“The weather’s turning to crap. We need to leave now, while the window of opportunity is still open or wait until tomorrow.”
Another day of being with Travis, remembering his kiss, and how he said they had been caught up in the moment? No thanks. “I’m ready to go. Just let me grab my bag.”
Travis looked surprised by her answer, but all he said was, “Okay. I’ll meet you in the lobby in five minutes.”
CHAPTER 14
Travis had been hoping Chryssa would want to stay another day. He wanted more time with her. Then again, why prolong the inevitable?
She was moving on with her life, and he needed to do the same. At the cabin while she’d been sketching, he kept thinking about what his office would be like without her there. Furthermore, what would his life be like without her there? He was sure if he did some kind of research, he’d discover that co-workers spent more hours together than married couples. She’d become a part of his Monday through Friday life, rain or shine, in happiness and in stressful times.
There had been the time when Lola’s husband had a heart attack, and Russ’s dog had puppies, or when the heating system in the Tundra Air building went out and Chryssa had run to the store to get a bunch of plug-in heaters. She was his administrative assistant, but somewhere along the way, she had become more to him.
He’d never seen it before.
He’d been blind.
But now everything was clear. She hadn’t initiated the kiss. All she’d done was run into his arms. He’d kissed her.
And he wanted to kiss her again.
She walked down the stairs carrying her backpack and duffle bag. His stomach clenched. He knew they needed to talk, but he wasn’t sure what his approach should be. She was leaving to pursue her dream job. Art galleries in Fairbanks couldn’t compete. How could he ask her to stay? Because they needed to date?
The idea seemed absurd. As he tried to sort out the words in his head, they made no sense. You should stay here and work with me and give up a career in art because…well, because you need to try dating me first.
Yeah, he sounded real intelligent. “I gave our goodbyes to my family. They understand the weather and how these things go. If you want to get back, we need to get while the getting’s good.”
“I’m not done packing up my apartment. Granted, I don’t have that much stuff, but I’m feeling a little stressed about it. When I booked my ticket south, I had planned to be at home this weekend.”
He opened the front doors of the lodge for her. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that.”
“No, no, don’t be sorry. I would have never gotten these sketches done. And now that I have my own showing, I need as many pieces to add to my collection as possible. I really can’t thank you enough.”
“That’s true. Are you going to let me see them?”
“I’d rather you not see them as sketches. Can you wait until I paint them in watercolors?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“I suppose you could steal them?”
“Don’t tempt me. I might be desperate enough to break the law.” While he wanted to see her sketches, his level of desperation was becoming more acute. He didn’t know what to do, except he must tread carefully. “Fine, I won’t stoop to petty theft. If I’m going to become a criminal, I may as well go big and upgrade to kidnapping.”
She laughed.
“You just think I’m flying you back to Fairbanks,” he said completely straight-faced.
“Travis, I will miss your jokes. Why do you feel the need to make people laugh all the time? Even when they don’t feel like smiling?”
They reached the plane. Travis loaded her gear in the baggage compartment. “Here’s the thing. There is a reason for that and I’ll tell you.”
He latched the cargo door. “Let me get you buckled up first.”
They strode around the front of the plane. He opened the passenger door and ushered her into her seat. “I can probably do it myself.”
“But I like putting my hands on you.”
She kept her arms to her sides in the seat. “Fine. Touch all you want.”
She didn’t make eye contact with him and he wondered if she was truly joking or not. Of course he knew she was, but wished she wasn’t.
He made sure the buckles were secure. He climbed in, strapped himself in and taxied down the runway. “Are you ready?”
“I’m ready,” she replied.
Once they got to the elevation he wanted, he decided to tell her. In his airplane in the sky, he felt most comfortable and experienced a profound sense of joy. She deserved to know what had shaped him into the person he’d become. “The reason I make jokes a lot is because I enjoy making people smile, but it started because of my mom.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. There doesn’t have to be a reason you make jokes or don’t. It’s okay. It’s who you are.”
“I want to tell you. You see, when my dad died, it affected each of us differently. Each in a profound way.”
“Of course it did. Travis, you don’t need to tell me.”
“I want to. Please let me.”
“Okay.”
“Zak was a senior in high school. My dad had asked him to help shovel snow out of the driveway that morning, but Zak said no, he had a date for coffee with a girl before school. You can image the guilt he felt and still feels today. He feels if he would have stayed to help Dad, then the paramedics would have been called sooner. After his death, everything became about taking care of the family and wallowing in the guilt he felt. He didn’t come out of his shell until Sabrina arrived at the lodge.”
“I can only imagine how he would feel. It would be truly awful.”
“Yes, I admit, in many ways he’s had it harder than anyone—getting past that. But the truth is I doubt anything could have changed the outcome that day. His heart just stopped.”
She clasped her hands in her lap and looked up at him.
“Ethan is the one who found him collapsed in a snowbank. As if that wasn’t bad enough, four years later, he wasn’t able to save his wife from the wreckage of her car when she was in an accident… He was working for the fire department at the time and he still does part-time. His life had become about rescuing people, only he’s really the one who needed rescuing.”
“Carly seems completely smitten with him.”
“Oh yeah. He never got out until he met her. He stayed holed up most of the time, hiding. He’s become sociable again. He smiles now. If Carly hadn’t forced herself into his life, I don’t know what would have become of him.”
“And what about you?” she asked.
“The part that impacted me the most was my mom’s tears. She kept crying and all my sixteen-year-old brain could think was that I needed to make her smile again.”
“I’m so sorry, Travis.”
“Thanks. It’s a tough gig, but we’ve gotten through it. Didn’t have much choice.”
“It’s true. Somehow families get through things together and your family is strong. Clearly you all love each other.”
“We do.”
The silence in the plane stretched between them. He was about to ask more about her family, but then she asked, “What about Dane and Fiona? How did they handle it?”
“Dane was a freshman and fourteen at the time.” Travis adjusted his mic, uncertain whether to talk more personally about other members of his family. “I think he was just angry. He took that anger out on his opponents on the ice. Between you and me, I think he’s still angry.”
“I guess a part of you is always angry at the unfairness of it.”
“I feel cheated, for sure, but I got to have my father around for two more years than Dane did.”
“And what about Fiona?”
“I’m not really sure. I worry about her. She was only ten and she was, well, pardon the clichéd expression, but she was the apple of my father’s eye.” He chuckled. “She was my dad’s favorite. We all knew it, but none of us ca
red. It was just a given.”
“Geez, I guess in some ways it would be hardest of all for her. Or, that sounds bad, it was hard on all of you, but I guess I can relate to her the most. I’m a woman and I’m the apple of my father’s eye too.”
Silence encompassed the cabin of the plane. Travis let his thoughts drift back to that time. The hurt and the pain. “Yes, it was hard on all of us. Life seems so unfair sometimes.”
“And what about your mom? How did it change her?”
“She kept busy. She had the job of raising us, despite not having my dad around, and I guess she just threw herself into that role. I have a lot to be thankful for.”
“She did a great job raising all of you.” Chryssa smiled up at him.
Travis glanced at her and the vastness of Alaska surrounding them. His heart squeezed. “I think so too.”
Chryssa looked out her passenger side window. “We’re almost home.”
“Yep. Home.” Travis wanted to say something smart-assed like not your home for much longer, but decided that would be completely inappropriate. He didn’t want to talk about her moving. They’d discussed way too many heavy topics already.
“Thanks for leaving early to beat the weather. I’m sure you would have liked to spend time with your family.”
“I enjoy spending time with you.” He throttled back to descend into Fairbanks. “In fact, if I recall, we have a date on Friday.”
“A date?” she sounded flustered.
“Yes,” he replied. “We’re playing tennis, remember?”
“Oh yeah, that’s right.”
Why did he get the feeling that she wasn’t very excited about it?
CHAPTER 15
Chryssa spent the next three days furiously packing and painting. Niles sensed her panic and general dismay about the changes in their life. He’d screech at her every time she walked by, and flap around his cage in agitation.
Many emotions fueled her. General dismay and ambivalence about moving, which made no sense. This was a chance of a lifetime, after all. A job at an art gallery and her own showing, she couldn’t ask for more, and yet a prick of something sad entered her conscious about leaving Alaska.
She’d never been an Alaskan in the truest sense of the word. When people said Alaskan, it conjured up images of fishing, trapping, hiking—all those outdoorsy things she never took part in. Her dad’s dental practice made a good living for them, but when they had time off, they went to sunny destinations like Florida and Hawaii; they never went camping.
Travis opened up the Alaska she’d seen precious little of. Gold Creek delighted her. The beauty of the surrounding mountains, the lake, the tundra… She’d never seen the true beauty of the Alaskan wilderness until now, and she feverishly poured her enthusiasm into her art.
She found new ways to add details and breathe life into every color. While most landscapes consisted of earth tone greens and browns, she splashed the fuchsia color of fireweed across the front.
The color in her paintings looked bold and bright in a way she’d never done before. She swelled with pride at the huge improvements she’d made. Experiencing her state in a more personal way reflected itself in every single piece.
Her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID. It was Maggie. “Hello.”
“Chryssa, I just wanted to check in and see how everything is going. I know we didn’t talk about helping with expenses for your move, but I’d like to offer you some kind of compensation.”
“The fact that I’m getting my own showing is compensation enough. I know you said I could borrow a vehicle for a while, until I buy one, and I do appreciate that.”
“What about your vehicle in Fairbanks? Are you selling it?”
“No, actually I’m putting it in storage. I’ll come back to visit and my parents will too. So we’ll have transportation, whenever we visit.”
“It sounds like you have everything figured out. I’ll meet you at the airport on Sunday when you arrive.”
“Thanks, Maggie. See you then.” Chryssa hung up. She should feel relieved and happy, but she felt neither of those things.
Her dad had suggested selling her car, but Chryssa couldn’t part with it. It felt too permanent. If she changed her mind and wanted to move home, she wanted her vehicle. It was hard enough when her parents moved to Florida and they sold her childhood home. Selling her car felt too personal. She needed to keep something here, something to come back to…if she ever did.
Her doorbell rang. She opened the door to a huge bouquet of flowers. An amazing display of rich purple orchids, white lilies, and olive greens arranged in a triangular glass vase.
The delivery guy said, “Chryssa Baros?”
“Yes, that’s me.” No one ever sends me flowers.
She took them, closed the door, and set the vase on her dining room table.
Niles screeched at her.
“They are for me.” She searched for the card. “At least I think so.”
She opened the envelope. The miniature index card read, Looking forward to our date. It was unsigned.
Her stomach flipped. She thought maybe he’d forgotten about their tennis date, but apparently not.
* * *
TRAVIS DECIDED to fly to Gold Creek to meet up with Dane and his hockey buddies. He had no reason to go, except staying in town and going to the office only made him think of Chryssa. He struggled with what to do about her. It was too much to think about—his wanting her to stay—and not being able to ask her to stay. Either way, he lost. How could he ask her to give up a career-changing opportunity? And yet, his heart ached at the thought of never seeing her again, and never giving them a chance to see where their relationship might go. A relationship that had nothing to do with work.
He landed at Gold Creek and walked to the lodge. Boisterous voices filled the natural log haven. Everyone lounged on the front deck. A smile tugged at his mouth.
Dane spotted him immediately. “Hey, I didn’t know you were coming up.”
“I didn’t either.” Travis embraced his younger-by-two-years brother. “I just needed to get away for a bit.”
“We know all about that. I was just telling these guys about the lodge and how we need to have the entire team come out for a retreat.”
Travis extended his hand. “Sven, Trent, nice to see you again.”
The six-foot six-inch blonde-haired Swede, Sven Larsson, shook his hand and replied, “Yeah, he’s been telling us about this place for a while. We basically said we didn’t believe it existed, so he finally brought us out here to prove it.”
“You bought tickets on Tundra Air, I hope.” Travis grinned.
“Yes, we did.” Sven chuckled. “I’m pretty sure Dane made sure our tickets were as expensive as possible. He didn’t let us take a private charter.”
“Good for Dane. Glad to see he’s looking out for my business interests.”
Trent Harrington, the Fury’s first string goalie, slapped him on the back. “You haven’t returned my calls about coaching.”
Travis rolled his eyes. “No, I haven’t. I’ve been busy. Why don’t you ask Dane?”
“I have asked him, and he is participating in the camp. It’s only for a week,” Trent said. “What do you say?”
“Oh, all right. Sign me up.” Travis was about to tell him to contact Chryssa and have her write it on his calendar, but he had to mentally correct himself. “I will have my admin put it on my calendar.”
“Do you want a beer?” Dane asked.
“I’d love one.” Travis’ cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and saw it was Chryssa. He turned his back away from Dane, Trent, and Sven and said, “Hello.”
“Did you send me these flowers?”
No point in denying it. He had cast the line, he might as well set the hook. “Yes, unless you have a date with someone else on Friday.”
Dane, Trent, and Sven swarmed him like wolves surrounding a moose carcass.
“You make it sound like a real date. I�
�m just showing you how to play tennis, that’s all.”
Travis turned away from prying ears and strode down the length of the deck. “It is a real date.”
“No, it isn’t.”
Travis realized it was important that she not blow him off. He wanted her to know he considered it a date in every sense of the word. “I do consider it a real date, and heck, we might even kiss again.”
Silence.
“What?” he asked. “Was it that awful?”
“You can be so annoying,” she finally said in a huff.
He paced back and forth at the far end of the deck, eyeing the guys so he didn’t walk too near. “You have to admit that you did kiss me back.”
“Yes, I did.” Resignation sounded in her voice. “You said we were caught up in the moment, as I recall.”
“The truth is, I wish you weren’t leaving, but I understand. You have to take this opportunity. You get your own showing. It’s…well, I’m… I’m really proud of you. That probably sounds corny coming from a former boss, but it’s true.”
“It doesn’t sound corny at all.” He heard her sniffle. “Just don’t tell me a corny joke right now. I don’t think I could take it.”
“Okay, fine, but you know I was just thinking of one.”
“All right, go ahead. I know you want to.”
“You twisted my arm.” Travis grinned into the phone. “How do you make gold stew?”
“I don’t know. How do you make gold stew?”
“Add fourteen carrots.”
“That’s a good one,” she said.
He heard the smile in her voice. “I’m in Gold Creek right now, so it made me think of gold. I couldn’t help myself. I’m here with Dane and a couple of his team mates. I better go, but I’ll see you tomorrow, right? We have a tennis date.”
“Yes, we do.”
“I’ll pick you up at seven. Or how about I make it six and we could go to dinner first?”
“No, I’ve got too much packing left to do.”
“I’ll bring take-out then. Mongolian beef?”
Her Alaskan Pilot: An Alaskan Hero Novel Page 11