Runway Romance (Love in the Air Trilogy)

by Merri Hiatt

  “Don’t know. Don’t drink out of it.”

  “Well, I’m drinking out of it this morning. As soon as I find it.”

  “I’ll be ready in half an hour.”

  “Make it twenty minutes or I’m leaving without you.”

  “Ten minutes is not going to make a difference.”

  “It will if you have to call a cab. You need to get a car.”

  “I don’t need a car. I have you two.” Jenny turned her back on Patricia and headed down the hallway, taking another sip of coffee. “I’m leaving on a jet plane. Don’t know when I’ll be back again.”

  “I hate that song!”

  “I know.” Jenny sat on the bathroom counter and applied her make-up, then took the rollers out of her hair. She tipped her head down as far as she could and ran her fingers through her hair from root to tip. She grabbed the hairspray and made short spurts all around her head. “Don’t touch it. Only use your fingertips to style,” she reminded herself of her hairstylist’s words.

  She dumped the dregs of her coffee down the sink, brushed her teeth and headed to her bedroom to collect her things.

  “Five minutes.” Patricia poked her head into Jenny’s bedroom. “You know I don’t wait.”

  “I know. I’ll be there.” Making one quick glance around the room and then making sure she had her travel documents, she headed down the hallway.

  “You leaving?” Kate mumbled as she stood in the nude with eyeliner smudged around her eyes and hair askew.

  “Yeah. Utah. Patricia’s on her way to the Bahamas. When do you leave for Ireland?”

  “Two days.”

  “Did you e-mail Shaun?”

  “Mmm hmm. He agreed to let me stay over. Must pee. Safe trip.”

  “You, too.”

  “Is that coffee I smell?” A man with a smooth chest and a cleft in his chin emerged from Kate’s bedroom with a sheet wrapped around his waist. His dark brown hair was tousled perfectly and Jenny almost reached over to rub her thumb against his inviting stubble.

  “Kitchen.” Kate turned and stumbled toward the bathroom, her eyes still only half open.

  “Down the hall and to your left. Follow your nose. If you drink it now, it’ll keep you awake,” Jenny said.

  “I know.” A wicked grin spread across his face as a twinkle planted itself in his eyes.

  Jenny made her way to the front door, then made sure it locked when she shut it.

  Patricia gave her a look that said if she’d stayed in the house one more minute, she’d have driven away.

  Jenny put her luggage in the back seat and positioned herself shotgun. “Did you know Kate had a booty call last night?”

  “Yeah. Brad something-or-other. He flies copters over Mt. St. Helens for tourists.” Patricia started the car and pulled onto the roadway.

  “Where’d she meet him?”

  “I think she said Jettison, that club on First and Madrona in Seattle.”

  “I like that club, especially the music and all the airplanes hanging down from the ceiling.”

  “I think Kate likes the pilots and the booze.”

  “That’s our Kate. Brad was getting coffee when I left.”

  “Sounds like it’s going to be a busy night.”

  “I’m glad someone is having a busy night. I haven’t been busy for a while.”

  “I was busy a month ago.”

  “Martin?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How long have you been seeing him?”

  “Almost five months.”

  “Getting serious?”

  “I don’t think so. I’m beginning to wonder if any men ever want to get married. Everyone I date seems to only be in it for fun. I’m tired of having fun. I mean I want to have fun, but I want to find someone to share the rest of my life with.”

  “You want a commitment.”

  “Exactly. Why is it so hard for men to commit?”

  “The thought of only having sex with one woman for the rest of their life.”

  “That’s too simplistic. I think they want someone to take care of them like their mother did.”

  “But they also want a woman to look good in public.”

  “Let’s face it… they want it all.”

  “So do we.”

  “That’s why no one is getting anything.”

  “Kate’s getting sex.”

  “But that’s not what she really wants.”

  “It’s part of what she wants.”

  “A big part, but she also wants forever.”

  Jenny sighed. “We all want forever.”

  “But we get Mr. Right Now.”

  “Maybe that’s because we accept Mr. Right Now while we’re waiting for Mr. Forever.”

  “You think we should expect more?”

  “Maybe.”

  “What if we never meet Mr. Forever and we lose Mr. Right Now, too?”

  “Then we’re screwed.”

  “Actually, then we have no chance of getting screwed.”

  Jenny chuckled. “And that is my life right now.”

  “If you just want to get laid, I know several guys who would jump at the chance.”

  “If that’s all I wanted, I know some men, too. I want more. I deserve more. We all do.”

  “Our jobs don’t help. Remember when I was dating Jake?”

  “The guy with the goatee?”

  “No, that was Marcus. Jake Richbough was the guy with the dragon tattoo on his thigh.”

  “Oh, I remember him. He was cute. Why’d you guys break up?”

  “Too needy. I had to call him before a flight, after a flight and sometimes in mid-air. I don’t know what he thought I’d be doing in the middle of a flight.”

  “Mile High Club?”

  “Maybe. Almost every flight some guy makes some crass remark about either becoming a member or that he is a member. Like I’m going to risk losing my job for five minutes of ‘Oh, oh, oh. Thanks, babe.’”

  “Then he goes and brags to his friends that he’s banged another stewardess.”

  “I hate that word. When will people ever realize that we’re flight attendants. The name changed years ago. Catch up, people!”

  “So what about Jake?”

  “Oh yeah. So there was his need to hear my voice all the time, but he never believed me when I said I had a flight. He’d check the Ballinger Air website and sometimes he was even on my doorstep waiting for me when I came home. He’d rant and rave that I was late. I’d say, ‘Late for what? I didn’t even know you were going to be here.’ It was all kinds of ick and ew. But the sex was pretty amazing.”

  “There’s a lot to be said for sex.”

  “There certainly is.”

  Chapter Four

  “Who are you working with?” Jenny asked Patricia.

  “Nicole Saunders, Marsha Tinsdale and Rocky Puffer.”

  “Luck! I love Rocky.”

  “Me, too. Does he pass you butterscotch or cinnamon candies?”

  “Butterscotch.”

  “He really likes you. He only gives butterscotch to the FAs he likes.”

  “How do you know?”

  “’Cuz he gives ‘em to me and says I’m his favorite.”

  “Wait a minute, that’s what he tells me.”

  “That rat! He probably tells all the women he works with that they’re his favorite.”

  “None are his favorite, if you know what I mean.”

  “I wondered. He’s so sensitive and perceptive. He always seems to know when someone needs something, even before they know. Is he dating anyone?”

  “Some guy at Rodale Flight, I think.” Jenny squinted her eyes and chewed on her bottom lip to jar her memory. “Three years.”

  “That’s longer than any of my relationships.”

  “Mine, too.”

  “Do you have a ride home?”

  “Nope. I’ll either bum one from Randee Griffiths or Geri Bonds. They don’t live far from us.”

  “If you had a car you
wouldn’t have to worry about getting a ride to and from work.”

  “Who’s worried? You’re more concerned than I am.”

  “I’m just sayin’ that if you had a car, you wouldn’t have to think about transportation at all. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

  “I suppose.”

  “Why are you so hesitant?”

  Jenny shrugged her shoulders. “Probably the car accident.”

  “You never told me about this.”

  “I didn’t think it was important.”

  “If it’s stopped you from learning to drive, I think it’s important.”

  “Oh, I know how to drive. I just don’t.”

  “What happened?”

  “My brother, Preston, was driving. He’d been pestering Mom and Dad since he was thirteen to drive the car. Even offering to back it out of the garage or park it in the driveway.

  He must have washed that thing every Saturday for years, just hoping they’d let him drive early.”

  “Did they?”

  “Nope. Mom and Dad were sticklers for the rules. Now it’s just Mom, but she still sticks to her guns.”

  “So, it was your dad that got injured.”

  “Yeah. Preston was doing all the right things: going the speed limit, watching the gauges, checking his mirrors often. This car just comes barreling through a red light and slams right into the car.”

  Patricia put her hand on Jenny’s arm. “Were you in the car?”

  “Back seat. Not a scratch on me. Pres had broken bones and lots of bruises. Dad went through the glass. He’d taken off his seat belt while we were sitting at the light so he could remove his coat.”

  “It wasn’t your brother’s fault. There was nothing he could have done.”

  “I know.” Jenny ran her finger across the heart locket she wore around her neck.

  “You’ve never driven since?”

  “I’ve driven. I’m not scared of driving. I’m scared of sitting still.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “I know. I’m still sorry.”

  They continued traveling toward the airport. Several minutes later, Patricia said, “I wish you’d told me earlier. I’ve been teasing you for a while about getting a car. I had no idea all this happened.”

  “I didn’t want to bring it up. It’s easier to let you think I’m some wishy-washy person who doesn’t mind bumming rides off people. I don’t need the pity.”

  “It’s not pity, it’s compassion and empathy.”

  “Whatever it is, I don’t need it.”

  “What happens when you’re sitting in a car at an intersection?”

  “Do we really have to talk about this?”

  “I think it’s important.”

  Jenny sighed. “My hands sweat. I breathe heavier. I look around a lot. I remember that day. I hear the sound of metal crashing against metal. I feel the impact all over again.”

  “I just thought you were fidgety.”

  “I never told you anything different.”

  “Because it was easier?”

  “Yeah. I thought so, anyway. Now I’m not so sure.”

  Patricia veered off one highway and onto another as she followed the airport signs. “You’re going to be really early.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  “Have you always loved airports?”

  “Long as I can remember. There’s something magical about these metal birds you can sit in and graze the edge of clouds.”

  “Touching God’s carpet.”

  “Exactly.”

  “What first attracted you to being a flight attendant?”

  “The romance of it. Flying through a starlit sky to some exotic destination. I never cared about getting to the location, I wanted to stay in the airplane and explore.

  I’d have my very own window to look out of and I’d adjust the little light just so. I always unfolded the barf bag, just in case, and then I’d stare out the window and at the edges of the window where it’s welded and screwed together.

  I’d wonder what would happen if the plane suddenly starting falling apart. Would I be sucked out the side by a giant cloud that had inhaled deeply and vacuumed me right up?”

  “I always wanted to sit at the emergency exit, so I’d be the first one off the plane in case something happened.”

  “Now we know we’d be the first to go.”

  “Who knew that was the death seat? They sure don’t tell you that when they sit you there.”

  “There should be some kind of warning. YOU WILL BE TRAMPLED BY PEOPLE TRYING TO GET TO THE EMERGENCY EXIT. MOVE NOW.”

  “I never figured out why they didn’t just leave an area empty for the exit.”

  “Money. You take out a row of chairs and you lose money. It’s all about the money.”

  “It usually is.”

  Patricia swung her car into the secured parking area for Ballinger Air. They were third in line. When she reached the receptacle and the red and white striped wooden divider, she slid her laminated identification badge through the digital reader.

  “Green light. You’re good to go.”

  “Better be.”

  “Someday we’ll all be barcoded or microchipped and they’ll just scan us and all our information will pop up on a little screen.

  “Lovely thought.”

  “The day is coming. Mark my words.”

  “With what?”

  “Huh?”

  “You said, ‘Mark my words.” I said, “With what?””

  “Now I’m confused.”

  “Just tell me you have a permanent marker in your pack.”

  “Of course I do. Why?”

  “So you can mark your words.”

  “Am I missing something here?”

  “Forget it. It’s not funny anymore.”

  “Was it ever?”

  “Probably not.”

  Chapter Five

  As they made their way to the Ballinger Air flight lounge, Jenny nodded at the familiar faces of the security guards. Newbies stuck out like bright red lipstick against a pale Seattleite’s face.

  “Patricia, Jenny.” Jack Walters tipped his hat as they walked by.

  “I wonder if Kate’s had sex with him?” Patricia said when they were out of earshot. “I’ve always thought he looked a bit like George Clooney.”

  “No. Pierce Brosnan. It’s the eyes.”

  “No. It’s the hair. Totally George.”

  “When was the last time you had your vision checked? I think they missed a speck of Can’t Tell One Man From Another Correctly.”

  “No matter who he looks like, he’s aged well.”

  “On that we agree. Kate wouldn’t have done him anyway. He’s not a pilot.”

  “What’s with her and the pilot thing?”

  “Her dad was a pilot.”

  “She was a daddy’s girl?”

  “To the max. Just listen whenever she tells a story about her childhood. You’d think she didn’t even have a mother.”

  “Did something happen there? Abuse?”

  “I don’t think so. Both her parents worked, but I just think she was a tomboy when she was younger and she bonded with her dad. I suppose that happens.”

  “Like with you and your dad?”

  Jenny was quiet for a moment. “Yeah.”

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to bring that subject back up again.”

  “It’s okay. It is what it is.”

  “I hate that saying.”

  “I know.”

  Patricia nudged Jenny with her elbow. “Trouble maker.”

  “You’re staying with Teresa and Gail, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “If I flew there more often, I’d go in with them on their house on Mayaguana.”

  “I’ve thought about it, too, but it’s too expensive when I only get booked on a flight a couple times a year.”

  “Kate’s the one who should do it. She goes more than anyone else I…”


  “Who’s Kate going with?” Rocky Puffer squeezed between them, pulling his luggage behind him.

  “Rocky! Hi love,” Jenny said.

  Rocky kissed her on the cheek, then repeated the kiss with Patricia as they continued walking.

  “It’s been forever,” Patricia said.

  “Much too long. Did you hear about Captain Adams?”

  “No. What?” Jenny said.

  “Heroin, and I don’t mean the gorgeous kind on the cover of books.”

  “What happened?” Patricia asked.

  “Well, I heard this from John Atwater, and we all know what a big gossip he is, but I do think he’s telling the truth on this one. He heard it from Jane Campbell and she heard it from Bella Montgomery, or was it Tiffany Swan?

  Well, whoever. Or is it whomever? Anyway, Lacy Williams found him in the pilot’s bathroom on a flight to Hawaii, the Big Island, ya know? He had the thing on his arm all tightened up so his muscles were bulging. Can you imagine? Well, I can, but…”

  “Slow down a sec. Lacy Williams used to date Vince Adams until she hooked up with the guy with the beard, what’s his name?” Patricia looked at Jenny for the answer.

  “Martin D. McMasterson. I only remember because he always made us use his entire name whenever we spoke with him. What an ass.”

  “That’s him! Vince was really pissed off that she dumped him for MDM because he always considered him an inferior pilot.”

  “He wasn’t though. MDM could outfly Vince at any time, but years ago Vince stole a gal from MDM and he’s been wanting to get back at him for years. It was the perfect opportunity.”

  “Well, I don’t know about any of that, but Lacy found him and she didn’t want him to get into trouble, so she called this doctor she knows. I think it’s the one who helped her with her little problem a few years ago. You know, the baby bump that suddenly disappeared and she told everyone she had liposuction. As if!

  So, the doc told her Captain Adams needed to go to the Emergency Room, so he called an ambulance and everything hit the fan because it just hit the papers this morning. Look!”

  Rocky unfolded the morning paper and showed them the headline: Is A Heroin Addict Piloting Your Flight?

  “Oh, my,” Jenny said.

  They reached the door to the lounge. Patricia entered the passcode and they headed through the door.

  “Have you seen it?” Monica Lions asked as she rushed up to the trio.