When Sparks Fly (Pine Ridge Romance Book 2)

by Holly Stevenson

  She turned to him, wanting to be annoyed, but his face was too kind. She smiled. “It’s the best job in the world.”

  “Really? You don’t mind spending so much time in an airplane?”

  She shook her head, knowing by the way he phrased the question that he didn’t share a love of flying. “That’s the best part.”

  He raised both eyebrows. “I’m glad some people like it. As for me, I prefer to stay on solid ground. I figure if God intended for us to fly, he would have given us wings.”

  She laughed. As if she hadn’t heard that argument a million times. At least she had an answer. “But now we do have wings. I’m certain the Wright brothers were inspired.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe, but I prefer my theory. It helps me feel validated when people make fun of my fear of flying.” He winked, sliding his hands in his pockets as the conversation took a temporary pause.

  Leah glanced at Savannah, who was desperately attempting to carry conversation between Chase and Liv. Leah smirked. Liv would be spilling that code word in no time.

  “Which airline do you work for?” Dan asked.

  “Synergy,” she replied.

  “Really? I’ve got a friend from high school who works as a pilot for Synergy. Maybe you know him—Mitch Harrison?”

  Leah’s heart gave an involuntary flip. “Yes, I know Mitch,” she said. In a manner of speaking. For as many times as she’d flown with him, she still didn’t know much. Maybe Dan could give some insight into his personality. “I’m actually flying a route with him this month. He seems quiet.”

  “Mitch Harrison? Quiet? He was our senior class president. The guy was friends with everyone.” He frowned. “Maybe we’re thinking of the wrong person.”

  Leah shook her head. “I don’t think there’s more than one Mitch Harrison at Synergy. Is he based in Denver? Tall, dark hair?”

  “Drives all the girls crazy.” Dan rolled his eyes. “That’s him.” He shrugged. “Maybe he’s just quiet when he’s working, because that’s definitely not how I would describe him.”

  Interesting. Leah was officially intrigued. She could picture Mitch the way Dan described. She’d once caught him laughing with Sam at some joke, and the sound had made her insides buzz. He had a disarming smile, but he rarely used it around her. Did he not like her? It wouldn’t make sense, considering they’d hardly spoken.

  “What do you guys say we join the others?” Savannah suggested. “There’s pizza and tons of cake samples in the other room.”

  “Sounds good,” Leah said. The wedding planning company Savannah worked for always sent her home with leftover cake samples, and they were delicious.

  “I’ll have to pass,” Chase spoke up. They all turned to him and he lifted his hands. “I’m going off of gluten.” He looked at Olivia. “Did you know that stuff sticks to your intestines like glue? It’s really unhealthy, and it’s in everything.”

  Leah stared at Liv, waiting for her to give the code word, but she smiled to show that she wasn’t bothered, before turning to Chase. “It sounds like you know a lot about it. How long have you been eating gluten-free?”

  Leah shook her head, impressed with her friend. But it wasn’t surprising, considering how sweet and patient Olivia was with Carol. Savannah seemed satisfied, if oblivious, with her matchmaking. She led them down the hall toward the living room.

  “After you,” Dan said, gesturing for Leah to go first.

  “Thanks.” She smiled and moved to follow Leah.

  “Just make sure you’re careful with that gluten,” Dan whispered, falling into step beside her.

  Leah snorted and tried to cover it up with a cough as he grinned mischievously. “Aren’t you two friends?” she whispered back.

  He raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know anyone here before tonight. I met Savannah at the grocery store the other day and she invited me to come hang out with some friends.”

  She nodded. “That’s Savannah. She loves a good party.” And setting her friends up on dates. Leah almost felt sorry for Dan. He didn’t know what he’d gotten himself into, but he seemed to be having a good time.

  They stepped into the living room where Piper sat with Drew on the couch, bent over some papers. Jade and Connor were looking through a binder with Savannah. With their wedding only three weeks away, they were in the final stages of planning. Jade and Connor had been high school sweethearts who’d gone separate ways and then found love again. Leah was thrilled for them and looked forward to the wedding but didn’t necessarily want to join the wedding talk with Dan in tow. She moved to join Piper and Drew instead.

  “What are you two looking at?” she asked, coming around the coffee table to get a better look at the building plans they were studying.

  Piper glanced up, her gaze flicking between Leah and Dan. She gave Leah a look that was both amusement and apology. Leah arched an eyebrow to acknowledge the look. Piper had been victim to Savannah’s scheming and knew exactly what Leah was feeling at the moment.

  “Drew’s friend Margaret is building a new lodge in Pine Ridge,” she explained. “They’ve already begun construction, but I asked if I could see the plans to better visualize it.”

  Leah bent down for a better look. “That’s amazing.” The ‘lodge’ was the size of a hotel with a Swiss chalet design. “When will it be finished?”

  “It’s slated to open this fall,” Drew answered. “McGrath Construction is the main operation in charge, and they’ve hired additional contractors to get the job done quickly.”

  At the mention of his company, Connor’s head turned their way. Jade smiled at him. “It’s okay. You can go talk shop, we’re almost done here,” she said.

  He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, clearly relieved to move away from the wedding

  planning talk and onto something more his speed. “Just for a minute,” he promised her before joining the group at the coffee table.

  They listened for a few minutes as Drew talked about building plans, until Dan’s phone rang. “Sorry, looks like this is a work call,” he gave them an apologetic shrug before stepping away from the table to answer. “Hey, Robert, did you get my email?”

  Leah used the interruption to see what Olivia was doing. She spotted her in the corner of the room, talking to Chase who seemed to be monopolizing the conversation. Olivia wore a pasted-on smile as she nodded politely. Leah tried to catch her attention to see if she wanted to use the code word. Liv glanced her way and subtly shook her head before returning her attention to Chase. Leah frowned. Why wasn’t she using the code? Chase clearly wasn’t her type.

  In exasperation, Leah moved to Savannah and Jade across the room. The binder was closed and Savannah rested it against her hip as they chatted. Leah fixed her with a stare, lowering her voice. “Hey, friend,” she emphasized the word, “thanks for the heads up about inviting some guys over tonight.”

  Savannah batted her long, dark lashes and attempted to look innocent. “I didn’t think you’d mind. It’s just a casual get-together.”

  Jade raised both eyebrows, obviously not wanting to get involved in the conversation. But she shot Leah a sympathetic look all the same.

  “Oh, I don’t mind,” Leah whispered. “Dan is nice. I think the two of you will really hit it off.” She gave Savannah a snarky smile.

  Savannah’s eyes narrowed. “Actually, you seem to be getting along so well that I wouldn’t dream of interfering. I knew the moment I met him that the two of you were compatible.”

  Leah set her jaw, ready to counter with another comment when Jade stepped between them. “Speaking of compatibility, do either of you have dates for the wedding yet? It’s going to be such a fun night of dancing under the stars, you’ll want to invite someone to enjoy it with.”

  Leah shifted her weight. As a romance author, Jade knew how to make the setting sound appealing.

  “We intentionally left extra room on the guest list,” Jade continued, looking between her friends with a hopeful expression.

&n
bsp; “I’ll be working,” Savannah said flatly.

  Jade frowned. “Nuh-uh. We’re getting everything done beforehand so you can have someone else take over for the day and enjoy being my bridesmaid. You promised.”

  Savannah held up her hands. “I promised I would enjoy being your bridesmaid, and I will. But I won’t be able to fully enjoy your wedding with someone else in charge.”

  Jade folded her arms. “Please try. For my sake?”

  Savannah shrugged. “I’ll see how things are going.”

  Leah and Jade exchanged looks. They both knew what that meant. Savannah could be as stubborn as they came. Especially on the subject of dating. Leah wanted to be annoyed, but remembering Savannah’s wedding day and her face when she’d been left at the alter allowed nothing but pity for her friend.

  “What about you, Leah?” Jade asked. “Who are you going to bring?” She lowered her voice, gesturing to Dan who was still on his work call. “He does seem nice.”

  Leah bit her lip. “I barely know him.” She glanced at Dan, considering the idea. He was nice, and there wasn’t any chemistry between them so he seemed like someone she could be friends with. That was a safe option for a date. “Maybe,” she relented. For some reason, thinking of Dan made her thoughts turn to Mitch and her heartrate spiked. If she became better friends with Dan, maybe she could unravel the mystery that was Mitch Harrison.

  Savannah’s eyes lit up like sparklers on the Fourth of July. “Perfect!” Leah gave her a sharp look and she lowered her voice, though her grin stayed in place. “This is a great opportunity to get to know him better, and then you can invite him.”

  Leah rolled her eyes, lifting a non-comital shoulder. Truth be told she did want to get to know Dan better, but she would be sure to make the friend boundary clear. She refused to acknowledge the curiosity involving a certain airline pilot behind her motive.

  Chapter Six

  “Thanks for the flight,” a woman with a heavy Southern accent said, eyeing Mitch appreciatively as she passed the crew standing near the cockpit.

  “You’re welcome,” he answered with a nod, feeling his neck flush and fighting the urge to loosen his tie. He wouldn’t have minded so much if Leah wasn’t standing right in front of him to catch the full scope of the woman’s flirtatious look. He cleared his throat, pretending to check his watch until the woman walked off the jet.

  Leah glanced over her shoulder at him, her eyes brimming with an amusement that made his pulse stutter. If only she knew what that look did to him. He held his breath, waiting to see if she would tease him, but she turned around again, thanking the passengers as they deplaned.

  Mitch rolled out his shoulders, annoyed with himself. He’d been determined not to let his guard down on this trip. It was the first day of their three-day route, and he’d successfully avoided her up to this point. Now that they’d finished their final flight, it was going to be tricky to ignore her all the way to the hotel. Especially considering the crew usually shared the shuttle.

  He had to get over this obsession with Leah. But standing so close, he could smell the perfume she wore, and it was killing him. Man, he was weak.

  Once the passengers were gone, Mitch stepped into the cockpit to make sure everything was in order for the next crew about to board—and to avoid the pull to talk to Leah. He had to get his thoughts straight. He took his time checking and rechecking the engine oil, hydraulic fluid, and oxygen tank levels as he waited for Leah to get off the plane.

  “Did you lose something?” Sam asked, poking his head inside the cockpit.

  Mitch straightened. “I was just making sure everything was ready for the next crew,” he answered lamely.

  Sam cocked an eyebrow. “You already checked all that. Let’s go. I’m starving and there’s a new restaurant in town Bonnie says we have to try.”

  “Sounds good.” But Mitch was already thinking of an excuse not to go.

  Although the crew often ate out together during trips, he needed to distance himself from Leah. He followed Sam from the cockpit, furtively checking the cabin for any sign of Leah, but she wasn’t there. His shoulders relaxed and he grabbed his suitcase before walking onto the jetway.

  He listened as Sam talked about his weekend—continuing the list of reasons why he hadn’t proposed yet—but Mitch’s heart skidded to a stop when they exited the jetway and he saw Leah and Bonnie waiting for them.

  “What took you boys so long?” Bonnie asked. “The rest of the crew already headed down to the shuttle.” She checked her watch. “And they’re probably just leaving. We’ll have to wait twenty minutes for the next one.”

  “Sorry, Bonnie. Mitch was making sure the cockpit was extra nice. I’m thinking he may have a crush on that female pilot over there about to take his place,” Sam teased, gesturing to the Synergy crew preparing to enter the jetway.

  Mitch flushed, his eyes darting to the redhead in uniform about to board. She caught his eye and smiled. He swallowed and looked away, totally making Sam’s comment seem valid. He could smack him.

  “That’s Candice Park. I’ve flown with her before. She’s really sweet,” Bonnie said, leaning into the conversation with interest.

  Mitch was about to protest, until he noticed Leah’s gaze riveted on Candice. Was that a hint of jealousy? His stomach flipped, but he ignored it. He was clearly misreading her expression. Either way, he’d rather have them think he was crushing on Candice than his real reason for stalling. He cleared his throat and straightened his hat. “Sorry you missed the shuttle. We’d better get in line for the next one, in case it’s full.”

  Sam raised both eyebrows and let out a low whistle. “Busted! I was only joking, but you totally are into her,” he crowed.

  Mitch elbowed him in the side and looked over his shoulder to make sure the other crew was out of hearing range. Thankfully, they’d disappeared down the jetway. “Not so loud, dude,” he said, purposefully not arguing Sam’s assumption.

  Sam grinned and pretended to zip his lips before joining Bonnie. “So how far is this restaurant you were telling me about?” he asked as they walked through the congested Houston terminal.

  “I met a friend of yours over the weekend.”

  Mitch’s mouth went dry. Leah was next to him. She was talking to him. He blinked, trying to cover the fact that his heart was pumping like he’d just run a sprint. “A friend of mine?” he asked.

  She nodded and a strand of light blonde hair escaped from the twist she had it in, falling across her perfect high cheekbone. “Yes, Dan Benson. I think you went to high school together?”

  Mitch stopped walking. “Yeah . . . I know Dan.” A flood of jealousy rose up before he could stop it. “How did you two meet?” Did they go on a date? Was that why she’d turned down Bonnie’s offer to go out with her son—because she’d already had plans? Mitch liked Dan. He was a nice guy and they still kept in touch, but at the moment, he wanted to pound him.

  “At my friend Savannah’s house. It was just a group hang-out kind of thing.” She shrugged.

  “Small world,” Mitch said, acting like he wasn’t relieved by the news as they continued walking. Now that he didn’t see Dan as an immediate threat, another question burned in his throat. “How did you find out we went to high school together?”

  If they’d talked about him, that meant Leah had thought about him at least once over the weekend. His pulse quickened.

  “I told him I worked for Synergy, and he mentioned he had a friend who was a pilot there.”

  He nodded. It wasn’t exactly what he’d hoped for, but still, she’d thought about him.

  “He told me that you were the senior class president,” she paused, looking at him sideways, “and that you were friends with everyone.”

  Mitch glanced away, secretly delighted that Dan had made him sound good. “Definitely not everyone. We had a pretty big high school.”

  “I bet. My graduating class was fairly small in Pine Ridge.”

  He felt tongue-tied. Leah H
unter was having a conversation with him—one that she’d initiated. He tried to think of something interesting or witty to keep the conversation going, but his mind was a complete blank. Normally he was great at this sort of thing, but Leah rattled him. Thankfully, Bonnie turned from where she and Sam walked a few paces ahead.

  “What are you two chatting about?” She eyed them curiously.

  “I met one of Mitch’s friends over the weekend.” Leah quickened her pace to catch up to Bonnie.

  “Really? Was he cute?” Bonnie asked.

  Mitch walked faster too, straining to hear Leah’s reply, but Sam fell into step beside him, ruining his chance to eavesdrop.

  “Did you catch the game last night?” Sam asked. “I couldn’t believe the Nuggets choked like that.”

  Mitch nodded absently, frustrated that he couldn’t hear Leah and Bonnie’s conversation. What was Leah saying about Dan? About him? He had to know.

  Wait. These emotions were dangerous. He had to keep his feelings in check. So she’d talked to him about his friend—so what? She certainly hadn’t hesitated to leave him to walk with Bonnie instead. She was a heartbreaker, everyone knew that.

  Mitch blew out a breath, determined to not think about Leah for the rest of the trip. But then she turned and looked at him over her shoulder, her full lips curving into the smallest of smiles and Mitch’s heart soared.

  Oh, dang, he was in trouble.

  Chapter Seven

  Leah waited in the hotel lobby for the rest of the crew. Apparently, the flight attendants who’d gone on the shuttle ahead of them had made plans to eat at a popular bar and grille in the heart of Houston, but Leah wanted to try the Mexican restaurant Bonnie suggested. She liked trying out new restaurants in the cities they visited. It was one of her favorite parts of this job. Plus, she had a major weakness for Mexican food.

  Another glance around the lobby told her that Bonnie wasn’t there yet, so she plopped into a nearby chair and pulled out her phone. She was just about to text Olivia for an update on her mom when someone took the seat opposite her. She looked up, her heart jolting when she saw Mitch.