Their guide, Melissa, a rambunctious woman of twenty who looked exactly like the Disney version of Tinkerbell sans wings, squeezed Chase’s arm and smiled hugely. “You’re gonna love this!” she screamed over the roar of the plane’s engine.
Chase nodded and put on a brave face. She could do this. After all, she had a new job as a driving instructor. She had taken her fear of car accidents and turned her phobia into a lucrative second career. Her students scored the highest on both the written and driving parts of the exam.
Teaching a sixteen-year-old the basics of driving in a confident, yet safe manner was a daunting task, but she’d done it. Sometimes she had been frightened—like when Owen Hart had put the car in reverse instead of drive and floored the gas pedal. They’d ended up on the football field after hopping the curb in the high school parking lot. He didn’t hit the brakes until the fifty-yard line. She had, despite this ignominious beginning, taught Owen to drive in a safe, sane and successful manner. She had him recite her daily mantra and he’d taken it to heart. Now he was a damn good driver and wanted to become a traffic cop. Could life get any more rewarding?
Living through another day would be nice, actually, but she had given Lacey her word, and now here she was in this plane that was about to take off. This was technically her last chance to bail out. She stared at the still-open door and the huge white banner that she was responsible for holding one end of during the free fall. Could she really bail on her best friend—send her up in the sky alone to hold a banner that no one could read because she lacked a partner?
Bud had run the statistics for her and it appeared skydiving was quite safe. Her driving career had a higher risk factor than dropping out of the sky with an oversized piece of fabric as her sole means of survival.
They’d been having breakfast when Bud brought out the stats. “The average death rate for skydiving is one in every hundred thousand. Those are great odds,” Bud said. She took a bite of her marmalade-slathered toast.
Chase often wondered about Bud’s proclivity for Anglicisms. What kid liked marmalade? Was it all the Jane Austen novels they’d read together when she was three? Would tea and crumpets be next?
Gitana stared at her. “I’m still not crazy about you doing this.”
“Did you buy that million dollar insurance policy?” Bud said. She smirked.
“What!” Chase said, spilling her coffee as she put the cup down too hard.
“I’m just sayin’.” Bud said. “We’ve got the family assets to consider.”
“Myrna thinks it’s a great publicity shot,” Chase said, feeling like she suddenly had to defend her choice when two minutes before she had been reconsidering. She couldn’t really, though. She’d told Lacey she’d do it. They’d taken the classes and rehearsed how the banner worked, and they were taking a guide with them who was trained in this kind of endeavor. It was much safer than driving down the canyon with a hormonally challenged teenager.
“Most deaths occur from swooping,” Bud said.
“I am not going to swoop, I can tell you that much,” Chase said, refilling her coffee.
“What on earth is swooping?” Gitana asked.
“It’s when you start to land and you glide parallel to the ground. It can be very dangerous,” Chase said.
“I’m thinking that the whole thing is dangerous,” Gitana said, concerned.
“Not really. They now use the AAD system which takes care of one of the crucial aspects of flight failure,” Bud said.
“Do we have to talk about flight failure?” Chase said, her stomach flip-flopping. Did they have any Mentos in the house? she wondered.
Bud seemed to read her mind and dug around behind her on the chair where her backpack hung. She pulled out a pack of Mentos. “I stocked up. I thought we might need them.”
“You amaze me,” Chase said, popping two in her mouth.
“What’s AAD?” Gitana said. “Isn’t that the attention deficit thing?”
“I certainly hope not.” Chase winked at Bud. “ADD would be dangerous for a skydiver.” She pocketed the Mentos.
“No, it stands for Automatic Activation Device,” Bud said.
“What does that mean?” Gitana picked up the other roll of Mentos and opened them.
She really was nervous about this jumping thing, Chase thought. The closest Gitana had ever gotten to a Mentos was when they’d set off the Mentos and Diet Coke rocket. Gitana had been in charge of supervising the loading. That had been another Fearless Chase moment—being a rogue scientist exploring the explosive potential of Mentos. She watched as Gitana popped two in her mouth.
“Remember, don’t drink Diet Coke,” Bud warned.
Gitana stopped sucking on the Mentos.
“I’m just sayin’,” Bud said.
“It’s the backup parachute,” Chase explained. “It goes off at a certain altitude if the main chute has not been released to insure that one does not go splat.”
Gitana winced at the word “splat.”
Splat was a very phonetic word, Chase thought—it sounded exactly like what it did—a perfect example of onomatopoeia.
“I wish you wouldn’t say things like that,” Gitana said, putting the roll of Mentos in her purse.
“It’s going to be fine,” Chase said, picking up the spritzer bottle of Holy Water that Jacinda had given her. She stood up and Bud sprayed her entire body. “See, I am completely at one with God and the Universe, although I do feel a little odd in a one-piece suit.”
“You look good. It’s very in character for what you’re about to do,” Bud said.
“I think so too.”
Lacey brought her back to the present moment by jabbing her in the ribs. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m reliving the last five minutes of my life so I’ll be ahead of schedule in the unlikely event of…” Chase trailed off.
“In case we crash. I can’t believe you talked me into this.” Lacey tapped her foot and looked terrified.
“Me? This was your idea!”
“Since when do you listen to me?” Lacey said, checking the straps of her parachute. “The one and only time you listen to me and now we’re going to die.” She trembled.
Chase had never seen Lacey scared. She was awestruck. “You’re scared.”
“Of course, I’m scared. I’m fucking petrified.”
“Are you ladies ready?” Melissa inquired.
Chase certainly hoped so as the Cessna’s engines jerked them forward on the runway. When was it too late to stop the insanity? Was now the moment? Could both she and Lacey get down on their knees and beg Melissa to let them go? Lacey looked close to evacuating the scene. Fearless Chase took hold. “We have to do this. We have trained, and we know what to do and people are depending on us, and I really think it will be fun once we get over the initial fear of going splat, which is not going to happen.”
“Don’t say that!” Lacey hissed. “You’ll tempt fate.”
They both crossed themselves.
“Here we go,” Melissa said, as the plane took off.
Chase squeezed Lacey’s hand and then smiled hugely. “This is going to be radical fun.”
“Wow, you’ve changed a lot,” Lacey said, sticking her pinky in her mouth and savagely chewing on a cuticle. Chase slapped at her hand.
As the plane roared skyward, Chase pondered what Lacey had said. She had changed a lot. She’d gone from a neurotic pre-parent, full of planning and precautions, to a parent who had to learn to “wing it”—she wondered where that phrase came from—to this new incarnation of herself, the one that wasn’t afraid to try new things, some of which were risky.
Always before the word “risky” in her lexicon had been accompanied by a set of flashing lights and a blaring siren. When Risk appeared now, however, she stepped in wearing an Ann Taylor business suit and carrying a portfolio of possible activities and a list of necessary safety equipment. Wasn’t that what life was? A set of risks that supplied challenges for growth? C
hase thought perhaps Risk had gotten a bad rap. Risk wasn’t always about purported unsafe activities like auto racing, mountain climbing or skydiving—those things had built-in safety devices and, if done properly under supervision and with skills, were doable without harm. Risk in life, in the sense of taking a chance, learning a new thing, trusting another person, exploring an uncharted part of yourself, now that was risk.
****
They’d reached the appropriate altitude and Melissa gave them the all-clear signal. Lacey grabbed Chase’s arm. “I love you. If anything happens I want you to know I love you and that I appreciate everything you’ve done for me and for the Institute. And I forgive you for the time you tried to run out on me.”
Or, Chase deduced, this was what Lacey had said. The roar of the Cessna 208B with its open roll-up door didn’t allow for conversation, but Chase was a decent lip-reader. She and Bud had perfected this skill because it afforded a secret silent language when social situations made it necessary. “I love you too,” Chase said.
“Okay, ladies, let’s rock and roll,” Melissa said. “Who wants to go first?” She intimated this with hand signals.
Lacey’s face was a map of terror. Chase knew if she went first, Lacey would be shamed into following. And if she wasn’t, Melissa would push her.
“I will,” Chase pointed at her own chest. Melissa handed Chase her end of the wound-up banner, which she tucked in her outside front pocket. It was neatly folded in such a way that one quick flick and it would open. Lacey took the other end. There’s no getting out of it now, Chase mused. Besides, at some points in your life pride does precede a fall and in this case it was literal. They’d set it up and they had to do it.
“On the count of three! One, two, three!” Melissa yelled.
Chase, for a moment, almost pulled the splayed cat move so overused in comic films about skydiving, but then she jumped. She felt the rush of air, the blast of noise and then the strangest thing happened—she felt calm yet exhilarated, thrilled yet not afraid, blissful and at one with the brilliant blue sky. Holy fucking shit! This was awesome. This was Risk and Life and Freedom, and as she raced toward the ground she knew she was going make it. She could be a successful writer, the parent of a teenager, the best friend of an uber dyke businesswoman and world-saver and a really good partner who knew about erotic devices. She had come a long way. She watched as first Lacey and then Melissa followed her out.
Melissa counted five with her fingers and gave the thumbs-up signal to release the banner. Lacey and Chase opened their respective sides, and the banner billowed forth. Chase looked over at Lacey. She had a huge smile. Lacey had evidently reached the dopamine high of wowness too. They looked at each other and then at the banner that read “Come Play With Us.” Chase still thought it sounded like an advertisement for masturbation, but at least the name of the Institute had been changed from Vulva Ventures to Wanna Vacations.
She could live with that. Under the perfectly cloudless New Mexican sky, Chase Banter embraced her new self and whooped. She’d never whooped before in her life and it felt good.
Here it goes, Chase thought. She pulled the chute.
The End
It opened, by the way.
Publications from
Bella Books, Inc.
Women. Books. Even Better Together.
P.O. Box 10543
Tallahassee, FL 32302
Phone: 800-729-4992
www.bellabooks.com
CALM BEFORE THE STORM by Peggy J. Herring. Colonel Marcel Robicheaux doesn’t tell and so far no one official has asked, but the amorous pursuit by Jordan McGowen has her worried for both her career and her honor.
978-0-9677753-1-9
THE WILD ONE by Lyn Denison. Rachel Weston is busy keeping home and head together after the death of her husband. Her kids need her and what she doesn’t need is the confusion that Quinn Farrelly creates in her body and heart.
978-0-9677753-4-0
LESSONS IN MURDER by Claire McNab. There’s a corpse in the school with a neat hole in the head and a Black & Decker drill alongside. Which teacher should Inspector Carol Ashton suspect? Unfortunately, the alluring Sybil Quade is at the top of the list. First in this highly lauded series.
978-1-931513-65-4
WHEN AN ECHO RETURNS by Linda Kay Silva. The bayou where Echo Branson found her sanity has been swept clean by a hurricane—or at least they thought. Then an evil washed up by the storm comes looking for them all, one-by-one. Second in series.
978-1-59493-225-0
DEADLY INTERSECTIONS by Ann Roberts. Everyone is lying, including her own father and her girlfriend. Leaving matters to the professionals is supposed to be easier! Third in series with PAID IN FULL and WHITE OFFERINGS.
978-1-59493-224-3
SUBSTITUTE FOR LOVE by Karin Kallmaker. No substitutes, ever again! But then Holly’s heart, body and soul are captured by Reyna... Reyna with no last name and a secret life that hides a terrible bargain, one written in family blood.
978-1-931513-62-3
MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME by Karin Kallmaker. Take one Next Home Network Star and add one Little White Lie to equal mayhem in little Mendocino and a recipe for sizzling romance. This lighthearted, steamy story is a feast for the senses in a kitchen that is way too hot.
978-1-931513-61-6
2ND FIDDLE by Kate Calloway. Cassidy James’s first case left her with a broken heart. At least this new case is fighting the good fight, and she can throw all her passion and energy into it. 978-1-59493-200-7
HUNTING THE WITCH by Ellen Hart. The woman she loves — used to love — offers her help, and Jane Lawless finds it hard to say no. She needs TLC for recent injuries and who better than a doctor? But Julia’s jittery demeanor awakens Jane’s curiosity. And Jane has never been able to resist a mystery. #9 in series and Lammy-winner.
978-1-59493-206-9
FAÇADES by Alex Marcoux. Everything Anastasia ever wanted — she has it. Sidney is the woman who helped her get it. But keeping it will require a price — the unnamed passion that simmers between them.
978-1-59493-239-7
ELENA UNDONE by Nicole Conn. The risks. The passion. The devastating choices. The ultimate rewards. Nicole Conn rocked the lesbian cinema world with Claire of the Moon and has rocked it again with Elena Undone. This is the book that tells it all…
978-1-59493-254-0
WHISPERS IN THE WIND by Frankie J. Jones. It began as a camping trip, then a simple hike. Dixon Hayes and Elizabeth Colter uncover an intriguing cave on their hike, changing their world, perhaps irrevocably.
978-1-59493-037-9
WEDDING BELL BLUES by Julia Watts. She’ll do anything to save what’s left of her family. Anything. It didn’t seem like a bad plan...at first. Hailed by readers as Lammy-winner Julia Watts’ funniest novel.
978-1-59493-199-4
WILDFIRE by Lynn James. From the moment botanist Devon McKinney meets ranger Elaine Thomas the chemistry is undeniable. Sharing—and protecting—a mountain for the length of their short assignments leads to unexpected passion in this sizzling romance by newcomer Lynn James.
978-1-59493-191-8
LEAVING L.A. by Kate Christie. Eleanor Chapin is on the way to the rest of her life when Tessa Flanagan offers her a lucrative summer job caring for Tessa’s daughter Laya. It’s only temporary and everyone expects Eleanor to be leaving L.A... 978-1-59493-221-2
SOMETHING TO BELIEVE by Robbi McCoy. When Lauren and Cassie meet on a once-in-a-lifetime river journey through China their feelings are innocent…at first. Ten years later, nothing—and everything—has changed. From Golden Crown winner Robbi McCoy.
978-1-59493-214-4
DEVIL’S ROCK by Gerri Hill. Deputy Andrea Sullivan and Agent Cameron Ross vow to bring a killer to justice. The killer has other plans. Gerri Hill pens another intriguing blend of mystery and romance in this page-turning thriller.
978-1-59493-218-2
SHADOW POINT by Amy Briant. Madison McPeake has just been no
t-quite fired, told her brother is dead and discovered she has to pick up a five-year old niece she’s never met. After she makes it to Shadow Point it seems like someone—or something —doesn’t want her to leave. Romance sizzles in this ghost story from Amy Briant.
978-1-59493-216-8
JUKEBOX by Gina Daggett. Debutantes in love. With each other. Two young women chafe at the constraints of parents and society with a friendship that could be more, if they can break free. Gina Daggett is best known as “Lipstick” of the columnist duo Lipstick & Dipstick.
978-1-59493-212-0
BLIND BET by Tracey Richardson. The stakes are high when Ellen Turcotte and Courtney Langford meet at the blackjack tables. Lady Luck has been smiling on Courtney but Ellen is a wild card she may not be able to handle.
978-1-59493-211-3
In the Unlikely Event... Page 26
