“It’s not ridiculous,” I insisted.
A look I had come to know well passed through her eyes, like shadows blotting out the sun. “I suck at goodbyes,” she muttered. Dropping her gaze from mine, she pressed her forehead against my chest, just above my heart. I felt her hand slide up and down my back, almost as if she was trying to comfort me.
When she lifted her face again, her eyes were shuttered, her chin set in a stubborn line. “I’ll miss you,” she said simply before she leaned up and pressed her lips to mine quickly.
“I’ll miss you too.” I tried to hold her, but Delilah was clearly determined not to drag this moment out.
She stepped back abruptly and grabbed her bag. “I’ll call you when I land.”
“Delilah—” I began.
She walked away backward, pressing her fingertips against her lips and blowing me a kiss. “’I’ll miss you, Alex,” she called.
I began to move in her direction, but unfortunately, I had already walked as far as I could with her. We were just outside the security section at the airport. A somber security agent held up his palm. “Sorry, sir, you’ll need to wait back here unless you’re a traveling passenger.”
Feeling defeated, I watched as Delilah walked away. The airport in Anchorage wasn’t crowded this morning. It was only a few minutes before her dark head disappeared after she went through security. She never once looked back.
Turning away, I walked through the airport, a sense of melancholy settling over me. When I stepped outside, it was still dark, and the air was bitingly cold. January in Anchorage was never warm. I’d guess it was close to zero with the windchill this morning.
It would be several hours before the sun came up. For now, the stars glittered above as I climbed into my truck and began the drive back to Willow Brook.
I didn’t know how, but I was going to convince Delilah it was worth seeing where this thing between us went.
“I’m all about love, Alex, but you can’t expect Delilah to think it’s worth trying a long-distance relationship without telling her how you feel,” Holly said.
“I did tell her how I feel,” I protested.
“How you feel about who?” Janet asked as she stopped beside our table and set down my bagel with cream cheese and Holly’s croissant.
“Alex is in love, but he won’t say the L word,” Holly said tartly before taking a bite of her croissant and leaving me to face Janet’s curious gaze.
We were having breakfast at Firehouse Café. Janet was the owner, and I’d known her my entire life. Her silver braid was spun into a circle on top of her head, and her round cheeks plumped with her smile when she looked at me.
“You’re in love? I need the scoop. And how come I haven’t heard about this sooner?” Janet prompted.
I didn’t even try to hide my sigh. “When we went to the ski lodge in Diamond Creek over the holidays, I ran into a girl I knew back in high school.”
“Oh, she’s from Willow Brook?” Janet returned.
I refused to look at my sister because I knew she was enjoying putting me on the spot like this. “No, Delilah’s not from Willow Brook. I met her one summer when I went to camp in Colorado.”
“And you both ended up at Last Frontier Lodge together over Christmas? Oh, it feels like fate.” Janet put her hand on her chest over her heart as she looked at me, practically getting misty-eyed.
I took a gulp of my coffee before replying, “She doesn’t feel that way. She went back to North Carolina and thinks it’s ridiculous that I want to try to have a long-distance relationship.”
Holly had finished chewing and helpfully offered her feedback. “But Alex didn’t tell Delilah he’s in love with her,” she said pointedly. “I told him he can’t expect her to want to try this when he’s not putting his feelings on the line.”
“Thanks for your input,” I muttered.
Janet looked between us with an affectionate grin. “Maybe he wasn’t ready. All you can do is try,” she said just as someone called her name from the kitchen. With a pat on my shoulder, she hurried away.
Holly’s assessing brown eyes held mine. “She’s right. All you can do is try.”
“Why are you jumping so fast to the word love?” I asked, honestly curious. I didn’t want to contemplate how my neck felt a little itchy just thinking about the word.
“Because I’ve never seen you like this with a woman. Ever. Maybe it is early, and I get it. But you can’t expect someone to want to put effort into a relationship when you two are that far apart if you don’t let her know you’re seriously serious.”
I took a bite of my bagel, chewing as I contemplated her words. After I finished, I nodded. “I get your point. I’m not sure how to go about it, but I’m gonna call Delilah tonight.”
Holly finished off her croissant and set her empty coffee mug on the plate. “Good. Meanwhile, I have to go to work.”
Holly stood from the table, putting a jacket on over her outfit of scrubs. She was a nurse at the ER department in Willow Brook. With a quick smile and a wave, she hurried off. I finished my bagel alone, wishing Delilah was here with me.
“Alex!” a voice called. It was hours later, and I was busy at work.
I didn’t recognize the voice because I had my head buried in the engine compartment of a small plane. I tightened the bolt on the part I’d just replaced. Stepping back, I straightened and snagged the rag on the stool beside me to wipe my hands.
Looking up, I saw Nate approaching. “There you are,” he said as he crossed from the door of the plane hangar over to where I was working.
“Yes, here I am,” I teased as I tossed the rag to the floor and picked up my water bottle to take a swallow. “What’s up?”
“Wondering if you have some extra time today to look at one of my planes. Problem with a cooling fan.”
“Of course. I always have time for you.”
Nate grinned. “I never like to assume.”
“Dude, we’ve been best friends since we were kids, and now you’re married to my sister. Holly would kick my ass if I didn’t make time for you.”
Nate shrugged. “Maybe so. I’ll still pay you.”
I chuckled. “I know. I’m not that much of a sucker.” Glancing at my watch, I added, “I actually have time now. Today is a light day for me. Let me wash my hands, and we can walk on over to your hangar now.”
“Sounds good.” Nate walked with me as I crossed over to an industrial sink in the corner. I quickly soaped my hands with the citrus cleaner that would break up the grime from working on engines all morning. As an airplane mechanic in Alaska, I was lucky enough to be able to run my own business and basically take the work I wanted. Alaska had a network of small airports—using the term “airport” loosely—due to how many areas of the state were off the road system.
I had contracts with the main airline carriers in Anchorage and Fairbanks, but my bread and butter came from working on small planes scattered across Southcentral Alaska. Nate was a pilot, as was I, but I was purely recreational. He ran a business doing flight work for the hotshot firefighters based out of Willow Brook. He was one of the many pilots who fought fires from the air, dropping flame retardant and water in hot spots when fires got started during the long, dry summers in Alaska.