Chapter 37
Summer
Alex and his dad came through for us a few days later.
Through Steven’s business contacts, we have a small plane that can accommodate medical needs.
Holly’s mom put us in contact with a nurse who has experience with medical flights, and Zander has offered to fly the plane.
Steven and Alex insisted on covering the flight and nurse fees as a thank you for bringing them back together.
I refused their offer, but Steven had already paid, waving me off and telling me it was the least he could do.
In return, I baked Alex lemon squares and coconut cake for Steven.
Alex helped me make arrangements for school absences as well. I expect to be back and forth to Charlotte a lot with an unspecified time frame. The guys and Jaxon will gather notes and assignments for me while I’m away, and I’ll email my work to the teachers.
Ceres is done with official bodyguard duty as well.
It’s been a few weeks since Nick left, and nothing has happened.
George, the peeping photographer arrested at the plantation, received an email that his services were no longer needed.
It seems Nick was right about his father leaving us alone once he went back to him.
Zander and I are flying to Virginia on Thursday morning in the borrowed plane. It’s being flown into the Mt. Pleasant airport on Wednesday evening. Seb wanted to come with us, but the nurse recommended no unnecessary passengers, so he and Alex are driving up Saturday morning to Charlotte.
We're up early Thursday morning for our flight. I have a canteen of hot tea with me, as well as my schoolwork and clean clothes. Zander wants to check the plane himself before we fly anywhere. This is my first time seeing the local airport, and it’s pretty tiny with a few hangars and a runway.
Zander parks in front of the closest hangar, and I follow him through a side door with my bags.
There are several planes and helicopters inside.
Zander greets a man in coveralls with a handshake. “Summer, this is Tom, our mechanic.”
“Nice to meet you,” I smile.
“Hello there. I’ve heard a lot about you,” he smiles.
“Z, the plane looks good. I went over every inch last night and fueled it up. Had it cleaned last night and stocked this morning.” He leads us to a sleek-looking plane parked on the far side of the hangar.
It’s metallic cream in color with black stripes. Zander whistles when he sees it.
“That’s a beauty,” he says before climbing the steps to go inside.
I follow him up to check it out. The interior features glossy wood walls that smell of fresh polish, black carpet underfoot, and a cream ceiling that mirrors the outside.
Massive, inviting cream-colored leather chairs sit on either side of the aisle, offering a comfortable place to watch the televisions in front of them.
Zander drops his bag on one with a thud, so I do the same on the other.
On the left, behind the chairs, a built-in desk and chair balance a sofa resting on the right.
A short hallway extends past that point.
On the left side is a full washroom, and the right side features a kitchen area.
A door in the middle of the hall opens into a bedroom.
On the right, a peculiar area features anchors embedded in the floor, instruments hanging on the wall, and a solitary bed across the room.
“This is completely custom,” Zander comments.
“It’s really nice,” I say.
Zander smiles at me. “That’s an understatement, darling. The customizations alone are worth millions.” He opens various compartments in the kitchen, and I spot coffee, soda, water, snacks, and full lunches.
“Um, where did the food come from?”
“Tom’s wife. She has a small catering company, and we always use her for flights. Trust me, everything will be excellent and homemade. Come on, let’s check out the cockpit.”
I follow along behind Zander into the front of the plane.
There are two pilot seats and a dizzying array of instruments.
Zander tells me to sit in the right chair, and I comply, my eyes following him as he methodically inspects everything.
“Are all planes the same up here? How do you know how to fly any small plane?”
“They’re basically the same. There’s only a small number of manufacturers in the world.
Each can be slightly different, but not enough to affect a pilot’s ability to fly,” he tells me, taking his own seat.
Once he’s satisfied with everything, we go back out into the hangar.
Zander needs to do other checks, so he shows me to a lounge area where I can hang out.
Since the guys are in school, I pull up the lessons I’ll be missing today and work on those while sipping my hot tea. A few hours later, someone enters the lounge with a hello.
Looking up, I see a woman with several large medical bags with her. “Hi. You must be Caroline,” I smile.
“And you must be Summer. Nice to meet you. Do you know which plane we’re using? I’d like to have a look around.”
“Oh, of course. Follow me.” I quickly pack my stuff and lead her over to the plane. Zander and Tom are standing by the wing, talking. “Zander, this is Caroline,” I call.
She shakes hands with both men before climbing the stairs with her bags. “All set, darling?”
“Yeah, I can’t wait,” I smile. Nervous energy is flowing freely through my body. Tom says goodbye as I follow Zander inside. He stores our bags in the closet behind the cockpit before we check on Caroline.
“How does everything look?” Zander asks.
“Great. This is quite a plane,” she replies. “Once you turn everything on, I’ll need about 10 minutes to test everything, and then we can take off.”
“Sounds good,” Zander says before turning to me. “Darling, do you want to be my copilot or sit in the back?”
“If Caroline is okay, I’d love to be up front,” I reply.
She waves me off. “Go up front. I’m fine on my own. One of those big chairs has my name on it,” she smiles.
“Follow me then, darling. It’s almost time for our flight.”
Zander gets me settled in my seat with headphones as he does his final preflight check. Once ready, he slowly drives us out of the hangar and onto the runway. Things are so different up here with the gigantic windows in front of us. It’s easy to forget there’s an entire plane behind us.
There’s an intercom system to the back room that Zander uses to communicate with Caroline. She completes her checks and lets him know everything is ready. Zander gives her a few minutes to take her seat before he communicates with flight control.
As Zander picks up speed, I’m in awe. With a growing roar, we fly down the runway and quickly lift off the ground.
The runway is unusually short, but I suppose smaller planes can manage without a lengthy stretch.
Zander circles and then turns north towards Virginia, the quiet growing as we gain altitude.
He’s cool as a cucumber in the pilot's seat, and there’s a small, serene smile on his face. He truly loves being in the air.
Once we’re level, he flips off the seatbelt sign and relaxes back into his seat. “What do you think, Summer?”
“Amazing,” I reply. “Do you know you have a unique look when you’re taking off?”
“What do you mean?”
“I think you were born to soar among the clouds. You look genuinely content.”
He laughs at the comment. “Troy always said I looked like a lovesick puppy whenever we disembarked after a flight. That if I could marry a helicopter, I would. I like your description much better.”
I chuckle and look around. We’re not as high as big commercial flights go. “So how long a flight is this?”
“Roughly three and a half hours. Why don’t you grab us a snack? I’d love a coffee, darling, and Tom’s wife, Valerie, made fresh homemade scones.”
“Sure,” I smile. Getting up, I hang my headphones and exit the cockpit. Caroline is stretched out on one of the big chairs watching tv. “Hi. I’m getting snacks. Would you like anything?”
“That would be great,” she says, getting up.
I find the mugs and trays as Caroline pulls out a tabletop. “Oh.”
“There's always one hidden somewhere on these smaller planes,” she tells me.
I set two trays on the table and then dig around until I find the scones. Placing three on our tray, I offer the container to Caroline. “These are homemade,” I say.
She grabs one for her tray, and then I lock it back in place. Pouring coffee for Zander, I add cream and sugar and grab a can of soda for myself. “Help yourself to whatever else you want,” I smile, picking up my tray.
“Thank you, Summer,” she replies.
I walk back to the cockpit, balancing the tray to open the door, handing it to Zander so I can retake my seat. Once I’m situated, I grab a scone and butter. Zander has a small foldaway tray open over his lap. “There’re all kinds of hidden things around,” I say, pointing to his tray.
“Yes, there is, darling. Thanks for the snack.”
Once we’re done eating, he looks over at me. “We have a few hours to kill. How are your friends doing?”
“Well, Alex is great. Bay seems good, too. Seb and E are a mess. I miss Nick so much, but this is certainly a welcome distraction,” I smile.
We chat about my classes and upcoming Finn jobs, and I tell him more about Jake and the things we got up to growing up. During a lull in conversation, I take our trash back to the kitchen before returning with some schoolwork.