Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Penny was nervous. After her talk with Pyro, they’d gone to the hangar to meet back up with Bowie, Casper, and Laryn.
Her daughter had been talking a mile a minute, explaining in detail everything she’d learned about both the fighter jet and the helicopter.
She’d insisted Casper show her mom the picture he’d taken of her in the cockpit and behind the controls of the chopper.
Penny had a feeling they’d all be hearing about the experience several times over the next twenty-four hours, until they arrived in Norfolk and the girl had new things to talk about.
Pyro had volunteered to take Bowie to get some ice cream from one of the twenty-four-hour convenience stores onboard, and Penny didn’t have the heart to say no, not after seeing the look of adoration on her daughter’s face when she gazed up at the man at her side.
It worried her a little how fast Bowie had latched onto Pyro, but she knew in her gut that he was a good man.
That he was nothing like her husband had been.
He wouldn’t hurt one hair on Bowie’s head, of that she was certain.
He might spoil her rotten, but Penny figured a little spoiling wasn’t a bad thing, since she’d had so little in her short life so far.
But she’d have to make it clear that he couldn’t continue to give her everything she wanted. Penny was not going to raise an entitled child. No way in hell.
While she was deciding what to do with the additional free time—which she’d had more of since being on this ship and hooking up with Pyro and his amazing friends than she’d had in years—Laryn approached and asked if they could talk.
Penny immediately got nervous. The woman was intimidating.
Not because of anything she’d said or done in the last week, but because she had confidence oozing out of every pore.
She was in charge of the mechanics who worked under her and had no problem speaking her mind.
Penny liked her. A lot. But she was still intimidated by her a little bit.
“Sure, I’d like that,” she said, doing her best to sound as if she wasn’t quaking in her shiny new tennis shoes Pyro had bought her.
“Oh man, am I that scary?” Laryn asked with a chuckle.
Darn. Guess she didn’t hide her nervousness as well as she’d hoped. “No, not at all. I’d love a chance to get to know you better.”
“Awesome. Come on, we can go to my office.” Laryn said goodbye to Casper, then hooked her arm in Penny’s as she led her toward the door to the hangar.
“You have an office?” Penny asked.
“Well, not in the strictest sense of the word. It’s actually a supply closet. But I put a chair and a tiny little desk in there so I could get away from the other mechanics when I needed a moment. They can be like a bunch of little kids sometimes. No offense.”
Penny smiled. “I’m not offended. I need a break from Bowie sometimes too, and she is a little kid.”
She had no idea what to expect when Laryn led them up a level to another large space filled with aircraft, then toward a door along the wall. She unlocked it and reached in to turn on the light, gesturing for Penny to lead the way.
The room was, in fact, a closet. But it had Laryn’s tools of the trade on every available surface.
On shelves along the walls, hanging on the walls themselves, in boxes on the floors, even hanging from the ceiling.
Everything was well secured, so nothing would fall with the movement of the ship.
And there was indeed a tiny table between two of the shelving units, with a metal chair in front of it.
Laryn pulled the chair out and pushed it away from the table, then boosted herself up onto the flat surface itself, not caring that she was sitting on a couple of file folders.
“Sit. Let’s chat,” she said cheerfully.
Feeling a little like she was about to undergo an interrogation, she sat.
But Laryn did most of the talking for the first ten minutes, putting Penny at ease.
She shared how long she and Casper had known each other, how she got interested in working on engines—by working on cars with her dad, when she was younger—even admitting that she had a tattoo of a small wrench.
She was funny, engaging, and Penny liked her even more than she had before.
Then she got serious…and told Penny the story of how she’d been kidnapped, how stupid she’d been to get on Casper’s helicopter, and how Pyro and Casper had to destroy the helicopter she’d spent so many hours working on, to prevent it from getting into the hands of the wrong government.
It was a scary story, but obviously one with a happy ending, since Laryn was sitting there in front of Penny to tell the tale.
“So…here we are. Happy as two clams, and I’m all knocked up.”
Penny laughed.
“Which brings me to one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you. Not because I wanted to babble on and on about myself and not give you a chance to tell me about you—because I do want to know you. I want to hear all about Bowie, and how you realized she was blind, and how in the hell you’ve managed to raise such an independent and brave little girl, because I swear she doesn’t have a shy bone in her body.
Which is awesome and what I want for my own daughters. ”
Penny flushed with pride. Bowie was brave.
She didn’t let a lack of eyesight hold her back.
She was going to be a force to be reckoned with when she got older, and Penny prayed that inner fire and love of knowledge was never squashed by others who thought she should stick to sitting at home doing something “safe” just because she was blind.
“Tate talked with Pyro, who said you’re interested in possibly babysitting for us. Or I guess I should say nannying, after our little nugget—or nuggets, if the case may be—are born and we’re deployed.”
Penny couldn’t read Laryn. Did she like the idea?
Or think it was crazy since everyone had just met her?
“I’m not sure, honestly. I mean, I don’t know what kind of job I’ll be able to find in the meantime, and I need something that makes enough money for me to pay rent, get a car, do all the things adults are supposed to do.
And of course, raising a kid isn’t cheap. ”
“Yeah, I’m figuring that out with all the baby stuff we’ve been looking into getting.
Why are baby clothes so much more expensive than things I get for myself at the big box stores?
It makes no sense. There’s so much less material, and yet manufacturers throw a duck on the front and suddenly it’s twice as expensive than a T-shirt for me. It’s stupid!”
Penny chuckled. “I’m the last person to ask, as I haven’t bought anything new in years. And things in Gabon I’m sure are super cheap compared to what’s on sale in the US.”
“Yeah, okay, true. But, girl, are you in for some sticker shock the first time you go shopping. Though I totally understand that you need a job that pays well. To be clear, I’m not really asking you to be a full-time caregiver for me and Tate.
I want to be a very hands-on parent. It’s just…
I love my job. I love traveling on ships with Tate and his friends.
Not to be conceited, but I know their choppers like the back of my hand.
I know how they should sound, and I’ve touched every nut and bolt on the damn things.
I want to continue going on missions with them.
Not on the actual missions, but traveling with them…
you know what I mean. But I need to know my baby is in good hands when I’m not with him or her.
Or them. Shoot, I can’t wait to find out how many babies I’m cooking in here,” Laryn said, placing a hand on her belly.
“Anyway, I guess what I want to know is if you’d be willing to be a live-in nanny with my baby when I’m gone.
This might be weird, since I know we just met, but I’ve seen how you are with Bowie, and I have no doubt you’d be amazing with any baby in your care too.
I also realize a lot of things could change between now and when we’d actually need you, so there’s no pressure.
I’m guessing you’ll need some other kind of job too, as the deployment schedule is unpredictable.
But knowing you’ll at least consider it would be a huge weight off our shoulders. ”
Penny felt honored that Laryn and Casper trusted her with their kid. Or kids. Who weren’t even born yet.
“Oh, and before you say yes or no, I have to be honest about something. I tore Tate a new asshole when he told me this, and I let him know how uncool it was…but he asked Tex—you know about Tex, right? How he’s like this computer God who can find out anything about anyone?”
Penny nodded. “Pyro said he’s been talking to him about a man who’s been forcing me to pay off my deceased husband’s debts.”
“Yeah, sorry. I heard about that too. One thing to know about the Night Stalkers is that they’re a gossipy bunch.
They can’t help it. Their hearts are totally in the right place, but yeah, nothing stays a secret for long among the group.
Anyway, after Tate and I had a long discussion about possibly hiring you, he asked Tex to do a background check.
He shouldn’t have, but he did…and now it’s done, so I’m sorry. ”
Penny wasn’t sure how to feel about someone looking into her history.
Not that she had anything to hide, but as Laryn said, it wasn’t exactly cool.
Then again, Tex probably already knew most of what there was to know about her from looking into Colvin.
He had to probably look at her and John’s histories in the process.
And since she had nothing to hide, wasn’t on the run from the law, and didn’t even have a speeding ticket, she didn’t really care.
“It’s okay,” she said a little belatedly.
“Whew. Okay. Tate didn’t share what Tex told him, which is weird, considering they gossip like little girls about every other thing, but he said you were good.
Which in Tate speak is high praise.” She leaned back on her hands and sighed.
“Honestly, I’m conflicted about this baby.
I want kids with Tate, of course. I love him so much.
But I also love my job and don’t want to give it up.
And Tate obviously won’t be giving up flying, so we’re kind of in a tough place. ”
“I get it. And it’s awesome that you love your job that much. I think it’s rare for people to find a career that they’re absolutely passionate about. And I’m thinking that I want you on the job, because that’ll mean Pyro’s safer.”
“Especially since he flies with Tate,” Laryn said with a grin.
“Exactly.”
“Awesome. Okay, we’ll see how things go in the next few months. Get you settled. See what kind of job you find. You might end up working somewhere that isn’t flexible, and you won’t be able to take time off to hang with my kid. Do you want to stay in the health care industry?”
“I’m not sure. I really enjoyed teaching women about prenatal health, but I’m sure things in the States aren’t even remotely the same as where I was. I’m guessing Americans have a lot more knowledge about women’s health and prenatal care.”
“Maybe, maybe not. I’m sure you’ll find something you’ll love. Especially with all of us doing what we can to help.”
Warmth swam through Penny’s veins. How she’d somehow hooked up with such a generous group of people, she had no idea. But she was more than grateful.
“How about we head out and find Pyro and Bowie? I have a feeling he probably bought her the biggest ice cream he could find and your daughter will probably be all hyped up on sugar.”
Penny winced.
Laryn chuckled. “We’ll find something to tire her out. Maybe Casper can have her run drills in the hallway until she keels over.”
Penny eyed the other woman, not sure if she was joking or not.
“Kidding!” she said with a laugh.
“It’s not a horrible idea,” she replied, chuckling herself. “And Bowie would probably love it.”
“I like you, Penny,” Laryn said, as she hopped off the small table. “You clearly haven’t had an easy time of it, both recently with the evacuation, but also in general, trying to raise Bowie while dealing with assholes shaking you down for money. But you’ve dealt with everything shockingly well.”
“I didn’t have a choice. If I don’t want my child to suffer, I have to suck it up and keep putting one foot in front of the other, no matter how difficult life is.”
“Which is a great attitude to have. Come on, maybe we can get an ice cream for ourselves.”
Penny’s mouth watered at the thought. It had been a very long time since she’d splurged on something so frivolous.
Even though she was consuming more calories every day than she had in years, and had the thought that she should be careful, otherwise she’d end up gaining a ton of weight, ice cream sounded perfect right about now.
Life had certainly been tough in the last several years, but now it was looking up. Though, it had a way of turning on a dime, so she had to be prepared for whatever might be waiting in her future.
Pyro’s warning about Colvin was in the back of her mind.
And even though he said she and Bowie would be safe in Zita’s apartment complex, they couldn’t stay behind a locked door every hour of the day.
Penny wanted to believe she’d seen the end of Colvin Jackson…
but she had a bad feeling he wasn’t done with her yet.
Shaking off the feeling of dread she got just by thinking of her tormentor, Penny forced herself to concentrate on the here and now.
And her new friend Laryn. Who was telling her more about Mandy and Zita, the two women she’d meet when they got to Norfolk.
Penny had never had any close girlfriends, and she sincerely hoped she clicked with the other women as much as she had with Laryn and Pyro’s friends.