“So I’ve been told.”
Too soon they were standing beside her truck, the night about to come to a close. She wished for an excuse to prolong the evening, especially knowing they only had a few more days to spend together. A lot could happen in three years, and it was entirely possible they might part ways and never see each other again. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Be ready bright and early,” he said.
“Haylee doesn’t mind watching Graham?”
“The only reason Haylee doesn’t have a dog is because Mom and Dad won’t allow it. You should be more worried about her kidnapping Graham than him being a nuisance.” Cody reached out toward her cheek, his fingertips grazing her skin.
Is he really going to kiss me?
Her breath stalled in her lungs as she dared only to stare at his Kenai Peninsula sweatshirt.
“You had a hair,” he said, tucking it beneath her ear and dropping his hand. Leaving Jenna to feel incredibly foolish for allowing impossible fantasies to take hold and rob her of her good sense.
“Right.” She cleared her throat and stepped back to open the door. “So, see you tomorrow?”
“Are you going to make me walk home?” he teased, his tone easygoing and effortless.
“Right. You need a ride.” She hoped the darkness hid her reddening cheeks, but she turned away just in case. If Cody was feeling even half of what she was in that moment, nothing about his voice or expression gave him away. Leave it to Jenna to fall for a man who would never see her as more than a friend.
ChapterNine
Cody
“Want to sit up front?” Cody offered Jenna as Liam Davies finished the preflight checks on the outside of his Super Cub. They couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day this late in the season. Because most tourist places had closed up shop for the winter, they might even get lucky enough to have the lake to themselves.
Lips pinched tightly together, Jenna shook her head. Her sunglasses hid her eyes, making it hard to get an accurate read on her. Something he was still having enough trouble doing without obstacles. Was she nervous about flying or about being in the water? Or was it the prospect of seeing a bear—which they likely would—that unsettled her?
“The view’s amazing from any window, but it’s the best from the copilot seat.”
“Back is fine.”
“Ready to go?” Liam called from the opposite side of the plane.
“Jenna?”
She crawled into the back seat of the plane without another word, shaky hands struggling with her seat belt until it finally clicked into place. She sat rigidly, her hands tucked between her legs. He could sense her nervousness like a thick fog in the air.Afraid of flying it is.
“I’ll sit in back with Jenna,” Cody told Liam.
Liam smirked, but at least he had the decency to keep his thoughts to himself. Cody didn’t want to give Jenna the wrong impression, but he wasn’t so heartless that he’d make her face this fear alone. He’d met a few women who faked fears to get his attention; Jenna definitely wasn’t one of them. Until this very moment, he wasn’t certain shehadany fears.
“What are you doing?” Jenna snapped when he crawled into the cramped seat beside her and buckled in.
“Riding back here with you.”
“Why?”
Admittedly, he missed the easygoing Jenna with lowered walls from last night. He’d almost kissed her—twice. Once on the pier when he noticed her shivering, and again at the truck when he made an excuse about tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. That version of Jenna had nearly let him. But kissing her would do neither of them any good when it came time to saying goodbye.
There was no threat of kissing now. Not with those walls fortified back in place. Why did he so badly want to shake that up?
“Do I need a reason?” he finally answered because he felt Jenna’s glacial stare through her sunglasses penetrating his comfort zone. She had an effect on him no one else did, and he wasn’t certain what to make of it. It was easier now to pick it apart. In a few days, it wouldn’t matter anyway.Right?
“You feel sorry for me.” She groaned, turning her head over her shoulder to peer out the window as Liam fired up the engine.
“You never mentioned you were afraid of flying.”
