Page 55 of Love at First Flight

“Oh, uh, I don’t know, years, I guess. I’ve been working here at Smith Rock in Central Oregon for a couple of years now. We’re known for being the birthplace of sports climbing, but hikers from everywhere come to appreciate our beautiful landscape.” Dex stiffly swept an arm toward the picture-perfect scenery behind him.

Harper glided into the frame, landing on his outstretched arm like a preplanned trick. He tried to not appear shocked, as though he’d expected this, even while gasps came through his earpiece at her sudden appearance. With the crow returning, his comfort in the situation shifted into something easier. “This is Harper. She’s a typical American crow, not to be confused with a raven. The shape of the tail is different between the two birds. Although, she’s also quite intelligent. She was rescued and rehabilitated less than a year ago, and we’re hoping we can get enough donations to start our own rehabilitation center here at the park.”

“Is there something in her mouth... uh, beak?” one of the women interviewers asked him.

This was an easy spiel for him, having said it several times before. “Sometimes, when crows love you, they will bring you gifts. Trinkets.” He opened his hand and Harper dropped a bead. He held it to the camera to show it off. It was bright blue, the same shade ofThe Blue Wonder,and he thought about Selah again and—

It hit him.

Selah was always bringing him things. Dinner, marionberries, that hedgehog sticker plastered on his phone case. Her sister, Hailey, had given him the biggest nudge of all. Selah was not indifferent, had never been indifferent. She’d loved her dad with everything, had grieved for him, but most of the time, people would never know because she’d kept herself buttoned-up. The few times one of those buttons came loose, she’d fallen apart. And now she was doing the same thing to him. It had to mean she felt more than she could allow herself to say.

And, yes, it was messy. He finally understood that in getting involved with her, it wasn’t just her, but her whole family. And things could get complicated, especially when the Morenos were still struggling with loss. But the good side of this family, the things that shined through in spite of the darkness, was the very thing he’d always wanted in his life. If he loved her, he would have to accept all the different sides. Something told him it would be worth it.

“Dex? Hello, Dex? Have we lost you?”

“No. Sorry. I just lost my train of thought for a minute.” He tried to focus.

“Now you’ve recently received a lot of attention because of a certain partnership with a local hot-air balloon business. But this wasn’t just a simple collaboration, was it? We’re told there’s an interesting story behind it all. Can you tell us a little bit about that?”

He grew wary, but tried not to show it. “Well, I, uh, booked a hot-air balloon ride for me and my girlfriend at the time, and that’s when I metCaptainMoreno.” He smiled at the camera as he emphasized the title. If she was watching, he wasn’t going to let her return to being “just” anything. “She’s the hot-air balloon pilot at High Desert Tours and, though the proposal I planned for my ex-girlfriend didn’t end as expected, Selah and I became really close. I guess you can say her friendship fell into my lap, literally—”

“So you broke up with your girlfriend and are now with the pilot, who was flying the hot-air balloon?”

God, these people were nosy.

But, in a moment of inspiration, he decided to switch tactics and use it to his advantage. Because maybe he’d only have one shot to fight for her, to show he saw right through her indifference, and he didn’t believe it.

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Mom, can wetalk to you?” Hailey asked once Selah and Naomi arrived at the farmhouse that day.

The Moreno sisters had already had a conversation about this amongst themselves, with Hailey agreeing to take the lead. Selah realized she didn’t need to take on everything herself. Her sisters were capable and strong, too, when given a little push.

Her mother turned from where she stood at the kitchen counter, kneading some kind of dough. “What is it, mija?” When she noticed her other two daughters as well, her eyes grew wide with worry. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Hailey said, going to her mother’s side. “I... or, rather, we want to discuss Dad’s ashes.”

Elena automatically went sparkly eyed with tears at this. “His ashes? Do we have to talk about this right now? I’m really very busy. Maybe we can talk about this—”

“Mom,” the youngest sister interrupted gently. “Dad wouldn’t want to just sit on a dresser, collecting dust.”

“Oh, no, you don’t understand. I cover it with things so that it won’t get dusty. You can check—”

“That’s not really what I mean. He was a pilot. He wanted to fly. He wanted to be free.” Her sister’s voice cracked, but remained strong. “You know I’m right. It’s what he always wanted. This is important, and we need to honor him.”

Her mother’s focus shifted between each daughter, finding a united front between them. She swiped away a tear, her shoulders dropping. “I know. I know that’s what your father wanted. But I loved him and I don’t... I don’t know how to live without him.”

“I know it’s hard, but we’re ready to do this for him. And if you’re not ready, that’s okay. You can keep some of the ashes, but let us have the rest. Can you do that? Selah said we can take him up onThe Blue Wonderone final time and let him go,” Hailey said. “We need our last flight with Dad.”

Elena looked to Selah, who gave her mother a small smile and nod of encouragement, knowing they were all in this difficult situation together, but it needed to be done. “And I can keep some of him?” she asked.

When Hailey had discussed this with Selah, there hadn’t been any mention of letting their mother keep a portion of his ashes, but, she had to admit, it was a good compromise. She was proud of her younger sister for not only tackling a tough situation but also thinking quickly on her feet. It was a moment where she could see her sister growing into the adult she was destined to be.

A few days later, their mother decided to take all of Robert’s ashes on one last final balloon ride. Selah met her family in the launch field withThe Blue Wonder. Boone was there as part of the chase crew, but he also brought along his friend, Alan, to help since Naomi would be going up.

Elena stood nearby as everyone prepped for liftoff, clutching the simple metal black box to her chest and crying silent tears.

Then it was time to go.

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