Page 25 of Breaking Emily's Rules
After he’d downed three Red Bulls, Stone helped Jedd with some engine work on Dad’s old Cessna until nearly noon. The early spring sunshine warmed his back, and a bead of sweat rolled down.
Cassie opened the outside door leading to their hangar and shouted, “Get over here.”
“What is it?” Stone squinted in the bright sun. He wiped his grimy hands on a rag and threw it back on the cart, walking toward Cassie.
Cassie grinned ear to ear. “We have a customer. She says she wants a lesson.”
“She?” Dad’s roster of former students had never included any women but, on the other hand, in the air force, some of the pilots Stone trusted the most were women.
“Yes. I think you’re going to want to meet this woman. She’s been here waiting for an hour. Didn’t want to come back later. I’d say all that waiting makes her patient. She’ll be a good student. Your students need patience.”
He let that insult slide off his back since there was more than a kernel of truth to it. “I’ll talk to her.”
“She’s waiting in your office.” Cassie followed him inside the hangar. “And don’t give her the fifth degree. Be nice.”
Stone turned and stared at Cassie, hand on his chest. “Have I ever been anything but nice?”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “Let’s not go there.”
Stone opened the door to his office, and when the woman turned in her seat to face the door, his groin seemed to recognize her before his eyes did. Emily from the bar. From the coffee shop. The same Emily who took off on him twice.
“You.”
And she seemed just as surprised to see him. She stood and stepped away from the chair. “Are you—you’rethe pilot?”
“I’m the pilot.” Stone marched toward her. Oh, man, he was going to enjoy this. She wouldn’t be running out on him again anytime soon. He considered locking the door to his office to make sure.
“But I thought—”
“You probably thought an old man still ran the place?” Stone stopped when he was a foot’s distance from her.
“No. I know Mr. Mcallister died. I heard his son was running the place. But you’re—you meanyou’reMr. Mcallister’s son?”
This did surprise most people. “Yeah, that would be me. But let’s talk about you. You want to get your pilot’s license? Are you tired of starting bar fights and spilling coffee on poor unsuspecting men?”
Emily chewed on her lower lip, and damned if that didn’t drive him crazy. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you how sorry I was about the coffee spill. And the fight. How’s your jaw?”
“Nothing a little ice couldn’t cure, but thanks for asking. So what about this date?”
Emily took a step back while she clasped and unclasped her hands. His spirits soared higher than they had in months as he witnessed her obvious discomfort, and he wasn’t done playing with her yet.
“I’m sorry. I’ve never asked a man out before.”
“No kidding. I would have never guessed. You were so smooth.”
“That’s not funny. I got kind of flustered when you turned around.”
“So I wasn’t supposed to turn around?”
“No, I didn’t say that. I didn’t expect—I mean I didn’t know you—”
“You didn’t know it was me when you asked my back out on a date.”
She didn’t speak, but her mouth opened and closed a few times. Nothing.
“Try again. I have all day.”
“Okay, look. I was trying something new on for size. And it didn’t work out too well, as you know.”
