Page 97 of Truth, Lies, and Second Dates
“We did meet. Just not officially. My dad had a heart attack on one of your flights. You came back to help the attendants and cheer me up.”
“Oh. Oh!” And like that, things made a lot more sense. “But then why ask all those creepy questions about the murder?”
“Because you’re my hero! What the hell else would I talk about? My lame girl-crush? The paper I wrote about you in college?”
“There’s apaper?” G.B., who’d been leaning against the table sipping coffee, looked like Christmas had come early. “I’ll be needing to see that. Immediately. Hard copyandelectronic. There are a few sites I’ll need to post it on… and a few bathrooms I’ll need to strew with hard copies… Could you get that to me within the next half hour?”
She flapped her hands at him in irritation, but kept her focus on Becka. “But why did meeting me make you want to be a flight attendant?”
“I wanted to be a Northeastern Southwest employee,” Becka clarified. “After you’ve been on the air crew for three years, they pay for pilot lessons.”
“We really do have a great union,” India put in.
“Oh. So I’m your hero, which led you to work here to work your way up to pilot?”
“You’re right to be skeptical about your hero status, Ava,” G.B. put in, looking her up and down. “I mean… whyyyyyyyyyy?”
“Jesus,” Ava mumbled. “You know, I did manage a belly landing with zero injuries.”
“Pfffftt. Call me when the captain’s down for the count, the hydraulics are shot,andthe plane’s on fire. Then you can brag.”
“I like how you never hesitate to belittle my proudest accomplishments.”
“Right? You need more friends like me.”
“That’s unimaginable,” Ava admitted.
“I’m going to assume that’s a compliment.”
“Are you two done?” India asked. “So, Becka, you didn’t sign on because of the uniform change?”
“Well, no.” She shrugged, embarrassed. “But I couldn’t tell you all the real reason.”
“There’s apaper,” G.B. reminded everyone, delighted.
Becka sighed, then added, “I was so freaked out when you wanted to get together. That’s why I lost my nerve and canceled at the last minute.”
“Don’t worry about it. It all worked out. And I definitely didn’t forget about it, so it’s all good.”
“What? You—”
“Nothing! Sorry, you were saying?”
“I just… really look up to you.” She was blushing now, staring at the floor. “My dad’s still with us, y’know. He changed his diet and lost sixty pounds.”
“I’m glad, Becka, but that’s not because of me. I was just one person on a team. I think I did CPR for all of sixty seconds before I was relieved. The flight attendants did most of the work.”
“As per usual,” G.B. said, pretending to cough. Except he was terrible at the fake-cough verbal smackdown and just muttered the words into his fist.
“Quiet, you.” To Becka: “Your dad’s the one who decided to make the lifestyle changes. That’s the hard part, I think.”
“I know what I know,” Becka said again, pushing her riot of red hair away from her flushed cheeks.
“We might be moving out of hero category and into stalker category,” G.B. commented.
“Give her a break, Ghost Baby.”
“No.No.Don’t start that again.”
