a meaningful look. “And it scared the shit out of me—for both of you. I know you and I know her. I've helped patch both of you back together over the years. I know where both of your flaws and your weaknesses lie and I'm scared that if you try to bring them all together, it might just shatter you both.”

Smoke just stared at him for a long time, not knowing what to say—or what to think.

Vicky returned with their food. Looking at their faces she simply said, “Enjoy, boys,” as she slid the plates onto the table and left.

“But I don't let women get to me,” said Smoke eventually.

“That's what I thought ’til I saw you with Laura last night. You can't tell me she's not getting to you?”

Maybe he couldn't, but he wasn't about to admit that she was either—especially not to himself. Jack let him mull it over while they ate in silence.

“What's her story anyway?” he asked when his burger was gone.

Jack shook his head. “I'm not telling you her story, and I'm not telling her or anyone else your story. I'm wading in way deeper than I should already, and I know it.”

“So what was the point in today then? You're warning me off her—for her sake, for my sake, either way?”

“No. Part of me wants to lay down the law, go all badass on you, but no. I'm just asking you to stop and think. Is it worth it?”

Smoke thought about it as he picked at his fries. Apparently it was. Maybe he was being stupid, pig-headed, but he wasn't ready to walk away. Vicky waved at him from behind the counter, giving him her come-on smile as she leaned forward on her elbows, her pose deliberately showcasing her impressive cleavage. He looked away. He'd had way more than his fair share of nice and easy.

“I don't want to walk away yet, Jack.”

Jack nodded. “I kinda knew that last night. I just feel like I'm watching a train wreck about to happen and I needed to try to warn you.”

“You don't think we can just play the game for a while then shake hands and leave as friends when it's done?”

Jack shook his head slowly. “Before last night I would have thought that of all the people I know, the two of you were the most likely to be able to do that. But seeing the way you were together? Nope. Sorry. It's a train wreck waiting to happen.”

Smoke blew out a sigh. He had a feeling Jack was right, but he still didn't want to change tracks. “So what are you suggesting?”

“That if you're going to keep seeing her, you might want to be up front with her and ask her to do the same. Tell her what your deal is, ask her to do the same. It won't ever work if you don't.”

Smoke shook his head at that. How could it ever work if he did? And what did 'work' mean anyway? All he wanted to do was sleep with the woman. Didn't he? Not get into all this heavy stuff. Even if he wanted more than that it was pointless anyway. He could hardly say that to Jack, though.

“Just think about it, that's all, and if you want to talk to me, talk to me.” Jack grinned now. “She may be my little bitty baby cousin, but you're my bud. That's mostly what I needed to tell you. Whatever goes down, that doesn't change, okay?”

“Okay.” Smoke was glad to hear it. He had no idea how this might go down, but however it did, he'd hate to lose Jack's friendship over it. 

L
aura couldn't concentrate. She'd thought she'd be able to distract herself by getting down to work. She usually lost track of herself and everything else when she was designing, but not this morning. The way Smoke left had rattled her. She kept telling herself it was all for the best. She must have been crazy to think about having unprotected sex with him. It just went to show that she was as stupid as the next woman when she got around a big, muscly—she pursed her lips—sexy-as-sin guy. She'd do better to stick with her brown haired bookish types. The ones she could push around and never consider being vulnerable with. If it was all for the best though, why could she not stop thinking about the damned man, and his gray eyes—and his damned muscles?!

Her cell phone buzzed, interrupting her mental ramblings. She didn't recognize the number.

“Laura Benson.”

“Hey, Laura. It's Ava from Levy.”

“Oh, hi Ava. What can I do for you?”

“Colin, Mr. Levy Jr., is going to be in San Francisco tomorrow and he'd like to stop by your store. Mr. Levy Sr. has talked to him about the possibility of buying it. Since Colin didn't get the chance to meet you last week he's hoping to introduce himself and take a look around. Is there a time that would work for you?”

Laura frowned. “How long is he going to be in town?”

“Just tomorrow, he's on an early evening flight back to London.”

Oh, crap! She didn't want to go, but she couldn't afford not to. “Would late morning work?”

“It would. He had suggested eleven if that will work for you.”

“It will.” It'd have to.

“Thanks. I'll let him know.”

“Great.”

Laura ended the call. Just great! Now she'd have to rent a car and get her ass back there by tonight. She picked her phone back up to call Missy.

Dan answered. “Hey, Laura!”

“Hey, Dan-o. Is Miss around?”

“No, she's out with her brother. Shall I get her to call you? Anything I can do for you?”

“No, it's okay. I just wanted to say hi. I'd hoped to be around whenever you two have your little engagement bash, but I've got a meeting I have to get back for.”

“I thought you were staying all week?”

“So did I.” She sighed.

“So why not have Smoke take you and bring you right back?”