Jack continued to study the woman standing before him. Something about her was different from anyone he’d ever met. Different in a good way. A really good way.
That would be great, he reminded himself, if he was looking for a woman in his life right now. Which he wasn’t.
He had to get his feet on the ground and stay focused on the immediate objectives at hand. Find a job he enjoyed. I can’t wait to get my hands dirty again. Like in the early days when he followed his great-granddaddy around the hangar, handing him tools and learning how to fix planes.
That’s how Jack liked it. That’s what he seriously missed. Before shareholders and marketing specialists. Before bigger, faster, impersonal service. Before it became something Jack didn’t recognize or want to be a part of anymore.
He admired Hailey Holman instantly. Her obvious commitment to what she believed in was commendable. Her sense of humor was attractive, but man, he didn’t need any complications right now. And those blue eyes could definitely spell complications.
She brought him back to reality with a resolved nod. “Let’s talk about getting you to work. I’d like to get started as quickly as possible, before the ERA is revoked and I have to go back to the kitchen where I belong.”
He took the seat she offered and set his briefcase on his lap. “Great idea,” he agreed.
As soon as the words left his lips, he felt the crimson in his cheeks intensify. “I didn’t mean it was a great idea to go back to the kitchen. Or that your rights could be revoked. What I meant was … ”
She silenced him with an uplifted hand. “Ease up, Jack. I know what you meant.” She shook her head as her lips once more broke into an amused grin. “Honest, Jack. If you’re going to work around here, you have to lighten up. You take everything so literally.” The grin intensified.
“If you think men are superior to women in the workforce, it’ll be my most enjoyable task to show you otherwise.” Her sky blue eyes held a glint of challenge. “We all have our own strengths and weaknesses — men and women. That’s how God made us.”
Jack wanted to climb down into that hole he’d so effortlessly dug for himself. From now on, he’d keep his big mouth shut. If she was going to be his boss, that was actually fine with him. He believed it didn’t matter whether a person was male or female, just so they could do the job. But he could hear his father now. This would be one more thing for Marshall to ridicule his oldest son about.
He quickly flipped the clasp on his briefcase with an efficient snap, welcoming the thought of talking business. Certainly that was a safe topic. Maybe he wouldn’t embarrass himself further if they just stuck to what he knew best: airplanes and profit sheets. He hadn’t had anyone to banter back and forth with like this since … ever. That spark in her eyes when she laughed stirred something inside him. It was something like a cross between guarded intrigue and a magnet pulling him toward her. Even her teasing half smile drew him in and made him want to smile back at her. But the most fascinating thing was … she didn’t seem one bit aware of how amazingly gorgeous she was. This woman was going to keep him on his toes. Or frustrate him to no end. He wasn’t sure which.
• • •
Hailey found herself secretly enjoying Jack Stinson’s uneasiness. Not in a mean way of course, but she enjoyed the good-natured teasing and joking that once filled their home. Her sisters could be fun, but it wasn’t like when their dad was with them.
The semi-straight-faced, bordering on formal, applicant in her living room seemed a perfect candidate for some rounds of lighthearted fun. Potential is what he has.
Hailey tossed him a jovial smile before heading for the brown leather recliner across from the sofa. Her dad’s favorite chair had been a comfortable refuge, especially during the past six months. The soft leather still smelled like him.
On her way, a glimpse of her reflection in the large beveled mirror hanging above the chair caught her off guard.
Who is that?
Her disheveled reflection made her suddenly wish she’d taken the time to brush her hair and change from her dirty work clothes before he arrived. She must reek of oil and dirt from the morning’s work under the plane. Her eyes canvassed the sparkling hardwood floors. They picked up the pristine reflections of the crystal vases filled with fresh begonias resting on Grandma Holman’s antique side table.
She must look like a sack of tumbleweed in comparison.
Stop it! No big deal, she thought, feeling a bristle of indignation.
But this was, after all, an interview. A business meeting. It would merely have been more professional to present herself in a more positive light. Professionally speaking.
Not that she felt the need to make a good impression on Jack Stinson, or anything. It was nothing like that.
What was it her father always said? “Do the best with what you’ve been given, and leave the rest to the Almighty.”
She shook off the uninvited thoughts traveling through her mind.
Besides, she thought with a touch of annoyance, I don’t have to defend myself to myself.
She slid her fingers through tangled hair, wishing a comb or brush would drop from the ceiling fan above her. She caught him staring at her expectantly. “I’ve been sanding a few spots on the belly of the Skycat this morning. Getting ready to paint.”
She felt flustered. What was wrong with her? She never acted like this. Giddy. Like a diva. That’s what she called her sisters: divas. She raked her bangs back impatiently. Since when do I have anything to prove? Don’t be a woman right now, Hailey. Be a businessperson. Looks don’t matter, anyway, remember? “I’m sure I look like a wreck,” her mouth announced without warning.
His only comment was a slight squint in her direction.
She smiled an uncharacteristically self-conscious smile at Jack, eyeing his pocketed pullover shirt. He looked perfectly presentable, with an unusually sharp crease in his designer jeans. I’ll bet he irons everything. She had friends from college who ironed everything and Hailey had always teased them. Jeans, bed sheets, pajamas … of course, if that’s what they wanted to do, more power to ‘em.
She gave herself a mental jab in the ribs. Her cheeks continued to burn. Oh, for heaven’s sake. She hadn’t blushed in years, and now … consistently in less than one hour. She stretched her hand out in his direction. “How ‘bout that résumé?”
He retrieved a crisp professional folder from his briefcase and handed it to her. Taking it from his hand, the sight of her younger sister, Felicia, and her mother poking their nosey heads around the corner from the kitchen caught her eye. Hailey gave them a brief, tight-lipped grimace on the sly, hoping Jack didn’t pick up on the two eavesdroppers behind his back. Felicia held a hand pressed firmly against her own mouth to stifle a giggle, while Rinnie Holman shot her oldest daughter daggers through impatient eyes.
Hailey paused. “Uh, tell you what.” She reached across to lay his résumé on the coffee table between them. “I’ll get us some iced tea. We can sit on the porch. It’s safer … better! It’s better. Airy. Nice fresh air.” She hopped to her feet. “Sugar? Lemon or lime?”
“No sugar. Just a squirt of lemon.” He gave her a wry look. “In the glass, please, not in your sister’s face.”
She nodded as she hurried to the kitchen, his first attempt at levity escaping her notice. At any moment her mom could huff into the room and tell the poor guy to get lost. Or worse. Rinnie Holman was typically a kind Christian woman, but when it came to planes and the business — that tongue!
And it would be like Felicia to come right out and tell him about his adorable brown eyes and nice shoulders. Neither of them could be trusted to show tact. If anyone was going to do anything embarrassing in this family, it would be Hailey — and she wanted to keep it that way.
Hurrying to the kitchen, Hailey closed the door behind her. She stood, hands on hips, her face twisted into a warning grimace.
“What is wrong with you two?” she half whispered, her tone agitated enough to get her point across. “He could have turned around and seen you both acting like a couple of loony tunes.”
“Oh, I’m sorry I’m such a wreck,” her sister fawned. “If I’d only known you were such a hottie I would have dressed up in my best coveralls, or at least brushed my ratty hair … ” Her sister fell over her mom in a fit of giggles.
Rinnie pushed her youngest daughter away. “Well, I don’t think it’s funny. Stop wasting that young man’s time. His services aren’t needed here, and if you don’t tell him, I’ll tell him right now.”
Hailey shushed her mother as she hurried to pour Jack’s tea, giving it a quick squirt of lemon. Without thinking, she aimed the lemon at Felicia and issued an ultimatum. “You either keep Mom quiet, or you get this again.”
Felicia let out a louder cackle at Hailey’s threat. “Well, I’ll just go in and tell that man that you want to give him a big fat kiss on the lips.” She directed a loud smacking sound at Hailey. “So are you gonna ask him to marry you? Can I go in and ask him to marry you?”
Hailey gathered Jack’s glass along with the watered-down glass she’d poured for herself earlier. “First of all, stop acting like a sixteen year old. And second, you just do that, Miss Diva, and I’ll tell him that those cheerleading sweaters that you so amply fill out aren’t totally, shall we say, you.”
Felicia gasped. “You wouldn’t!” Her mouth gaped open. “And they’re only lightly padded.” She gripped her mother’s arm. “Aren’t they, Mom? And I am sixteen, so I can act sixteen if I want.”
Hailey turned to leave the kitchen, issuing one last order with a stern frown. “You two behave and stay here in the kitchen where you belong.” She closed the door between the kitchen and living room with her foot and made her way into the living room with a tall glass balanced in each hand.
She handed Jack his tea. “Here. Let’s go,” she said hurriedly.
“Is everything all right?” He cast a curious look over his shoulder, toward the kitchen.
“All right? Oh, sure, fine. Everything’s great.” She took a long, deliberate sip of tea, retrieved the résumé from the coffee table where she’d left it, and headed for the front door. Maybe her mother wouldn’t follow them outside and try to scare him off. Maybe if they worked fast …
Jack followed her, briefcase and glass of tea in hand, back out onto the porch.
“This is better,” she insisted. “Much roomier, don’t you think? Lots of fresh air out here.”
He glanced at the vast outdoors around them.
“Pick a swing, any swing.” She motioned to the two swings facing each other, and without waiting for his choice, plopped herself on the swing facing the front door. Just in case.
He seated himself opposite her on the empty swing and set his briefcase beside him on the seat.
She held the paper before her and let her eyes scan the lines quickly. Born on … graduated from … worked for … ah. There it was. The million-dollar question. With the million-dollar answer sitting right beside it.
Single.
She raised her eyes and found him watching her with intent patience. She gave her swing a slight push with her work boot. Any self respecting boss would need to know that. For insurance purposes. Yeah, uh-huh, insurance.
“Your resume looks really good. Let me tell you more about our operation.”
He settled back intently as she continued.
“We have two crafts, both of which you’re familiar with, since your company designs and manufactures the Skycats.” She smiled at him. “I love that plane, by the way. My dad thought it was the best.”
She went on. “As we discussed on the phone, I need a certified A & P who can do routine maintenance and repairs. It helps that you’re a pilot, too, even though according to your résumé, you’re not up on your hours. We’ll have to recertify you so you can help me with the flying. My father and I stayed unbelievably busy. When I left for school, he had to turn down quite a bit of work. I want to make that up to him.”
She set the résumé in her lap, suddenly aware but pleasantly surprised, at how well she’d regained her business sense. Somewhere during the conversation her brain had recovered and she felt decidedly more in control. As she was supposed to be.
“It’ll take both of us working hard. We’ll be the nearest reputable base station in a sixty mile radius.” She decided to hold off telling him about the irreputable station for now. Neal and Paul Watson. Why spoil a perfectly good interview before she absolutely had to? It was enough that she’d have to tell him that her mom wasn’t thrilled about reopening.
Not thrilled. Understatement.
Obviously, neither situation was something she’d be able to keep from him, for obvious reasons. Nor would she want to. But she couldn’t help but dread the thought of it.
She gave herself another giant push and tucked her legs underneath her. “We rent hourly to individuals, or we pilot the crafts ourselves for business and pleasure trips.” She let her eyes follow a hummingbird to a feeder at the other end of the porch, and then fixed her gaze back on his face.
“You and I would be the only staff pilots, so as my father and I did, we would try to book clients so that one of us could be here at all times for refueling and to take calls.” She stopped to let her words sink in. “Sound good so far?”
Jack gave a firm nod of his head. “We discussed salary and hours on the phone, so I’m clear on everything, I believe. This job sounds like exactly what I’m looking for. I’m sure you’ll want to check my references.”
She gave him an incredulous look. “You think you’re sitting on my family’s porch without being checked out first?” But until he stepped out of his vehicle and she got a look at him, it hadn’t occurred to her to check his marital status.
He gave a slow, knowing nod. “Of course. I should have guessed you’d already have done that.”
“So, you’re ready to start today? After lunch?”
“Yes, ma’am. Just point me to the nearest hotel where I can plant my stuff and get a bite to eat, and I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
“You could drive into town and eat at my Uncle Frank’s diner, they have the best sweet tea and chicken fried steak you’ve ever had. But I’m sure you’re exhausted from the drive and lunch is already cooked and ready here.” She wrinkled her nose at him. “And the only hotel within forty miles is the Barnes Roach Motel.” She waited for a chuckle but he only nodded.
“It’s not really called that, by the way. In case you were wondering, I was making one of my famous jokes.” She hesitated again and let it go. “I’d hate to send you there.”
She hadn’t intended to offer, but something told her it was the right thing to do. “We have a nice cottage near the hangar. You’re welcome to bunk there until you find a place.” Her mouth twisted into a wry smile. “It’s either that or the aforementioned Barnes Motel.” She gave an exaggerated shudder. “Want to see the cottage?”
“Gratefully. If your family doesn’t mind.” She folded his résumé and tucked it into her shirt pocket as she rose from her seat. “No, of course not! Why would they mind? You’re more than welcome to stay here.” Not a total fib. She was glad he was there. And as far as the rest of the family goes, they’d definitely be on board once they got on board with all the rest of the stuff they weren’t crazy about right now.
“I’ll stay in my sister Lindsey’s room. She’s off at college right now. Except for some weekends.” She made her way down the porch steps with Jack matching her step for step on their way to the back side of the house. She stopped midway on the gravel drive. “There it is. Isn’t it great?”
He let out a low whistle and gave a nod of agreement. “This is the little cottage you mentioned? It’s a miniature country estate!”
She tipped her face to the blue sky, basking in the compliment as well as the rays of the warm Texas sun. “My father and I built it.”
His mouth gaped open and he looked from her to the cottage and back to her. “Are you serious?”
She nodded, her thoughts filtering back to the first day when she walked arm-in-arm with her dad as they followed the brick path around the house, surveying their handiwork. It was to be her own home, and the two of them had designed the plans together.
The wrap-around porch was her idea. The double doors into the kitchen were his. She hated to let anyone else move into her home, but it made more sense than expecting Jack to find a place in Barnes right away. The roach-infested Barnes Motel was out of the question. Besides, she wanted the person she hired to be close to the aircraft. This was the best she could do for now. It was worth the sacrifice. She knew her father would agree.
Jack broke her thoughts as he marveled again at the intricate woodwork across the front of the house. Before she could respond with another thank you, the ear-piercing roar of an old mufflerless pickup zoomed past the house, shattering the peaceful countryside. In an instant, a longneck beer bottle flew from the passenger’s side window, soaring the long distance from road to Jack’s Jeep, where it smacked fiercely against the rear headlight. The hit was followed by the outrageous wild yelps of the truck’s occupants.
The unexpected ruckus hung in the humid April air like an ominous cloud. Hailey turned her stormy eyes to face the utter shock on Jack’s face. Even from where they were standing, there was no question about the damage to his Jeep.
“I guess I should tell you about the Watson brothers.” She choked the words out between clinched lips. “Our competition.”