"Go ahead, then."
"Remember when I first came to pick you up to bring you to Napa for Jacob and Becca's wedding?"
"Yeah."
"You caught me off guard.I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't you."
She gave him a small smile."I felt the same way."
He smiled back, but then it faded as he added, "But the thing is, you were nervous about flying, and I already knew that you were nervous about everyone in Napa."
She frowned."How did you know that?I'm not saying you're wrong," she added hurriedly, "but how did you know?"
He shrugged."When we were arranging who was going to fly out here to pick you up and I offered, Jacob reminded me that you're from Kansas, that you're like Becca."He shrugged again."Not used to...everything, you know, in Napa."
She nodded.It was fair.It wasn't as though she could deny it — or that she'd want to.A gull cried overhead, and she looked up, watching it speed away on a gust of wind.
"And the other thing is," he continued, "flying for a living, I tend to assess my passengers to figure out what's going to make them comfortable.Not that I fly many people in the Cirrus, but in the jet with Reaves, you know, some people are nervous, some people are excited, so I want to make sure that they enjoy it.And to other people, flying in the jet is no more out of the ordinary than riding on a bus.But my point is that when I came to pick you up, it was obvious you were nervous.You didn't like that I was going out of my way to come and collect you.And you hadn't flown in a small plane before."He shrugged."I don't know if I'm explaining this well.I'm just trying to give you all the reasons that in my mind added up to you weren't like the other wedding guests.Shit."He ran his hand through his hair."I think I'm making this worse instead of better."
She smiled and touched his arm."Don't be so hard on yourself.It's okay.It's all true, and you're right.I was nervous.I did feel out of place.I even thought to myself that since you were only a pilot, I could practice small talk on you.You were still a different breed from what I'm used to.But at least you weren't one of them."
He blew out a sigh."Yeah, and however I did it, I picked up on the fact that you were comfortable with me because Iwasn'tone of them, and I didn't want to make you uncomfortable with me," he said with a shrug.
The wind whipped a strand of hair across her face.He looked so earnest standing there, the ocean stretching out behind him, matching the color of his eyes.
"It was sweet of you," she told him."You were being kind."
He shook his head rapidly."No, I mean, yeah, I like to think that I'm kind to my passengers, but it wasn't about kindness."He made a face."I really am making a mess of this, aren't I?But the thing is, Callie, I was interested in you.Attracted to you.I didn't want to scare you off.I wanted to get to know you."
She smiled."And I'm glad you did."
"I am too.But then I shouldn't have let it go on."
Her smile faded."No, you shouldn't.But you know what?I get it.I understand why you did."She frowned."I'm not thrilled about the outright lying, though."She let out a short laugh."I was judging you hard for keeping Peanut and Butter in an apartment like that."
"And I knew it.I felt like everything I did was making things worse.And honestly, Callie, when I said we could take them out to a place where they could run, I was intending to take you to my place and to tell you that itwasmy place and to tell you what I'd done and why.But then as we were driving past the estate, I was trying to figure out exactly what I was going to say when I pulled up to the gates, and that's when..."
She sighed."Me and my sense of timing, huh?I had to choose your place as the one I pointed out to say I could never fit in with the people who lived there."
He let out a breath."Yeah.When you said that, I panicked and kept on driving."
She started walking again, and he fell in beside her.The wet sand was firm beneath her feet, the tide creeping closer with each wave.
"So, when the dogs ran off, they were running home, weren't they?"
"Yeah."He gave her a wry smile."I should have known they would.And even then, I was going to tell you, really, I was.I was going to explain why they'd run off to the house.And I was hoping that you'd come in and I'd be able to show you around and it'd all be behind us."
"But then Rosa came," said Callie, "and I thought she owned the place."
He nodded."And I didn't know how to explain without making it all even worse."
"I can see that."
He stopped walking again, and this time he caught her hand."I'm sorry.I was an idiot.All I'll say in my defense is that I did the wrong thing for the right reasons."
She took his other hand and drew him closer."And I was shocked and hurt when I found out."She smiled."But it's done now.We're over it.If you want to be."
"Hell yeah, I want to be."
