Page 54 of Don't Look Down

I’m pulled up into a hanging position by my shoulders. The pressure of the straps around my chest and legs is noticeable, but not excessive or painful. My descent drastically slows to a much more controlled pace. Looking up, I confirm my canopy looks nice and square.

Shifting my eyes down to spot the landing zone, I use the toggles to steer the canopy to make sure I’m on target for landing, then settle in to enjoy the view.

The itchiness that’s been plaguing me for weeks is noticeably absent. My adrenaline monster is temporarily soothed. I smirk. It’s soothed, but a few more jumps will hopefully store up some adrenaline reserves, just in case I can’t make it out again anytime soon.

Aside from the rush of wind, it’s quiet up here. Peaceful.

Miniscule buildings and cars increase in size the closer I get to the ground. Coming in for landing, I’ve slowed my descent rate and forward motion. I steer into the wind and aim for the landing zone. My feet hit the ground nice and easy, and I still have a bit of built-up momentum so I run out a few paces.

Laughter bubbles out of me with another successful jump in the books. Retrieving my phone yet again, I take another selfie for Landon. My phone is angled just so, my canopy clearly visible splayed out on the ground behind me. I make sure to snag some shots of Andrew’s landing with my phone’s live function enabled. At least one of them should make a great boomerang to tag them in.

I remove my harness and make my way over to Andrew. “Jumping with you today made me really miss Cayden. I need to have you both over for dinner soon.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. He’s been nagging me about that lately, but I keep forgetting to set a date.” The words fall out of his mouth so casually, like he speaks about Cayden in this way all the time.

Nagging? Cayden is not a nagger. He’s a nurturer. But never a nagger. Unless this is a side of him I’ve never experienced since I’ve never actually dated him.

“Would you mind coming over with a few of my other friends? I think we’ll have a great time. I know hockey isn’t your thing, but I befriended two of the players from the Bull Sharks. I’d love to have you all meet.” Ignoring what he said instead of confronting it was beyond a struggle, but I’m following my gut. And my gut is strongly warning me to tread carefully.

He raises his eyebrows at me, looking almost impressed when he asks, “No shit? How did you manage that one?”

“It was totally an accident, but a happy one. We’re like this.” I cross my fingers and hold them up for him to see.

“I believe it. But it sounds fun. Does Cay know?”

“Nope. That’s a negative, Ghost Rider.” I bob my eyebrows.

He laughs at my shenanigans, catching on easily. “So we’re going with a surprise attack?”

“Affirmative.”

He nods decisively. “He’s not going to know what hit him.”

“I’ll text you a few dates that’ll work for me and the guys, and you just let me know which works best for you.”

Now that that’s settled, we finish repacking our canopies and make our way across the field. From the looks of things, the newbies are gathering near the Caravan for their tandem jumps.

Gary won’t be our pilot on this run, Dirk will. Andrew makes his way into the mix. He’s one of six instructors jumping tandem today. I rush over when I notice Frankie is here, too. He’s this gruff, growly retired US Air Force Pararescue specialist, but he has a huge soft spot for me. I’ve learned so much from him over the years.

His black hair is styled in a fresh military crew cut, even though he’s been out of the military for close to ten years. Frankie’s sable skin is smooth, only showing signs of his age in the crow’s feet bracketing his eyes. Right now, his expression is sour, like he sucked on a lemon, but I can see the warmth and affection lighting up his brown eyes.

“Frankie! Missed me?”

He barks a short laugh. “Sure, kid,” he retorts sarcastically. “You gonna make yourself useful today, or just get in my way?”

“Ummm, I’ll take both for a thousand, Alex.” A genuine laugh leaves him this time.

Shaking his head, he grabs one of the GoPros off the table, and starts attaching it to my helmet. “You’ll be on videographer duty. These guys got a family package, so feel free to record as many of them as you choose.”

I snap my heels together and salute him. “Sir, yessir.”

His face tilts up to the sky and he mutters a “for fuck’s sake” before ambling off to wrangle the group into the Caravan. My laughter follows him, and I catch a glimpse of him shaking his head. He loves me. Truly.

This is going to be so much fun. Bouncing on the balls of my feet, I snap a few photos from the back of the group, and another selfie all geared up. I’ll definitely need to get another one in the doorway of this plane, since it’s roomy enough for me to walk around in. I can’t wait to tell Landon all about today’s events.

19

Landon

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