Jenna added her hand to where the other women’s hands rested on Lindsey’s leg. “You’ve got us now.”
Zoe added her hand to the pile. “And there’s no way we’re going to let any dick whistle of a douche canoe like your ex do anything to hurt you or your baby.”
The air stilled. For a beat, no one moved a muscle until Em broke out into a giggle. “Zoe Stein, where do you come up with those words?”
The room erupted into laughter. Lindsey couldn’t help herself. A bubbly, blissful laugh she hadn’t heard in years echoed in the small space as tears of relief and gratitude rolled down her cheeks. But a twinge in her stomach silenced her.
She pressed her hands to her stomach. “I think I felt something.”
Kathy’s brow furrowed. “What is it, dear? Are you in pain?”
“No, I think the baby’s doing something.” Lindsey stilled. There it was again, that little flutter like being tickled from the inside. “I’m okay,” she said, concentrating on the sensation.
“I think your baby needs ice cream,” Zoe said through a teary smile.
“I think we all could use some ice cream,” Jenna said.
Em pressed her hand to her belly. “I need ice cream and rotisserie chicken.”
“Let’s head over to The Scoop,” Rosemary said. “If there’s one thing that can make anything better, it’s ice cream.”
“Topped with bacon and rainbow sprinkles,” Em added with a teary smile as the women laughed.
They came to their feet and filed out of the back office, but Em reached out and took Lindsey’s hand before she could follow the women out of the yoga studio. “I’m glad you’re in Langley Park, and I’m glad you’re living next door in my old house. We’re all here for you. Remember that. Michael, too. You need anything—anchovies, mayonnaise, pineapple pizza. He’ll already be going to the store to pick up God knows what for me.”
Lindsey squeezed her hand. “Thank you.”
“Girls,” Kathy called. “Ice cream awaits.”
17
Nick reclined in his chair and skimmed through one of the many Special Airworthiness Information Bulletins from the FAA. He couldn’t fault the Federal Aviation Administration. Air safety was a huge undertaking. An aviation director could spend days on end reading service bulletins, information bulletins, aircraft safety alerts, and the airworthy directives. He glanced up when two knocks on his office door pulled him away from his papers.
Michael MacCarron opened the door a crack. “Hey! Getting in a little light reading before our jaunt into Kansas City’s airspace?”
Nick held up the bulletin. “The FAA doesn’t do anything lightly. This directive is a riveting tale about a helicopter part that was incorrectly identified in a catalog, and this one,” he held up another piece of paper, “is all about the failure of a connecting rod on a glider.”
“Sounds as interesting as reading page after page of civil procedure or worse—the six hours I spent with a ninety-nine-year-old woman who wanted to cut her great-grandson out of her will because he gave her a box of milk chocolate buttercreams instead of her favorite, milk chocolate maple fudge.”
Nick ran his hand down his face. “Who knew the law and aviation would be so riveting?”
“Right!” Michael agreed. “They both look so cool on television. Think, Top Gun and Law and Order.”
Nick craned his head. “Are Sam and Ben going to join us? My Skyhawk seats four.”
“Sam had something come up with his brother.”
“His brother?”
“Yeah, they don’t talk all that much. Gabe’s my cousin, and I hardly ever hear from him. Family, nobody gets to pick theirs, huh?” Michael added.
Nick placed the aviation paperwork in his desk drawer. He wasn’t about to touch that family comment. “And Ben?”
“Jenna had a self-defense thing to go to at Kathy Stein’s yoga studio, so Ben’s on daddy duty today with Kate.”
Nick smiled. He had known Jenna for nearly a decade. They had met after he started flying for UPS and she was setting up an elementary reading program in Louisville. For a time, they were exactly what the other needed. Sex with no strings attached. Contact but no connection. A chance encounter with Jenna and Ben in Langley Park had flipped a switch inside of him. He and Jenna had been the same—loners who didn’t open their hearts to anyone or anything. But after seeing Jenna with Ben, it kindled a spark of hope that maybe he could build a life somewhere. But Lindsey’s tumultuous entrance back into his life had thrown all that for a loop.
“You get me all to yourself,” Michael said with a teasing grin. “I left Em with a truckload of Wheat Thins, gummy bears, and pineapple. She should be okay for the next couple of hours.”
Nick grimaced. “The craving du jour?”
Michael nodded, and a wide grin spread across his face.
Christ, what he wouldn’t give to have even a fraction of what Michael and Em had. Nick let out a breath and pushed the thought from his mind. He couldn’t have that. The only woman he had even remotely considered that with was living less than fifty feet away from him and was pregnant with someone else’s baby.
“Let’s head down. The ground guys should have my Cessna ready to go,” Nick said, leading Michael out of the Hangar 12 building and over to the apron where a smaller Cessna was being unloaded.
Michael buckled his seatbelt. “The perks of knowing a pilot. What do you have planned for today? A few loops around the city?”
“I was thinking something else,” Nick answered, pulling on his headset and gesturing for Michael to do the same.
Last time he was in the Skyhawk, Lindsey was sitting next to him. A few hours after that, they had made love in her kitchen. He needed to get into the sky. He needed to be thousands of feet above Langley Park.
Nick went through the preflight checklist and entered his flight plan into the computer. Christ, they should just do a few loops around the city—check out the stadiums, fly over Langley Park and let Michael see his Foursquare from two thousand feet. But that’s not what he entered into the computer.
“How about a trip to the Ozarks and back? It takes about an hour to fly there and then an hour to get back depending on the winds,” Nick said as nonchalantly as he could manage.
“That would be great. Do we need to stop and refuel?”
“No, we’ve got a full tank, and we’re flying light. It’s only a little over three hundred miles round trip. I could get at least another two hundred if I had to.”
Michael slapped his hands on his thighs. “Let’s do it!”
Nick contacted the tower. Within minutes, they were airborne, heading southeast toward the Missouri Ozarks.
“I think I know what you and Lindsey were arguing about the other night,” Michael said after they left Kansas City’s airspace.
“Lindsey and I knew each other a long time ago. That’s all there is to it.”
“Bullshit, dude. Em and I know about her condition.”
A muscle ticked in Nick’s cheek, and he tightened his grip on the yoke. “Did she tell you guys?”
“No, we ran into her after one of Em’s ultrasounds. Em and Lindsey have the same obstetrician. I don’t think Lindsey wanted anyone to know about her pregnancy.”
“She definitely has her secrets,” Nick answered.
“Nick, any idiot can see the way you look at her. She’s not just some random girl from your past.”
Nick settled his gaze on the horizon. “No, she’s not.”
“Then what’s going on? You were really letting her have it, the other night.”
The muscle in Nick’s cheek ticked again. “She’s pregnant. She won’t tell me anything more than that. She’s got a different last name but says she’s never been married. And if that wasn’t enough, my father thoroughly fucked me up. I’m not going to risk doing that to some kid.”
“I can sympathize. If things were reversed and Em came back to Langley Park pregnant and tight-lipped, I’d be pissed as he
ll, too. But, you can’t let having a shitty childhood affect your happiness.”
“You never met my father,” Nick said. His mouth had gone dry.
“Before my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and had to go into assisted living,” Michael began, “he was no picnic of a father either. He did his best, but he never supported my interest in music. I had no path other than to become an attorney and continue on the family business.”
“I thought you were happy with your set up. You get to practice law, and you and Em work on music together.”
“I am. But I’m happy because I have Em. I have a full life. I may not have had the best relationship with my father, but I sure as shit am going to learn from that and do better—at least fucking try.”
“It’s not my child growing inside Lindsey’s belly,” Nick said and hated himself for it the moment the words left his lips.
“Biology doesn’t mean you’re going to be a good parent or even that you’re going to be a bad parent. What matters is what you do. Look at Jenna. She’s not Kate’s biological mother, but Kate is just as much her daughter as she is Ben’s.”
“It’s complicated,” Nick said, using Lindsey’s words.
Michael chuckled. “Everything is fucking complicated, dude. Welcome to Langley Park.”
Nick shook his head. Fuck. He didn’t know what to do or what to think when it came to Lindsey. He checked his instruments. They were getting close to Camp Clem.
Michael leaned forward. “No way! I know that place.”
The boathouse and dining hall came into view as they flew over Lake Langhorne. The water shimmered and kissed the side of the bluff.
“That’s Camp Clem. You and Lindsey went there, right?”
“Yeah,” Nick said, but his attention was drawn toward a ribbon of dirt that started at the bluff’s edge and went inland.
“Is that some kind of runway?” Michael asked. He saw it, too.
“It looks like a pretty crude one. It’s not very long. I could land my Cessna, but you wouldn’t be able to land anything much bigger.”
They circled the camp. The cabins were just as Nick remembered them, wrapped around the periphery with the lodge at the center. It still looked the same, if not a little worse for wear.
“Camp Clem closed a few years ago. We heard there were new owners, but nobody knows who it is,” Michael said as they made another pass.
Rory and Rachel had told them the same thing the other night.
Nick checked his instruments. “We better head back to Kansas City. The winds are picking up. It looks like some weather may be blowing in.”
“Are you worried?” Michael asked.
“Nah, we should just head back,” he answered, swallowing hard and taking one last look at the boathouse.
Nick taxied down the runway and parked his plane in the airport’s apron.
“That was great, Nick. Going up with you never gets old,” Michael said, unbuckling his seatbelt and slipping off the headset.
Nick nodded to his friend, but his attention was drawn to the tarmac. One of the pilots who flew private chartered flights was having an animated discussion with two men.
“Hey, Michael,” Nick said, gaze trained on the men. “It looks like there’s a situation I may need to weigh in on. Can I catch up with you later?”
They deplaned, and the ground crew arrived to tow his Skyhawk back to the hangar.
“Sure, is there anything I can do to help?”
“No, I think this is a job for the Director of Aviation. I know the pilot. He’s a good guy. If anyone’s laying into him, it’s because they want him to do something shady or bend the rules.”
Michael gave him a nod and headed toward the Hangar 12 building, while Nick assessed the situation. The two men, both around his age, maybe a few years older, had the same dark hair and were of average height and build. One of the men was gesticulating wildly, while the pilot kept shaking his head apologetically.
Nick approached the trio. “Zach,” he said, addressing the pilot, “is there anything I can help with?”
Zach gave him a wary look.
“Who the hell are you?” the angry man asked.
“I’m the airport’s director of aviation.”
Now that he was closer, he was able to take a better look at the men. They must have been related—maybe brothers or cousins. The older of the two had a dark glint to his brown eyes, something hollow and sinister Nick couldn’t put his finger on. The man seemed unaffected by his companion’s outburst and hung back, indifferent eyes flicking between his phone and the heated discussion on the tarmac.
“Mister…” Nick met the angry man’s gaze and put his hand out despite every cell in his body telling him this guy was bad news.
“Doctor,” the man said with a sneer. “I’m a fucking doctor, and this idiot,” he gestured toward Zach, “won’t fly us where we paid him to take us.”
“Nick,” Zach said with pleading eyes, “they want to go to an uncharted airfield, which would be fine, but I can’t find anyone to give me approval.”
Nick put a hand on Zach’s shoulder and eyed the irate man. “I’m sorry, doctor,” he said, emphasizing the word, “but it’s trespassing to land on private property without permission.”
The doctor took a step closer. “I have the GPS coordinates. It’s not that difficult. A goddamn monkey could do it.”
“You can’t just change your destination last minute and expect us to accommodate it without question, sir. That stipulation is in the contract you signed,” Zach said.
The doctor took a step toward Zach. “You have one job, and it’s not even that hard. Get in plane. Fly plane. Do what you’ve been paid to do.”
“Hold on a second,” Nick said, inserting himself between the men. He was done fucking around with this asshole. “Part 157 of the federal aviation regulations specifically states any alteration, activation, or deactivation of airfield must be registered. To the best of your knowledge, doctor, is this airstrip registered?”
The doctor shifted his stance. “This is fucking bullshit.”
Nick crossed his arms. “It’s unsafe to try and land anywhere where conditions are unknown. This is no longer Zach declining to fly you to your location. As the director of aviation and the individual in charge of the operations of this facility, I’m telling you, no. You’re welcome to be taken to any FAA registered airfield, but you’re asking one of my pilots to do something potentially illegal, and I won’t allow that.”
“You’re making a scene,” the doctor’s companion said, glancing up from his phone.
The angry man shook his head and trained his gaze on Zach. “We’re going back to Houston. Can you manage that? Just fly the plane back to where you picked us up.”
“I can find another way to accommodate these gentlemen if you’re unable,” Nick said to Zach. He wanted to give him an out.
Zach shook his head. “It’s not a problem. I’d be happy to take the doctors back to Houston.”
Nick met the man’s gaze, but Zach gave him a reassuring nod.
“What a fucking waste,” the doctor mumbled as he turned and headed toward the Cessna C560 Citation jet.
The companion, who had remained quiet through the exchange, pocketed his smartphone. “This is very unfortunate.” His tone was mild, but something cruel and snarling flashed in his eyes.
Nick narrowed his gaze. “Our priority is safety. We don’t play favorites or bend the rules. That’s how people get hurt.”
A whisper of a smirk tugged at the man’s cheek. “We don’t want anyone getting hurt, do we?”
The doctor was an asshole. Nick had dealt with plenty of his kind throughout his aviation career. But this guy—he had hardly said a word, and Nick wanted to punch him square in the jaw.
Nick narrowed his gaze. “I’ll call the tower personally and make sure your plane’s cleared immediately for takeoff. We wouldn’t want to inconvenience you any further.”
The man held his g
aze. “That’s very kind of you, director…”
“Nicholas Kincade.”
The man’s face cracked into a smile sharp enough to cut glass. He looked Nick up and down. “Director Kincade, it’s been a pleasure,” he said then followed his companion onto the plane.
Nick put a hand on Zach’s shoulder. “I know you’re single-pilot certified, but I can sit in as your first officer on this run if you don’t want to be alone with those two. And you know I’m certified, too. I could take this flight for you. It’s your call.”
“I’m good, Nick, but thanks for offering. I’ve flown these guys a few times. Sometimes there’s a lady with them. They’re a bunch of doctors that get shuttled around by some fancy pharmaceutical company. Their temper tantrums aren’t much worse than my toddler’s.”
Nick glanced at the plane. The man with the dark eyes was watching them.
“Safe flight,” Nick said, clapping Zach on the shoulder. “Nobody would fault you if you happened to hit a pocket of turbulence that had those guys with their heads between their knees.”
Zach smiled. The color had returned to his cheeks. “Thanks, Nick. I appreciate you backing me up.”
Nick crossed his arms and watched the Cessna taxi onto the runway as the hairs on the back of his neck rose to attention. He would need to keep an eye out for these two.
18
“It’s good to see you,” Jenna said. She stood on the sidewalk outside a large red brick Victorian home in Kansas City not far from Langley Park. “Welcome to the Rose Brooks Women’s Shelter.”
Lindsey gazed at the home. A tasteful wrought iron gate dotted with trees and bushes surrounded the building. It was just a couple of weeks into April, and young leaves and tight buds decorated the dark branches.
“It’s quite lovely, isn’t it?” Jenna said, gazing at the house alongside her.
Two weeks ago, Lindsey had shared her secret with Jenna, Zoe, Em, and Kathy. And in that short amount of time, she had gained their friendship and their loyalty. When she wasn’t working, she would spend time over at Em’s place, listening to music and eating whatever strange combination of food her new friend had felt like that day. She had joined Jenna and Zoe for yoga at Kathy’s studio and met Rosemary for long walks around the Langley Park Botanic Gardens.
The Complete Langley Park Series (Books 1-5) Page 68
