As if being a prisoner of war hadn’t been terrible enough, the real horror had been coming home to discover his worst fear realized—that Merrilee, believing him dead, had married one of her father’s colleagues. And even though he’d eventually married a fine woman, and though he’d loved Evelyn with all his heart, C.J. had never stopped loving Merrilee, had never stopped thinking about her.
It wasn’t until too late that he’d learned through the grapevine that Merrilee’s marriage was a loveless one. When he’d first returned from Nam, he couldn’t bring himself to interfere with what he assumed was a happy, healthy marriage. He certainly hadn’t wanted to put himself between her and her new husband. It had seemed easier on both of them—and fairer to her—to simply let her believe he’d been killed during the war. And later, when C.J. gleaned the truth about Merrilee’s relationship with Weston, he had Evelyn and his girls.
About a year after he lost Evelyn to cancer, he’d thought about finding Merrilee. But by then, he’d lost track.
A few months later, he’d read about her successful resort in the Florida Keys, and the next thing he knew, he’d signed on as the company pilot.
You are a crazy old fool. He grinned. Maybe he was. But he intended to give this his best shot, to make it up to her. He wanted Merrilee to know she was still special and loved—and always had been.
In the right-hand seat, his passenger shifted, her eyes fluttering open.
“Welcome back,” he said. “How are you feeling, Ms. Cartwright?”
She smiled. “Kyra, please. And I’m much better, Mr….”
“Miller,” he said, reminding her. “C. J. Miller.”
She shifted her arm, revealing the notebook on herlap. He caught a glimpse of a few neatly printed items running down the page, each one with a checkmark beside it: plane ticket, cab fare, tip for bellboy, magazine for plane, undies and makeup in carry-on.
He glanced out the side window to hide his grin, deciding that more and more she reminded him of his daughter. When he turned back, she seemed a little less nervous than before.
She looked up at him, her gray eyes wide. “I still can’t believe we’re just going to land on the water.”
“Believe me, ma’am, in this type of plane, you don’t want me bringing it down on land.”
“Well, I did come to Fantasies, Inc. for an adventure.” Her laugh was warm and cheerful, but the way she twisted her hands in her lap suggested that she was simply doing a good job of hiding her nerves.
“I promise I know what I’m doing.”
She glanced down, sheepish, and untangled her hands. “Sorry. It’s not… I mean, it’s true I’m not crazy about small planes, but…” She trailed off, rolling one shoulder in a half-shrug.
He grinned. “But that’s not all you’re nervous about.”
Her hesitant smile was answer enough. “I guess you see a lot of this,” she said. “Guests, that is, scared silly of their own fantasy.”
“Not too many. Nervous, yes, I’ve seen a lot of that.” He turned to face her. “Are you? Scared, I mean.”
She pondered the question. “No, I suppose not. Notreally. Not about this, anyway.” She looked down at the hands she was again twisting in her lap. “I’ve made up my mind to get married soon, and I suppose I’m a little nervous about that. But I’ve gone over all the pros and cons.” She clutched the spiral notebook to her chest. “I’m sure I’m doing the right thing. But I guess I still need a week alone before I do it.”
“That makes perfect sense to me.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Absolutely.”
“Thanks.” She smiled, almost shyly. “I have to admit, I’m terribly curious as to how everything is going to come together. But I trust Ms. Weston.”
He nodded, trying to convey a wealth of understanding and support in his simple gesture. “You should. Merrilee would never steer you wrong.”
This time her smile was grateful. “I could tell that about her right off.” She frowned, as if trying to decide whether or not to say more. “I told my dad and my brother that I was going to a business conference. Sometimes I wonder what they’d say if they knew I was vacationing at a fantasy resort. I suppose they’d think I’m being silly and self-indulgent.”
He wanted to tell her that the one thing she needed to do was follow her heart. Instead, he simply smiled. “No, not silly at all. I think you’re being honest.” He reached over and patted her hand. “If you were my daughter I’d be proud. It takes a lot of guts to realize there may be other paths our lives can take. There’snothing selfish about wanting to rack up a few experiences before moving on to the next phase of your life.”
“Thank you,” she said, her words almost a sigh.
“You’re welcome. And thanks for keeping me company during the flight.”
“Some company.” She laughed, her cheeks flushing. “Unless I talk in my sleep.”
