by Melody Anne
“Yeah, not all that funny . . . that was a three-hundred-dollar car race that I can’t afford right now.”
Cooper plopped himself in the captain’s seat. “Oh, you big baby, I’ll pay your ticket. Quit being a sore loser.”
“It’s not the damn ticket. You know I can pay that without blinking. It’s the mark on my record,” Wolf grumbled.
“Then be more aware,” Cooper told him.
Wolf’s annoyance level with Cooper was now even more apparent. But then Wolf’s expression turned from annoyance to a smirk. “I did beat you after all, so I suppose it would only be reasonable for you to pay the ticket . . . and my car insurance for the next two years!”
Cooper shook his head while flipping a few switches on the overhead control panel as the two shared a laugh.
Cooper wished women could get over petty annoyances as easily as men did. Men didn’t hold grudges and carry on for hours, having to talk about their feelings and why something happened. Hell, it was better left unsaid, in his humble opinion.
He sat back and started buckling in, suddenly looking forward to a flight he’d done a thousand times. He was really looking forward to his next round of coffee with a certain spunky barista.
The flight began to board and the flight crew focused on their typical preflight checks. A group of attendants was in the main cabin, busily guiding passengers to their proper seat assignments and assisting with carry-on bags.
Meanwhile, on the flight deck the sound of radio traffic and the hum of electronics combined with the chatty flight attendants and boarding passengers was almost deafening. The plane wasn’t scheduled to return to New York, but was heading to El Paso, Texas, for a quick turnaround and would be back in Seattle by nine thirty that night.
As Wolf began to read off the checklist, his voice grew fainter as Cooper became entwined in his own thoughts about the coffee woman again, which infuriated him.
“Enough of this!” he blurted out loud, completely out of context with what Wolf had been saying.
The man was in the middle of conducting the first officer’s pre-takeoff checklist and Cooper was fully ignoring him. Wolf looked at him with confusion.
“What, thirty-five thousand isn’t high enough?” Wolf asked in an alarmed voice.
“No, no . . . thirty-five thousand is fine. Sorry, my mind was wandering.”
He reached into his pocket and his fingers rubbed over the worn gold of the locket he carried with him every flight. It had been his good luck token for six years. Odd that he was reaching for it so much more often lately.
“Hey, I’m looking for the flight manual,” Wolf continued.
“Oh, that’s no problem. I have it right here in my flight bag . . . shit.” Cooper paused. “I left my bag at the coffee shop. I have to go get it,” he exclaimed as he quickly stumbled from his seat and out of the flight deck.
“What about . . . ?” Wolf stopped mid-sentence as Armstrong had already left.
He never did anything as foolish as losing his flight bag. This was the exact reason for him to quit obsessing about the damn brunette at the coffee shop. Now it was messing with his job.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Putting away a container of milk, Stormy turned and something caught her eye. Right in front of the counter sat a large black leather briefcase with Captain Armstrong, Trans Pacific Airways printed in bold letters on the side.
She knew it was important, and if she didn’t get it to him the flight could be delayed. She grabbed the bag and began to sprint for Gate A6, the one he’d been directed to over the intercom earlier.
“I’ll be right back!” she called to Amy and Henry as she bolted past the counter and out to the main corridor.
Her heart beating madly, she made her way toward the gate. She wasn’t sure if it was because she was running, or if it was because she was going to see Cooper again. If it was the latter, she was in more trouble than she’d thought.
While frantically heading toward Captain Armstrong’s gate, Stormy’s mind wandered as she imagined him thanking her in all sorts of ways for saving his flight.
She moved quickly through the crowd.
Gate A7 . . . Gate A8 . . . There it is!
“Gate A6!” she blurted as she rounded the corner to the Trans Pacific corridor.
Suddenly she found herself in an area of the airport unlike the familiar sight and scent of a Sea-Tac coffee shop. The walls were adorned with Trans Pacific logos, big blue letters embossed with red and gold. The employees were dressed to the nines in their sharp uniforms. She shifted uncomfortably, feeling utterly out of place.
“I’m . . . looking . . . for . . . Captain . . . Armstrong,” Stormy wheezed, straining to get the words out with what little breath she had left to speak to the gate agent standing behind the podium.
Before the agent could respond, Stormy heard a deep voice behind her.
“I’ll take that off your hands.” Stormy turned around to see the man of the hour standing with his coat hanging over his shoulder and a smile on his face.
“I thought this might be one of those ‘don’t forget’ type of things,” she responded, still out of breath with her bangs lightly sweeping across her forehead, drawing attention to the tiny beads of sweat forming beneath them.
It was hard for her to hide her sense of accomplishment. She smiled brightly, the gaze of her eyes betraying the secrets of her ridiculous crush on the man who didn’t deserve her attention.
“Yes, I would get in just a bit of trouble for leaving it behind,” he told her.
Dang it. She really needed to get herself a little more under control. Trying to adjust her breathing, she realized there was no more reason to keep standing there with this man.
“Well, you have your bag,” she began as she took a step back. “I better get back to work now . . .” The sentence trailed off.
“Thank you. I’m sorry I pulled you away from the coffee shop,” he said. “Is there anything I can do for you in return?”
Well, you can work your magic with that magnificent tongue of yours . . . That wasn’t what she said out loud.
“No, of course not. I’m just doing the best I can in my customer service job,” she said with a hint of sarcasm.
“I do appreciate good customer service,” he said with a laugh as he leaned toward her. Like a magnet, she felt herself wanting to touch him. It took a lot of willpower to stop.
His eyes narrowed, and she could feel the waves of pheromones coming off the man. If only she didn’t have firsthand knowledge of what it was like when he sank deep inside her body . . . A shudder ripped through her as she moistened her dry lips. The action drew his gaze to her mouth, which made her moisten her lips again. She swore she heard a growl escape his throat, but she wouldn’t bet money on it. She had to be mistaken.
It looked as if Cooper was about to speak again, but then a gate agent abruptly interrupted the conversation. “Captain, we need you on board now if we’re going to get this flight out on time. We need to close the door.”
Just short of shoving, the gate agent ushered Cooper through the Jetway door and slammed it shut behind him. Stormy found herself standing there looking at the empty doorway.
Turn around, she commanded herself. What the hell?
Looking down at Stormy over her purple reading glasses while pecking away at her keyboard, the gate agent said, “Sorry, sugar, someone has to keep this airline running like clockwork. My name’s Meredith, by the way. Fifteen years I’ve seen love find its wings in this terminal. Don’t worry, he’ll be back about nine tonight, Gate A3.”
Meredith was an attractive woman, somewhere between the ages of forty and fifty. She had a no-nonsense aura about her, but also projected the nurturing of a mother, in tune to everyone and everything around her.
“Nice to meet you, Meredith. I’m Stormy.” She spoke softly and was clearly embarrassed. It was as though Meredith had been reading her thoughts since she arrived at the gate.
She hadn�
��t realized she was that obvious. She really hoped she hadn’t come across as desperate. “I’m not looking for love and I’m definitely not taking any flights with the captain,” Stormy finished as she smiled and then turned to walk back to the coffee shop.
“Mmm-hmm, you watch yourself with those flyboys. If you’re looking for something other than rolling around in the hay, it’s best you stay clear of this terminal.” Meredith giggled and shook her head as she continued to feverishly peck away at her keyboard. Stormy chose to ignore the comment and continued walking away.
As she made her way back to the shop and began her daily duties all over again, her mind was in a fog. She couldn’t figure out what exactly had happened. Had her normally sarcastic customer suddenly turned soft? And what did it matter to her anyway?
She was sure he simply felt responsible because of almost getting her fired, but why the sudden turnaround?
“You won’t believe what happened,” Stormy uttered with excitement the first chance she got to speak to Amy.
“What is it?”
“He was nice today. I mean really nice! I’m sure I’m mistaking his intentions, and there’s more to the story than I’m willing to share at the moment, but it was sort of an okay feeling to have him act like a normal guy instead of a pompous baboon.”
“Yeah, they sometimes get extra nice when they think there’s a chance they’re about to close the deal,” her friend warned.
That took a bit of her happiness away because Stormy realized Amy was probably right. Stormy had been a bit starry-eyed today and the good captain couldn’t have missed it. Dang it. It would have been nice to enjoy her five seconds of happiness.
Their conversation got interrupted when customers began appearing. The sound of the espresso machine steaming milk and the sudden rush of patrons effectively put an end to the discussion, and the two women found themselves constantly busy.
The day continued, and it seemed that due to delayed flights, the flow of passengers would never end. Stormy was serving coffee after coffee, mocha after mocha, and it felt like two o’clock couldn’t come soon enough.
Just as the last customer in line was being served and Stormy began cleaning up, a familiar voice was heard over the sound of running water.
“Stormy, we’re slammed with these delayed flights, we need you to stay until nine.” It was Henry.
“I have to go home early. I have an appointment.”
Stormy’s initial reaction was frustration with the thought of the day’s drudgery lasting even longer. No sooner did her heart sink with disappointment, though, than it dawned on her that she might just have a chance to get a glimpse of Cooper again if she were there. Before she could change her mind though, Henry spoke.
“You can leave,” he said with a snap. “But then leave your badge and uniform.” He turned and walked away, assuming she was going to do what he wanted.
His actions made her want to quit right there on the spot. He didn’t have the right to tell her she must work a double or get the heck out of there. Damn, it would be nice when the day came that she could tell this man to shove his job where the sun didn’t shine.
The rest of the day really did pass in a blur, though, and she even found herself jotting out a new ring design on a napkin during her lunch break, but even so Stormy was soon dead on her feet. When it was coming close to closing time, a particularly nasty passenger who had missed his flight came into the place.
“Give me a triple shot mocha and make it hot.”
“Would you like room for cream?” she asked, barely even able to stand at this point, let alone smile.
“Did I ask for cream?” he snapped.
“No, sir,” she responded through gritted teeth.
“Then just do your menial job and make my damn coffee,” he said, looking down at his phone and furiously typing something on the screen.
Though it took all of Stormy’s final bits of patience, she made the coffee and pushed it across the counter toward the man. He picked it up and then felt the steaming cup for a moment before setting it back down and ripping off the lid.
“Does this feel hot to you?” he yelled, making her jump.
“I’m sorry if it isn’t hot enough. I can steam it more,” she said, though steam was pouring off the drink.
“Feel it,” he demanded and reached for her hand.
That was Stormy’s breaking point. Ripping her arm back before the man could touch her, she accidently hit the cup and knocked it on its side, the hot liquid splashing all over her angry customer.
“What the hell!” he screeched, jumping back.
“Seems pretty hot,” Stormy muttered before she thought that might not be the best thing to say.
“I want your manager right now,” he hollered.
If Stormy had the energy to care, she might have realized the mess she was in. But as Henry came out, profusely apologizing to the man, then stepping in and remaking his drink for free and giving him just about anything he wanted, she simply stood there and waited.
When he was finished, Stormy stood back and began taking off her apron. It didn’t matter if the incident wasn’t her fault, didn’t matter if the customer wasn’t always right. Henry wouldn’t see it that way.
When the man exited their business she turned and looked at Henry, who was glowering at her.
“I know, I know,” she said, too tired to even care. “I’m fired.”
Henry seemed a bit disappointed he hadn’t been able to say the words. But he didn’t stop her from handing over her badge, keys, and apron.
So much for this day being the best one possible.
Refusing to let it get her down too badly, she turned and walked away from the job that hadn’t been her best one ever, but hadn’t been the worst either. Now, she had to hit the streets all over again.
At least she was too damn tired to care.
When her phone rang as she left the terminal, she considered throwing it beneath one of the many busses passing by, but then a smile lifted her lips when she saw who it was.
“Miracles do happen. The too-busy-to-ever-call-her-best-friend woman is answering her phone,” Lindsey grumbled with zero greeting.
Stormy laughed.
“I’ve been in a funk lately and not fit to socialize with anyone,” Stormy said by way of apology.
“I’m not just anyone. I’m your bestie, so no matter how bad the funk, you always, and I mean always, talk to me,” Lindsey insisted.
“I know. How’s the move going?”
“It’s heaven,” Lindsey said, but Stormy could hear something in her voice.
“What is it?” Stormy demanded.
“Mike’s place is tiny. I mean tiny with a capital T . . . or should I say small T. I don’t know why I agreed to this.”
“Because you love him,” Stormy pointed out.
“Yes, I guess . . .”
“Okay, we need to get together soon. You’re worrying me, Lins,” Stormy said.
“I’m good. I promise. Now, let’s talk about you,” Lindsey insisted.
Stormy chatted with her best friend while she rode the bus home. She didn’t tell her she was being kicked from her apartment because that would upset her and she would insist on Stormy coming to her place. There was no way Stormy was going to share a postage-size apartment with the two new lovers.
Besides, Stormy would figure it out. She always did. Even if she had gotten knocked down more times than she cared to admit. The ending result wouldn’t be her dream situation, but it would eventually work out and she’d survive.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
His limbs practically twitching as he walked down the Jetway, Cooper had to stop himself from running as one of the flight attendants chatted away about her plans for the weekend.
He’d been in the plane for the past five hours after a ten-hour day. He was pushing the max time allowed and he was ready to blow off some steam. He sure as hell hoped his brother was up for a round at the gym. Last time they’
d boxed, Maverick had gotten in a lucky shot, giving him a bloody nose.
It was payback time.
With flight bags in tow, Cooper walked toward the exit. As he turned a corner, he glanced up and noticed Stormy moving down the concourse ahead of him.
His weariness faded when he realized she was still in the building. Before he was able to try to chase her down, his phone rang for the third time in three minutes. Whoever was trying to get ahold of him was being obscenely insistent.
It must be important. If not the person was going to get chewed.
Stopping, he dug out his phone and answered. “What?”
He wasn’t going to try to pretend to be pleasant when the person on the other end was most certainly interrupting him.
“Is that any way to answer your phone, young man? We’ve talked about this before.”
“Sorry, Uncle. I’ve just had a long day. Can I call you back later?” Cooper asked, looking back down the terminal but having lost sight of Stormy already.
The phone call didn’t really matter then, did it? He’d never find her now. But why in the world would he even want to in the first place? It wasn’t as if it would be smart for him to try to get involved with her. Especially now, since he’d finally agreed to go out with Wolf’s cousin.
“I was just making sure you’re home day after tomorrow. We’re going to be bringing the family friend to your place,” Sherman reminded him.
“I thought we hadn’t finished this discussion,” Cooper said, instantly irritated.
“Yes, we did yesterday, and you agreed when I asked for the favor,” Sherman reminded his nephew.
“You know I don’t like strangers at my place,” Cooper told him.
“You’re hardly even there. It will be good to have a trustworthy person on your property to keep an eye on things,” Sherman scolded. “Besides, it’s a guesthouse. You won’t even know they’re around.”
“I’ve heard the speech before,” Cooper told his uncle.
“Well then, I won’t have to keep on with the lecture,” Sherman answered right back.
