When Sparks Fly (Pine Ridge Romance Book 2)

by Holly Stevenson

  Sam smirked. “Oh, so now you’re the relationship expert?” He shook his head. “I’m waiting for the right moment. I want it to be perfect.” He folded his arms, eyeing Mitch. “So what’s your story? I saw that look between you and Hunter just now.”

  Mitch shifted his weight. “She’s dating my friend, so we have a common connection. That’s it.” He shook the papers under Sam’s nose. “Let’s get going on the preflight.”

  Sam’s eyes widened and he slowly raised a hand to cover his mouth. “Wait . . . hold on.” He grabbed Mitch’s arm and leaned closer, lowering his voice. “You’re telling me Heartbreak Hunter finally condescended to date someone? Who is this guy? He must be some kind of superhero to catch that prize.” He cast a furtive glance Leah’s direction.

  “Just a friend from high school. They’ve only been out a few times, so I don’t know how serious it is—and I don’t care,” Mitch added, giving Sam a look that meant he was done talking about it.

  “All right. Cool.” Sam leaned back, nodding slowly as he dropped his hand from Mitch’s sleeve. “Let’s do the preflight.”

  Mitch grabbed the handle of his roller bag and made his way toward the lounge exit. He knew it was weak, but he couldn’t help looking over his shoulder for one last glimpse of Leah. He’d just turned his head when he bumped into someone. The woman gasped in protest and Mitch held out his hands to steady her. “I’m sorry.” His eyes widened as he recognized Candice Park. “I didn’t see you there.”

  She straightened the front of her pilot uniform and looked at him. Her eyes were a pretty shade of hazel. “It helps if you face forward when you walk,” she said with friendly smile. “I think I saw you in Houston the other day. You turned the plane over to us?”

  “Yes.” He held out his hand. “I’m Mitch.”

  “Candice.” She tipped her head to one side, her auburn hair tucked neatly inside her pilot’s hat as she accepted the handshake. “Are you still flying that route?”

  “Yeah, we’ll fly there in a few days.”

  Sam cleared his throat, and Mitch took the hint, introducing him. Sam smiled widely as they shook hands. “It’s too bad you leave Houston right when we get there—otherwise maybe all of us could have met up for dinner or something.” He gave Mitch a quick side-eye which Mitch chose to ignore.

  Candice smiled. “I would have liked that.” Her eyes met Mitch’s briefly before she looked back at Sam. “I’ve enjoyed flying my route this month, but I think next month I’ll try for something different.” She turned back to Mitch. “Which routes do you like working best?”

  Mitch raised a shoulder. “It’s been a while since I’ve flown international, so I’m considering putting in a bid for something like that next month.”

  “That sounds nice,” she said. “Maybe I’ll do the same. I transferred here from a smaller domestic airline, so my seniority isn’t great, but I’ll see what I can manage.”

  Mitch nodded politely, and Sam nudged him in the back. Maybe Candice was sending him an invitation. He straightened, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Asking someone out was one thing, but spending hours with her in the cockpit on a route for a month was another matter altogether. He turned and glanced over his shoulder. Leah was still with her group of flight attendants, but she was watching him. Satisfaction surged through him. She wasn’t the only one who could explore her dating options.

  He turned back to Candice. “Yeah . . . I’m thinking I’ll bid for Mexico City. It’s not a popular route, so maybe you could try for that too.”

  Candice’s eyes brightened. “Maybe I will.” She checked her watch. “I’ve got to get ready for my next flight, but it was nice meeting you both,” she said, though her attention stayed mostly on Mitch. “Hopefully I’ll see you around, Captain Harrison.”

  He nodded and reached for his suitcase handle again, unable to keep his gaze from flicking to Leah. She turned as soon as she saw him look at her, pretending to search for something in her purse.

  Sam nudged his arm. “Nice work, man,” he said, his face animated with approval. “That was super smooth.”

  Mitch rolled his eyes. “It felt awkward. Did I come on too strong?” It wasn’t in his nature to be flirtatious with a woman he hardly knew.

  Sam shrugged. “Maybe a little, but she didn’t seem to mind. Dude, those eyes she gave you?” He shook his head as he led the way out of the crowded crew lounge. “If it works out and you two end up on a route together, I want all the cockpit details. And I mean all.” He wiggled his thick brows and Mitch snorted.

  “Yeah, don’t hold your breath on that.” Mitch stepped behind Sam on the people-mover, both of them standing to the right to let others pass.

  Sam turned and met his eyes. “You need this. Candice is hot, and she’s the perfect distraction to get your mind off of ‘you know who.’” He gave him a look before facing forward again.

  “I don’t need a distraction,” Mitch lied. “But you’re right that Candice is beautiful. She’s probably already in a relationship.”

  “She’s not,” Sam said over his shoulder without turning around. “Don’t you ever listen to any of the gossip? She just got out of a messy relationship. She’s available, so go for it.”

  Mitch mulled the idea over, but his thoughts kept wandering back to the crew lounge and Leah. If he had any hope of getting over her, he needed to give dating someone else a try. Candice was a pilot, so they already had something in common. He shifted his weight. “All right . . . I’m gonna go for it,” he said. “I’ll bid for Mexico City and keep my fingers crossed that Candice gets it too.”

  “Excuse me.”

  Mitch froze at the sound of Leah’s voice as she moved past him, rolling her suitcase behind her. She didn’t even glance at him as she walked past. His heart dropped. The set in her shoulders told him she’d heard what he’d been saying. How long had she been standing there? He mentally reviewed his conversation with Sam, knowing he wouldn’t want her to hear any of it.

  Sam watched Leah walk past and then turned to raise innocent eyebrows at Mitch. “Oops.”

  Mitch glared and swatted his friend on the shoulder. “You knew she was behind me?”

  Sam held up his hands. “That’s why I said, ‘you know who,’ instead of her actual name. She didn’t know who we were talking about.”

  Mitch wanted to punch him. “But she heard me talk about Candice, and my plan.”

  “Exactly.” Sam stepped off the walkway, waiting for Mitch before continuing. “Look, she’s dating your friend, and as hard as you’re trying to hide it, I know that sucks for you.” He shrugged. “At least now she knows she’s not the only hot item around.” He clapped Mitch on the shoulder. “It might not seem like it, but I just did you a favor. You’ll thank me for this one day.”

  Mitch set his jaw, still upset by the betrayal. He turned and watched Leah’s retreating form. She was several yards away from them now, walking swiftly down the next people-mover. As angry as Mitch was at Sam’s stunt—his friend had a point. Even from here, he could see no less than four men look Leah’s way as she walked past them. She was in a different league—a heartbreaker—and it was time to put her behind him. For good.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Leah flopped down onto her hotel bed, holding her phone up as she answered the call to FaceTime with Savannah.

  “Hey, Savannah.” She smiled and leaned back on the stack of pillows in front of the headrest.

  “Hi.” Savannah’s bright eyes crinkled in the corners as she smiled. “I’m glad we caught you. Piper’s here too.” She angled the phone and Piper waved at the screen.

  “Hey, Leah. What city are you in tonight?”

  “San Juan.” Leah stifled a yawn.

  “As in, Puerto Rico?” Piper’s eyes widened as Savannah moved into the frame with her.

  “What are you doing in your hotel room? You should be out enjoying the beach!”

  Leah laughed. “It’s nearly eight o’clock at night. And besides, I’m
beat.”

  Piper shook her head. “It’s not fair. Can we trade places?”

  “You can come here on your honeymoon with Drew,” Leah said, only half-teasing.

  Piper raised both eyebrows, but she couldn’t suppress the smile that spread across her face every time anyone mentioned Drew. “We’ve only been dating a few weeks. It’s a little soon to be planning a honeymoon.”

  Savannah rolled her eyes. “You two are practically as good as engaged. You might as well start thinking about the honeymoon.”

  Piper scoffed, though the corners of her mouth still curved up. “Anyway,” she continued, “we didn’t call to talk about me. We want to know how your date with Dan went. You never told us about it.”

  “Oh.” Leah blinked, her thoughts instantly moving to Mitch. She’d been trying to put him from her mind ever since overhearing him talking to Sam about Candice. “It went well. He’s super nice.”

  Savannah made a face. “That’s great, but we’re gonna need more details than that.” She leaned forward, her dark hair framing her face. “Were there any sparks? Did he hold your hand, or kiss you goodnight?”

  Leah shrugged. “He would have held my hand, I think . . . but it was a little awkward.”

  “How so?” Piper asked.

  She bit her lip. “Well, we were supposed to go on a group date with Dan’s friend, but he ended up bringing his younger brother instead.”

  “And?” Savannah frowned in confusion.

  Leah took a deep breath. “His friend is someone I work with. A pilot named Mitch Harrison.”

  “And?” Piper echoed, both of them giving her confused looks now.

  “And . . . I don’t know . . .” Leah squeezed her eyes shut, her voice trailing off.

  “Oh, my goodness—don’t tell me you’ve fallen for a pilot!” Savannah exclaimed.

  Leah’s eyes flew open. “What? Don’t be silly. You guys know I don’t date pilots.”

  “Yeah. And you never explained why, so if you like this guy, what’s the problem?” Piper asked.

  Leah squinted. “The problem is that it’s not professional,” she said. “I’ve known too many flight attendants that have gotten involved with pilots, and when things don’t work out, it becomes fodder for work gossip. They don’t want to be put on the same routes anymore, they spread rumors about each other—you get the idea. Things tend to get ugly.”

  Savannah’s brows bunched together. “So that’s what your worried about? Your work reputation?”

  “It’s not just that.” Leah’s lungs squeezed together. She’d never confessed the real reason behind why she avoided relationships—not even to her friends. Her policy against dating pilots was a convenient excuse; one which they obviously saw right through. She sighed. “The truth is, I was starting to like Mitch.” It surprised her to speak the words out loud. But it was okay, because now she knew he was interested in Candice. Now he was safe. Her chest tightened.

  “You say this like it’s past tense. Did you tell him how you feel?” Piper prodded.

  Leah forced a lighthearted shrug. “I didn’t have to. I found out today that he likes someone else, so it doesn’t matter anymore.”

  “There’s no way he wouldn’t be interested in you if he knew how you felt, Leah,” Savannah said.

  Piper nodded in agreement. “How do you know he has feelings for someone else?”

  “Because I overheard him talking to his friend about wanting to ask her out.” Her voice sounded small. She tried for a smile, hoping it looked convincing, but the sympathy on her friends’ faces said they weren’t buying it.

  “I’m sorry, Leah.” Piper’s eyes tightened. “I wish we were there to give you a hug.”

  “It’s okay,” Leah reassured them, though it was more for her own benefit. “It’s not like we were officially dating or anything. We were becoming friends, and now it can stay that way.”

  Piper pursed her lips, looking like she wanted to say more, but Savannah cut in, “Well, at least now you can give Dan a proper chance. Why don’t you invite him as your date to Jade’s wedding?”

  “Um.” Leah looked at Piper. They usually had each other’s backs when it came to Savannah’s matchmaking, but to her surprise, Piper nodded.

  “I think that’s a great idea,” she said. “Dan seems sweet, and maybe it will be nice for you to spend more time with him. Who knows? Maybe there are sparks that you didn’t realize were there because you were distracted by Mitch.”

  Leah’s mouth fell open. Now Piper was taking Savannah’s side too? She straightened on the pillows. “I don’t know. I just agreed to go on another date with Dan when I get back in town, and I’m worried that if I invite him to the wedding, it will seem like I’m moving faster than I feel comfortable with. I don’t want him to think I’m interested in dating him exclusively.” The familiar anxiety creeped up her throat, threatening to tighten its choke-hold grip.

  “You can manage to ask him without it sounding too serious,” Savannah said. “Just be upfront and tell him you hope it’s not asking too much, but you really need a date to the wedding and wondered if he’s free.”

  Leah pinned her with a look. “It’s that easy, huh? Tell me—who are you inviting to the wedding?”

  Piper smirked and turned to Savannah, who glanced away from the screen, presumably inspecting her nails. “I’m the wedding planner. I don’t have time to bring a date.”

  Leah rolled her eyes. “Uh huh.”

  Savannah leveled her no-nonsense gaze at Leah. “Just ask him, okay? Piper will be there with Drew. Jade and Connor will be in blissful wedded oblivion—I just don’t want you to be sitting all alone. It will ruin the whole romantic vibe I’m going for. Do it for me . . . please?” She batted her eyelashes and gave her best puppy-dog pout.

  Leah snorted, biting back the standing argument that Savannah would be alone too, but it was likely she would be busy with the wedding details. Leah didn’t really want to be a third wheel to Piper and Drew all evening. And Dan was nice. And handsome. She blew out a long breath. “All right. I’ll see if he’s free.” Her friends squealed and she shook her head, smiling in spite of herself. “Now enough about my dating life. Let’s talk about Jade’s bachelorette party.”

  The change in topic worked like a charm. With only a few weeks left until the wedding, they needed to finalize the details of the event. Leah listened and added input about Jade’s special night out until Savannah had an incoming call she had to take. Leah dropped her phone with a sigh, her mind instantly wandering to Mitch.

  Was he in his hotel room, or had he chosen to go out for the night? She’d passed on Bonnie’s invitation to go out to dinner with some of the other flight attendants, using her tiredness as an excuse for an evening in. But when she glanced out the window to see the sun just dipping below the horizon, and heard lively music playing somewhere on the street below, she decided maybe her friends had been right. Maybe she should get out and enjoy the evening for a bit.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Mitch walked along the sidewalk bordering the beach, smiling at the surfers taking advantage of the fading sunlight to catch some last-minute waves. Music and laughter sounded from a nearby cantina, and the smell of fried food was enticing. He considered checking it out—maybe he would find Sam and some of the other crew members inside—but the sound of the ocean waves pulled at him.

  He kicked off his flip flops and held them in one hand, stepping up on the small cement wall and over onto the cool sand. He was so absorbed in watching a surfer chasing a decent-sized wave, that he didn’t pay attention to the couple standing a small distance from him, until he heard the woman tell the man to leave her alone. He spun at the sound of Leah’s voice.

  Fire raced through his veins as the man in swimming trunks touched Leah’s arm, clearly making her uncomfortable as she stepped back. Mitch immediately jogged toward them, his muscles tense and ready to fight. “Is there a problem here?” he asked, tapping the guy on his shoulder.

&
nbsp; Leah’s eyes widened with relief. “Mitch.”

  The man turned to him with a glazed expression. He reeked of alcohol. Mitch straightened to his full height. He had several inches on the drunk.

  “I asked her to join me for a drink,” the man said in a slightly slurred Boston accent.

  “And I told you I wasn’t interested.” Leah crossed her arms and gave him a hard glare.

  “I suggest you take your offer elsewhere.” Mitch barely kept the growl from his voice. The man raised both hands and then staggered off down the beach. Mitch turned to Leah. “I’m sorry I didn’t notice what was happening sooner. Are you all right?”

  She rubbed her bare arms beneath the short sleeves of her sundress. “I’m fine, but thank you for coming to my rescue. I guess it was stupid of me to go walking alone.” She met his eyes briefly before looking away.

  Mitch balled his hands into fists—partly because adrenaline still coursed through him, and partly to keep himself from pulling her into his arms. “Yeah, it’s probably best not to go out alone. Most areas they put us in are relatively safe, but you never know.” He squinted out over the water. “I was just out for a walk . . . if you want to join me?”

  She paused. He was sure she would turn down the offer, but she surprised him by smiling. “I’d like that. Thanks.”

  He nodded, his heart galloping at a rate which he blamed on the adrenaline, and not the fact that Leah was beside him. It would be so natural to take her hand in his. But that ship had sailed. He bit the inside of his cheek, looking down at the sand as he searched for a casual topic. “How were the flights today?”