Darla paces past the window outside, claiming that if she didn’t get some space and fresh air, she was going to start punching people. Probably Shawn.
I understand the sentiment.
“I invited you to distract me,” I growl. “Not compound my worry.”
“You’reworried?” he yelps. “Why? Why the hell are you worried? Did you lie to her about being good? Oh god, is she a shitty pilot and you wanted to keep from hurting her feelings, so you lied and now she’s up there and doesn’t know what to do?” Shawn is on his feet, his face purple.
Darla sticks her head in the door. “Why is Shawn yelling? What happened?”
“Nothing happened. He’s being unnecessarily dramatic.”
She breathes out a sigh of relief, flips Shawn the bird, and retreats outside.
I scowl at my best friend. “Beth is an amazing pilot. Better than I was at this point in my training. Did you freak out this much when I got my license?”
“No. But that’s because I was in my wake-and-bake phase. I was too high to be worried.” He groans and collapses back in his chair. “I should have gotten some weed gummies or something.”
“Doesn’t BBN drug test?” Pretty sure I had to pee in a cup when I first got hired, but that may have just been an order from my dad disguised as corporate policy.
“Fuck BBN,” Shawn grumbles, glaring out the window as a Piper PA-28 Cherokee comes in for a landing. Not the blue and white Cessna 172 I long to see.
My friend’s words do something I didn’t think was possible. They distract me from what’s happening two thousand five hundred feet in the air right now.
“Could you repeat that?”
“I said fuck BBN. Or fuck BnB.” He gives a dry chuckle at Beth’s silly nickname for the company, and I feel a smile trying to claim my mouth. But I can’t let jokes distract me from this moment.
“You’re not happy there anymore?”
He glares at me, which looks more like a pout, because Shawn’s face was not made for anger. “Ever since I found out my father is a piece of shit, I’m not too keen on supporting the family legacy. Plus, my best friend quit, so I don’t even get to look forward to hanging out with you.”
I handed in my notice the Monday after the wedding party. And all I regretted was not making the move sooner. Especially after I interrogated my father and finally got him to admit that he knew how Karl had forced Beth’s mom to quit BBN in an attempt to cover up his affair. Not only that, my father had supported the move. The Baylors, it turns out, thought Charlotte quit on her own terms and that Karl was at least paying child support. Sounds like there will be some tense discussions among the partners about the future of the company.
And I’m going to need a lot of time and space before I’m ready to have a civilized conversation with my father again.
Even though I don’t know what the next step in my career is yet, I’m content not to be a part of BBN anymore.
“Are you thinking of leaving?” I ask.
Shawn drags a hand through his hair, leaving the red gold strands in a tangle.
“Maybe. But what would I even do? I’ve spent my whole life training to take over the company with Tasha. There’s noncompete language in my contract so I can’t work for the competition—not that I would want to. I wouldn’t do that to Tasha. And could I even leave her on her own to handle BBN?”
I snort. “Feel free to ask her about it, but I’m betting she can handle the place just fine without you.” I brace my elbows on my knees and hold Shawn’s gaze. “As for what you’ll do, we can figure it out.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
His grin is slow but wide. “I think Darla might like me more if I’m not a BBN drone.”
“Is that a thing?” I glance out the window where the woman is shadowboxing.
Shawn sighs. “Not yet. But she still hasn’t told me to officially fuck off. So I think I have a chance.” The eternal optimist. I reach over to pat his knee, then sink back into worrying about the woman I love.
A half hour later the rumble of a plane engine draws my attention, and a familiar aircraft approaches the runway. I sprint out of the terminal, not bothering to tell Shawn she’s back. He’s smart enough to figure it out.
We stand together, holding our breath, watching as Beth guides the single-engine plane home. A larger crowd wanted to be here. Charlotte, Marge, Sally, Sam, Billy, and Riann. But Beth said having so many people watching would freak her out.
