Page 48 of Fly with Me

“Uh… yeah, I mean I think that makes the most sense? It’s a pretty good story. It would probably help with your plan too.” Olive took a bite of chicken and chewed slowly, watching for Stella’s reaction.

Stella grinned. “I think it’s a great idea.”

Deliberately staring at the plate, Olive asked a question she’d been dying to ask all evening. “Out of curiosity, and I only feel comfortable asking you this because I’m your fake girlfriend, but why don’t you have or want a real girlfriend?”

Careful.

“Oh, that’s easy. I’d be a terrible girlfriend.” It was as if she’d answered a question like what’s your favorite season or who’s hotter than Rachel Weisz in The Mummy—the obvious answer being no one. Stella’s answer was easy, given from the gut without the slightest hesitation. She thought she’d be a terrible girlfriend?

Olive thought back through their day together in Florida when Stella had been that perfect mix of fun, sweet, and spontaneous. “Why?”

“Past experience.” Stella gave a nonchalant shake of the shoulders. “I work too much.”

“That’s it?”

“I have goals. And a deadline. I told you I have to make captain now. Literally my entire life I’ve had this goal in mind, and I’m so close. I… I can be a little… focused when I have a goal.”

“Isn’t focus a good thing?” Olive eyed the binder meaningfully. “And what did you mean by past experience?”

“The last time I had a girlfriend… well, both last girlfriends.”

Olive tried not to sit up straight and beg for details because the thought of Stella being with someone else touched a never-before-felt nerve of unreasonable jealousy. “So, what happened? With the girlfriends, I mean. Like you broke up?” Yeah, that was definitely not too eager-sounding. Nailed it. “Toxic exes. I get it.”

Stella shook her head. “Nadine and Laura weren’t toxic. They were actually great. They were both really good people. We had similar interests. Lots in common. They were kind and we had fun together.”

Okay, this sucks. Is she still in love with her ex? Olive’s mind was like a fried circuit breaker in a 1990s movie, spluttering and sparking and overheating.

“With Nadine, I wasn’t there for her. I was young, and I don’t think…” She took a bite of food, chewed, and swallowed as if she needed a moment to decide how to explain. “I wasn’t in love with her, but I did love her. Does that make sense?”

Olive nodded.

“When we were together she was having a tough time in school. I was so focused on my own grades. On my own flight hours. All of it. I was so focused that I didn’t notice what was going on with her. I can be kind of a lot.” Stella’s focus flickered to the binder. “You might have noticed.”

Olive wanted to reach out and grab Stella’s hand, but she didn’t. “For what it’s worth, I like your intensity.”

Stella waved off the compliment. “Nadine ended up failing out of school, and she was too embarrassed to tell me before she packed her bags and left.” She sighed. “I was so type A that my girlfriend wouldn’t tell me she needed help. Yikes. She deserved so much better.”

“Stella, that wasn’t your fault. You were what, nineteen? Twenty?”

“I still should’ve noticed. And with Laura… she got hurt too. It made me wonder if I’m even capable of falling in love the way other people do. I forget birthdays. I don’t notice things, and people get hurt because I’m not there for them the way I should be.” Her expression tightened like even talking about this made her relive the guilt.

“Just because you haven’t been in love before…” Wow, could Olive be any more transparent?

Stella shrugged. “The bottom line is that when people emotionally rely on me, they get hurt. I know myself. I know what I’m capable of, and right now, I want to become captain.” The word captain seemed to shake Stella out of thinking about her exes. That small sparkle reignited in her dark eyes. “I adore my job. I pick up as many flight hours as I can. I volunteer with my company’s CSR programs. I teach flying lessons because I love being in the air. And then I have to help my dad.”

“What do you mean help your dad? You said he was sick. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry. Just tell me to shut up if this is none of my business. Sorry for all the personal questions.”

“No, it’s okay. He has Parkinson’s. I… handle all the logistics with his care. I’m good with logistics.” Another head twitch toward the binder.

“I’m so sorry.” Olive frowned. “How’s he doing?”

“Worse in the last year. He’s started forgetting things more. I… don’t know how long he’ll be around. Or how long he’ll be himself.” Stella smoothed her hair, even though there wasn’t a strand out of place.

“That’s so hard. I bet he feels super lucky to have a daughter who cares for him so much.”

“We’ve always been a team.”

Olive understood that feeling, but she wanted to ask why Stella worked around the clock if she was also worried about all the time she’d miss with her dad. Olive would have given anything just to have another run with Jake. But that certainly was none of her business as a fake girlfriend. She’d probably already pushed the bounds of what was her business with the last question about her exes. This line of questioning would probably lead to a conversation about Olive’s family. She wanted Stella to like her, so she should probably stay away from that particular topic.

---