Page 25 of Flight Plan

“Do you have other offers?”

She wished. Shrugging, she murmured, “I’ve had some interviews.”

“C’mon, I want to hire you. What’s holding you back? Is it me?”

Yes, she certainly had issues with him. Everything about him made her hot, her body weak and needy. If only they’d shared a passionate night together, surely she’d have scratched that itch.

“I can keep it professional. Whatever you want.”

Could he turn his emotions for her off as easy as a switch?A week ago, he slowed her passion-filled roll, and five seconds ago, he claimed he couldn’t stop thinking about her.WTF?Crazy how in this moment of tribulation she wondered whether abbreviating a swear still counted as a swear.

“What kind of bird do you fly?”

Her brows drew together, eyes guarded. “Huey.”

“Look, Ava, it’s for me—for my company. I need a way to shuttle from Oldport to Manhattan every week over the summer, and other locations as needed. I can acquire whatever helicopter you want.”

“So just for the summer?” She crossed her arms. “I’m looking for something long-term.”

“Sure, long-term,” he repeated, seeming to consider this. “I get it. But you don’t have any other offers, do you?”

She drifted her eyelids closed as her shoulders drooped. She hated defeat.

“Well, until you do, how about in the meantime you and Jack stay at Bluff House? There are tons of bedrooms, as you know. My main team will be staying there too. And the team’s great. Both you and Jack will love them. And as you know, there’s a pool.”

“Jack would love the pool,” she admitted. “Though the antiques are a bit gaudy and might scare him.”

He chuckled at her exaggeration. “It’s background noise.”

“Who would even watch Jack if I’m working for you? I don’t know anyone in Oldport.”

“There’s a staff on hand. I can arrange for someone to look after him when we’re off the property. Besides, this would give you the whole summer to find the right position, a position that could work out in the long run. You can take your time interviewing and have something set up by the time school starts in September.”

What he said made sense. It solved a lot of temporary problems. She thought she’d have found work by this point. Yet, she couldn’t afford to make more mistakes. The salary he offered for the summer would set her and Jack up for a decent future.

“Think of it as an extended vacation. The hours would be minimal. And it pays well.”

“I don’t know.”

He took out his cell phone and tapped at the screen. He showed her a number on his calculator. “This is as high as I can go.”

“A month?”

“A week.”

Ava gulped, staring long and hard at the screen. “Wow, Wes.” The magnitude of how much he wanted her on his team showed in the numbers. “When do I start?”

“Really!”

He pumped his fists in the air, making her laugh despite the payload of trepidation zipping through her.

Jack came into the room with Regina, carrying bags full of merchandise. “Thank you, Mr. Scott. This is so awesome.”

Pleased her son remembered his manners like she’d drilled into him, she asked, “What do you think about staying at a big vacation house for the summer, where Wes and his team will work on the new game?”

“For real?” Jack’s voice squeaked with excitement.

“Yeah. He just hired me to fly his helicopter for the season.” Ava held up her hand, reiterating, “Only for the summer. And then we’ll be moving to our permanent home, wherever that may be.”

---