Chapter 20 #2
“Call me Obi-Wan,” the man said. “And,” his face twisted up in amusement, “are you a clown?”
“Oops.” Vince grinned. “Forgot about the outfit.”
He did a little two step, clearly unabashed. “I was entertaining at the hospital this morning, and haven’t had a chance to change.” He pulled a wad of balloons from his pocket. “I don’t suppose you want a toucan or anything?” he asked, honking the button on his caftan that was a horn.
“How about a turtle,” Zita’s face split into a huge smile.
“Easy-peasy,” Vince responded, and immediately began creating.
While he was busy, Lace scrutinized the pair.
She put the handsome and very buff Obi-Wan at five-nine or so, and the auburn-haired Zita at four or five inches shorter. But height clearly didn’t matter. They both commanded the space around them like they were much larger figures.
No one would want to mess with either of them.
Vince approached the couple, proffered the green turtle he’d concocted. Then with his palm outstretched, he set about greeting them.
“I’m excited to meet you,” he gushed sincerely, shaking Zita’s hand first before turning to her husband. “And you…” He whistled appreciably as he shook. “I have to say, I’m a big Night Stalker fan. My team and I had our asses rescued more than once by you guys…and gals,” he added.
Obi-Wan assessed him with a practiced eye. “Don’t tell me. Navy. SEAL.” he stated more than asked.
Vince nodded and grinned. “Separated now, but yeah. It was a wild ride. More boats than whirlybirds, but I do love a good helicopter.”
“I don’t suppose you’d like to see mine, would you?” Obi-Wan questioned with a smile, clearly knowing the answer even before Vince replied.
“Hell, yes,” Vince enthused, then turned to his mother. “Do you mind, Mom?” he appealed.
“No. You boys go ahead.”
It had always been on Lace’s bucket list to sit in a helicopter, and she didn’t want to miss this opportunity, but she also didn’t want to disappoint Ellen.
Ellen must have noticed the look in Lace’s eyes.
“It seems like the ladies want to join you,” Ellen finished diplomatically. “How about I go make us some lemonade while you’re busy, then I’ll take care of a few things I need to do for camp tomorrow before you get back. I can see you won’t sit still until you’ve examined Obi-Wan’s baby.”
Lace knew that Ellen worked at Hilly Duncan-Andera’s camp for marginalized children, bringing her cheerful grand-motherliness and stellar cooking to the table. It was clearly a great fit.
“You know me too well,” Vince gave his mother a quick kiss on the cheek, and she waved them away.
She scoffed at her son, tapping her chin sarcastically. “Hmm. Sitting around chatting with your old mother, or getting to sit in the cockpit of a helicopter? That’s kind of a no-brainer.”
They all laughed, and they didn’t wait for any further permission, but took to the stairs. Vincent simply leaped, as if he were an excited boy of nine.
Ellen laughed. “Take your time,” she called after them.
Lace knew they would.
The group walked companionably toward the field and the landing strip behind one of the mill buildings, while small talk was made during the short jaunt.
Lace instantly liked both people.
Obi-Wan lit up like a night stadium as he rattled off specs to Vince regarding his Bell 429, which he had aptly nicknamed, Belle. And Zita was a hoot, regaling Lace with a few hair-raising stories of Hollywood, and the entitled actors she’d encountered there as an on-scene paramedic.
Fascinating.
Zita had lived a completely different life than Lace, who’d spent all her years in Maine, and it was exciting to hear from the other woman.
As they approached “Belle”, Lace immediately fell in lust with the craft.
She’d been assessing and cataloguing boats and ships all her life, and knew a solidly built, high end machine when she saw one.
This baby was all that and more. Painted a sleek silver, black, and white, she was clearly well maintained, and also a lot larger than Lace had imagined.
“Why so big?” she asked, once they stopped and Obi-Wan opened the huge clam-shell doors into the rear compartment.
“Have a look inside,” Obi-Wan suggested, “and I’ll explain.”
Nobody had to tell Lace twice.
She stepped forward, and Vince, always attentive, gave her a boost up until she stood inside an area that had plenty of headroom and seated six; three facing forward and three facing aft, with lots of space in between.
“This baby,” Obi-Wan explained, “as you can clearly see, has seating for seven passengers. Six here, and one up front with the pilot.”
Obi-Wan had hopped up easily to join her inside. “But if the need arises…”
While Lace stood and watched, he swiftly and expertly unhooked the back-most seats to show how the passenger compartment could easily be converted into a space for emergency operations.
With the seats out of the way, Lace recognized a rescue basket, as well as lines and winches that had been stored in the very rear.
The space Obi-Wan had opened up would easily accommodate those and a stretcher if a crisis emerged.
“You still go out on rescue missions?” she asked.
“Not as often as I used to, but it never hurts to be prepared,” he nodded sagely.
Lace poked around, happily. She was familiar with the Coast Guard’s search and rescue birds; NOAA employees having been given tours a time or two, but she hadn’t expected the same from such a pretty-from-the-outside helicopter like Belle.
As questions flew from her mouth, Lace was almost bouncing up and down on her toes in excitement. Some of the things she asked had everyone laughing, but Lace wasn’t deterred. She was damned curious, and wasn’t to be denied.
Some kind of look eventually passed between Vince and Obi-Wan that she couldn’t interpret, but then…
“I don’t suppose you’d like to go up for a spin?” Obi-Wan asked with a huge smile on his face.
“Oh my God, yes,” Lace squealed with excitement.
She couldn’t believe her luck.
Tooling around in the skies today, then sex with Vince tonight?
This was going to be the best day of her life.