Page 32 of When the Smoke Clears

“We’re not in public. There’s no need to be polite,” she said, stepping into the hallway.

“True. But if something’s not suitable for public discourse, it’s also not suitable for the ladies.”

Her laughter filled the air as I walked to the elevator. “You’re a peculiar guy, William Landry. And I mean that in the best way.”

I puffed out my chest, even though she was the second-year medical student who flew kites by herself as a pastime. Peculiar? Absolutely.

When we arrived at the park, she jumped out of the cab and pulled the kite from its bag before we made it past the sidewalk.

“It’s a designer fighter cheel kite. Isn’t it beautiful?”

I nodded as she handed me the reel to hold. The kite was sky blue with pink and green. It was fine. Beautiful felt like a stretch.

In a matter of seconds, she had it assembled. I handed her the spool, and then she kicked off her shoes and tossed the kite into the air, but the breeze didn’t catch it. She tried several more times.

“It’s not windy enough,” I said.

“It’s fine. Here. You’re taller. I’ll hold the spool, and you hold the string close to the kite and run with it, slowly letting out more string.”

I stared at her. What happened to my one-night stand? Why was I at a park flying a kite without so much as a hand job? More than that, why was her grin so big? And why did it do weird things to my chest?

“Fine,” I said with an exaggerated sigh.

Everleigh lit up, eyes wide and shoulders at her ears like she was on the verge of squealing.

I jogged with the kite, letting out the string as it took flight. “Faster!” she yelled.

I laughed. “How fast do you think I can run with my hand in the air?”

“Okay, let go!”

I released the string, and the kite caught a wave of air. Everleigh released more string and gazed up at the kite, eyes squinted against the sun. I looked at her face-splitting grin, the breeze blowing her hair into her face, and the way she moved back and forth, side to side on her toes as if flying a kite were a dance.

“Do you want to fly it?” she asked.

“It’s your thing. I’m good.”

She stole a quick glance at me. “I invited you, so it’s our thing. Maybe you can let me do your top-secret pastime with you. That would make us official friends.”

I choked on my laugh, pressing a fist to my mouth. “We’ll see.”

She handed me the spool. “Got it?”

I nodded, taking it from her.

“Fun, right?”

I grinned without answering.

“See? There’s plenty of wind once you get it up there. Let’s lie down.”

“What?”

She crossed her feet and squatted before rocking onto her back.

“What do the directions say? Is it safe to fly a kite while lying on the ground?”

“It’s easier on your neck,” she said.