Page 11 of Flyboy

“You not liking the cave, Omar?” Colton stepped up beside him, keeping his feet moving at a faster pace.

Omar mumbled something to Colton, and then Ivy watched a few more moments of Colton making an obvious effort to keep things light with Omar. “Tell me about football. What made you step away from the pros to enlist?”

Omar had been about to play pro football? Ivy didn’t know that either.

She stepped closer to hear the response, but it was lost between the two of them. Omar laughed and responded to everything Colton was doing with him. He seemed to feel lighter, and he talked more than Ivy had ever heard him. And before long, they were all standing outside the cave, the sunlight making them shield their eyes and blink a few times.

“Wow, that was amazing.” Ivy turned back to see the opening. It was mostly hidden. The entrance faced away from the trail. Even if she studied the patterns on the rock, she couldn’t see where one pattern ended and another began. “I would never have known this cave is here.”

“But now we do.” Colton looked all around them. “Let’s mark it, so we remember.”

“Good idea.” Ivy jumped at the chance, locating a collection of rocks and twigs, and then she and Colton crafted a circle and an arrow on the ground closer to the opening. Her hands brushed his as she laid the last rock. He paused, then reached for her fingers. “Hey, thanks.”

She let him cradle her fingers in his for a moment, then she pulled them away. “For what?”

The tingles that ran up her arm were driving her crazy with an insane urge to check out his lips. Were they soft? Firm? Full? She couldn’t remember. She didn’t think she’d ever looked at his mouth before. But now, it seemed to be the most fascinating thing in the world, judging by her intense curiosity.

She won out and kept her eyes firmly planted, gazing into his, which did other things to her insides. He was so intent, so earnest. She hadn’t known Colton to be earnest. And she realized that perhaps Colton had sides to him that she didn’t know anything about, sides that might contradict the ones she so intensely disliked.

She stood up, looking away. “I’m not ready for this.”

She gasped. Had she spoken out loud?

But when she looked at Colton, he brushed off his hands as if he hadn’t heard. She exhaled slowly. But as they made their way back to where Omar waited for them, he said, “I’m not ready for this either.” Colton winked and then stepped up to Omar’s side again, and the two began chatting as if their conversation were the most important in the world.

Ivy needed to recover. He’d heard. What did he think he’d heard? What wasn’t he ready for?

She wanted to stomp her feet in frustration. The unsettled feeling that started to take over her threatened to drive her crazy. Her wet clothes were starting to chafe, and she longed for a hot shower, a long run—anything. Anything to take her mind off of Colton’s maddening smile, and . . . what? Interest?

She had no idea. But he was her boss. He was dangerous. He was a goofball, and he had no business running a Top Flight training program; she’d said so herself in a formal letter of complaint. She couldn’t forget that. She’d spent all her waking hours of knowing Colton and not liking him . . . She did not like this man, right?

Chapter 5

Colton grinned to himself while he kept Omar talking. He’d had no idea that the tough guy was uncomfortable in tight spaces. But even though Colton was focused on Omar, every part of him was aware of Ivy’s motion behind him. Her soft footfalls, her sighs, and huffs. He grinned. So he’d unsettled her. Excellent.

They returned to Fatima’s, where the white stucco home with flowers along the front welcomed his tired and wet self as he plodded toward her.

She shook her head. “Nossa. You just get inside and in the showers. Those wet clothes can’t feel good after the walk you’ve had. Went in, did you?”

“Yes, we did, but it was lovely.” Ivy put her arm around their hostess and Colton appreciated this affectionate side he’d never known about. “What a beautiful spot here, and so close to your home.”

Fatima seemed to beam. “Yes, super close. Not many guests brave the water, though.” She turned from them to heft what looked like a huge knapsack sheet tied at the top and filled with something. It looked heavy, but she easily lifted it and placed it right on her head. “If you will just head upstairs to wash up, dinner will be ready in about an hour. I know how you Americans like to eat a larger meal in the evening.”

“Thank you. But here, let me get that.” Colton reached for the sack before she could say anything and placed the whole thing on his own head. It was harder to balance such an unwieldy weight than he thought it would be. “Where would you like me to bring this rather large package?”

Fatima stared with open mouth for a moment, and then she laughed. “You can just follow me.” She led the way through the center of the house. “And I won’t even mind if you’re tracking mud in here.”

Colton tried to check his shoes, but then the huge bundle on his head threatened to fall forward.

“Oh, watch it.” Ivy rushed forward and adjusted the sheet. “There you go.”

“Thanks.” He put a hand up to help steady it.

Ivy called out, “If he tracks anything in, I’ll take care of it.”

“You are the best guests I’ve ever had.”

“Well now, I’ve always wanted to carry one of these things on my head.”

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