“Well, start talking.”
Ace looked around the cabin instead of at him, noting the scarred coffee table and the stack of books near the hearth. A set of snowshoes hung by the door even though it was summer. “I’m not sure what to say.”
“Okay. Let’s start here. Why don’t you get your ass back in the air where it belongs?”
Ace sighed and leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. He stared at the floor for a beat. The mountains outside caught his eye again. Open sky. Endless space. He used to crave it. “All right.”
He might as well tell Smitty everything, especially about his friend who’d died. If Ace was going to find his way into the skies again, he needed to sack up and get it all off his chest. Maybe make it so his body didn’t betray him with panic every time he thought about flying again. “It’s like this.”
Chapter Seventeen
“You look really pretty today, May,” Ivy said, cleaning up after the third patient of the day.
May jerked and looked up at her friend before glancing down at her jeans and blue shirt beneath her lab coat. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. There’s some sort of glow around your face.”
Heat instantly spiraled into May’s cheeks. She turned away under the pretense of organizing a tray of instruments. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but thank you.”
“You bet.” Ivy closed the biohazard container and scribbled a quick note on the chart before setting it aside. Outside, sunlight streamed through the front windows, bright after the storm, promising more good weather to come. “I kind of needed to talk to you.”
“Oh.” May turned and rested back against the counter, crossing her arms. “What’s up?”
“Well…” Ivy swallowed. Actually swallowed. That was new.
May straightened a little. “You okay?”
“I went on another date with Jack Jones last night.”
May didn’t see that romance ending until Jack left town, considering he was already sending flowers. “Oh. Somewhere other than night fishing again?”
“Yeah.” Ivy’s eyes filled with something soft and hopeful. “He’s really nice. He’s in marketing and helping with the campaign. He’s originally from New York,” she added quickly. “Can you believe it?”
“Sure,” May said.
“He just seems so natural out here that it’s hard to believe he’s from a big city.” Ivy tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “We just went to the movie at the Moosejaw.”
May reached for some lotion to rub into her hands. The cinema was really just a converted community hall with folding seats and a popcorn machine that squealed when it heated up. Still, it was something to do in Knife’s Edge. “I’m glad you had fun.”
“I just thought I should tell you that it was more than just that one fishing night, with me and Jack,” Ivy said.
May turned back toward her. “I figured that, but you don’t have to tell me about your personal life.”
Ivy hesitated. “Yeah, but you’re my friend first and boss second.”
May softened. “You’re my friend, too.” But she wasn’t going to share about her night with Ace. Not yet. The experience had been more explosive and emotional than she’d expected, and it definitely hadn’t felt like a one-night anything. He’d even kissed her in full view of everyone in his truck before dropping her off at the clinic this morning. Not that anyone had been around, but still. He wasn’t subtle.
And she hadn’t protested.
She had kissed him right back.
The memory made her stomach flip in a way that had nothing to do with nerves and everything to do with anticipation. His hand on her jaw. The way he’d looked at her like she mattered. She turned her focus back on Ivy. Later, she’d figure out her love life. “Did you have fun on your date?”
“I did.” Ivy perched on the edge of the exam table. “Okay. I’m going to say it.”
“Say what?”
“You did not get that glow from better sleep,” Ivy noted.
