Fatal Flight Page 21

  He’d been hurt, and yes, he would admit he’d felt jealous, angry, and dejected in turn. The flight back to Houston had been long and difficult, as he fielded his father’s questioning looks and corralled his raging emotions. Sky got to him like no other woman. She made him crazy. But he loved her even more knowing she’d almost died. The thought of her not existing on the earth, with or without him, was unbearable.

  He sighed, slid out of the back-slapping members of the team, and headed for his office. He had a bunch of paperwork to get through, so they could sign off on the contract. And, he needed another project, one that would keep his mind focused on numbers and schematics, not a stubborn, impossible woman.

  His private phone rang as he sat at his desk. He glanced at the I.D. and picked up. “Gita, how are you?”

  “I’m well. More to the point, how are you? Patrick tells me you’re moping around there like a jet without turbines.”

  “Hardly,” Adam said, affronted. Did he really appear that pathetic to the people at Hamilton? God, he hoped not. “I’ve been tied up with a project, putting in some long hours. But I’m fine. Don’t know where Dad got that.”

  “Hmm.” It didn’t sound like Gita was buying his response.

  “Never mind that now.” She changed the topic with the speed of an attacking falcon.

  He could visualize her waving her hand, as if to make it all disappear.

  “I’m phoning about Thanksgiving. You are coming, aren’t you?”

  He didn’t feel like being chummy with the large number of friends and distant relatives who were a given when Gita entertained.

  She picked up on his hesitation. “I’m not going big this year. In fact, just keeping it to a small group, feeling my age, I guess. We’re hosting a party for two hundred veterans and their families at the Foundation, instead.”

  “So much for your advancing age,” he teased.

  “Say you’ll come. It would make me so happy. You can travel over with your father, have your old room. It would be a change of scene, if nothing else.”

  Adam couldn’t hold out against her. He knew she loved him like a son, had mothered him since the death of his own mother. And he knew his father always enjoyed spending time in Gita’s home in San Francisco, but he wouldn’t go if Adam stayed home alone.

  He caved. “Yes, I’ll come for Thanksgiving. When do you want us there?”

  “It would be lovely if you could come in the night before. I’m having just a few people for drinks and dinner. Then you’ll be here for my chef’s fabulous Thanksgiving brunch. And after the game, an informal dinner this year, nothing fancy.”

  Adam’s eyebrows rose. Gita used every excuse to host the most splendid parties, where formal dress was a must. This didn’t sound like her at all. Maybe she really was feeling her age. “Are you feeling well?” he asked with caution. “Nothing wrong with your health?”

  “I’m just fine. Just because I’m trying something new, doesn’t mean I’m exploring the other side of death. All right, I confess, I’m attempting a downsize of my life, so Sky will feel more comfortable if she ever accepts an invitation to my home. I believe creating an atmosphere where she doesn’t feel judged is the first step. I don’t ever want my friends, or me, to make her feel inferior, like Brian did.”

  “Sky will always be a precious gem, no matter what setting she’s placed in. She’s a class act.” Adam’s voice was husky.

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Gita said, compassion underscoring the words. Then her voice turned gay, as once again she turned the topic in a neat one-eighty. “Now tell me what you’ve been working on that’s taken so much time.” She listened while he explained what he could of the recent success, asked after Patrick, shared a few pieces of news on mutual friends, and hung up, saying she couldn’t wait to spend Thanksgiving with him.

  Adam went back to his numbers, a slight smile curving his mouth. Gita could maneuver him like he was a Fighting Falcon and she the best Thunderbird pilot on the team.

  ****

  Sky sat down at her table and stared at the stack of paperwork she’d brought up from the office. She wasn’t in the mood to work, but then, she wasn’t in the mood for anything.

  She took a sip from the cola she’d poured and picked up the first sheet of paper, preparing to enter the contact information for her new bunch of pupils and their flying stats.

  Her laptop signaled an incoming message and thankful for the reprieve she answered.

  Gita’s face popped onto the screen. “Sky, you’re looking lovely.” Gita’s gay voice matched the glow on her face, as she met Sky’s eyes in the monitor.

  Sky thought of the little effort she’d put into her hair and dress the last few days, and her lips quirked. “Ever the diplomat, Gita.”

  “Just an optimist. I’m certain the second you have a nice, long soak in the tub, use your favorite moisturizer, and give yourself a home-style mani/pedi, you’ll feel a hundred times better. Are you not well, dear?”

  “I’m fine Gita, just busy.”

  “Seems all you young people are too busy to take care of yourselves.” Gita’s smile held secret knowledge. “You know, dear, it’s only a few days till Thanksgiving, and I need to finalize my plans. Have you given any more thought to my invitation?”

  “Oh, Gita, I’m so sorry. I honestly forgot I’d left you dangling.”

  “That’s okay, dear, I’m sure you have a lot on your mind.” Her light blue gaze softened turning misty. “What do you say? Will you spend the holiday with me, this year?”

  “That’s quite a trick, exchanging powerhouse for sweet and frail with a breath,” Sky challenged. “I’m sure your Thanksgiving is an extravaganza with everyone who’s anyone invited.” And the last place I want to be right now.

  “Not this year. I’m keeping it small and quiet, hoping to lure you into celebrating our first Thanksgiving together. Just a few close friends who don’t have family and you and Max. He said he’d love to come, but won’t leave you alone.”

  Some part of Sky admired her grandmother’s play, as she plopped a pile of chips on the table, raising the stakes, and forcing Sky to bet big or fold.

  I haven’t even bought a turkey. Sky imagined watching the game with Pops and eating KFC together. It was a dismal picture. She owed him better.

  “Okay, Gita, you win. I can’t raise the stake. I would love to spend Thanksgiving in your home, if you’re really being upfront about small and informal.”

  “Sky, I would never manipulate you into doing something you didn’t want.”

  Taking her at her word, Sky nodded. “What time should we arrive?”

  “Can you fly in Wednesday night, so you’re here for my chef’s amazing Thanksgiving brunch? I am hosting a family party for veterans and their families at my Foundation in the afternoon, and then we’ll all meet for dinner. So, you’ll have plenty of free time.”

  “Sounds lovely, Gita. Thanks for asking me. I’ll see you then.”

  “Just three sleeps, and you’ll be here.” Gita’s gentle voice brought tears into Sky’s eyes. Her mother had counted time like that.

  “You know Sky, experience—and I’ve had a lot of it—has taught me when I’m stuck in a rut, there are only two choices…take action or change my attitude. You can decide you’re happy in your rut, or you can climb out of it. I don’t like seeing you so unhappy. I hope you think about what I’ve said and do something to change your circumstances. I love you, Sky.”

  “Gita, how can you say that? You hardly know me. I’ve been hostile, stand-offish, unavailable, and rude to you, in turn.”

  “None of that matters. None of it stops me from loving you. My love isn’t conditional, dependent on if you act or do what I want. It just is. And I’m sending you an aircraft carrier full of it tonight.” Blowing her a kiss, Gita signed off.

  Sky left the table and slumped onto the couch. For a long time, she sat, mulling over what Gita had said. Take action or change your attitude. Could she persuade he
rself she was happy without Adam in her life? Or did she have to go after him?

  But what would that look like? She was happy with big chunks of her life, working with Pops, competition flying, and living in Tahoe, running the airfield. Adam lived in Houston, worked for the family corporation, and had his friends and family close by. He couldn’t do that from Tahoe. Even if she chose to live there with him—supposing he still wanted her after her idiotic behavior—there was the question of fitting back into a lifestyle she rejected.

  Yes, she could handle the game playing that flowed like an endless river under every social engagement. She’d proven that in the hospitality suite at the Gala and at dinner at Patrick’s. That wasn’t fair, she corrected her thinking. There were no hidden currents at Patrick’s. He and Adam were genuine, and I felt comfortable and safe with them. Even so, I know that’s not the life I want, and it has nothing to do with my earlier experience. So, what are my goals for the next few years? What do I want in my life? Adam!

  His name popped into her mind with such clarity and speed, she was left in no doubt. Nothing else would have meaning if she did it without him. He’d said that. Everything would be easier if they faced it together.

  She moved to the table with new energy, pulled up a blank page on the laptop, and titled it My Bucket List.

  Adam’s name went down first. Next, she added competing in the European circuit. Family. The word she’d typed surprised her, and yet, it felt so right. She expanded it, adding: time with Gita, find Pops a companion, get to know Patrick.

  Marriage? Up until now the idea was just a distant concept she’d pushed away along with Brian. Children? She pictured raising a miniature Adam and giving him all the love they’d both missed when their mothers died young.

  Adam, stunt flying, family, marriage, children. She looked at the list and knew it had come from her heart. It was her deepest wishes put on paper. A magnified look at her life and needs she’d refused to examine until now. Shaken, she took in an unsteady breath. Wow! Who knew I’d been harboring all that behind my take-me-as-I-am attitude. Everyone but me, she decided, thinking over Gita’s words of advice, Pops’ hugs and pats on the back, Patrick’s long look between Adam and her, and Adam’s silent waiting.

  I want a lot. And I could lose a lot. No wonder I let my fears bully me into withdrawing. But where did that get me? Exactly nowhere.

  Change my attitude. I can’t accept this rut as my happy place.

  Take action. Yes. I’ll use my time in San Francisco to come up with a plan, then I’ll go to Houston, and tell Adam what I want. No subterfuge. No testing. Just straight out honesty. And if he doesn’t want me anymore, I’ll at least know I’ve done everything to rectify the mess I made. And if he has somebody else in his life, I’ll try to be happy for him. No. I can’t think like that. Positive. And when he tells me he wants me, too, together we’ll decide how our lives will mesh.

  With the decision, her heart felt lighter, and she attacked the mountain of work with new energy. She didn’t look up until Pops rapped on the door and stepped inside. “I’m feeling pretty lucky tonight,” he told her, as he wrapped her in a bear hug. “You ready to lose your shirt?”

  “You say that every night. And so far, I’m two thousand, one hundred, and seventy-six points ahead.” Sky closed the laptop, stacked the papers, and lifted the cribbage board and deck of cards from a drawer. Pops had begun challenging her to a game whenever he thought she was heading into a tailspin, and it had turned into a nightly routine. With her new attitude of positivity and action, she realized she’d monopolized his free time, depending on him, as if she was a cranky child with the mumps. That would change right now.

  “I bet you’d rather go home and watch the college game you taped last night,” she announced. “And I’m in the mood for a soak and some girly pandering.”

  He eyed her suspiciously. “Where’s Sky, and what have you done with her?”

  She laughed. “I have been a moping mop since the kidnapping. I’m sorry, Pops. I put you through hell and then dumped you in purgatory for the last few weeks.”

  “Don’t apologize for the kidnapping. And I wouldn’t say that was what made you so unhappy. You moved on from it within days. But when Adam left, you closed up tighter than a door on a meat freezer. I’ve been worried about you.”

  “Well don’t worry any longer. I’ve decided I’m done with wallowing. Oh, and I told Gita we’d come for Thanksgiving, so you needn’t worry about hanging around here with a long-faced freak.”

  “Well now. That’s great. I’m happy you’ve decided we’ll go. I know Brigitta dreams of sharing this Thanksgiving with her granddaughter.”

  “We’re flying over Wednesday and staying a couple of nights. There is some big do at the Foundation for veterans, so you’ll have the afternoon free to watch your beloved Dallas Cowboys play in the Turkey Day Game.”

  “My kind of party.” Pops gave her another huge hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Well, if you’re sure, I will take off. You’ve put me in the mood for a little football.”

  “I’m sure, Pops. And thanks for all your love and support while I acted like such a pill.”

  “No thanks necessary. I love you. But I’m sure relieved you’ve pulled out of this slump. For the last few days, you’ve looked like your engine stalled, and you were heading for the ground in an out-of-control spin.”

  Sky kissed his cheek. She was ashamed she hadn’t covered her unhappiness better and saved her wonderful father so much worry. “Night, Pops.”

  “Night, Skybird. See you in the morning.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Gita insisted she’d have a car meet them at the small airfield closest to her home. Sky and Pops stepped out of the Cessna into the warmth of California on a sunny day. Even the smog had taken a rest, pushed away by the passage of a frontal system.

  The dark SUV, driven by a quiet man in uniform, halted before heavy wrought-iron gates. He rolled down his window and spoke into an intercom. A motion activated camera sent a picture of him to a monitor in the main house.

  “Gita’s sure big on security,” Sky said. “If so much money means you’re always surrounded with guards and equipment, I’m sure glad I don’t have it.”

  Pops chuckled. “No worries about that, Skybird. We’re comfortable and doing better all the time, but we’ll never need bodyguards.”

  They were both silent, remembering Sky’s kidnapping and how bodyguards then might have prevented it.

  “That was a single and rare experience, a fluke caused by us owning something Cooper wanted. It’s not the same as Gita worrying about being kidnapped for ransom,” Sky reassured them both.

  “She has all this security, because she was kidnapped as a girl. Like the Lindbergh kidnapping, it was an inside job. The nanny took her out of the house and handed her over to one of her father’s business rivals. They held her hostage for four days, until her father paid a huge ransom. The guy wanted the money to strengthen his stocks on the market, because her father was buying the controlling shares. The kidnapper didn’t cover his tracks well, and he, his muscle, and the nanny all went to prison. They found Brigitta tied to a cot in a warehouse the guy owned.”

  “How ghastly. She never told me. How come you know?”

  “She was pretty shaken up when she flew over to see you after the kidnapping. Adam had left, and you were immersed in your own emotions, so you may not have noticed. She told me about it one night while you were sleeping. She said she still has a constant fear of being taken again.”

  “Poor Gita. She’s carried that fear all these years. She’s even stronger than I thought.”

  “Yes, she’s quite the woman, has faced many losses, has overcome a great deal of opposition, and has her hand firmly on the stick of a multibillion-dollar corporation,” Pops said with admiration.

  “And she’s working so hard on simplifying her Thanksgiving so I’ll be comfortable.” Sky muffled a laugh, as they drew up to the wide door, in which Gi
ta stood framed, her bodyguards and a baffled looking butler standing well back.

  “I bet she’s never opened a door in her life.” Pops grinned at Sky.

  “Watching Grandmother act ordinary will make this stay much more fun.”

  His eyes twinkled with mischief. “Maybe we can have a little fun and help her along.”

  “We’re bad,” Sky whispered as she stepped out of the back of the SUV. “We’re very, very bad.”

  “Sky, Max.” Gita sailed down the stairs, hands extended. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She clasped Sky’s hands and ran her gaze over her granddaughter. “Sky, you look lovely, so rested. Do I get a hug?”

  Sky wrapped her arms around the tiny lady, smothering a smile. “I took your advice and cleaned up.”

  Gita pursed her lips. “I suppose you’ll tease me the entire time,” she reproved, greeting Max with a put-upon sigh.

  “Not all of it.” Sky mimicked her look.

  Max chuckled. “A chip off the old block, for sure.”

  As the driver set their bags on the cobbled drive, Gita firmed her shoulders and stepped forward. “Here, let me take that.” She seized the handle of Sky’s wheeled suitcase and started bumping it up the wide stairs. The butler marched forward, a look of horror cracking his stony features, and tried to wrestle the case from Gita. She waved him away.

  “I’ll take it, along with mine. It will keep me balanced.” Max stole it from her tiny hand. “If your man will direct me.”

  “I’ll take you up.” She led them to the base of a wide curving stairway. At the top, it fanned out into two balconies curving around the second floor. The ceiling in the great hall was over twenty feet high. An enormous stained-glass window shed a brilliant pattern of color over the upper floor landing. Sky could see signs of wealth everywhere—in the masters hanging on the wall, the priceless porcelain set upon tables lining the hallways, and the custom-made carpets stretching down the glowing hardwood floor. Crystal sconces, in the art deco style, shed circular patterns of light over the tawny bronze silk covering the walls. Yet, melded together, they produced a warm beauty, a sense of comfort and home, even in the gigantic space.