by SJ McCoy
She got up to go through to the kitchen and pour herself a glass. Before she got there, her phone rang, and she went to get it from the counter. It was Smoke’s name on the display.
“Hi,” she answered.
“Hey. Have you had a drink this evening?”
“No. You’re a mind reader, though; I was just about to get a … Oh! What’s happening? Do you need me to fly?”
“Yeah. If you can? Gene had a heart attack taking Cam home.”
“What?!”
“Don’t worry. He’s okay. He’s at the hospital, under observation. He’s a stubborn old mule. He called it in, got them diverted, got the plane safely on the ground before he gave in to it. Apparently, the scariest moment of all was letting Cam taxi back to the FBO.”
She let out a little laugh at that. “I can be at the airport in ten minutes. What plane do you want me to take, and where am I going?”
“We’ll meet you there. We’ll take Papa Charlie and pick up Gene’s wife, Rita. Then we’ll have to see how things are. Cam might have to get home; Gene might be there for a while. We’ll have to play it by ear, okay?”
“Absolutely.”
Chapter Fifteen
Piper watched out the window as Smoke brought the plane in to land. She’d never flown into an airport like this before. There was no tower, no one to talk to on the radio after air traffic control cleared them to land. It was a private runway. The Hamilton-Groves runway—the family runway—Cameron’s runway. She shuddered at the thought.
“Are you okay?” Smoke looked over at her.
“I’m fine. I’m just thinking about Gene’s wife. How she must be feeling right now.”
Smoke nodded grimly. “We’re about to find out.” He taxied the plane to the southern end of the runway. He’s explained to her that the corporate hangar was at the northern end, but the family one was down here. She could see a large house with well-kept grounds leading down to the runway. There was a car waiting outside the hangar. The headlights flashed as they got closer.
“There they are.”
Piper smiled. She loved that the Hamiltons had gone to get Gene’s wife as soon as they heard what had happened. When Smoke brought the plane to a halt, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton, Chelsea, and a woman she assumed was Gene’s wife all got out of the car.
“Thanks for coming, both of you.” Mr. Hamilton gripped Smoke’s shoulder and nodded at Piper.
“Of course,” said Smoke. “Are we ready?”
Rita nodded. “Yes, please.”
“I’m coming with you,” said Chelsea.
Rita gave her a grateful smile, and Mrs. Hamilton stepped forward and hugged her. “Call me when you get there? Let us know how he’s doing?”
“I will.”
They were back up in the air and on their way in less than five minutes. Chelsea was back in the cabin with Rita, and Piper took the right seat while Smoke flew. Once air traffic control had given them a new heading, Smoke turned to her. “Do you mind if I go back there and see how she’s doing?”
“Not at all.” Piper was glad to finally feel useful; she’d felt like a spare part along for the ride until now. She took the controls, and Smoke let himself out of the cockpit. Piper sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Gene was going to be okay. He had to be. She felt for Rita. She wanted to go back there and hug her and help her through, but Smoke and Chelsea were doing that. All she could do was get them there safely and as quickly as she could.
It was a short and uneventful flight. Smoke came back in time to land the plane. He gave her a rueful smile as he taxied off the runway and toward the FBO building. “Sorry, I know you could have done that, but I needed to. I need to feel like I’m in control of something. I’ve known Gene my whole life. The thought of him … you know, maybe not still being around. It’s got me all shook up.”
Piper nodded. She understood. “It’s okay. I get it, but I will warn you, hanging around at the hospital is going to have you feeling the same way. It’s a horrible feeling, waiting and hoping, but not knowing. The whole time you’re wishing you could do something, but there’s nothing you can do.”
Smoke brought the plane to a halt and shut down the engines before he looked at her. “I’m sorry. You’re talking about your mom, aren’t you?”
She nodded. She was. This was bringing back the hours she’d spent in the hospital—hours that had felt like days after her mom’s heart attack. She hoped that Gene’s story would have a different ending.
They guys at the FBO were expecting them. Gene and Cameron’s landing earlier had caused quite a stir. They had a car waiting, and one of the guys had volunteered to drive them over to the hospital.
Piper felt a little awkward when they got there. Smoke and Rita went to the reception desk, and she hung back with Chelsea. “Are you okay?”
Chelsea gave her a brave smile. “I’m trying to be. Poor Rita’s holding it together so well. I can’t be the one who crumbles, but …” She sniffed, and Piper wanted to hug her when the tears filled her eyes. “I’m terrified. I love Gene. He’s always been a part of our lives. He’s like family. I can’t believe that he might …” She stopped short as Smoke and Rita came back to join them.
They made their way to the elevators, and Smoke led them down a long corridor. “Here we go.” He stopped outside a doorway and smiled at Rita. “Do you want us to come in, or wait here?”
“Wait. Please.” She pushed the door open, and Piper glimpsed Cameron inside sitting next to the bed.
Smoke smiled at her and Chelsea once the door had closed. “I think he’s going to be fine.”
Chelsea burst into tears and Smoke wrapped her in his arms. “Hey. It’s okay. Come on, Chels, breathe. He’s going to be fine.”
Piper rubbed Chelsea’s arm. She wanted to cry herself. Now that Rita wasn’t around, she felt like she could let it out, but she also felt like she had no right to. She’d only met Gene a couple of times, but still. He was a wonderful man.
The door opened, and they all looked up. Cameron came out and smiled at them. “He’s going to be fine.”
“Oh, thank goodness!” Chelsea wrapped her arms around him. “I was so worried.”
“Yeah, me too, but they’ve run all kinds of tests on him, and apparently, it wasn’t major. It was more like a warning.”
Smoke nodded. “Thank, God. I’m glad you took that pinch-hitter course. I knew you’d be able to get the plane down if you had to.”
Cameron chuckled. “Gene didn’t have that much faith in me. He held it together till he had us on the ground. He only let me taxi off the runway—and I wasn’t great at that.”
Smoke smiled. “You did as much as you needed to, and you got him here in time.”
“Yeah. He’s going to be here for a while though.”
“What have they said?” asked Chelsea.
“They’re going to keep him for observation and do some more tests in the morning, but it sounds like he’s going to be here for a few days, at least.”
“So, what do you want to do?” asked Smoke.
“I want to stay here with them,” said Chelsea.
“I’ll book you a room,” said Cameron. “I already got one for Rita.
“Thanks.”
“What about you?” asked Smoke. “Are you going to stay?”
Cameron shrugged. “I want to, but I’m supposed to be in Phoenix tomorrow. I’m going to try to reschedule, but I haven’t heard anything back yet.”
“Is that a good idea?” asked Chelsea.
“It’s not going to go down to well. I’ve been promising to get out there for months, but this can’t be helped.”
“I think you should go,” said Chelsea. “I’m going to be here; it’s not like we’re just abandoning them. Plus, Gene would be mad if he thought you blew off those negotiations because of him.”
Cameron pursed his lips. Piper could tell he was torn. He wanted to be here for Gene, but he wanted to do what was right for the company, too.
“I know I should, but I don’t want to—and how would I even get there?”
Smoke smiled at Piper. “That’s where you come in, right?”
She nodded. She hadn’t realized it until now, but of course, it was. “I can fly you wherever you need to go.” She’d assumed that Smoke had needed her to come to get the Hamilton plane back home. But since they were now down a pilot, she was happy to step up and fill in.
Cameron smiled at her gratefully. “Thanks.”
Rita popped her head around the door. The pinched look was gone from her face. Piper smiled. Rita knew her husband was going to be okay. That was wonderful. “Do you all want to come in a minute? He wants to say thank you.”
They all crowded into the room, and Gene smiled up at them from the bed. He didn’t look like Piper’s mom had. Cameron was right; it hadn’t been a major heart attack. Piper knew what that looked like.
“Hey, kids. I’m sorry you’ve all had to go out of your way for me.”
Chelsea scowled at him. “Don’t be so silly. We all love you.”
Gene grinned at Smoke. “Even if you didn’t know it till now.”
Piper had to smile at Smoke’s response. “I’ve always known it. It’s just sad that it takes something like this before any of us will admit it.”
“Aww.” Rita dabbed at her eyes, and Piper feels tears prick, too. She smiled when Gene turned to her. “I guess you’re going to be filling in for me?”
She nodded, surprised that he’d assumed that immediately. It hadn’t occurred to her until Smoke said it.
Gene grinned. “Then I’ve got no worries. I can just lie here and relax till they get done poking at me.”
He reached out and took hold of Chelsea’s hand. “Thanks for coming.”
Chelsea brought his hand up and kissed the back of it. “I had to be here. I want to be with you and with Rita.”
Rita patted her hand. “And I’m glad you are.”
The door opened, and a nurse frowned around at them. “We prefer to keep it to a maximum of two visitors at a time.”
Gene smiled. “They were just leaving.”
Once they were back outside in the corridor, Cameron looked around at them all. “Okay. Rita, I got you a room booked at the hotel next door. Just go to the front desk when you’re ready; they’ll be expecting you. Chelsea, I’ll get you one as well.”
“Thanks.”
He looked at Smoke. “Are you sticking around?”
Smoke shook his head. “No. Now I know he’s okay and you guys have everything under control, I need to get home. I’m going to have some shuffling to do with the roster for next week.”
Piper met his gaze. He was going to be a pilot down, and that pilot was her.
“Don’t look like that,” he said with a smile. “You’re saving the day by stepping in to take over Gene’s flights.”
She nodded, and Cameron put a hand on her shoulder. “Yes. Thank you. You’re becoming a regular superhero, flying in to save the day again.”
Chelsea grinned at her. “I never got to tell you how awesome it was at the wedding. You’re a kickass chick.”
Piper laughed, and Rita gave her a puzzled look.
“These two,” Chelsea jerked her head at Cameron and Smoke, “got themselves stranded at the airport in Vegas on Smoke’s wedding day. Piper here flew out to get them wearing her bridesmaid’s dress.”
Rita smiled. “You’re a hero for me, too. Thank you for coming to get me.”
Piper took the opportunity to hug her. She felt like a fraud. Smoke had flown out to get her. She was just the spare pilot ready to fly Gene’s plane wherever it needed to go.
~ ~ ~
Back at the airport, Cameron thanked Cole again before he left. It meant a lot that his brother had come to help out. It made him smile to realize that his brother had been the first person he’d called. No amount of time lost between them had changed the closeness they shared.
He looked at Piper, and she smiled up at him. “How are you?” she asked.
That made him smile. He’d been so busy making sure Gene was taken care of, then getting Rita out here and her and Chelsea set up at the hotel, he hadn’t had time to think about how he was. Piper always did though. It made him hope that she cared about him—although maybe it was just who she was. She was a kind and caring person, and he shouldn’t read too much into it. “I’m okay. I’m glad Gene’s all right.” He chuckled. “And I’m glad the plane is. Gene brought us down no problem—even mid-heart attack. I almost killed us just taxiing it in from the runway. How the hell you make it go in a straight line I do not know.”
Piper laughed. “I’m sure you did just fine. Most people wouldn’t have a clue how to taxi at all. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
“Thanks.”
“And what do you want to do now? Do you need to get back to Napa, or do you plan to stay here?”
“Would you mind if we stay here tonight? I want to be around for Rita and Chelsea, and I’d like to check in on Gene in the morning. It’ll mean we have to fly home early and then straight back out to Phoenix. Is that too much flying?”
She shook her head. “No, that’s fine. Whatever you need.”
“Thanks.” This felt awkward. She was his girlfriend—kind of—hopefully. But now she was kind of—sort of—his pilot, too. That was a weird one. It seemed like she felt it as well.
He put his arm around her shoulders. “Do you want to go back to the hotel? We should get some sleep.”
“We should.”
Things felt different between them than they had earlier. It was hard to believe that this was the same evening. So much had happened since they’d said goodbye at Summer Lake. One of the things that had happened was a shift in their relationship. She was different. He didn’t want her to be, but maybe he was acting differently, too.
When they got to the room, he sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the space beside him. She shook her head, and instead, took a seat on the sofa.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing. It just all seems strange, you know? I’m worried about Gene, but a part of me is happy that we get to spend more time together. Then another part of me wishes that it wasn’t like this. I’m not used to flying people passengers, and I feel as though I should be on my best behavior. But now you’re my people passenger, so I don’t know how I reconcile being a good pilot with being with you, you know?”
“Yeah, I do know. It’s weird, isn’t it?”
“Yep.”
He patted the bed again, and this time she came and sat beside him and rested her head on his shoulder.
“How about we figure all that out tomorrow? Tonight, it’s just you and me in a room.”
“It is, but Cam, I don’t feel like …”
He put a finger to her lips. “Don’t say it, I know.” It was late, and she must be tired. He was, too. There was so much going on, so much to take in. Sex wasn’t at the top of his priority list, and he knew that was what she was talking about. “Let’s just hold each other … and sleep.”
She chuckled.
“What?”
“You! You’re so understanding. You really are too good to be true.”
He laughed. “Keep looking for the downsides. I’m sure you’ll find them.”
“I hope not.”
He raised his eyebrows as he planted a kiss on the top of her head. He wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but he hoped that maybe she was starting to feel the same way about him as he was about her.
Chapter Sixteen
It took Piper a minute to remember where she was when she opened her eyes. She smiled when it hit her. Cameron’s arm lay across her waist, and she turned over. He was awake.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning. What time is it?”
“It’s early. How would you feel ab
out stopping in to see Gene before we leave?”
“I’d like that.” She wanted to see how he was doing, but she was also a little anxious. She had a big day ahead of her, flying a new plane and her new boss around. She made to get out of bed. She had a lot of flight planning to do.
He tightened his arm around her. “Are you okay?”
She relaxed against him. “I am, or at least I will be. This is a lot to take in, a lot to do.”
“I know.” He dropped a kiss on her lips. “I don’t want you to feel like it’s all too much. I can cancel my meetings if you want?”
“No! No, you mustn’t do that. I’m good with it. I just need to prepare, do some planning.”
“Okay, but you let me know what you need. Tell me if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“There is something.”
“What?”
“I’m going to need to pick up some clothes. I packed a bag for last night, but I was expecting to go home today.”
He smiled. “I can take care of that.”
“How?” She had to laugh. “You don’t just happen to carry around women’s clothes, do you?”
He laughed with her. “No, but I can call Mary Ellen at the office. She can pick something up for you.”
Piper made a face. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
He seemed to understand. “You’ll like Mary Ellen; she’s awesome.”
She nodded.
“She already likes you. I’ve told her all about you.”
Piper smiled. “You have?”
He nodded. “She knew there was something going on with me when I kept going back to Summer Lake every weekend. She wanted to know what it was, and I told her about you.”
“And what did you tell her?”
“That I met someone special. That you’re amazing.”
Piper couldn’t hide her smile. “Well, if you could also tell her that I’m a size eight, that would be awesome.” She rolled away from him and got out of bed. “I need to get moving if you want me to get you everywhere you need to go today.”
He came and closed his arms around her when she got out of the shower. “Don’t worry. I won’t hold you up. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”