Page 640 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

Sydney wrinkled her nose. “You fly planes?”

Sean nodded with a grin. “I have a pilot’s license. It’s awesome, Syd. You’ll love it. Afterwards, I thought we could head down to Marietta and eat dinner.”

She glanced at the door. What if Kendall really did show up here this morning? She didn’t want to have to explain what Seanwas doing at her house. She stood. “Make yourself at home. I’ll go and get ready.”

“Don’t you want to eat breakfast first?”

“No, I’ll grab something to take with me.”

The driveto Rome was a feast for the eyes. They followed along the rolling hills that were splashed with the colors of fall. Sydney stole a sideways glance at Sean. He had one hand on the steering wheel while the other rested in his lap.

Sydney pointed. “Oh look, there’s aSee Rock Citysign.”

“Those signs are all over the Southeast.”

I know that, Sydney was itching to say.I’m from here!She could have given Sean a little history lesson. For instance, how the signs used to be painted on the sides of barns.

Whileholding tight to the steering wheel with one hand, Sean reached behind her seat and retrieved a brown paper bag. He placed the bag in his lap and pulled out a moon pie. “Want one?”

“No thanks.”

“These things are delicious. I discovered them when I moved to Stoney Creek.”

Sydney remembered how Avery would bring home boxes of Moon Pies. They had a marshmallow center that was sandwiched between two graham crackers and coated with chocolate, vanilla, or banana flavoring. Susan used to tease Avery about bringing them home for everyone else because he was the only one who ever ate them. Sydney laughed. “Next you’ll be offering me an RC cola.”

“What’s that?”

She shook her head. “Never mind.” RC colas were a southern delicacy, ranking right up there with Wonder bread and potted meat.

Sydney leaned back in her seat. She knew she shouldn’t compare Kendall to Sean, but the thought came barging through nevertheless. Sean was as relaxed as Kendall was uptight. He had a bold confidence that showed in his mannerisms, and he talked about everything. Sydney found herself laughing more than she’d laughed in weeks. Sean’s wry sense of humor was a surprise that she hadn’t anticipated, making her wonder what else she didn’t know about him. She’d thought she had him figured out, but now she wasn’t so sure. There were no uncomfortable stretches of silence with Sean like there were with Kendall, and Sean didn’t stutter all over himself when he spoke. Sean O’Conner was a ladies’ man in every sense of the word, and Sydney had to admit that she was no more immune to his wiles than any other woman. A picture of Jessica flashed through her mind, and she felt a stab of jealousy. She wondered what little Miss Heartbreaker would think if she knew her man was here with her.Sydney’s blue eyes glittered in satisfaction at the thought.

“We’re almost there,” Sean said.

The time had flown by. It was an hour and a half drive to Rome, but it felt like they’d just left. “It’s about time.” A playful smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She caught herself. What was she doing? Flirting with him? A warning went off in her head.Don’t be stupid. Keep your guard up.She had enough trouble in her life without falling for the likes of Sean O’Conner.

When they pulled into the parking lot, Sydney reached for her door.

“Stop.” Sean jumped out and ran around to open her door.

“Thank you.” The warning was still going off, but she shut it out of her mind. The sun was shining, and the air felt goodagainst her cheeks. She was going to stop analyzing everything and enjoy herself for once.

Sydney wasamazed how easy it was to fly from a small airport versus a commercial one. There were no other passengers, no security checks, and no hassles. Sean stopped at the front desk and spoke to the attendant. He’d called ahead to reserve the plane, so everything was a cinch from there.

He walked outside with the attendant, giving her an opportunity to look around. The airport was tiny and looked deserted except for the one attendant. There were a few chairs in the main room and a handful of magazines on a square table.

A few minutes later, the attendant returned and told her that Sean was bringing the plane around. She walked through the double glass doors and waited. The plane was white with blue stripes. She felt her first shiver of apprehension when she realized how small it was.

Sean drove the plane around and turned off the engine. He got out and then helped her into the passenger seat.

“Watch your step.” He put his arm around Sydney’s shoulder and helped her to her seat.

He ran around and got in and handed her a set of earphones. “Put these on so that we can talk. Otherwise, the noise of the engine drowns everything out.” He glanced at her. “Nervous?”

Her palms were sweaty. “Not in the least.”

He started the plane and followed the instructions given by the attendant at the control tower, checking off each item as it was called out. The plane started moving slowly at first and then raced down the end of the runway. Sydney felt the adrenaline rush akin to riding a roller coaster when the plane lifted. Shewas struck by the lack of movement once they were in the air. She looked below them. The landscape got smaller and the trees changed to pencils with pom poms stuck on their ends.

She was amazed at how well Sean maneuvered the plane. “Look to your right,” he said. She saw a cluster of buildings that encircled what looked like a castle. “That’s Berry College.”

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