CHAPTER 22 #2
“My sweet, sweet girl,” Mom murmured, her voice trembling. “I was so very worried about you. I am so sorry about what happened with the—”
“I’m fine, Mom,” Jannie interrupted, giving Nick an I-told-you-so look over her shoulder, taking comfort in his quiet presence and encouraging gaze.
Her mother hugged her a moment longer, swaying slightly, and, thankfully, changed the subject.
“I’m so happy to see you. Erik is around here somewhere.
I just saw him with a ridiculous plate of food, and your father is in the maintenance office catching up with Tim.
You should go find him; he’s been worried sick, you know, although he never says so, of course.
He told me to leave you alone and let you sort things out.
” She held Jannie at arm’s length, looking her up and down.
“It killed me to leave you be, but you’re looking well, thank goodness.
Far better than I expected.” Her sharp gaze shifted to Nick. “Are you the reason?”
He gave her a disarming smile. “I hope so. It’s nice to see you again, Mrs. Larssen.”
Mom gave him a blank stare that quickly turned to embarrassment.
“It’s been a long time. I’m Nicholas Kent.”
Mom blinked. “Nicholas … Kent. Why does that ring a bell?”
“I went to high school with Jannie.”
Mom frowned slightly, then her face lit up with recognition. “Oh, yes! I didn’t recognize you. Now you’re… oh … my, you look very different.”
Nick grinned.
“So, you and my Jannie …?” Mom arched a brow.
“Jannie wanted to fly, and I’ve been helping her with that a bit.”
Jannie slanted him a glance. “Nick is being modest. He is an excellent flight instructor and taught me quite a lot.”
From her brothers’ direction, she heard a muffled snort and a muttered, “I’ll bet he did.” Too low to tell which of the two juveniles in adult bodies had delivered the snark, but Jannie suspected Ian.
If Mom heard, she ignored it. “How nice! Flying for fun?”
Of course, her mother would assume Jannie would pursue flying just for fun. “Flying as in the next step after private pilot.”
Mom’s eyes widened. “You’re going for your instrument rating?”
Jannie nodded.
“Why?”
Jannie swallowed back her irritation. “Why not?
“Well.” Mom smiled a little tersely. “I’m glad you found something to take your mind off things for a while.” She smoothed a wayward lock of Jannie’s hair. “And when are you going back to Florida to your job?
“Soon.”
Mom patted Jannie’s arm. “That’s good. The faster you get back to normal, the better it will be for you.”
Jannie couldn’t say anything; her mother’s heart was huge and in the right place. She meant well, thinking she knew what was best for Jannie even when it wasn’t. She also proudly told anyone and everyone who would listen that her daughter was a doctor.
Jannie was saved by Adam’s petite brunette wife, Eve, who approached with an old-fashioned in her hand and a huge smile on her face, closely followed by Claire, holding a snifter of cognac and a can of ginger ale.
“Let the celebration begin!” Eve exclaimed.
“Here you go, just the way you like it.” She pressed the old-fashioned into Adam’s hand.
Drinking him in as if she hadn’t seen him in forever, she touched his arm before she turned the full force of her bright smile on Jannie. “You came! I’m so happy to see you!”
“Hey, Eve.”
Eve gave her a tight hug, then leaned back to scrutinize her face, her big brown eyes filled with sympathy. “How are you doing?” she asked softly.
Jannie forced a smile. “I’m great.”
This … this was what she had avoided all this time. The compassion, though heartfelt, made her supremely uncomfortable. Right after everything happened, this would have amplified her grief to unbearable. Even now, though some time had passed, it still made her want to run.
Beside her, Nick moved closer and discreetly rubbed her back, instantly soothing her.
Claire passed the snifter to Ian, who swept it out of her hand with shining eyes and a murmured thanks. “I guess I’ll make the introductions. Jannie, Nick, this is my beautiful wife, Claire. Claire, meet my sister Jannie and her …” He paused to raise a mocking brow.
Nick stepped forward. “Flight instructor. Nick Kent.”
Flight instructor. Of course. What was he supposed to say, lover?
“It’s good to finally meet you.” Claire clasped Jannie’s hand in both of hers. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
Jannie rolled her eyes. “Oh, God. I can only imagine.”
Claire laughed. “All good things.” She reached out to Nick. “Nice to meet you.”
Nick took her hand. “The pleasure is all mine.”
“No idea what you saw in him.” Jannie gestured toward Ian, who smirked over the rim of his cognac glass. “Welcome to the family, and good luck. He’s all yours now. Nick, this is Adam’s wife, Eve.”
Eve’s eyes sparkled as Nick shook her hand. “Flight instructor!”
“Yes, ma’am.” The man managed to sound modest, even as his smile turned cocky.
Eve tilted her head. “You know, LarsAir is always looking for good pilots.”
Nick nodded politely. “I know. Your husband never fails to remind me.”
Adam looked down at her and smiled. “Headhunting for me again?”
“Always.”
A young, curly-haired man approached. Adam’s personal assistant, Jannie recognized. The man was a saint for putting up with Adam’s exacting standards and demands, and Jannie had always liked him. “Cooper!”
Cooper shot her a genial grin. “Miss Larssen! Hey, long time no see!”
“Indeed,” Adam said dryly. “Long time. We all set?”
Cooper nodded, excitement in his eyes. “Yes, sir. Jonathan said to tell you everything looks good.”
Adam glanced at the large clock on the wall, shaped like an altitude gauge. “Great. Thank you, Cooper.” He grinned down at Eve. “It’s showtime, baby.”
For some reason, Eve blushed profusely. Lips parting, she raised smoldering eyes to his, and Adam returned the heated look a hundredfold.
Jannie’s throat tightened.
God. Get a room.
Adam chuckled and bent to kiss Eve’s lips. “Well, then, this is it. Wish me luck.”
“As if you need it.” Eve beamed up at him with adoration. “Go dazzle them.”
Adam caressed her cheek. “Will do.”
Jannie watched her petite sister-in-law’s gaze linger on her older brother as he headed toward the 2024, an uncharacteristic spring in his step. Those two … if she were the envious type, she would be a horrid shade of green watching them.
“Oh! There’s your dad,” Mom said. “And Erik. And of course, our very special guest.”
Jannie looked and immediately spotted her father, her youngest brother Erik, and her grandmother, all standing to the side of the gathering crowd.
Bestemor gave her a big smile, and Jannie smiled back, her heart squeezing. She wished she could run and give her a hug, but Adam was now standing on a raised platform beside his pet project, holding a microphone, waiting for the chatter of the excited guests to die down.
Jannie noted with satisfaction that Dad seemed healthy and looked great, as usual, but when her gaze shifted to Erik …
“Are you kidding me?” Her eyes widened. Runt, as she and her brothers called him, was busy snapping pictures, his biceps bulging as he wielded his professional camera.
He had gained several pounds since she’d last seen him, and every one of them was muscle.
Erik, she knew, would rather eat dog crap than work out.
Something had driven him to go to the gym and often, judging by the looks of him.
She turned to Ian. “What happened to Runt?”
Ian grinned hugely. “He finally ate his spinach.”
Jannie snickered. Beside him, Claire laughed, and so did Eve.
“Isn’t he handsome? He wanted to surprise you,” Mom said, pride evident in her voice and in the way she beamed at her youngest.
“I’m not surprised, I’m floored.” Jannie opened her mouth to ask Ian if he knew who or what was behind this transformation. But a tapping sound from the speakers filled the hangar, and Mom gently nudged her.
“Good afternoon, everyone.” Adam paused, his gaze circling the crowd, who still murmured for a few seconds before falling silent. “Today is a great day.”
Jannie’s chest swelled with pride at the emotion in her brother’s voice and the attention he commanded.
This was a moment he had earned through years of relentless work, dogged determination through setbacks and frustration, and pure grit.
It really was something to see him standing there at the finish line, finally able to gather the sweet fruits of his labor.
Her eyes misted just a little. She blinked, swallowing hard.
Ian leaned toward Jannie. “See? Aren’t you glad you came?”
“Shut it, Buck,” she hissed through her teeth.
Mom gave him The Look. Ian chuckled.
Nick’s hand bumped hers, and Jannie took it, squeezing his warm fingers, relaxing in his comforting grip.
The audience waited in eager silence as Erik’s shutter clicked.
Adam squared his shoulders. “Thank you all for coming here today to share this milestone with me. I know many of you traveled a great distance to help me celebrate the reality of my dream, and your presence is truly appreciated.” He paused, his gaze scanning the crowd.
“A special thank you to my family, without whose love and support I wouldn’t be standing here today. ”
He cleared his throat and swallowed. Jannie, too, swallowed against the lump rising in her throat. Adam, openly emotional, was a rare sight.
Indeed, he straightened, and his next words were spoken in his typical clear, resonant bass. “Dreams and needs are the engines that propel us forward. While needs are essential motivators for people, it’s dreams that are the jet engines of humanity.
“As a child, I was fascinated by airplanes in flight, but seeing the Concorde when I was seven left me speechless. I’ll never forget it: its power was awe-inspiring. I started collecting everything I could find about the SST, eager for the day I could fly supersonic.