Chapter 11 #2
“I’m not trying to sound harsh. All I’m saying is, don’t let Sadie’s fear stop something before it even has a chance to get started. Because surely God has your good in mind. What if He brought you both here to Redemption for a reason?”
Huh. That sounded remarkably similar to what Melinda had said. Tisha massaged her forehead with her fingertips. “You really think Ethan and I would be good together?”
Charlie tilted her head. “How will you know if you don’t try?”
She wiped her clammy palms on her jeans, then twisted a balloon into place on the arch.
Thoughts of Ethan trying to clean off her car in the snow, and the way his strong arms had pulled her close, and how he’d brought her coffee even after Sadie had thrown a fit at the café last weekend all swirled in her head.
Charlie had a point. Maybe it wasn’t right to let Sadie try to control something that wasn’t hers to control.
“I see you over there,” Charlie said, her brown eyes gleaming. “What are you pondering? Green-eyed aviators who wear Henleys really well?”
Tisha couldn’t help but laugh. Shaking her head, she reached for her coffee again. “I’m warming to the idea of a first date.”
“Yes!” Charlie pumped her fist in the air. “I knew it.”
“Shhh.” Tisha pressed her palm over Charlie’s hand and gently pushed it down. “Sadie can’t get wind of this. Not yet.”
Charlie feigned a serious expression. “You’re right.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Oh, I bet Mrs. McGuire and I could figure out how to arrange some convenient, inexpensive childcare, and I bet if I dropped a few hints to Ethan, he could come up with something romantic.” Charlie winked. “What do you think?”
Tisha sipped her latte to hide her hopeful expression.
The espresso and hazelnut and steamed milk were the perfect combination of sweet and rich.
“It sounds like you’re not gonna take no for an answer.
So if you help me get this balloon arch finished and come up with some affordable childcare that Sadie won’t hate, then yes, I will follow through with whatever you have planned for me and Ethan. ”
“Dang, you’re not demanding at all.” Charlie handed her another balloon. “Here, you keep after this arch while I implement Operation Love Is in the Air.”
Tisha groaned. “That is so cheesy.”
“And you are so going to thank me later.”
Would she though? Harmless flirting over pie didn’t mean much. A date with prearranged childcare made the backs of her knees tingle. She still wasn’t convinced she was ready. But she wouldn’t refuse either.
As a Coast Guard aviator, he’d flown thousands of missions over the ocean in all kinds of conditions: rain, hail, and glorious sunshine. But he had never, not one time, flown a woman to see the northern lights. He also hadn’t been on a date with anyone other than Adeline in over twelve years.
He glanced toward Tisha riding beside him, the glow from the control panel granting her features a purplish hue.
“How do you think Brody and Sadie are doing with your parents?” Her voice crackled through his headset.
“Oh, I’m sure it’s touch and go. Brody can get a little amped up when there’s a change in routine.”
“Sadie can get a little bossy when it’s too close to her bedtime.”
“My parents are seasoned pros when it comes to dealing with kids. Are you worried?”
“No, just so rarely without her at nighttime, you know, and we’re in a new place.”
“Well, hopefully God’s handiwork will distract you, at least for a little while.” He pointed through the curved windshield to the sky overhead.
“Oh wow.” Neon green and rich emerald swirled through the night sky, curving and undulating. Traces of pink mixed in as the light ebbed and flowed across the velvety black backdrop.
He guided the helicopter down onto a flat space.
“How did you pick this spot?”
“To be honest, I fly over this way a lot.”
“Taking people to ski?”
“That and I’m looking for an old friend.”
The helicopter shook as he set the skis down on the rocky outcropping. He powered everything off, then they waited for the rotors to stop spinning.
“I packed us a few snacks,” he said.
“Perfect. Dinner was a little rushed at our place.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. This was kind of a last-minute thing.”
“Oh, I wasn’t surprised. Charlie was rather adamant that they were going to make this happen.”
“Is that right?” He couldn’t help but smile. “Hold that thought. I’ll be right back.”
He grabbed the basket his mom had loaned him, then climbed out of the helicopter and opened her door for her.
“You can hang the headset there.” He pointed to a hook. “And grab your hat and scarf; it’s chilly out here.”
He took her hand in his and helped her down onto the ground. Then he opened the basket, pulled out a heavy insulated picnic blanket, and spread it down on one of the only sort-of-dry spots around.
“Here.” He offered her some hand-warming packets, squeezing them until they generated heat. “Tuck these in your pockets.”
“Oh, thank you, that’s so sweet.”
“You’re welcome. I brought cheese, crackers, grapes, and Charlie gave me some pointers on hot tea.”
He handed her a minithermos. “Here’s another blanket if you need it.”
“Wow, I’m so impressed.” She draped the plaid blanket over her lap, then twisted off the lid and smelled the tea. “This is perfect.”
“There’s chocolate, and Brody said that I needed to make you chocolate chip cookies, so he did help. Pretty much a team effort because cookies are not my forte.”
“Ethan.” She angled her head. “This is very thoughtful. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He sat down and patted the blanket beside him. “It’s a great spot to view the northern lights.”
“Do you bring all your dates here?” she teased, bumping her shoulder against his.
Something about her comment made him want to reassure her.
“I’ve never brought anyone here, actually. Thanks for saying yes. I wasn’t sure if I should ask you out after Sadie’s response, but…I took a chance.”
She offered a shy smile. “Me too.”
His pulse sped as their eyes locked.
Easy there.
He cleared his throat, then turned and unpacked the food he’d tucked away in lidded containers. “I’ve started flying this way because I’m keeping an eye on how quickly the glacier is changing. It’s not far from here, and I’m looking for a missing person.”
“Is that the friend you mentioned earlier?”
He nodded. “You know, I didn’t bring you here to dredge up some of Redemption’s saddest stories. Don’t you want to see the northern lights? They’re putting on quite a show.”
“We can do both.”
She reached for a cracker, topped it with a square of sharp cheddar, and popped it into her mouth. The lights overhead rippled across the night sky as if God were shaking out His favorite blanket. Shades of pink, purple, and green undulated against the velvety blackness.
“It’s amazing that the Creator of the universe came up with His own electric light show, isn’t it?”
She smiled. “It sure is. That’s one thing I’ve noticed about being back in Alaska. Everywhere you look, there’s something beautiful to enjoy.”
He turned and stared at her. “So true.”
She held his gaze, then looked down and poured herself a cup of tea. “Do you want some tea?”
“No thanks. I packed some decaf coffee.”
“Not a big tea guy, are you?”
“Nope.” He reached for his own thermos. “There are packets of honey tucked in the basket’s inside pocket, and maybe some wooden stir sticks.”
“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”
He shifted, crossing his legs at the ankles. “I tried.”
“I’m so impressed.” She tore the paper off the stir stick. “Now, about that story. Let’s hear it.”
He blew out a long breath. “So, a long time ago, when I was around thirteen, I went on a father-son fishing trip with some guys from church, and obviously my dad was there as well. We were out on somebody’s fishing boat having the best time telling stories.
We had planned to camp out on an island in the sound, but a storm took us by surprise and things got a little hairy.
Trevor and MJ, who are brothers, both went overboard.
MJ did not have a life jacket on. So his dad, as any dad would do, went into the water after him. ”
Tisha’s eyes grew wide. She cupped her tea between both hands.
“We don’t have a Coast Guard air station here, so even though we put out a call for help, the closest people to respond were some fishermen on their own boat nearby.
And by the time any help arrived, MJ and his father had completely disappeared.
The Coast Guard did arrive and searched through the night.
When the word spread, people from Redemption looked and looked, and the Coast Guard scoured miles around where we’d been, but we never found MJ and his dad. ”
He shivered as memories of that horrific day resurfaced.
She reached over and squeezed his hand. “I’m so sorry. That’s awful. Is that why you became a Coast Guard rescue swimmer?”
“That’s why I joined the Coast Guard, because I never wanted anybody to feel the way we felt. We were helpless. Looking back, obviously, there are so many things we should have done differently.”
“You can’t blame yourself.”
“True. I’m talking about basic boating-safety protocols. The adults should’ve made everyone wear a life jacket. It’s not a big deal to go fishing and not put one on, but with that many people on one boat, we should have been more cautious.”
She kept her fingers entwined with his, and he hoped she wouldn’t let go until it was time to leave.
“I had nightmares for months but no plans of becoming a rescue swimmer. It’s kind of how it worked out. And then I had an opportunity to go for aviation, and that ended up being exactly the right fit for me.”
“So you and MJ were good friends?”