by Amy Burnt
Jack waved goodbye and got in his truck. Abby knew he would not pull away until he was certain nothing was wrong with her truck, even though he knew she was a mechanic. He was such a kind, older man. Almost like a grandfather to Abby.
As she pulled onto the road, she waved as she passed Jack. She knew her truck was fine from the moment she had cranked it up.
“People around here are so nice,” Jake said when they got on their way.
“Yes they are. I love living here because of that very reason. Everyone is willing to help a friend or neighbor when they need it,” she told him as she eased onto the main road.
As they pulled into the airport parking lot a little while later, Abby was surprised to see so very few people there. It was nearly nine in the morning. The place should be swarming.
“The news said the storm was worse to the north, but it must have been pretty bad around here for so few people to be here,” Abby observed.
“We must’ve been lucky,” Jake remarked.
She pulled into a spot slowly, since the parking lot was still blanketed in white. She was about to open the door and hop out when she felt a hand on her arm.
“Wait. Before this crazy day starts, I want you to know that last night was amazing, and you mean the world to me,” Jake said and pulled her close to kiss her.
Abby entwined her fingers in his hair, relishing the passionate kiss before she got out of the truck and would be flooded with responsibilities.
She had a feeling this day was going to be like no other.
Chapter Five
“Oh my God. You have got to be kidding me,” Scarlett said in frustration. She needed to get back to the airport and was nearly bouncing in her seat with agitated energy. Sitting in a line of traffic a mile from Will’s cabin was grating her nerves terribly.
“A tree,” Will mouthed when he caught her eye, walking back to the SUV from farther down the road. “I wish I was kidding. A tree was knocked down right across the road. The authorities say it will be at least an hour before they can finish clearing it,” Will said as he got back in the vehicle. He had walked ahead to see what was holding up the flow of traffic.
“Do you want to go back to the cabin and wait it out?” Will asked her.
“No, by the time we get back there and settled in, it would be time to leave again. Every second is counting, Will,” she told him, tapping her nails against the window.
“You’re right, but you stressing like this isn’t going to do either one of us any good,” Will pointed out.
Scarlett took a deep breath. She knew he was right. She needed to get it together.“Well, Abby knows how to do pretty much everything I do. She will be able to hold down the fort until we get there,” Scarlett told him. She felt so thankful for her sister right then.
“A jack of all trades huh?” Will asked.
“Well, for a mechanic, she does pretty great at detailed office scheduling, too,” Scarlett bragged. She did think Abby was pretty amazing.
“Abby is a mechanic? I just assumed she worked in the office with you,” Will said with a look of confusion.
“Oh no. She is an airplane mechanic. The best one we have,” Scarlett told him, hoping to assure him that he needed to keep Abby on, maybe even promote her.
“So that’s why Jake’s been so busy,” Will thought aloud.
“What are you talking about?” Scarlett asked, seeing that, from Will’s expression, he hadn’t meant for her to hear what he had just said.
“Jake said he was stranded at a mechanic’s house in the storm when I talked to him earlier this morning,” Will reluctantly explained.
“Ah. I see what you are saying. Jake’s been getting busy with my sister,” Scarlett teased. She hoped that was the truth. It was time Abby spent some time with a man doing something other than talking shop.
“No, I mean maybe. He didn’t mention any names,” Will replied.Scarlett could tell it made Will uncomfortable to talk about Jake and Abby. I guess he liked to stay out of his employee’s business.
“So how long has Jake been flying for you?” Scarlett asked, changing the subject for Will’s sake.She had hoped to make Will more comfortable, but her question seemed to have the opposite effect.He looked at her, clearly nervous.
“Scarlett, I need to tell you something. You have it all wrong.I fly for Jake. Jake doesn’t fly for me,” he explained with a tentative look.
Scarlett zoned out for a moment. The whole time the buyer had been in Pinesville, she had been entertaining his pilot. A pilot she happened to find that she liked very much. But now what would happen to the airport?
“Oh my. You’re right, I did get it wrong. I totally thought that you were the one buying the airport,” she muttered.
“Jake and I both kind of thought that, and in similar situations in the past, I usually play the decoy,” Will admitted, avoiding her eyes.
“So you took me, the heartless golddigger, out of the picture, right?” Scarlett was angry, and rightfully so. She had ended up the one being played again. This all felt way too familiar. Her broken engagement came to mind—anothertime when a man had pretended to be something he was not. She could feel her face getting splotchy, and tears were threatening to fall. She couldn’t quite tell if she was angry about being lied to, or if it was because Will had been only pretending to be interested in her.
“In the beginning, that’s what I thought, but after ten minutes of being around you, I just wanted to know you more, and I knew that wasn’t the case,” Will said honestly. “I didn’t outright lie to you. I just didn’t correct your assumption. I like you, Scarlett. I want to get to know you even better. I’m sorry if I led you to believe something other than the truth,” he said, ducking his head in guilt.
Scarlett sat quietly for a moment. Things had not turned out like she had planned. She had developed real feelings for someone for the first time since her engagement, but she had also been deceived, just like she had been by her former fiancée.
Knowing the silence was torturing Will, Scarlett reached over and placed her hand on top of Will’s. “The money doesn’t matter to me as much as you think. I was only trying to keep the airport in the family,” she admitted. “I like you too. I honestly do, but I think I’m going to need some time to figure out how I feel about this. It isn’t about the money. I was thinking you were someone you weren’t, and you did nothing to change that until now,” she continued, blinking away her tears.
“I understand. I was afraid you wouldn’t be interested in spending any more time with me if I told you the truth,” Will told her.
“Contrary to popular belief, I’m not that shallow. Don’t get me wrong, money is nice, but, like I just said, the only reason I was attempting to get with the man buying the airport was to keep it in the family,” she continued. “The airport means the world to me and my sister, and this is the only place we’ve ever called home.”
“Well, I can promise you that Jake isn’t your typical, heartless businessman. He told me before we left that he was pretty sure he wanted to keep Jim in charge of all operations here. That would include staff choices,” Will explained.
Scarlett couldn’t believe her ears. Her crazy plan hadn’t even been needed in the first place. Sometimes, she really should just listen to Abby. She had tried to warn her.
“You have no idea how great that is to hear,” Scarlett said, a big smile spreading across her face.
“I know you feel like I lied to you, and I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me and give us a chance,” Will said, tentatively reaching for her hand, which was resting on the console.
Scarlett didn’t pull her hand away.“I want to give us a chance too,” she confessed, giving his hand a squeeze.
* * * *
“Where is Scarlett?” Abby asked with a slight edge of panic. They had only been at the airport half an hour, and it had quickly become utter chaos. Passengers were arriving and demanding to know when their plane was scheduled to leave; only two mechanic
s had made it in so far; and Scarlett, the go-to answer girl at the airport, was nowhere to be found.
“Earlier, Will told me they would make it here as soon as they could,” Jake said. “I’ve tried calling his cell, but he must not have any service.”
“I know, I can’t get Scarlett on the phone, either. Do you think you could do me a big favor?” Abby asked as she whizzed around the office.
“Sure. Anything,” Jake replied.
“Out of our six mechanics, only me and two others have shown up so far. I’m stuck in here until Scarlett gets here. Do you think you can go and help them get the planes and runway ready for operating?” Abby asked.
“I’m on it. We’ll get it covered,” Jake said with a nod and hurried to get to work.
Abby wouldn’t worry as much now while she and her dad talked to air traffic control and tried to get a new flight schedule sorted out. She believed Jake was capable of handling the tasks.
“I’m sure she’ll be here as soon as she can,” her father called over his shoulder.
“I know, I know,” Abby replied as she held the phone against her ear. It felt like she had been on hold forever.
A few minutes later, Jake flew back into the office.
“Where do you keep the extra spark plugs?” he asked Abby.
Abby put a finger up, telling him to wait a moment. She had finally gotten in contact with a human being.
“So Jake, what’s it like getting back under the belly of a plane? It beats all those board meetings I bet,” Jim asked Jake casually.
Abby looked up, nearly dropping the phone. What in the world was her dad talking about?
Jake glanced at Abby, giving her an apologetic look, and answered Jim, “I like getting my hands dirty.”
“Well, when we finish the sale, I’m sure you will get plenty of opportunities for that,” Jim replied, completely oblivious to the situation brewing between Abby and Jake.
“Yep, I’m sure I will,” Jake said, pacing back and forth as he waited for Abby to finish her phone conversation.
Abby hurried to finish her conversation with Sea-Tac, dying to know what exactly was going on. Jake didn’t look too eager to explain.
Hanging up the phone, she turned to Jake.“The spark plugs are in the top drawer of the tool box in each hanger’s supply closet. What does he mean, ‘when you and him finish the sale?’” Abby blurted out.
“Abby, maybe we should talk about this later,” Jake said, trying to drop the subject.
“I won’t have time to talk later. Tell me now,” she demanded.Jake sighed. Abby took that as a sign that she wasn’t going to like what she was about to hear.
“I’m the buyer, Abby,” Jake admitted bluntly.
Abby didn’t move an inch. She was shell-shocked. The only thing running through her mind was that, hours earlier, she had been making love to a man she believed to be honest, trustworthy, and hardworking. Obviously, she had been very wrong.
“Okay. I think it’s best if you go help the mechanics so that there will be an airport left for you to buy,” Abby said dismissively. She didn’t want to process this situation right now. Shutting down was her only coping mechanism at this point. Too many other things took precedence over her need to breakdown. Like getting flight schedules back on track.
“Abby, I think we need to talk. Promise me we can talk later,” Jake implored, leaning over her desk, trying to catch her attention.
“Yeah sure.Whatever. We can talk later,” Abby said distractedly as she furiously typed, her attention solely focused on the computer screen. She wasn’t going to dare meet his eyes. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of thinking that she cared.
Jake, looking defeated, finally took the hint and left the office. As soon as the door closed behind him, Abby put her head in her hands, allowing herself a moment of misery before slinging herself back into her tasks. She should have known it wouldn’t work out. It never worked out for her.
“This is why I had decided not to date anymore. They’re all the same. All of them,” Abby mumbled as she started getting back to work. If Scarlett would ever get here, she would be able to breathe a lot easier knowing that things would be getting back in order.
Ten minutes passed, and Abby blinked away tears for at least the fifth time. I can’t get anything done with the screen getting blurry every few minutes, Abby thought in frustration. Even though the airport needed her, she couldn’t do this a moment longer. She was currently useless, and that fact made her mad. How dare she let a man affect her this way!
Jumping up, she gathered her things together as quickly as she could. She had to act, had to do something.
“What are you doing?” her father asked her with alarm when he saw her bundled up in her jacket and hat.
“Sorry, Dad. I’m not feeling well, and I need to go home right now. I’m sure Scarlett will be here any minute,” she explained and shot out of the office door, keys in hand, heading for her truck. For once, she was going to think about herself first. She wasn’t making a difference at the airport in the state she was in right now, anyway.
Cranking her truck up, she decided that there was no way she could stay in Pinesville any longer. Jake Penner was sealing that deal before the ink on the contract would even have time to dry. The thought of a new job and moving away had initially been scary, but now it was appealing. She needed to start fresh. Away from the airport and a lying Jake Penner. Those two things were now going to be irrevocably bundled together.
Did he really think she would be okay with his dishonesty when she found out? He obviously didn’t know her as well as he thought he did. Being able to trust someone meant more to her than anything else.
I’m just going to do it. Pack everything up and leave Pinesville in the dust. It seems I am only destined for heartbreak here, she thought sadly.
She pulled into her drive and hopped out of the truck. Rushing inside, she grabbed her barely used luggage and began tossing things into the bags in a frenzy. Connor barked and jumped, not knowing what had gotten into Abby.
“Buddy, get ready. We’re about to go on a trip,” she said in a silly voice to the dog. Even when her world was crumbling around her, Connor still brought in a ray of sunshine.
In record time, she had packed up all of her clothes and necessities. She wasn’t going to take the furniture, but she did pack up her quilts and kitchenware. She paused when she saw the old coffee tin at the back of the pantry.
I know I was saving this for a rainy day, but this snowy day is good enough, she thought as she opened the lid and pulled out several wads of bills. She knew there was enough money in her stash to get her comfortably through several weeks.
Within two hours, her truck was loaded and Connor was settled happily in the passenger’s seat. He loved going for a drive with Abby. With one final look at the cozy little cottage she had called home for several years, she pulled out of her driveway, not exactly sure where she was headed, but knowing it was on a road out of Pinesville.
* * * *
Jake threw the wrench down harder than he should have. He was just so frustrated. He could tell in Abby’s cool demeanor that the walls he had broken down around her heart had gone right back up the moment he confessed his true identity. Even though he hadn’t actually ever lied, he had omitted his true reason for being here. When he was in the office earlier, he knew there was no reason to even bother pointing that out. He saw the way Abby looked at him. He was a liar in her eyes.
After replacing the spark plugs and refilling all the fluids on the plane that was scheduled for a flight to Boise at three, he motioned for one of the other mechanics to take over. He had to find Abby and get her to talk to him. He cared about her way too much to allow her to freeze him out.
He was falling head over heels in love with her. He had only been in love once before, years ago, and even though he had only known Abby for hardly any time at all, he knew his feelings for her were going to run strong and deep. Something about her drew h
im to her like a moth to a flame.
Jake made his way quickly back to the office where he had left Abby barely an hour ago, but she wasn’t there. Instead, Jim and Scarlett were manning the office.
“Where’s Abby?” he asked a flustered Jim and a frustrated Scarlett.
“She left a while ago. Said she wasn’t feeling well,” Jim told him.
“Will and I just got here. She left us in quite a mess,” Scarlett complained.
“Where’s Will?” Jake asked, needing someone on his side.
“Your pilot is helping load luggage onto the plane that should’ve departed half an hour ago,” Scarlett said.
“So you know. . . ,” Jake said.
“Yes, Will told me on the way here. I’m guessing Abby found out from someone other than you that you were both lying,” Scarlett surmised.
“No, I’m the one who actually told her, but only after your father asked me a question that gave me no choice,” Jake explained with agitation.
“Hey, I had no idea she didn’t know that you were the one buying the airport,” Jim added.
“I know. It’s my fault. I should’ve told her in the very beginning, but I didn’t think she would open up to me,” Jake told them, running his hands through his hair in exasperation. He didn’t have time for this. He needed to find Abby.
“I know I was upset when Will told me the truth, but we are working it out,” Scarlett admitted, but she had to answer the phone on her desk before Jake could ask her anything more.
“You should go find her and talk this out with her,” Jim said straightforwardly.
“I have every intention of doing that as soon as I go and find Will,” Jake replied.
Jake hurried out of the office in his search of Will. He needed to find out what exactly Will had said to Scarlett.
Jake found Will on the runway, loading luggage.
“Dude. I told you not to say anything,” Jake said when he got within Will’s earshot.