Page 33 of A Miracle for the Reserved Flyboy

As they sat there, shoulder to shoulder, in the van awash in the golden afternoon light, the jets soaring above them in arcs of precision and power, Gary felt the quiet pain of watching a friend grapple with the sting of defeat, the pain of unfulfilled expectations, the feeling of coming up short despite every effort.

“Listen,” Gary said softly, finally breaking the silence, “you might feel like they’re underestimating you now. But that’s not going to be forever. They’ll see what you’re capable of. This might not be the moment you wanted, but it’s not the end.”

A shadow of something flickered in the man’s eyes as he looked at Gary. He thought Cavalier might say something, but instead, he just gave a single, silent nod, staring out at the horizon, where the jets streaked against the endless blue, as if searching for something that seemed just out of reach.

“No, I’m sure it’s not – not by a long shot either,” Cavalier uttered quietly under his breath, not looking at him. It sounded subtle, slightly veiled, making Gary wonder just how many changes were coming to put this confident pilot so far on edge.

Instead of speaking up or saying anything else, he swallowed and kept quiet the rest of the ride back to base.

Dearest Krista,

Sorry to write instead of calling, but a lot is going on that I can’t talk about yet. We’ll talk in person eventually. I’m trying to move all my pieces on the chessboard right now and got back home to find out that they changed the board to parcheesi.

I wish I were kidding.

I look at our pictures every night to keep me focused and my spirits up – just know that I love you, and when things happen, it will be quick.

Love always,

Gary

Chapter 12

KRISTA

Krista forceda weak smile as she tucked her hands into her jacket pockets, taking a deep breath of the cool February air. “Happy Single’s Awareness Day to us,” she sighed, trying to keep her tone light. “At least the chocolate goes on sale tomorrow.”

“Oh, for goodness’ sake, you drama queen!” Beary teased, barely peeking out from under the hood of the car where she was adjusting something. She gave a quick, laughing shake of her head, her hair falling over her face as she chuckled at her friend. “Always so dramatic.”

“Um, hello? Of course, I am!” Krista said, grinning as she fluffed her hair with exaggerated flair. “Wouldn’t want to disappoint anyone, now would I?”

Beary rolled her eyes, snickering, but before she could reply, Dr. Shelby Josephs appeared around the side of the car with a notepad in hand, brimming with hastily scrawled reminders and notes. She gave the two women a wry smile, then turned her attention to her young son, Beau, who was sitting on the curbbeside her, glancing down at his worn-out sneakers with mock exasperation.

“Are you two finished yet?” Shelby teased, raising her eyebrow as she looked down at her son. “Beau and I are running out of things to do here.” She flipped her notepad around to show a page full of tic-tac-toe games they’d played to pass the time. “We’re all out of ‘toes’ to count, aren’t we, Beau?”

“Fresh out!” Beau agreed cheerfully, pulling off one of his shoes and wiggling his toes through a hole in his sock. “Look, even my toes have run away!”

Shelby gasped with feigned shock as Krista and Beary both erupted into laughter. “Oh no, not the toes! What are we going to do?” Krista chimed in, leaning down to high-five Beau. “How will we ever finish this oil change now?”

“Oil change? I thought you said air filter,” Shelby commented, her brow furrowing in confusion as she looked at Beary.

“Did I?” Krista asked, blinking. “Maybe I did say air filter…”

“Well, you did say oil filter, so I was doing the oil change,” Beary replied with a wink. She set the tools aside and gave the two women a mock glare. “Let’s just say, whatever it was, you’ll be good to go in a minute.”

“It’s fine,” Krista assured, brushing it off, though Shelby only raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“‘Fine’ wouldn’t cut it if this was surgery, would it?” Shelby quipped, crossing her arms as she fixed Beary with a faux-stern look. “Imagine if you mixed up a kidney and an appendix, for example.”

“If it saves the patient, I call it a win,” Beary retorted, grinning before tossing a playful look at Krista. “By the way, Cade and I have dinner plans tonight, and I don’t want to hear a word of protest—you’re coming with us. I won’t let you sit at home, pouting over chocolate on Valentine’s Day.”

“Oh my gosh, Beary!” Krista’s cheeks flushed, and she looked down, hiding the pang that lingered at the mention of Cade. “I don’t need to be anyone’s third wheel tonight…”

“Third wheel or not, you’re coming,” Shelby added, a warm smile lighting her face. “Deacon’s boss is coming for dinner, so it won’t be anything romantic, but there’ll be plenty of food and good company. Plus, we’ll even avoid the topic of toes—right, Beau?”

“Aww, no fair!” Beau groaned, crossing his arms, though he couldn’t keep from grinning. “I still think we should have chicken toes for dinner.”

“Oh, so you’re not scared of chicken feet?” Shelby said, making her hand into a claw and pretending to grab his face, which sent him squealing and laughing with mock terror.

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