Page 8 of A Very Grumpy New Year

She looks nervous, but also excited as the roof parts, revealing the bright blue sky above us.

“Whoa,” she whispers, and I grin as I start the helicopter, the blades whirring loudly above us.

I clear our flight with the nearest tower, and off we go. I still get the same almost giddy feeling as we take flight. When I first decided to join the military with Kip, I was kind of hoping that we would pick the Air Force. I always liked flying, and I think that if I hadn’t joined the military, I would have become a pilot.

We went into the Marines, though, and I wound up being Kip’s partner. He was a sniper, and I was his scout. I watched his back, just like I did when we were growing up. I can’t say that I regret my choice now. We were trained in so many different things, and I love my life now.

“Whoa!” Cora exclaims as we start to fly over the forest and towards the mountains. “It’s beautiful.”

Her voice sounds tinny in my ears, and I smile over at her as we fly through the crisp winter sky. I point out a few landmarks, giving her the same tour that I do for all of my clients, and by the time we land and climb out of the helicopter, we’re both grinning, high off the thrill of flying.

“That was so much fun! Thanks for taking me.”

“Anytime,” I tell her as I shut down the helicopter, closing the roof and wiping down the windshield of the helicopter.

Cora’s stomach growls and I bite back a smile.

“Hungry? Want to go out to lunch with me?” I ask her, and she nods.

“Sure. What are you hungry for?” She asks.

“I’m good with whatever. What are you in the mood for?”

“How about tacos?”

“Sounds good. Felix’s?”

She nods, and we head out of Semper Fly and over to my truck. I open the passenger door for her and soon enough, we’re on the way toward town to Felix’s taco stand.

We’re here early enough, so we walk right up to the counter to place our order and then take a seat at a booth in the back of the restaurant.

“My New Year’s resolution is going to be to stop coming here so much,” Cora says as she pops a chip and some salsa into her mouth.

“Why?”

“Cause I eat here at least once a week.”

“It’s good,” I agree, and she snorts.

“Too good.”

Our food is dropped off, and we both dig in.

“What about you?” She asks. “What are your New Year’s resolutions?”

“I don’t know if I have any of them. Not yet, anyway.”

“You still have a few days to figure it out.”

“Not many,” I say when I realize that New Year’s Day is in two days.

“Do you usually do resolutions?” She asks me, and I shake my head.

“I think the last time I did it was when I was in middle school. What about you?”

“That’s becoming our catchphrase,” Cora says with a giggle, and I smile. She’s right, we do say that a lot.

“I’m curious about you,” I tell her, and she blushes slightly.

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