Chapter Ten
W hen presenting his and Selah’s idea to his boss, Dex worried he was about to be laughed out of the yurt again. He’d also talked it over with Jon, who raised his eyebrows at the mention of Selah’s name but, in the end, was encouraging and offered his help if they needed it. Jon even offered some good suggestions, such as where would be a nice spot to set up the balloon and they should make a designated spot for people to line up to take pictures. This way there would be a safe distance around the balloon, and people would be able to get the whole balloon with Smith Rock in the background. With both Selah and Jon helping him, it gave Dex the confidence he needed to talk to Chris.
As much as Dex gave Chris a hard time about shooting down his ideas, the old-school, stout woman was a fairly reasonable person, even if she insisted on wearing the traditional campaign-style hat. Chris wasn’t a bad boss. She tried to give the rangers under her leeway in running the park, as long as things ran smoothly.
This time there was no laughing. In fact, Chris loved the idea and asked if she and her wife could get a picture in front of the balloon so they could use it for this year’s Christmas card. After the date was picked, with confirmation from Selah and her team, everything for Postcard Day at Smith Rock was settled.
Dex was pleased with the possibility of having a reason to talk to Selah. He’d had friends before. There was Jon, who’d become a good friend, but this thing with Selah was different. Maybe because she was funnier than Jon, made him think about things in a different way and, also, he could feel at ease around her—he didn’t always feel awkward and strange in her presence. He might still be a human-version of a crow, but she didn’t seem to mind. His world was that much brighter when she was around. Maybe what they said was true and there were three hundred days of sunshine a year. At this point, he’d lost count, anyway.
It was weird. Ava had been a part of his life for at least a year. They’d been broken up for three months, and yet, it felt like a lifetime ago. It was one phase of his life, and he was entering into a new one, a better one, and rarely looked backwards. He supposed that in itself was telling about his and Ava’s relationship.
But, obviously, this thing with Selah wasn’t a romance or even the beginning of one. She had made it clear her plans didn’t include staying in Central Oregon and she had no interest in dating him or anyone else. His only hope was friendship, and there was no “taking this friendship to the next level.” What did that even look like? Was it things like agreeing to be godparents to each other’s kids or donating a kidney if necessary?
Whatever this was, he would have to be satisfied, because he wasn’t going to get anything else. This was easier in theory than in practice, and nothing tested him more than the morning of their shared event at Smith Rock a few weeks later, in mid-August.
Their trucks and the white High Desert Van arrived early, parking in a designated area. From the van came her mother, sisters, and some guy he thought was also at the launch on that fateful proposal flight. Selah slid out of the driver’s side of her truck, dark wavy curls framing her heart-shaped face.
Selah wasn’t like Ava, but he no longer wanted someone like his ex. Selah was a special mix of cute and tough, which he thought was impossible, but she did a good job of proving him wrong. With the aviators in place and wearing a tight white tank top, navy pants, and black boots, she looked confident and competent. Dex was beginning to understand the preference for people in uniform... not his uniform, of course. Park rangers were rarely asked to pose for provocative calendar spreads, and probably for a good reason. Selah’s clothes weren’t necessarily classified as a real uniform, but it was her flight getup. It meant business. And on her, it looked sexy as hell, and he’d quickly part with his money if someone was offering a calendar featuring her.
Jon snapped him from his hot-air balloon pilot calendar fantasies by strolling toward the group with a hand raised in greeting before saying, “Hey there.”
Selah greeted Jon warmly, hugging him and then introducing the ranger to the rest of her family, who all hugged him as well. Dex had never seen so much hugging in his life. There was no reason to be jealous because he didn’t need hugs. He’d gotten this far in his life without many of them. It simply made him curious what it would be like to be in a hug-heavy family. He also wondered if living with Harper made him smell a certain way and this explained his lack of hugs.
“Hey,” he said, interrupting the group, his hands stuffed deep in his pockets.
“Hey, Dex.” Selah gave him a soft smile in return before sliding past him to drop the tailgate of the truck transporting the balloon equipment. She hopped up, along with Naomi, and they started undoing its ties. The other man quickly introduced himself as Boone, and he helped wrestle the basket off once the tailgate lift lowered it to the ground before tipping it to its side.
Selah’s mom approached him. “Dexter. It’s good to see you again. You’re still invited to dinner one of these days. You need to come. I’ll make you something special.” She wrapped her arms around his middle, squeezing him warmly. He was so taken aback, all he could do was return the hug with an awkward back pat, proving he was the hug amateur. Even his own parents never called him Dexter. It was a reverse nickname, but was genuine in sincerity, and he liked it.
“Yes, ma’am. It’s good to see you too. What happened to the other balloon? The blue one?” He watched as Selah, Naomi, and Boone unfurled and unstretched this current one, revealing bright rainbow colors instead of the sun-bleached solid-blue one.
“Oh, we still have The Blue Wonder , but Selah thought this one would stand out better for pictures,” her mother said.
“You name your balloons?”
“Their dad started the tradition, my Robert. God rest his soul.” Her eyes grew sparkly with unshed tears. “He said his balloons were like big ships of the sky, and like ships, it needed a name. He bought this one shortly before he passed away. It’s never been used before.”
Dex’s gaze couldn’t help but seek Selah out, wondering if this balloon, and the moment, was affecting her. It was hard to tell behind the reflective sunglasses. Her motions were mechanical and efficient, like she’d set up hundreds of balloons before and this time wasn’t any different.
“What’s the name of this one?”
Selah’s mother shrugged. “It doesn’t have one. Not yet. I’m hoping when she stops thinking of herself as Number One and sees herself as a captain, it’ll get one.”
Dex didn’t entirely understand what Elena meant, but it felt rude to pry. “I should go see if they need any help,” he said.
“Yes, that’s a good idea. Selah doesn’t really ask for help very often, but it doesn’t mean she doesn’t need it. Be careful, though. It’s easy to forget that a tethered balloon can still be a little dangerous. They, like their pilots, don’t like to be tied down, when all they want to do is take off.”
“Uh, okay, I’ll keep that in mind,” he said before heading over.
By that time, the team was almost finished and there wasn’t much for him to do. But he, with the rest of the group, watched with amazement as the balloon filled with air, slowly growing fuller and rising into the air until it was perfectly over the basket. The moment was the same as witnessing magic, and Selah was the magician who controlled a giant flame thrower. Witnessing her do this would never not be cool. The final reveal drew claps from nearby visitors, and Selah’s sisters hugged each other and then their mother.
The balloon’s colors were bright and pristine, standing in contrast to the sky. It had rainbow vertical stripes with bright white font reading High Desert Tours and there was a silhouetted flock of birds in flight above the words. Early visitors broke out their phones to take pictures.
Selah, of course, stayed with her sky ship, remaining stationed inside the basket. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she peered upward into the center of the balloon. Even as an amateur hugger, he wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her to his chest. Now that he knew something about the history of the balloon and the loss of her dad, he wanted to hug the whole family, but he especially wanted to hold her. He couldn’t deny it anymore. Dex was simply inexplicably drawn to her like she embodied her own gravitational pull.
“Hey,” he said as he approached. “Everything okay?”
She continued staring upward, facing away from him. “Yup. I’m fine.” She finally turned, but the most important part of her expression was hidden behind the aviators. “Just make sure Jon knows that we don’t want people coming up to the balloon if we can help it. These things can still be a little unpredictable even when tied down. I don’t want anyone getting hurt. So, if we can keep pictures over there, by your table, then that’s probably for the best.” She was in full business, piloting-mode. It was hard to see the other Selah he had gotten to know these last couple of weeks. It made her feel untouchable again.
“Okay, well... if you need anything, water, something to eat, you can just text... or holler at me.” He threw a thumb over his shoulder at the spot where his area would be with Jon. His fellow ranger was in the process of setting their table up. He felt silly pointing out the obvious, since she already knew where’d he be. “You know, in case you need me.”
“I should be good. I have Boone here to help me.” She tipped her head toward the man who sat perched on the side of the basket as if he was a human sandbag. Had he been there the whole time? Boone only grinned knowingly in his direction for some reason. “And my mom set me up with this.” She held a bright-pink drinking canister and pulled a child-sized granola bar from her pocket, as though she were prepared to survive a week in this situation.
“Oh, okay, good.” Dex didn’t have anything else to say, but for some reason, added, “Good luck,” making him want to do a full-face cringe before turning and leaving to retrieve Harper, who was waiting in her carrier in the visitor center.
For him, the day was fun and busy. It was exciting to see people come specifically because they heard about the event he helped create. At one point, there was a long line to participate. In addition to this, he got to do his favorite thing, which was talk to guests about the park, wildlife, and Harper. Many people donated, leading him to feel successful, no matter what.
There was a flaw in the whole plan, though. He didn’t get to hang out with Selah. He had more interactions with her sisters and mother than he did with her. Naomi and her mother chatted with people, using people’s phones to take pictures while slipping them High Desert Tours business cards. Her other sister, Hailey, flitted about with her phone like a busy hummingbird, taking images and video. Sometimes he or Harper was her focus, but he tried to ignore it because he wasn’t sure what to do that would appear natural and not awkward.
None of this stopped Dex’s attention from sliding in the direction of the balloon or its pilot. It was a huge distraction. Literally. His focus drifted her direction more than once, and she may have even returned his look. It was hard to tell with the sunglasses, but she leaned on the basket, propping her head on the bent arm resting on the basket’s edge, facing him, before suddenly snapping straight to turn on the flame to add more air to the balloon or talking to Boone and—
What was Boone’s deal? Was there a reason he was chosen to stay with her instead of somewhere else? Was there something between them? The situation annoyingly picked at Dex and he wished he wasn’t stuck here while she was over there.
At one point in the early afternoon, Selah and Boone swapped spots and Naomi joined the basket. Selah left her post, heading toward the restroom.
“Can you hold down the table? I’m just going to take a quick restroom break,” Dex said to Jon.
“Is your bird going to be okay without you, or are you taking it with you?”
“I’ll just put her in her carrier.” Dex removed Harper from his shoulder, where she’d spent most of the day, keeping herself entertained by latching onto one of his earlobes and tugging, as though he were a slot machine, and this action caused treats to drop out. He put the bird in her carrier before walking toward the restroom and dusting off the top of his shoulders in case there were any feathers or bird dandruff.
As he reached the corner of the cinder block public restroom building, Selah rounded the corner. Almost bumping into each other, her damp hands pressed against his chest and his went to the tops of her arms, stopping a full collision.
“Oh! Sorry,” she said.
“Hey. Funny seeing you here. You come to this restroom often?”
She released a laugh, her eyes lighting with warmth. Her sunglasses were on the top of her head, holding those dark wavy curls away from her face, giving her a more open and approachable look again. This was the version of Selah he’d been hoping to see all day.
“Only when my mother insists I drink a whole canister of water. Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean... it’s just water,” she replied, removing her hands from his chest, leaving behind damp splotches on his clothes. “There were a couple of kids playing with the hand dryer and I didn’t want to wait.”
He hadn’t removed his hands from her arms, continuing to hold her, liking how she could feel tough and strong and yet there was something delicate about her, something that made him protective. He didn’t want to let go, but he did anyway. “You doing okay over in your area?”
She peeked upward at him, smiling softly, “Oh, yeah, doing okay. Boone does a pretty good job keeping curious people from getting too close and he helps keep the basket stabilized.”
He supposed Boone’s involvement made sense in that respect, but he still felt like a villain, wanting to shake his fist and curse the other man’s name. All he could do was respond, “Good. Well, if you need anyone else to stabilize your basket, I can help too.” He nearly closed his eyes at the cringe of it all. Did that somehow sound sexual, or was it just him? Either way, he quickly followed with, “Or tackling. You shouldn’t have to do it. You’re too short.”
She flicked him a playful look. “Aw, okay, I see how it is. I must be this tall to tackle and, apparently, to date. Is there anything I’m not too short for?”
His suddenly dirty mind came up with some things, but it wasn’t appropriate to voice, especially for a friend he hoped to elevate to the next level of friendship. “Piloting is clearly something you’re not too short for. And who said you were too short to date?” It had to be another asshole dump truck, and he considered sending Harper to shit on their head as payback.
“Now let me think. Who was it that said I was too short to date?” Selah did that thing where she rubbed a pointer finger against her bottom lip while thinking. It was cute and got him entirely too focused on her mouth. “I think it was some tallish park ranger. He might have a crow as a roommate.”
“Me?” He was the dump truck? In response, his ears grew hot. He regretted wearing his standard baseball hat instead of something more practical and fashionable, like Chris’s campaign-style headgear that was able to hide the tops of his ears better. His boss was clearly onto something. With this reminder, Dex was beginning to remember the whole height conversation and kicking himself for suggesting such a thing. These days, he didn’t consider her to be “too” anything.
“I’m also apparently too cool to date or something, which I don’t even know what that means.” Selah did the most sarcastic finger quotes he’d ever seen.
This point remained true. “Yeah, it’s all coming back to me now. Hmm. I seem to recall you saying I’m too tall, so it’s clearly not just me.”
“Exactly. It’s all so impossible.”
Her face tilted upward and was entirely too pretty. Huh. There was something she was “too” much of, after all. “Yeah, impossible. Can you imagine? What am I supposed to do, hunch over like this?” He tipped over her, coming closer to achieving a new goal of his and still feeling much too far away. “It’s not recommended for anyone’s spine to bend over like this for any length of time.”
“True. Spine health and posture are too important to risk long-term back pain. And what am I supposed to do? Go up on my tiptoes like this?” Selah rose a few inches, their faces now close enough for him to imagine all kinds of obstacles he’d be willing to overcome in order to close the gap, even poor posture.
“What am I? A ballerina?” Losing her balance, she stumbled backwards, her back hitting the building’s cinder block wall, and she giggled. “See? It wouldn’t work. I have to be the worst ballerina.”
Dex couldn’t help smiling as he adjusted his position, using a hand on the wall to support himself as he leaned into her space. “So, a better pilot than a ballerina?”
“I guess so. So, again, the whole thing is... impossible.” The last word was said on a light breath and paired with a coy smile. He was coming to appreciate those smiles. They were the type that made it seem she was holding back intriguing thoughts. He wanted to weasel his way into her brain, to uncover every single one of them, because based on her expression, they were something good.
Before he could reply, Selah’s name was called from beyond the building, and she snapped from this intimate bubble. “Oh God. That’s my mom. I need to get back to the balloon.” Due to her short stature, Selah easily ducked under his arm and jogged to the event area, leaving Dex behind to pick up the pieces of his scattered self. He took a moment to lean against the cool surface of the concrete wall, closing his eyes, and taking deep breaths.
She wasn’t supposed to affect him like this, but fighting it also felt like a lost cause.