He looked very surprised by all the information she was presenting him. “And you did this all by yourself?”
“Yes, sir. I hope you don’t mind.” Elena crossed her fingers hoping she hadn’t overstepped her boundaries.
John grinned. “I like it,” he said.
Elena almost jumped out of her chair with excitement. So far her day was going along perfectly. “Wonderful, I’ll phone the company that’s selling their equipment and express our interest.” Elena started gathering her things to leave.
“Wait a minute, Elena,” he said. “There is one more thing.”
Elena held her folders in her arms. “Yes?”
“to advertise it, I want us to record the first jump and put it on our newly designed website.”
“I think that is a great idea,” Elena agreed.
“The thing is, I want you to be the first customer to do the tandem jump with Daniel.”
Elena almost dropped the folders on the ground. “Excuse me?”
“I want you both to be the face of the company. You are young and bright and talented. In you, I see life and adventure. I want people to look at you and Daniel and picture themselves taking that risk and adventure in their life.”
A cold knot formed in her stomach. “But John, I’m sure we can find someone else who would love to do it.”
“Nope, that’s my condition. You want this to happen, you have to take a risk on yourself. I think this will be good for you. Imagine our new marketing director taking the first plunge. We could get an article in the newspaper with a picture of you and Daniel jumping out of the airplane.”
“Marketing director?” Elena asked with hope. Did he just offer her the position?
“That’s right, kiddo. If you want it, it’s yours.” John looked at her waiting for her answer.
If she survived the jump, she thought—not only was she terrified of heights, but she had to literally put her life in Daniel’s hands. But Elena knew she couldn’t pass up this position. Not only would this give her a promotion, but it could also prove good research material for her next book. Elena took a deep breath, filling her lungs with courage. “I’ll do it.”
Elena walked out of John’s office wondering what in the hell had she just gotten herself into with all her bright ideas. It was one thing to redesign the business web page and seek to expand its business; it was another to face her biggest fear and jump out of a moving plane with Daniel strapped to her back. Her and her big fat mouth––sometimes, she just needed to keep her mouth shut, but if she went through with this and survived, she would get the marketing position and start making a name for herself. All she had to do was jump nine thousand feet to the ground without dying—totally doable
Chapter 16
“You have to what?” Kat laid down the fork loudly on her plate.
“Jump out of a plane,” Elena said matter-of-factly like it was just a stroll through the park. No big deal at all, she thought. She picked up her glass of water and gulped the whole thing down without even taking a breath.
“I thought you were terrified of heights, or at least that’s what it looked like last week when you were helping me hang up those lights. I thought you were going to die standing on a six-foot ladder.”
Elena rolled her eyes. “Please don’t remind me.” Her fear of heights had started at a young age when she moved to Venezuela. Her newly found friends, if they could even be called that, were teaching her how to climb a mango tree and thought it funny to leave her stranded on the damn thing. Elena was so afraid to climb down she had stayed there for hours until her parents eventually found her crying up there. Ever since then, Elena had avoided anything taller than her own height at all costs.
“Then why in the world would you volunteer to jump out of a plane?”
“Dammit, because I want that job,” Elena said with a high pitch to her voice. People around the restaurant looked their way. She leaned in toward Kat. “I don’t want to be a secretary; that was just to get my foot in the door.”
“There has to be better ways to get a promotion than risking your life. Maybe I should have Charles advise John on the legal ramification of this new venture should something go wrong.”
Elena gave her friend a warning glare. “Don’t you dare ruin this for me.”
“Ruin it?” Kat exclaimed in disbelief. “I’m trying to save your life.”
Elena sighed. “Give me a break. I appreciate the concern, but hundred thousands of people do this each year.”
“And who exactly are you going to be jumping out of the plane with?”
Elena looked around for something else to drink to avoid answering Kat’s questions, but the waitress hadn’t returned to fill their drinks yet. “Daniel,” she admitted.
Kat put down her drink with a loud thud and stared at her. “Are you kidding me? You just said you hated the man and now you are going to put your life in his hands? What the hell is going on in that place you work at?”
“I don’t know.” Elena was wondering the same thing. “It’s like my own telenovela,” she admitted. “But the best part is that I met Alex today.” She couldn’t help the smile that graced her face at the mention of his name.
“And who is Alex?” Kat’s tone made her sound more like a suspicious mother than her best friend.
“He is the new Argentinian pilot,” Elena replied bouncing in her seat.
“Well, he seems to have made an impression on you.”
Elena could still picture him sitting across from her telling her destiny had brought him to Washington. “He was very dreamy, that’s for sure.”
“So, tell me more about Daniel.” Kat took a sip of her wine.
“What—Daniel? Why not Alex? He’s the one I really want to talk about.”
“I don’t know…just humor me,” Kat insisted.
Kat had something brewing in that head of hers, and Elena wasn’t sure she wanted to play. “Daniel is Daniel,” Elena said frustrated looking into the distance. “Sometimes he can be the biggest jerk ever and then…” She sighed. “Then sometimes he just swoops in and rescues everyone.” Elena thought about them dancing together and how he had confessed how he tried to protect her from being taken advantage of. How he had been there to take care of her when her car had broken down and how he had made sure everything was fixed and ready for her.
“Like what?” Kat pressed on interrupting Elena’s thoughts.
“He confessed why he convinced the commander to send me to Kuwait.”
Kat remained silent, listening. Elena felt like she was telling her a story about a movie she had seen and not her life. “He said it was to protect me from being taken advantage of.”
“What do you mean taken advantage of?”
Images of Steven flooded Elena’s memories; what a fool she had been back then. “The guy I had a crush on had made a bet that he could get me in bed within a week.” Elena was still embarrassed to think about it let alone say it out loud, even if it was to her best friend. The thought that she had meant nothing to Steven, that she had been just something for him to amuse himself with, made her sick. She knew she already had self-esteem issues and when Daniel had told her about what Steven had done, Elena just wanted to disappear, roll into a ball and cry.
Kat grabbed her hands. “Oh honey, I’m sorry. Men can be dirty bastards. Believe me. I hold a Ph.D. on the subject.”
Elena laughed lightly, but inside she doubted herself and wondered if she would ever find the man that would make her world spin. “It’s okay,” she lied.
“So, what happened after Daniel told you that?”
Elena drifted back in time and could feel his hands on her lower back, his blue eyes searching for something in hers. It was the only way I knew how to keep away from you. Those words had kept her up the last two nights, and she didn’t dare ask him why. She was afraid of what he might say. “I told him I could take care of myself.”
Kat smiled. “Of course you did.”
Elena
couldn’t tell her friend the last thing Daniel had said until she knew more. She knew Kat would hound her about it and Elena wasn’t sure what she was going to do yet.
“So this new guy—what about him?” Kat continued.
“Alex,” Elena said liking the way his name rolled off her tongue. “He seems like something out of a fairy tale.” Elena told her friend about the new dreamy Latin pilot as they finished their lunch. But behind it all, Daniel remained in the back of her mind.
Back at the office, Elena went to work on putting her new proposal into action. She was so excited about these new changes she didn’t even realize how late it was until she looked out the window and realized it was already dark outside. She started packing up her things to head home.
“Working late today?”
Elena was startled. She dropped her bag on the ground, and all the contents spilled out.
Alex bent down and started helping her with her things. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Elena dropped to her knees, her hands moving at superhuman speed picking up the contents of her purse, hoping he wouldn’t see the myriad of things she carried with her, including a tampon that had come flying out. “It’s okay. I didn’t think anyone was here.” She spotted the little offender and covered it with her hand and shoved it into her purse.
Alex picked up her wallet and handed it to her. “Daniel and I just got back from a flight, and I saw the light still on in here and just wanted to say hi.” He grabbed the latest romance novel she had been reading and examined the front. “Kidnapped by a Highlander.” He looked at the back of the book. “Interesting…”
Elena snatched the book from his hands and got up with all the contents back in her purse. “Never mind that.” She said, smiling.
He smiled back at her, and a pair of dimples appeared on his already perfect face. Could this man get any more handsome?
He tucked his hand into his pant pockets looking very boyish. “Hey, would you like to go out and grab a bite to eat?”
Elena was hesitant to accept since she had just met Alex earlier that day and for all she knew, he could be a serial killer. But he looked so damn handsome in his pilot uniform, making it hard for her to resist and she was hungry. “That sounds nice.”
They walked out to the parking lot. “Why don’t we take my car?” he suggested. “The restaurant is just down the road, and I can bring you back to your car when we’re done?”
“Okay.”
They walked over to his car, and he opened the door for Elena. As she went to get in the car, she saw Daniel leaving the building. He looked up and saw her. Their eyes locked from across the parking lot and she could see the anger in them. He looked away and got on his motorcycle. She got into the car and couldn’t help the feeling of guilt that crept into her for accepting Alex’s invitation to dinner.
“There is this small family restaurant on the harbor I found. I’m starving and the food there is excellent,” Alex said cheerfully.
Elena smiled with a heavy heart. Alex turned the car on to go and hit the brakes as Daniel cut them off speeding out of the parking lot.
“That guy definitely has issues,” Alex commented.
Elena felt an awkward sense of responsibility for Daniel’s behavior toward Alex. She knew she owed him no explanations for what she did in her personal life, but she felt a personal attachment to him that she couldn’t shake off. “How did your first day go?”
A light twinkled in the depth of his eyes. “Better than I expected.”
They arrived at a quaint Italian restaurant by the marina. Alex requested a table by the windows so they could enjoy the view as they ate. “So tell me a little bit about yourself,” Alex said.
“There is nothing much really to tell. I’m just a simple girl with big dreams living in a small Washington town.” Elena didn’t want to give out too much about herself yet. She felt like she had always been an open book with everyone and it took the mystery out of discovering someone. She wanted to try something new with him; she wanted to find out more about him before she let him into her life.
“Dreams are good. They keep us alive.”
“How about you?”
“Me? Well, you already know I’m from Argentina.” He smiled. “I am the oldest of six children. I have two sisters and three brothers who are still back at home, and I help my mother take care of them.”
“Wow, big family.” Elena couldn’t imagine what having so many siblings would be like. She had always felt lonely growing up as an only child.
“Yes, it was crazy growing up, but there was lots of love.”
“What made you come to the States?”
“It was a good opportunity for me, and it allowed me to help my family financially.”
“That’s very kind of you to do so.” Elena liked generous men who looked out for others.
“Thank you.” He took a sip of his water. “May I be honest with you?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I know we just met today, but I have to say I think you are beautiful.”
Elena was caught off guard by his compliment. No one except her parents had ever called her beautiful before. Her face colored fiercely. “Thank you.”
He reached out and lifted her chin. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you, darling.”
Elena had never met a guy as blunt and brazen—he seemed so much like Kat. “I’m not embarrassed,” she lied. “Thank you for the compliment.”
“It’s easy to give when it’s the truth.”
Elena pinched herself underneath the table to make sure she wasn’t in a dream. The rest of the dinner they talked about how it was growing up in a Latin country. “I remember when I first joined the Air Force, I didn’t know how to use the washing machine because I was always used to washing clothes by hand,” Elena admitted.
“Well, at least you knew that much,” he said. “I’m running out of clothes because I don’t know how to wash by hand or in the machines.”
They both laughed out loud, and the other guests in the restaurant kept looking their way. Talking to Alex came naturally. They had so much in common, she started to feel like she had known him her whole life.
He leaned in. “I have to ask you a question.” His tone took a serious turn. “What the hell is a Pop-Tart?”
Elena almost fell off her chair laughing, remembering the first time she tried one of the sweet-filled desserts.
After a dinner filled with laughter, Alex drove Elena back to her car. They stood there in the parking lot not wanting the night to end. The sky was bright with a full moon, and the air was crisp. “I had a lot of fun tonight,” Elena said. She couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed so hard.
“Me too,” Alex replied. “Meeting you today has been the best part of coming to the States. I was starting to get homesick until today when you made me feel like I was back at home again.” He reached out and tucked away a loose tendril from her face.
Elena felt a lurch of excitement within her.
His hand rested on her chin. “Did I tell you how beautiful you are?”
She lowered her lashes. “Yes, you did.” Elena felt her knees go weak. Her lips parted slightly, her blood was racing, and her heart was beating fast.
“Goodnight, querida.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead.
Elena could get used to him calling her darling. A part of her was a little disappointed he hadn’t kissed her on the lips, but she could feel that something special was going to unfold with him and in time, her happy ever after would come true.
She got into her car and drove home in a daze. Alex seemed to be everything she had ever dreamed of. He was charming, handsome, and romantic. Then why in the world couldn’t she get the image of Daniel driving off in his motorcycle out of her head? What was wrong with her? Destiny had delivered her the Prince Charming she had always prayed for, and all she could think about was the villain who had made her cry.
Chapter 17
; Thank you for a wonderful evening. I hope you enjoy the flowers, though their beauty can’t compare to yours.
Alex.
Elena read the card multiple times. She leaned in and grabbed one of the roses from the bouquet and held it between her fingers. She felt like she was floating on cloud nine and didn’t want to wake up. Since yesterday, she had had a permanent smile on her face—so much her cheeks hurt.
“Those are beautiful.” Bridget was the latest one to fawn over Elena’s bouquet of roses. “You must have a very special admirer,” she teased.
Elena’s eyes twinkled with pride. “Yes, I do.”
Bridget came around her desk and grabbed a chair and placed it next to Elena. “Guess what?” she said, barely able to contain herself in her seat.
“Tell me?” Elena replied with equal enthusiasm, excited for whatever news had Bridget in such a giddy mood.
“Jake asked me out on a date,” she squealed.
Elena almost jumped out of her chair with joy; the kid finally found the nerve to do it. “I thought you weren’t sure about Jake though? The last time we spoke, you didn’t sound too excited about the idea.”
“I know, but after you and Daniel told me about it—”
“Daniel told you about Jake?” Elena interrupted.
“Yes, he said I should give him a chance and that Jake would be worth my while. So I decided to go over and talk to Jake, and that’s when he asked me out.” Bridget did a little jump in her seat. “I never thought I would be this excited. Isn’t it weird?”
Elena knew how excited she was because she was experiencing the same excitement with Alex. “No, it’s not weird. It’s wonderful and romantic. Believe me. You won’t regret it. From what I know of Jake, he’s perfect for you.”
“Do you really think so?” Bridget asked like a little puppy waiting for approval.
Elena grabbed her hands. “I know so,” she promised.
Bridget hugged her. “Thank you.”
The Man of My Dreams Page 12