Page 53 of Tinder Embrace
"Sounds good. Do you need more crew than me?" I asked.
"If you're going up with me, it'd be nice to have Jo on the ground."
"I'll check and see if she's available," I promised, pleased that we had a plan.
She seemed at ease with the idea of me going up with her, and it soothed some of my anxiety about her flying again. It might take a while for me to wipe the image of her slow-motion crash from my memories. I’d been low-key terrified for her, and that was before I acknowledged her as anything but a friend of Jo’s. Now, I couldn’t imagine my world without Sophie in it.
Thinking about how close we came to losing her had me holding back a shudder.
I glanced at the clock. "How long is recess?"
"I have three more minutes before I have to go walk them back."
"Then I don't have a moment to waste," I muttered. Sophie seemed to sense the direction of my thoughts, wrapping her arms around my neck and leaning up on her tippy toes to brush her lips with mine. I needed that connection to remind myself she was safe.
The first sweep was soft. Gentle. But I was so starved for her, I took it as an invitation for more, gathering her in my arms, urging her closer until her breasts snugged up to my chest. I leaned down, capturing her mouth in a kiss that burned away any sense of time or place. When my oxygen-deprived brain couldn't take anymore, I broke away, dropping my forehead to hers, breathing hard.
Sophie disengaged gently, pacing a few steps away, shaking out her hands before placing them behind her head. Her cheeks were a rosy pink, her lush mouth kiss-swollen.
I pushed down the hint of pride that I'd made her look like that. If I glanced in a mirror, I'd no doubt see I was just as wrecked. I scrubbed my hands through my hair, trying to resettle the strands into some semblance of order so the front office wouldn't knowexactlywhat I'd been doing with Ms. Dunham in her classroom when I signed out.
Clearing my throat, I searched for a suitable goodbye and came up empty.
"Until Saturday," Sophie said with a tiny smile.
"Saturday it is."
"Come on, I'll show you out on my way back to the playground." Sophie extended a hand for mine.
I clutched Frick and Frack's carrier under one arm, letting her escort me to the office, aware of the knowing look the school secretary gave our clasped hands.
I had to admit, it felt damned good to be claimed by Sophie Dunham.
Chapter 21
Sophie
Davis had been a peach, agreeing to come speak with my students. My usually gruff farmer was very gentle with my class, proving once and for all that his rough exterior covered a marshmallow heart.
The only cloud on my horizon was our plans to test Bee-gonia. I didn't want to admit that the thought of another flight gave me chills. If I didn't get back in the air, I worried I never would. The crash at Davis and Jo's hadn't been catastrophic. All things considered, it could have been much worse, which wasn't as comforting as I wanted it to be. Hank had assured me that he'd fixed the faulty valve. Weather and unfavorable landing conditions were far riskier and more common than burner issues, but that didn't stop me from worrying.
I pushed aside my misgivings, focusing instead on planning for the upcoming Balloon Festival. I emailed my fellow pilots, confirming how many needed ground crew volunteers.
Ballooning was relatively straightforward, and newbie crew were pretty easy to break in. You needed at least a couple of people to drive the chase vehicle, ideally a driver who knew the local area and someone to spot. Pilots fueled up beforehand and found a place to launch. In our case, we’d all launch from the high school, which made things easy. We always evaluated launch conditions on the morning of the flight. Rain, too much wind, or not enough visibility were the main reasons for canceling a flight.
Once launched, you were at the mercy of the winds for a landing zone. If your crew knew the local area, they'd chase and ask permission from the landowner before you touched down. It took a mere twenty minutes to pack up with an experienced crew, but longer if you had to provide direction to new team members. Depending on the friendliness of the landowner, I'd sometimes do tethered flights or have our landing celebration on their property. Only once had I been chased away with ashotgun. Some farmers did not like balloonists, even though responsible pilots asked permission and avoided damaging their landing sites.
Davis had been one of the landowners to complain in the past, and I hadn't even landed, only flown over. Granted, one of my clients had taken a pic of him shirtless and posted it online. It wasn't like I wastryingto run a spy balloon operation, but he'd been pissed enough to make life difficult with the other farmers.
Luckily, most of the locals weren't averse to a little donut diplomacy, and I'd been able to bring by treats and schmooze at the feed store to earn support for our balloon festival. Davis may have had an authoritative voice and the respect of his peers, but I'd had sugar and carbs on my side. It helped that I’d apologized to him for my passenger.
Returning to the Pruitt Farm for campfire night after my short stint living there felt odd. Like a mix of coming home, edged with anticipation over running into Davis.
Jo greeted me with an easy smile as I joined her at the fire pit. "You're early tonight," she said.
"I thought I'd help you get set up."
Jo arched her brows. "Help me, or helpDavis?"
