“Wanna go flying?” I asked, standing behind her and working product into my hair and beard before pulling my hair back on top of my head. It needed trimming badly—as did my beard. I was starting to look a little too scruffy.
She spit the toothpaste out and grinned at me. “Absolutely I do! Could we go a little further this time?”
“Sure. Let’s fly up toward Jackson Hole. If there’s time, we could refuel and maybe head toward the Yellowstone South Entrance.”
“Really?” Her eyes lit up at the idea.
“Really,” I laughed.
She turned and threw her arms around my waist. “Have I mentioned how much I love you?”
“I love you too,” I kissed the tip of her nose. “Now go get your jacket.”
Chapter 37
Trust exercise
Finn
Four o’clock sunlight caught the wings of the Cub as Alex banked us gently eastward, the federal wilderness dropping away beneath us in rolling waves of sage and pine. We were on our way back from Jackson Hole after taking our longest flight yet—and watching her handle the controls with careful precision never got old.
“There,” she said, pointing toward a clearing below where a small herd of elk grazed in the afternoon shadows. “Are those the ones that come through your place in winter?”
“Different herd. Those’ll be further north when the snow hits,” I adjusted my headset and settled back against the seat. She had earned my complete trust at the controls. Natural didn’t begin to cover it—she flew like she’d been born to it. “Nice turn back there. You’re holding altitude exactly.”
“Thanks,” her voice carried that pleased note it always got when I complimented her flying. “I keep expecting the horizon to tilt or something, but it’s just...staying put.”
“That’s what good flying feels like. When it stops being work and starts being second nature.”
This was my favorite part of any day with her—just the two of us in the cockpit, Alex completely in her element, the rest of the world reduced to landmarks and horizon.
“You know,” I said as she banked us gently around a thermal, “watching you fly is almost as sexy as watching you dominate the corporate world.”
Her laugh filled the headset. “Almost?”
“Well, the corporate domination involved you in your underwear,” I pointed out. “Hard to compete with that.”
“Lieutenant Commander Walker,” she replied in her most professional tone, “are you suggesting I should fly in my underwear?”
The image that forced its way into my mind made my pulse quicken. “I’m suggesting you could probably convince me of anything when you’re being brilliant while half-dressed.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” the promise in her voice made me grin.
“Moose,” she said suddenly, her tone becoming more focused as it did when something caught her eye. “Two o’clock, by that beaver pond.”
I followed her line of sight and spotted the bull standing knee-deep in water. Massive antlers silhouetted against the late afternoon sun. “Good eye. Most people miss them. They blend right in.”
“The proportions are all wrong for blending in. That’s what makes them stand out,” she held our heading steady while we both watched the moose. “Like seeing a pickup truck pretending to be a car.”
That got a laugh out of me. “I’ll remember that the next time someone asks me how to spot wildlife from the air.”
The comfortable silence stretched between us, filled only by the steady drone of the engine and the whisper of wind past the struts. Alex’s hands rested lightly on the yoke, making tiny corrections with subconscious skill that usually took months to develop.
My thoughts drifted toward flight instruction—not just these afternoon lessons with Alex, but an actual future of it. The idea had been circling in my head for weeks now. I might not be able to give certified instruction from the air, but I’d had ground instructors during training who taught weather patterns, navigation principles, aircraft systems. Teaching felt natural in a way I hadn’t expected. Alex soaked up every explanation, asked questions that made me think deeper about concepts I’d taken for granted. Maybe there was something there—another path forward I hadn’t considered.
“You’re quiet back there,” she glanced over her shoulderbriefly. “Plotting our next adventure?”
“Something like that,” I glanced toward the horizon where clouds were beginning to build. Nothing worrisome—just the usual afternoon development you could expect this time of year. “Just thinking about how much there is to learn about flying. Weather, navigation, aviation systems, and the like.”
