Parker sat in the dirt, swatting at the mosquitoes who were treating him like a banquet. He had seen a small plane fly overhead half an hour before, but all had been quiet since. Well, he had wanted alone time, and he certainly had plenty of that. Parker wouldn’t be surprised if Ruby never talked to him again after this. Heck, he might not even have a crew for his flights anymore. He knew he had been reckless and stupid. Anger and grief did that to people.
Knowing that not only was his parents’ marriage a mirage, but he had probably blown any chance he had with Ruby and possibly lost his two best friends—it was too much. He had tried to keep his emotions in check, but he couldn’t do it anymore. He allowed himself to cry. No, sob was more like it. All the despair broke through the barriers he had set up and flooded the dirt with hi
Ruby pulled up in front of her house and let a long breath seep out through her teeth. She knew taking Parker’s car was a stupid thing. But so was him flying his hot air balloon when he knew he shouldn’t. When Ruby had seen the balloon spread out on the ground like that, she’d imagined Parker sprawled out just like it, limbs twisted at odd angles. The flashbacks from Clark’s death had hit her so suddenly, and so hard, she’d panicked. Thank goodness all her years of training had kicked in and she’d managed to land the plane safely. The man had only asked to see her pilot’s license, which had never expired. Maybe because it was an emergency, he hadn’t asked to see the card that really mattered—the one that showed she’d actually kept up to date with her flights and training. He had then been kind enough to give her a ride to Parker’s car, which she was suppose
The plane landed—it was perfect. Even Ruby’s instructor looked impressed.As they stepped out of the plane, he said, “Looks like you haven’t lost your touch. You can officially fly again, with passengers.” He shook her hand.Ruby felt like she was still flying, and she screamed with excitement, spinning in a circle. “Thank you,” she said, wrapping her instructor in a bear hug.“Um…you’re welcome,” he said, patting her awkwardly on the back.She stepped back and looked at her phone. Ruby and Parker had driven to northern New Mexico for another balloon festival, but she’d had her o
Melinda swept ceramic shards into her dustpan—at least the ones she could find. What used to be a plate lay scattered across the tile floor, but she knew from experience that she'd be finding small pieces for days to come. She'd seriously considered switching to using plastic plates in the diner, but then had been reprimanded by her mother about the environmental impact."France has banned plastic in their restaurants completely. We could learn a thing or two from them," her mother had said.Melinda had conceded and was now suffering for it. Even though her parents technically owned the diner, she'd been running it for the past nine years, and they hadn't even set foot there in the last four year
Daniel lingered, even after the last customer had left. "Do you need help closing up?"Melinda flipped the 'closed' sign. "No, I got this. Besides, you've already done so much. I feel like I should pay you or something."Daniel shook his head. "Don't you dare.""Well, your dinner is on the house, then. It was probably cold by the time you got around to eating it.""Some like it hot, some like it cold, some like it in a pot nine days old," he said with a shrug.Melinda laughed, and it lit up her eyes. He wondered how many people got to see that side of her. Most people equated her with a scowl, but she had the most beautiful, genuine smile, when she allowed it to shine through.
Melinda woke with a start. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and looked out the car window. A large building with pillars greeted her. It was surrounded by palm trees and a man in a valet uniform stood out front."Good morning," Daniel said. "Or afternoon, I guess."Melinda stretched her legs as far as she could, but Daniel's car was a bit cramped. "How long was I asleep?""The last hour." He glanced around. "Is there any self-parking available at this joint, or do we have to hand over the car?"Melinda opened the passenger door. "I'm not sure, but I can ask." As soon as she stepped out, she heard someone calling her name. Her gaze snapped up and sh
Daniel didn't think he’d heard Melinda correctly, but judging by everyone else's expressions, he had. Everyone's heads turned to him. They stared at him expectantly, as if waiting for him to confirm Melinda's announcement. Her hand still lay on top of Daniel's, and he tried not to react to it, as if holding hands was something he and Melinda did all the time.He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry it had to come out this way. It's been difficult to keep it a secret, but really, we don't need to dwell on it. This weekend is about Bree and Mark, and we are here to celebrate them."Bree squealed and jumped from the table. "This was perfect timing," she said, wrapping her arms around Melinda. "Seriously,
Melinda woke to knocking on the door. What time was it? "Go away. You can clean my room later," she mumbled before turning over and snuggling further into the blankets. She’d had the best night's sleep of her life, and she didn't want to cut it short.The knocking continued.Melinda groaned and rolled out of bed. Grabbing her robe and slipping it on, she shuffled to the door. She cracked open the door and said, "I didn't order a wakeup call.""But you did ask me to pick you up for breakfast," Daniel said.It was already seven-thirty? She was used to getting up at six to go to the diner and had figured she would wake up with time to spare. Melinda swung the door open. "I'm so sorry.
Daniel placed the golf clubs that Mr. Garrett had rented for him on the golf cart. Why did there have to be so many to choose from? Couldn't they just play with one all-purpose club? It would certainly be more efficient."When was the last time you were out on a golf range as beautiful as this?" Mr. Garrett asked as they drove out to the first hole."Never," Daniel said, grateful that he could at least be honest about this. He didn't love the idea of lying to Melinda's parents about their relationship, and it seemed he would be able to get a break for at least a few hours."I tell you, there is nothing like getting out on the green, feeling the sunshine, and knowing that somewhere out there, my