Page 6 of Love and Other Trials
Drama from the Three Tornadoes had interrupted further musing. He and Rob had overheard them talking about Ariel being at the airport, and they’d wandered over. Arguments had erupted about who was to blame. No one seemed inclined to do anything about it, so he’d offered to pick her up. Everyone had been drinking heavily but him. Being on call as a pilot, he didn’t drink more than a social beer on occasion.
The blustery drive to the airport had done him good. He’d gone through the incident and concluded he could do only one thing.
Talk to Rob.
Stop the wedding.
Which really sucked, since his friend thought he was happy. But what choice did he have? Rob was his pal. His buddy. He had a duty to him. Even if he suspected his friend wouldn’t handle the news well based on how he’d reacted to his college girlfriend cheating.
Ariel reached across the gearshift and laid her hand on his tense arm. Heat rocked through him as he quickly glanced her way—that quick glance enough to make him aware of every little raindrop that wet her skin. Jesus, his electrical system was going haywire. Usually that meant bad things for a pilot, but with her, he didn’t feel any danger. Only a surprisingly deep connection.
But this attraction could be yet another problem since he wanted to stop her sister’s wedding. Shit. He’d known from the beginning she was coming alone to the wedding—like him. He wasn’t seeing anyone, and while he could have found someone to be his plus-one, he hadn’t thought it wise. He was the best man, and Rob had asked him to bring his A game. She’d clearly felt the same.
“I’m so sorry, Dax. Tell me exactly what happened.”
That she believed him was a relief. She was sitting up straighter in her seat, one hand fisted on her jean-clad thighs. Calm outwardly, like he imagined she would be as she was searching through rubble trying to find victims who were still alive.
“I’mthe one who’s sorry to put this on you. It can’t be easy hearing something like that about your sister. And they’re getting married in less than a week. Jesus, what a mess!”
He’d hated to tell her, but he liked her and respected her. He didn’t want her—or anyone for that matter—to think he was the kind of guy who’d encourage or welcome his best friend’s fiancée hitting on him. He’d even hoped he and Ariel might flirt a little and see where things went this week, but that seemed up in the air now, given his impending talk with Rob.
And Jesus fucking Christ, what would his buddy say when he told him? His best friend would never believe he’d done anything to invite it, thank God. They had a code. But how was Dax supposed to live with knowing he’d fucked up his best friend’s happiness?
Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Start from the beginning, Dax,” she calmly repeated.
His hands gripped the steering wheel. He’d wanted to pretend he’d read it wrong, but the invitation and flirtatious comments had seemed clear. The hand on his butt had certainly been filled with intent.
Something touched his arm again, but it didn’t feel like Ariel. When he looked over, he saw Sherlock was resting his head against his shoulder. God, it made him long for a dog. He hadn’t had one since leaving home for college. Being away so much, he couldn’t keep a dog. But his heart squeezed a little at the gesture. Dogs always knew what to do. His Lab growing up had slept with him after he’d lost a baseball game. Damn, Jasper had been a good dog, and so had Rover after him. “You’re lucky to have this guy.”
“I know.” She gave Sherlock a good rub under his ears. “Dax, let’s still go the Waffle House, if you don’t mind. You can tell me what happened when you’re not driving.”
Again, she showed the kind of poise he was used to in military officers and emergency personnel. She must be shocked, too, but she wasn’t showing it. “Sounds like a good plan. So how about we talk about you on the way there? Before coming here, I heard you were helping in Omaha after that horrible tornado touched down.”
“Yeah, I was.” She settled more comfortably into a slouch in her seat. “Seven dead, which was horrible. But we managed to save six, and for that I’m deeply grateful. You might have the best buns this side of Biloxi, but Sherlock here has the best nose this side of… Sherlock, what should we say here? The Himalayas? Sherlock has done some of his biggest rescue efforts in Turkey and Bali, so that won’t work. Maybe Perth?”
What did her passport look like?
“I’ve only gotten to Mexico and Dubai and some parts of Europe for fun. Naval aircraft carriers in the Gulf don’t count.”
“I heard you’re leaving the Navy.”
“Yeah, I’d always planned on becoming a corporate pilot at some point. Your shelf life as a naval aviator is only so long, and my new job landed in my lap, so to speak. Got such a nice signing bonus, I could buy this baby. Fully refurbished ’72 Bronco. It’s a honey.”
“Congratulations. Where will you be based out of?”
“Somewhere in the South, although I haven’t decided yet.” He let his gaze track to the online navigation to check the upcoming turn. “I can choose where I want to be based out of. I drove this way after seeing my family in Austin so I could take in my choices. There are a lot of great cities out there.”
“Charleston is a nice town,” she commented softly.
He looked over as the hair on the back of his neck stood up. The way she’d said it was nostalgic and full of yearning. “So you love Charleston that much, huh? It’s my first time here.”
The slow shake of her head, along with the way her blue eyes warmed, had a powerful effect on his heart. He wanted to see why she loved this place so much.
“Well… That makes this city a little more interesting to me. I’ll keep an open mind while I’m in town. It would be great to know someone here. Most of my buddies are on carriers like I just was, and of course Rob has new orders in San Diego as you know.”
Maybe not living in family housing like he’d thought. Jesus, how was he supposed to break the news?
