Elena listened carefully to what he was saying, but it all seemed a little surreal. She had been sitting there in her jumpsuit for the last twenty minutes staring hard at Daniel’s mouth moving, but she had been so nervous she hadn’t heard a thing he had said.
“When we get ready to exit the aircraft, you are going to scoot forward with your legs and hang them out the plane. I’ll rock back and forth to gain some momentum, and when I say go, we’ll exit the aircraft. I need you to have your arms crossed like an x against your chest.” He crossed his arms over his chest as an example for her. “And your knees bent at a ninety-degree angle. Once we are airborne, I will move my hand forward to motion you to spread your arms out toward mine.”
Elena nodded her head. She had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she was afraid if she spoke too much she would throw up in front of Daniel and run as far and as she could.
“When we start approaching the landing zone, I’m going to tap you on the side of your hip. Lift your legs up at a ninety-degree angle in front of you so you we don’t trip and fall on the land.” Daniel looked at her skeptically. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
“No,” she answered. When the hell would she ever be ready to jump out of a damn plane?
Daniel laughed. He came and knelt beside her. “You’re safe with me.” He placed his hand on her knee. “I would never let anything happen to you.”
The last person she ever thought she would have to trust with her life was Daniel, but here she was getting ready to put all her faith in him. “I know.”
“Well, ready or not, here we go.” He winked. He got up and handed her the helmet.
She put it on and looked in the mirror hanging on the wall. “Oh my God, I look like Snoopy.” She would look like a cartoon character in her last moments. She walked out to the single-engine Cessna. Daniel did one last-minute check on her harness to make sure everything was set right. He got in the plane first and then helped her in. The camera guy who would be jumping with them was already in there waiting. For a moment, Elena had forgotten this would be recorded. The whole world would see her in her misery and Snoopy outfit. Space was tight inside the plane, and Elena wondered how safe it was.
“Turn around, I’m going to hook you up,” Daniel said over the loud sound of the engines. He was in a kneeling position toward the back of the plane. Elena turned her back toward him and felt him hook her up at the hip, and then he leaned in forward and hooked up the top harness. He was so incredibly close she could feel every single movement of his body. He reached down again and tightened the belts at her waist, making sure she was tightly secured to him. “I need you to lean back and sit on my lap.”
“What?” Was he going to ask for a hug next?
“You have to sit on my lap to make it easier to get out,” he repeated.
This was more than what she had bargained for. She leaned back and sat on his lap; they were so close she felt like a turtle, and he was the shell.
Several minutes after they had taken off, Daniel checked his altimeter to see what altitude they had reached. “We’re almost ready.”
Panic set in; Elena’s hands started to shake. “I can’t do this,” she told him in a panic.
“Do you trust me?” Daniel whispered in her ear.
“I have to,” she replied. She had no choice in the matter. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but she refused to let the world see her cry, so she took a deep breath and smiled for the world.
Daniel reached out and grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “I got you.”
She wasn’t alarmed by holding his hand. In fact, it was reassuring to her that it was going to be okay.
“Get ready to start moving forward.”
Elena said a silent prayer. Daniel helped her get up from his lap, and they both made the shuffle of death toward the open door of the plane.
“Okay, now put your legs out like I showed you.”
Elena felt like her legs weighed a ton as she dangled them out of the plane; it was a natural response of her body trying to protect itself from danger. She felt her heart pounding in her chest, and everything started to look blurry.
“READY—” Daniel rocked forward. “SET—”
“WAIT,” Elena yelled. She held on to the sides of the open door for dear life. “I can’t do…I can’t do this,” she panicked. “I want to go back in now.”
Daniel wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back into the plane.
“I can’t do this,” she repeated, her voice filled with fear. Her hands were trembling uncontrollably, and the tears were spilling across her face.
Daniel wrapped his arms around her. “You’re safe, I promise.”
Elena nodded her head trying to calm herself down, but she couldn’t stop shaking. She felt like a hand was closing around her throat and she started gasping for air.
Daniel unhooked her harness and removed her helmet with incredible speed.
He turned her around and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Look at me,” he said, shaking her shoulders gently. “Focus on me, okay? Take a deep breath with me.”
Elena nodded her head and followed his instructions. After several deep breaths, she could feel the panic starting to subside. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” she cried.
“You’re going to be okay.” He pulled her into his arms. “You never have to be sorry. We will do this when you’re ready and only then.”
“Okay,” she cried into his shoulder. As the adrenaline starting wearing down and the reality of their closeness set in, Elena looked up into his eyes and the depth of them kept her there in his embrace longer than it should have. There was something about him that pulled her toward him and made her feel at home. “Thank you,” she whispered to him.
He wiped the tears away from her face. “Always,” he promised.
Elena smiled, and Daniel let her go.
The trip back to the office was a quiet one. When they arrived, Daniel pulled her to the side before heading into the building. “You did good today out there,” he said seriously.
Elena wasn’t in the mood for jokes right now. “I chickened out, Daniel.” If this was his version of a pep talk, it wasn’t working.
“Hey, what you did took a lot of courage. Most people wouldn’t even dare get on the plane. The first time I made my jump in the military, I was scared shitless,” he confessed. “I even threw up before getting on the plane.”
“Not the arrogant, all-knowing Captain Grant—this can’t be true,” she teased.
“Yup, the one and only,” he admitted with a grin. “But you see, I realized that jumping wasn’t what I was actually scared of. I was scared of letting go of the demons that haunted my past. I had so much anger pent up inside, and I didn’t know how to let it go. I was scared of feeling something different, but when I jumped out of that plane, I felt invincible. It was such a liberating sensation, and from then on, I knew that everything would be okay. That I would be okay. And when you’re ready to make that leap of faith, I’ll be right there with you.”
Elena was speechless at the kindness of his words. She had never thought Daniel Grant had been afraid of anything. She guessed in the end, they were all human, and they all had a past and demons that haunted them. “I hope I can let go of my demons one day too.”
“Elena, I know I can never give you back that moment with your father, but I hope that one day you can forgive me for what happened. I hope that one day we can let bygones be bygones and let this experience that we just had together be the start of a new beginning.”
Elena’s eyes started watering, and a tear ran down her cheek. Forgive and let go, her father had said in her dream, and he was right. It was time for her to let the past be the past and embrace the future with a new beginning. “I forgive you,” Elena whispered.
Daniel’s eyes lit up, and a smile adorned his handsome face. “To new beginnings?” he said, extending his hand for a shake.
Elena looked at his
hand and then at his face. So many years of hating him and now here they both were starting over again. “To new beginnings,” Elena agreed, shaking his hand.
Daniel headed to the hangar to drop off some equipment and Elena headed to the main building. She wasn’t sure how she was going to face her boss after her failed attempt at skydiving. She was tempted to get in her car and just drive home, but she knew he would be expecting her. With the weight of failure on her shoulders, she pulled the front door open.
“SURPRISE.”
The entire staff had gathered in the lobby, a banner hanging over their heads that read “Congrats on your Promotion.” Elena jumped, startled, not expecting a crowd of people to be there waiting for her at the front door.
John walked up to her with a warm smile on his face. “It’s okay kiddo, maybe next time.” He said patting her on the back. “Hell, I didn’t think you would even get into the plane. But you’ve earned your promotion fair and square.”
“How did you know I wasn’t able to jump?”
“The recordings,” John said. “It was a live feed.”
“What?” Elena was humiliated they had all witnessed her breakdown and failure. She didn’t know the cameraman had continued to record after she refused to get out of the plane.
“You were so brave to go up there, Elena.” Bridget came in for a hug. “Congrats on the new marketing position.”
Elena returned the hug. “Thank you.” She was still in shock from everything that had happened. She turned to John. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to make the jump.”
“Oh, it’s okay, we’ll figure out another way.” He smiled, trying to make her feel better about herself. “The important thing is we got our self a terrific marketing manager and our company will flourish. Now, let’s have some cake.”
She glanced around the room, and everyone was making small talk as they enjoyed the cake celebrating her promotion. She spotted Alex toward the back of the room leaning up against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. Their eyes met, and she smiled, relieved to see him there. Her enthusiasm, however, was not returned.
She made her way through the crowd toward him. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you,” she said. All she wanted to do was leave with him right now and cuddle in the safety of his arms and wish the entire day away. “It’s been a rough morning.”
“From where I was standing, it looked like you were being comforted pretty well.” His curt voice lashed at her.
Elena was puzzled by his harshness. He had been so loving to her the night before, and she didn’t recognize the man in front of her. She laid her hand on his arm. “What are you talking about?”
He looked around to make sure no one was listening to them. “You know exactly what I’m talking about,” he hissed. “I never pictured you to be one of those girls.” His eyes were filled with disdain for her. He pushed her arm away and left her standing there alone.
Elena’s pride concealed her hurt. She fought hard against the tears she refused to let fall. She had never been so insulted in her life. She had believed he could be the one for her—she was such a fool.
“Looks like someone is climbing the ladder quickly,” Jody remarked.
Elena’s blood was boiling, and she was ready to fight. “Listen, Jody—”
“Well, when you’re as talented and hard working as Elena is, promotions are well deserved,” Daniel interrupted, surprising Elena from behind.
“That’s right,” John agreed, joining them. “Elena has been a great asset since the moment she arrived and has made many great improvements already, and with the ideas she has in mind, our company will grow to new levels.” He beamed like a proud father.
“Thank you, John,” Elena said, hoping Judy would choke on the piece of cake she was shoving into her mouth.
“Looks like I’ll be looking for another assistant,” John chuckled.
“Don’t worry, John. I will gladly take care of everything until a replacement can be hired.”
“It won’t be for long, dear. Judy already posted the announcement today. Hopefully we’ll have someone by the end of next week.”
Judy half rolled her eyes. “Another new person to train up.”
Honestly, Elena didn’t know why John kept her around. She created more trouble and chaos than anything else. She guessed John felt a sense of obligation to keep her on since she had been there for so long. Too long, if you asked Elena.
“It’s a good thing, Judy,” Daniel said. “New people, new ideas.”
“Well, I like things the way they are. But then again, no one asked me.”
Elena was about to reply to Judy when she felt Daniel elbow her on the side. Elena frowned and turned toward Daniel. He greeted her with a wide smile. She decided to walk away before her mouth got her into more trouble.
It had been a long and tiring day, and Elena was relieved to finally be at home drowning her sorrows in a nice hot bath. She had lit some candles and had some slow music going in the background to ease her mind. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as images from the day played in her head like a movie in slow motion. Her relationships with both Alex and Daniel had taken a different turn. Alex wanted nothing to do with her and Elena was stubborn enough not to seek him out. She had been hurt by his comment and distrust in him had settled in. And then there was Daniel. Daniel who always threw surprises her way and made her doubt everything about herself. With him, she always felt on edge, and her emotions were always wild and out of breath. Elena reached out for the glass of red wine at the edge of the tub when she heard the doorbell ring. “Who the hell is it at this hour?” she said out loud. She got out of the tub, her skin red from the hot water, and reached out and put on a bathrobe. She walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. Alex was standing there.
Elena sighed; she wasn’t in the mood to argue right now, but she didn’t want to continue with this issue unresolved. She opened the door.
Alex held up a bouquet of flowers. “Perdoname,” he said.
It was going to take a lot more than I’m sorry to make it up, she thought. She stepped out of the way and let him in.
“Babe, I’m sorry for being such a jerk today. I don’t know what got into me. I should have never spoken to you that way.”
“No, you shouldn’t have,” she agreed.
“It’s just…when I saw you and Daniel together, I was so jealous of not being the one who was comforting you, but I know that’s not your fault.”
Now it all made sense. Elena didn’t know the camera guy had continued recording once she refused to get out of the plane. She could see how things could be misinterpreted, and her anger toward Alex diminished. “There is nothing between Daniel and me,” Elena argued, not believing herself. “Daniel and I have known each other for a long time. I had a panic attack, and he was just trying to calm me down.”
“I know. What can I say, I’m a fool that’s falling hard for this beautiful, amazing woman and when I see her in another man’s arms, I just get a little insane.”
Elena swallowed hard. The intensity of his words was frightening as well as exhilarating.
“Forgive me?” he said in his deep husky voice.
Elena couldn’t resist his charm, and for the second time today, she said, “I forgive you.”
“Come over here.” He grabbed her by the waist and held her against him. “You smell delicious.”
“Well, I do have a nice hot bath going if you wish to join me.”
Alex smiled. “How could I say no?”
Chapter 19
It had been a month since Elena’s failed attempt at skydiving. She had barely seen Daniel since and found herself checking the flight schedule regularly to find out where he would be going, and was disappointed every time she found out he was gone. She felt like he was avoiding her on purpose, and she didn’t know why. The last time they had spoken, they had ended on a good note, so why was he MIA now? Meanwhile, everything with Alex was perfect. They had
fallen into a routine in their short time together, and he had been everything she had ever asked for in a man. He was kind and patient, he listened to all her crazy stories and catered to her every need. So why, in the middle of the night when this gorgeous man lay next to her, did she find herself looking for more? Something was missing in her heart, and it bothered her that she couldn’t pinpoint what it was. So much had changed since she had separated from the military. She had gotten the promotion she wanted, she had finally finished the book she had been working on for years, and she had met the man of her dreams, so what the hell was her problem? Would she ever be truly happy or was it an illusion that only lived in between the pages of a book?
She sat in her office staring at an email she had been trying to type for the last hour but had been unable to concentrate on.
“Knock, knock.”
Elena looked up. “Hey Kat.” She was relieved to her there. “What brings you around?”
“Well, my friend is climbing up the corporate ladder, and I just had to come see her in her wonderful new office.” Kat walked in and took a seat across from Elena’s desk and admired her new office, which she hadn’t had time to decorate yet. “So, I must admit I’m a little pissed at you,” she said. “Why in the world did I have to find out through Charles that you got the promotion? The last time I heard from you, you sent me a shitty short text telling me you had survived that crazy plane jump. You might as well have disappeared from the face of the earth because I never heard back from you.”
Elena looked down guiltily. “I’m sorry, it’s been so busy around here.”
Kat shrugged her shoulders. “It’s okay, I just like giving you shit. So, I came here because I have some news for you.” She reached into her Gucci purse and produced a flyer and handed it over to Elena. “There’s a writer’s conference in Seattle this weekend, and they are going to have some publishing houses there who are looking for some new material. I thought of you, and I think you should go and pitch your book.”
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