Chapter Eighteen Nathan
Chapter Eighteen
Nathan
There is an art to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
—DOUGLAS ADAMS
During those fifteen minutes when Claire didn’t answer her phone, I was close to taking down a load-bearing wall. I’d called her at first because of the rain, but when my calls went unanswered, I feared the worst.
It had been a challenge to keep my distance when she’d shown up at my door unannounced, all smiles and bouncy ponytail.
I’d felt sorry for myself, yet a little proud of the discipline it took to give her directions to my favorite trail, lend her my dog, and send her off into an unknown city without so much as a soda in a sock to use for a weapon. What had I been thinking?
She finally called, laughing and out of breath, and I felt as if I’d missed out by not getting soaked in the rain with her.
Then she arrived at my door as soggy as she was sweet.
I still kept my distance, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off her as she shared the joy of her journey and her newfound love of running.
I also invited her in and offered her a towel, because I would do that for anyone who showed up at my door in a rainstorm, but she’d waved a hand and jogged away, leaving me with nothing but a wet dog.
I didn’t even care about the wet-dog smell.
I was just jealous Maverick got to spend time with Claire while I didn’t.
And now I’m stuck on a trip with the flight attendant who speaks to me in baby talk.
“Excuse me,” I say to get around her and out the main cabin door. We’re in Tucson, so the temperature is nice enough to hang outside in the sunshine until it’s time to fly home.
“You’re leaving me, Stuart?” she whines after me.
That’s another thing. She also calls pilots by their last name for some reason.
I just call her Eva, since it’s her name.
I’d been a passenger on one of her flights before the two of us ever worked together.
She’s young and plays up her youthfulness by having uniforms tailored to accentuate her narrow waist and dangerous curves.
I admit to having found her alluring at first. She’d enticed me by using her big-girl voice for announcements and sounding almost sophisticated and professional.
I was on the rebound from Joey and honestly only wanted to date Eva for revenge. I pictured taking her back with me to Leavenworth to meet my dad, though I cared more about having her on my arm when running into Joey.
Vincent had warned me against this without even knowing my plan, but I’d arrogantly ignored his advice and introduced myself to Eva on our deadhead.
I even told her I hoped to work with her in the future.
After that she’d break out the baby talk whenever she saw me, which was much more often than I would like.
That was when I learned to listen to Vincent and thus I’ve been keeping my distance from Claire. I doubt Claire would ever act so immaturely, but at least I’m keeping us both innocent.
Anyway, my favorite part of this whole trip is how Desiree keeps calling Eva “baby.” It’s simply normal conversation for Desiree, but I have to hide a smile every time. Of course, if she were to call Eva “little one,” as Claire said she does to actual babies, I’d completely lose it.
Vincent joins me on the metal grated stairway, Clubmaster sunglasses on his face and hands in his pockets.
He doesn’t have to be out here at all, but getting to experience blue skies and warm weather year round is one of the best perks of our job.
It makes living in Seattle bearable during our rainy nine months of the year.
He rocks from heel to toe and back. “So have you seen Claire?”
I give him a knowing smirk and shake my head. Not because I haven’t seen her but because it sounds as if he already knows I have. “I knocked down an upstairs wall this time.”
He crosses his arms. “Maybe you should start building things rather than destroying them. Then you’ll be ready for the right woman when she comes into your life.”
He makes it sound so easy. “Wanna help install my flooring this weekend?”
“I set myself up for that one, huh? Yeah, I’ll help you.” He tilts his head. “Have you applied for a captain position yet?”
I look out at the ragged Superstition Mountains in the distance. They’re not mountains like we have in Washington, with trees and snow and a gradual ascent. They’re more like massive rock cliffs that jut into the sky from flat ground.
“I don’t think I’m wise enough for that seat yet. I still need your advice, so how am I supposed to mentor younger pilots?”
He shrugs. “It’s easy to give advice. It’s harder to take it. That’s where the real wisdom lies.”
“Right.”
“I’m serious.” He gives a half smile. “Besides, a lot of advice comes from learning through experience. You’ve made enough mistakes to have something to offer.”
I huff, though I can’t argue. “Thanks.”
As if on cue, Eva knocks on the door window and motions us back inside. Her lips are moving, but I can’t hear anything, which was the whole point of staying out here. Also, she doesn’t have the door code. I can cup my hand around an ear and play dumb as long as I want.
Vincent grips my shoulder. “It’s go-home leg. Think I can get you on your hotel shuttle by the time we’re scheduled to land?”
Vincent flies so fast that there’s still another plane at our gate when we arrive. We have to wait for that one to push back before we can park.
Once we make it, I sneak past Eva to go outside—into the rain this time—and do my walk-around. By the time I return, everyone has deplaned. This is great, except for the part where Eva has pulled my luggage to the front of the plane and is waiting for me.
“You didn’t have to do that . . .”
Eva giggles. “Stuart, come on. I’ve got princess parking, but you can walk me out.”
“Princess parking” refers to getting dropped off and picked up by a friend rather than taking a shuttle to the employee lot or walking up the hill in the rain, the way many of us do.
I look to Vincent and Desiree for help, but they’re apparently friends with the next captain coming on and are deep in conversation.
It would just be awkward if I waited with them.
I put on my bravest smile, head up the jet bridge, and ask, “Who’s picking you up?”
“Remember that guy I told you I was dating, Stuart? The one interested in becoming a pilot? Maybe you can give him some pointers.”
If she’s dating someone else, why is she still talking to me in that ridiculous baby voice? It can’t hurt to encourage her in a relationship. Plus, Vincent suggested it’s time I start mentoring the next generation of aviators. “Sure.”
We exit into the terminal and head out through baggage claim. Normally I would have just walked across the sky bridge to the parking garage, but if I’m going to meet Eva’s beau, I have to follow her.
Eva says something in baby talk, and I try to tune in to her squeaky voice. But then another voice catches my attention.
First there’s the warm laugh. Then the smooth tone. “I think that’s my bag, but it’s hard to tell when they’re all black.”
A woman tosses her hair. It’s longer and darker than Claire’s. She has her back to me, but I know it’s Joey before she angles to reveal her perfect profile, complete with dewy lips and long lashes. Worse, she’s with him.
My heart lurches in a clear sign that I’m not as healed from my past as I wanted to claim. I’m not ready to face my ex. Especially not with Eva by my side.
Joey turns my way. She may see me. Then I’ll have to smile and lie about how well I’m doing.
If Claire were available to date, I would be able to move on. But since I’m doing the right thing, I’m single, while Joey gets to live it up with the guy she cheated on me with.
I’m reminded of how Claire hid behind me in a similar situation, but Eva’s not tall enough to hide my frame. I need another place to duck out of the way.
The escalators up to the sky bridge are across the room. I can’t dart that quickly, and if I tried, I’d just bring attention to myself.
I spin and dive back onto the escalators we just came down. And I mean dive. I’m on my hands and knees, peeking up over the handrail.
Fortunately, I’m above Joey’s line of sight now. She won’t notice and take pity on me. Unfortunately, I left my carry-on downstairs with Eva.
“Stuart,” the flight attendant trills.
For the first time, I appreciate her using my last name. Had she called for “Nathan,” Joey might have looked for me.
“What are you doing, silly boy?”
I’m wondering what my ex is doing at the airport with the other man. Did they go on a vacation together? Did he take her to the places we’d planned to venture on our honeymoon? Did she marry him? If so, was she afraid of running into me here?
It would have been the proof I needed of her infidelity. She never confessed when I confronted her, but if she’s on vacation with the guy, then there’s obviously something going on, as I suspected. The same way there had been when I caught my mom cheating on my dad.
I reach the top of the escalator and stand tall to step off. Joey still won’t be able to see me from her angle.
Eva can still see me though. She’s watching me act like a psycho. “Stuart? Where are you going?”
I hold up my finger to her, then walk away. How long do I have until I’m safe to return? I better pretend I forgot something.
I pull out my phone to message Eva. I never saved her to my contacts, so it takes a minute to find the photos she sent me as part of an old crew, the same way Claire did.
I forgot something.
My sanity.
I’ll be back. Just leave my bags with a baggage agent. I can give your boyfriend flying pointers another time.
She’s probably thankful now that I never asked her out. How low do I have to sink to be the bullet Baby-Talk Girl is glad she dodged? If she’s better off without me, then Claire definitely is too.