Page 39 of Falling for the Playboy Pilot

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DALTON

“She did well,” Pickle said. “Admit it.”

I grunted, not ready to give him the satisfaction. “She didn’t crash. That’s a start.”

Pickle laughed, shaking his head. “Come on, man. You know she nailed it. It’s okay to dole out a compliment or two. She spotted a fire.”

“I spotted it,” I corrected him, though I couldn’t deny she’d been solid up there. More than solid. She’d been damn near flawless. It pissed me off how much I’d been impressed.

Before Pickle could say anything else, Chief walked over, clipboard in hand and a serious look on his face. He nodded at Pickle, who took the hint and wandered off to give us some privacy.

“So?” Chief asked. “How’d she do? Give me your honest opinion.”

I hesitated for a second, then sighed. “She did well.”

Chief raised an eyebrow. “Well? That’s it?”

“Better than well,” I admitted. “She handled the storm like she’s been flying in them her whole life. Kept her cool when we spotted the fire. Followed instructions for the most part and didn’t panic when things got dicey.”

Chief nodded slowly. “You think she’s ready for solo missions?”

“Solo?”

“You know what I mean. Can we send her up as pilot or spotter?”

I took a deep breath. “She’s had one flight.”

“Yeah, but it wasn’t just a flight.”

I looked around the hangar and didn’t see her. I needed to debrief with her. We didn’t do a lot of talking up there and she did need to know she did a good job. It wasn’t about showering her with a bunch of fluffy compliments. It was about telling her what she did right and what areas she could do better in. And everyone could do better. Even me.

“Where did she go?” I asked.

Chief looked around. “I don’t know. Maybe to get a drink. Hey, what the hell are you doing with a cat?”

“What?”

“I came across some mangy thing and tried to shoo it out but the guys told me it was your cat.”

“I don’t have a cat.” The accusation was worse than accusing me of murder.

“Well, feed it. Take it to the vet. It can’t be living in my hangars. I don’t want it getting in a cockpit. That’s not a surprise anyone needs in the air, finding a confused cat as a copilot.”

I frowned. “I don’t have a cat. I’m not taking anything to the vet, and how in the fuck would a cat get in a cockpit?”

“Because cats are sneaky little bastards,” Chief said. “And if it’s hanging around here, it’s your problem now. You’re the one feeding it.”

I opened my mouth to argue but stopped myself. It wasn’t worth the fight. Besides, the damn cat had been hanging around for weeks, and yeah, I’d been tossing it scraps here and there. But that didn’t make it my cat. I wasn’t a cat person. I wasn’t a pet person at all. Animals were messy, needy, and unpredictable. Three things I didn’t have time for and didn’t want to make the time for.

“Fine,” I muttered. “I’ll deal with it.”

Chief gave me a satisfied nod and walked off, leaving me standing there with a scowl on my face. I glanced around the hangar again, still looking for Janna. She’d disappeared after the flight, and I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or a bad one. She’d handled herself well up there, but I knew how it felt to come down from that kind of adrenaline high. It could hit you hard when you least expected it.

I spotted Laser. If anyone knew where Janna was, it would be her.

“Hey,” I said as I caught up to her. “You seen Janna?”