Everyone Loves a Hero

by Marie Force

  “Hey,” Jenny said. “Did you finish the paper?”

  “Just now.”

  “Want to come over? We’re thinking about pizza.”

  Since she would rather hang out with Jenny and Will than go home, Olivia accepted the invitation.

  “Give us a call when you’re getting close to Franconia-Springfield, and one of us will come get you.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “So, um... did he call?” Jenny asked.

  “Not yet.”

  “He will.”

  “I wish I could be so sure.”

  “He’s probably busy with work. Don’t get all mental over it.”

  “Who’s mental? I wasn’t even thinking about it until you asked.”

  Jenny howled. “Yeah, right!”

  “I’ll see you soon.” Olivia hung up and put the phone away in her bag, telling herself that Jenny was right. Cole was working and didn’t have time to call her—even between flights. He would call when he could.

  ***

  But he didn’t call that night or the next day.

  By the time Sunday night rolled around, their date on Friday seemed like a lifetime ago, and she had given up on hoping she would hear from him. The waiting, the wondering, and the speculating about how she could have been so wrong about him had completely sucked the life out of her. She went to bed early but tossed and turned for a long time before drifting into restless sleep.

  When the phone rang at eleven, she thought she was dreaming until the persistent tune of “Ode to Joy” finally woke her. She lunged for the phone and answered without checking the caller ID.

  “I knew it was too late to call,” Cole groaned. “I decided to risk it and woke you up.”

  Now fully awake and with every sense on high alert, Olivia pushed herself up to a sitting position and cleared the sleep from her throat. “No, it’s fine. I’m usually up late.”

  “But not tonight?”

  “I was tired.”

  “Sorry. And I’m sorry I haven’t called before now. This weekend was insane.”

  “That’s okay.”

  “Were you thinking I was one of those guys who says he’s going to call and then doesn’t?”

  “Of course not.”

  He laughed softly. “Yes, you were.”

  “Maybe a little.”

  “I really am sorry. Some stuff happened this weekend. Well, anyway… it was nuts.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “No, but thanks for asking. I’d much rather talk about you. What’ve you been up to?”

  “Let’s see, I wrote a very exciting paper on the International Monetary Fund, hung out with my cousin, looked into changing my major to art, and cleaned the house.”

  “Back up, back up. What was that about your major?”

  She laughed at his reaction. “I was seeing if you were paying attention.”

  “I’m very definitely paying attention. Tell me.”

  “I decided to look into it. That’s all.”

  “What brought this on?”

  “It’s just… what you said the other night about how you felt like you knew the people I’d drawn. No one’s ever said anything like that before.”

  “Not even in high school? In art class?”

  “I didn’t show my stuff to anyone back then. That’s a recent development.”

  “So no one had any idea just how good you are,” he said, sounding incredulous.

  “Except for my cousin, Jenny, and my dad. They’ve been saying for years that I’m good, but what you said got me thinking.”

  “Well, I’m glad I said something that got your attention. Are you really going to change your major?”

  “I’m going in tomorrow afternoon to talk to the academic adviser in the studio art department.”

  “That’s great, Olivia. That’s exactly where you belong.”

  “The only bad thing is I’ll probably have to spend another year in school. At the rate I’m going, I’ll be lucky to get my degree by the time I’m forty.”

  “Once you get into a major you love, school will become much less of a chore. I promise.”

  “I hope you’re right, because I’m not sure how much more of the International Monetary Fund I can take.”

  “That sounds truly dreadful.”

  “I hate it. Do you know how liberating it is to finally admit that? I hate it.”

  “We’ll have to celebrate this epiphany of yours next weekend.”

  Her stomach fluttered with nerves and anticipation. “I’d love to,” she said softly.

  “I was going to take a flight from O’Hare on Friday that would get me there around six-thirty. Does that sound okay?”

  “I get off work at seven, so I hope you don’t mind waiting a half hour.”

  “I don’t mind. I booked a room at the Sheraton, since it’s close to your house.” When Olivia didn’t say anything right away, he asked, “Is this too much for you?”

  “No.”

  “Then what is it? Something’s wrong.”

  “Nothing’s wrong.”

  “Olivia, talk to me,” he said in a gentle, cajoling tone. “Come on.”

  “I’m kind of freaking out,” she confessed.

  “Why?”

  “This whole thing is just…”

  “Intense?”

  “Yes.” That was exactly the word she would’ve used.

  “Is that bad?”

  “It would be if you were to suddenly lose interest.” She cringed, hating how needy that made her sound.

  “Or if you did.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Then why do you think I would?”

  “I can’t help but wonder what a pilot who’s been everywhere and done everything sees in a perpetual student who works at the airport.”

  He sighed. “Olivia, why do you do that? Why do you make it sound like there isn’t a single thing about you that’s interesting?”

  “Because nothing about me or my life is all that exciting.”

  “If that’s the case, why have I thought of you constantly since Friday night? Can you tell me that?”

  Amazed, she rolled her bottom lip between her teeth. “I don’t know.”

  “I do. It’s because you’re beautiful and fun and talented and interesting—very, very interesting. I loved talking to you, and I can’t wait to kiss you again. So what do you have to say to that?”

  Olivia’s cheeks burned and her lips tingled.

  His soft laughter rolled through the phone and went straight to her heart. “Nothing at all?”

  “How about right back atcha? Would that suffice?”

  “Yeah,” he said, his voice husky and sexy. “That works.”

  Olivia wanted to crawl through the phone to him.

  “Call me tomorrow after you see the adviser?”

  “I will.”

  “Are you one of those girls who says you’ll call and then you don’t?”

  A burst of laughter took her by surprise. “No. I’m not.”

  “I know. I’ve known that since I came to and saw you looking down at me. It’s a good thing I found you that next time.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because I never, ever would’ve forgotten your face. So don’t you forget to call me tomorrow, okay?”

  It was all Olivia could do to say, “Okay.”

  Chapter 7

  Walking on air, Olivia left the art department. They wanted her to put together a portfolio, and there were forms to be completed and arrangements to be made, but switching her major to studio art wasn’t impossible. Wanting to jump up and down with joy, she managed to contain the urge until she reached the quad where she plopped down on the grass and took a long, deep breath. Then she reached for her phone.

  “Hey,” Cole said. “You called.”

  “I thought about making you suffer,” she teased.

  “I guess I had that coming. How’d it go?”

  “The good news is they di
dn’t say no. In fact, they promised to help me make it happen in time for the start of the spring semester, provided my portfolio is up to par.”

  “Congratulations, Olivia. I’m so happy for you.”

  “Thank you for giving me a push, for encouraging me.”

  “I’d hate to see talent like yours wasted on the International Monetary Fund.”

  Laughing, she reclined on the grass and gazed up at the blue sky. The color reminded her of his eyes. Everything seemed brighter today, the hues sharper, the air fragrant with promise.

  “How does it feel?” he asked.

  “So, so good.”

  “I wish I was there with you. I’d like to see that amazing face of yours lit up with happiness. I’ll bet it’s quite a sight.”

  “You say those things and my heart just…”

  “What?”

  “Skips a beat,” she whispered.

  He groaned. “How many more days until Friday?”

  “Too many.”

  “Do you think you could work it out so you could spend the weekend with me? The whole weekend?”

  Olivia’s feet, which had been skimming through the grass, went still. The heart that had been beating so fast slowed.

  “Too much?”

  “No,” she said. “I’d like to… to stay with you.”

  He released a long, deep breath. “Are you sure it’s only Monday?”

  ***

  By the time Friday rolled around, Olivia was a bundle of nerves. They had talked every day, sometimes as long as two hours, and she couldn’t wait to see Cole again. The afternoon in the store dragged even more than it had the week before when she’d had only dinner to look forward to. This time, they had a whole weekend, and Olivia thought she would go nuts waiting for seven o’clock to arrive.

  She had traded shifts with a coworker to get Sunday off and had done extra homework during the week to make sure she wouldn’t have to do any over the weekend. Her father had agreed to run interference with her mother and planned to tell Mary that Olivia was helping Jenny with the baby. That was easier than telling her mother the truth and then having to face a hundred questions Olivia wasn’t ready to answer.

  The only thing standing between her and three nights and two days with Cole was the last hour of her shift. Every minute felt like a year. She was waiting on a customer at six-forty when she did a double take at the sight of him walking into the store wearing a black sweater and faded jeans. He carried a black leather jacket and had a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Olivia realized she had never seen him out of uniform.

  “Can I have my change, please?” the woman at the counter said.

  Olivia tore her eyes off Cole. “Oh,” she said, flustered. “I’m sorry. Here you go.”

  “Thank you.”

  Since they had the store to themselves, Cole strolled up to the counter. “Would you happen to have any Mentos?” A smile lit up his handsome face.

  With one hand on each side of that handsome face and without a care as to who might catch them, Olivia leaned over the counter to kiss him. “I thought you’d never get here.”

  His eyes trained on hers, he turned his face and pressed a kiss to the palm of her hand. “I’m here now.”

  “I almost didn’t recognize you without the uniform.”

  “Are you disappointed? Did I lose some of my mystique?”

  “No,” she said, sending her eyes on a journey from broad shoulders to sculpted pecs, to narrow hips and beyond. She licked her lips and turned her eyes back up to find his blazing. “Definitely not.”

  “That’s not fair,” he hissed. “Don’t look at me like that—at least not yet—and keep your tongue in your mouth.”

  She replied with a coy smile. “Was it out?”

  He glowered at her. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “Where are you going?” she asked, bereft.

  “A quick errand. I’ll be right back.”

  “Hurry.”

  He left his duffel with her and walked into the terminal.

  Olivia took advantage of the opportunity to check out the back of him and once again found herself staring. She still couldn’t believe he had come all this way just to see her.

  “Mmm.” She brought her hands to her face and took a deep breath of the cologne that clung to them. Forever and always the scent would remind her of him.

  He came back ten minutes later and pretended to shop while she finished. She looked up at one point to find him watching her over the top of a book. Her face heated with embarrassment and anticipation and a million other emotions. At two minutes to seven, a shift supervisor came to the store to collect Olivia’s drawer and paperwork.

  The second the supervisor left, Olivia slid into her denim jacket, grabbed her tote and the bag she had packed for the weekend, and led him from the store. Once they were outside, she dropped the metal gate that served as the door to the store and locked it. As she removed her key from the lock, he hauled her into his arms.

  “Finally,” he sighed, turning his head ever so slightly, just enough to capture her lips. He pressed her to the wall and sent his tongue to find hers.

  She clutched handfuls of his sweater and met the ardent thrusts of his tongue with her own until she remembered where they were.

  “Cole,” she gasped. “Not here.”

  He hugged her and took a deep breath. “I wasn’t going to do that.”

  “What? Kiss me? I would’ve been very disappointed if you hadn’t.”

  Brushing the hair back from her face, he smiled. “I wasn’t going to do it the second you finished work.”

  “I’m glad you did. I couldn’t have waited another second.”

  A tick of tension pulsed in his cheek. “Let’s go have dinner somewhere.” He put an arm around her. “Anywhere you want.”

  “How about room service?”

  He stopped walking, and when he looked down at her, his face was set in an expression she hadn’t seen before. The cockiness was gone, and in its place was something she wouldn’t have expected from him—vulnerability.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I don’t know if I’m ready to, you know…” She felt her cheeks heat. “But I want to be with you. Alone with you.”

  Tugging keys from his pocket, he tightened his arm around her. “Let’s go.”

  “You rented a car?”

  He nodded. “That’s where I went.”

  “This weekend is costing you a lot of money.”

  “Do you think I care about that?”

  “I’m guessing you don’t?”

  “Not one bit. When I was in the Navy, I never had time to spend a dime of what I made. That, along with the option to my story I sold to Hollywood earlier this year, has given me a nice cushion to pay for things like a weekend in Washington with the lovely Olivia.”

  “In that case, spend away.” She looked up at him. “They’re really making a movie about you?”

  “They bought the option to the story. From what I hear, that happens a thousand times a year and only a fraction of the movies ever get made. I haven’t given it a thought in months, to be honest.”

  “That’d be so cool.”

  “I don’t know,” he said warily. “It would just fire the whole thing up again. I’m ready to slide back into anonymity and just live my life.”

  On the short walk through the terminal, she saw more than a few double takes from passersby. “I doubt you’ll ever be entirely anonymous again.”

  “Don’t crush my dreams,” he said in a teasing tone. He led her to a tan Toyota SUV and held the passenger door for her. Before he closed it, he leaned in for another kiss. “I couldn’t wait to see you,” he whispered. “This week went by so slow.”

  “For me, too.”

  He caressed her face. “I want you to know that when I asked you to spend the weekend with me, I wasn’t expecting anything. I’d be perfectly satisfied to just hang out with you.”

  Her hand curled around his wri
st. “Thank you for saying that. I feel the same way.”

  “I wish we lived close to each other and could date like regular people.”

  “But then we wouldn’t have an excuse to spend the weekend together as our third date,” she said with a saucy smile.

  “Fourth.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “The TKO counts.”

  She laughed. “Okay. Fourth then.”

  His face hovered over hers for a breathless moment.

  Olivia urged him into a soft, lush, endless kiss. By the time they resurfaced, she was partially reclined in the front seat and he was pressed against her, half in the car, half out.

  His lips touched hers lightly once, twice, and then he simply held her for several long, quiet minutes. “What do you say we take this somewhere more comfortable?”

  Overwhelmed by the feelings he aroused in her, she nodded in agreement.

  ***

  She showed him the scenic route to Old Town, along the George Washington Parkway. He glanced over to find her looking out the window in an unseeing stare. She’s so tense, he thought, reaching for her hand.

  When she smiled at him, it didn’t involve her eyes the way her smiles usually did.

  He vowed in that moment to do everything he could to make sure she had a relaxing, stress-free weekend. He suspected she hadn’t been on the receiving end of much pampering in her life, and he wanted to take care of her.

  After years of dodging serious relationships, the realization should have terrified him. But it didn’t. Being with Olivia felt right, and there was this thing—he couldn’t explain it, exactly—that happened when he touched her. The connection between them was nothing short of electrifying.

  Go easy, man. You don’t want to scare her off by letting her see how badly you want her or how completely she’s captivated you. She worried about him losing interest, but could she imagine how he worried that she would? Or that she’d become so afraid of the feelings ricocheting between them that she wouldn’t give him a chance for fear of being hurt?

  Tightening his fingers around hers, he made a silent promise to be careful with her always.

  As he thought about her, his cell phone vibrated incessantly in his pocket. What the hell is going on? He had a feeling he didn’t want to know.