Page 32 of Flyboy

The pleasure that flashed through her eyes could not be hidden, and it emboldened him. She looked away, battling something. He could only guess at what. Then she said, “Okay.”

“Great. Be ready at noon.” He grinned, then stepped away. “And I’ll take you with me tonight. No need to hop in a car with any of these others.”

“Got it.”

He turned and walked back past the classroom and out into the hangar. He’d be up flying the rest of the day, but already, he was counting on some fun with Ivy tonight and tomorrow. He rotated his shoulders. She hadn't quite melted at his feet or blushed in embarrassment, but she’d said yes. Tomorrow would be epic. He’d make some calls tonight, call in some favors.

Hours later,they were finally all back in his truck. He had thrown his bike in the back, and they were on their way to Padre Chagas. Omar’s feet were tapping. “You know, these pilots. They’re cool people.”

“They are,” Ivy agreed. “I’m glad Flyboy thought of this. It’s fun to get to know them better.”

Colton thought it incredibly ironic that she would say so, but he nodded. “Team building, right? We are supposed to have an activity with them once a month, right?”

“They all usually go to a pool hall together. I might start joining them.” Omar didn’t look at Colton. But his tone was the kind of pretend casual that Colton almost called him out on, but Ivy shook her head, and Colton caught the motion in his rearview mirror. Interesting.

“Cool. We’ve been using this truck, but if we need to go back and get that rental, we can do that too.”

“I’ll think about it. The guys have a car, and there just seems to be less of a need for one here, you know?”

Colton nodded. “The bike ride this morning was great.” He pulled up to an overly crowded lot. “This place is on fire.” Energetic people filed onto the street from their cars. Music blared from somewhere partway down the street, and strings of lights lit the night sky. He was about to say, “Hold tight,” so he could get Ivy’s door, but she jumped out before he could. He rotated his neck.

Omar laughed. But he got out of the car before Colton could ask what was so funny. The pilots all stood in a group, waiting for their threesome. They had a few women, but mostly men. Ivy went to stand with the women, and everyone seemed pleased. “Okay, should we see how the gauchos have fun?”

“Isso!” One of them gave him a high five. “Vamos.”

They stopped into a restaurant for dinner. It was delicious. Then Omar waved his hand down the street. “How about a drink from each bar!”

They laughed. Colton had never seen so many bars in one place. He was tugged into the nearest one while Ivy waved. The girls started dancing in place. Was she going dancing? He craned his neck but couldn’t see where they had become lost in the crowd.

The guys ordered their first of many rounds. Colton spent the rest of the night hoping to be closer to Ivy. They never caught up. She didn’t drink, unlike Omar, who was starting to slur his words. Colton didn’t either, but he felt responsible for the group and knew work would come early tomorrow. Every time he looked Ivy’s way, she was the only one without a cup in her hand. Interesting. Something else he loved about the impeccable Ivy Hatfield. Now that he’d seen her unwind, now that he’d taken her dancing and up in the air, he knew there was more to her orderly discipline. She was a real emotional whirl with fire in her veins. He liked that not many knew that about her.

But no matter how much he wanted tonight to be about them, he never did get to spend time with her. The other guys were tight with Omar.

“Sing! Sing! Sing!” A whole group of them surrounded him.

Colton laughed. “What?”

And then Omar started singing in Portuguese, swinging his cup around. Colton stepped closer. Ivy stood beside him. “That’s the Brazilian national anthem.”

“Is it?” He laughed. “How does he know that?”

She shrugged, laughing. “Maybe you’re not the only one who does their research.”

“Apparently not.”

The other pilots egged him on, and Omar kept going until the very end. They all held their cups up in the air and then downed the rest of their drinks.

“I wonder if Omar is part Brazilian.” Colton sidestepped so that their arms touched, just barely.

Ivy didn’t step away.

“You’re not drinking.”

She lifted her eyes to his face. “Neither are you.”

He nodded. “Does that mean you’re taking the truck, and I’m driving all these rabble-rousers home?”

“Or we put them all in the back of the truck, and I drive in the cab with you and maybe Omar . . .” They both turned. Omar was threatening to stand on the table for his next rendition.

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