The hint of understanding in Hoop’s eyes left her with the uncomfortable awareness that the woman saw more of her than Izzy hoped. “I’m not saying that happens to everyone. It happened to me. And still, for the first several days of the cruise, I couldn’t relax. Couldn’t let go of work. It totally defined me. Then the ship anchored in the inlet, and I stepped off the shore boat onto the dock right down there in Captivity Cove, to be met by this moose of a man retained to be our guide for a two-day shore excursion in Captivity and a fly-over of Glacier Bay National Park.”
“Was it love at first sight?” Where had this romantic bent come from?
Hoop disabused her of it. “Goodness no! I thought he was an uncouth behemoth. As soon as he found out what I did for a living, he thought I was the devil in designer hiking gear. But the sparks.” The woman winked, and years fell away. “The sparks were hard to ignore. Two days stretched into a week, and then another, and I never did catch up with the ship. I flew home on the last day of my vacation miserable, having turned down a presumptuously arrogant marriage proposal from an infuriating, yet wonderful man, because what sane, responsible woman chucks her whole world for a vacation romance? I walked into my office the next morning, took an abusive call from an especially demanding client, and realized it wasn’t what I wanted anymore. I’d made a terrible mistake turning down that presumptuous proposal from that infuriating man.”
“So, you just…walked away?”
“I ran. Not away, but toward. Toward that man who saw what I really wanted, really needed, even when I couldn’t see it for myself. I ran toward balance. Toward a small law practice with big impact on the people I see every day. Not corporations. People.”
“And you’ve never regretted it?” The answer was written all over Hoop’s face, but she had to ask.
“Not once in the last fifteen years. Carl’s still mule-stubborn and overbearing as ever, but I wouldn’t have him any other way. I think when it’s the real deal, it’s impossible to regret putting love first. Oh, hi. Look who’s here.”
Izzy turned and stared up at Trace. He wore work boots, tan pants, a forest green sweater with a Captivity Air and Freight logo over his impressive left pectoral, and a faint smile flirting from under his facial hair. “Hi, Hoop. You recruiting my girl to Captivity Law?”
“Ha. No. That conversation would require drinks, though I’m open to having it. I’m here to go over some things with Rose. It’s just a happy coincidence that I got to meet Izzy, too.” She rose and turned to Izzy. “Nice talking with you. I hope I didn’t bore you with my ancient history.”
“Not at all. I hope I see you again.” She found Hoop’s story inspiring.
The older woman pulled a card from her cell phone case and handed it to her. “That’s the office address, office phone, and my cell. Reach out anytime.”
Izzy took it and tucked it into her bag. “Thanks.”
She then turned to him. “Trace, honey, she’s a keeper. Put a ring on this woman, but don’t take any advice from Carl on how to do it.” With those comments hanging in the air, she turned and walked toward reception.
He glanced at Izzy, rolled his eyes, and held out a big, wide hand. “You ready to go?”
…
Once they were both inside the Yukon, Trace gave in to the guilt that seemed to broadside him every time he turned around. “Sorry about that. I never realized how awkward it would be passing us off as a couple. I didn’t consider how invested everyone would be in our relationship.”
“It’s very sweet,” Izzy said, and there were enough stars in her eyes to make him believe she meant it. “People here care about you. They want you to be happy.”
“They want me to be happy here, running the airfield, so they don’t have to adjust to any change. There are conditions on this happiness they want for me.”
“That’s not fair. It’s not just about the airfield, or aversion to change. It’s about you.”
“Well, now it’s about you, too.” He started the Yukon and pulled away from the curb. Her scent permeated the interior of the car, incongruous as a tiara on a roughneck. Sometimes he picked it up even when she wasn’t there. “You think Hoop just happened to be at the inn this morning, and just happened to strike up a conversation with you?” He shook his head. “Hell no. This has Rose’s fingerprints all over it. They want you to be happy practicing small-town law in small-town Alaska, so I can be happy, so they can be happy. Only problem is, you wouldn’t be happy. Chuck’s grooming you for partner. You’ve put in all the time, all the work, and—” He broke off. Shook his head again, this time to get it together. “This is a pointless conversation. All I meant to say is I’m sorry. I didn’t anticipate how this”—he gestured to her, then him—“would snowball. My bad, impulsive decision, and I’m sorry it blows back on you.”
But if he was being completely honest, a big part of him wished she could be happy practicing small-town law in small-town Alaska. He wished she could be happy in Captivity.
“It’s okay.” She said it softly. “There’s no harm. A few more weeks and this will be in both our rearview mirrors. I can be the bad guy. I won’t be around to take the heat. Sometimes being the bad guy is part of the job.”
He didn’t want her in his rearview mirror. That was the problem. But he didn’t want to hold her back, either. She had goals. She had a brilliant career ahead of her. He was the one who didn’t know what the fuck he was doing anymore. He was the one with very little to offer. Not a lot of call for bush pilots in L.A.
Reaching out, he touched her cheek. “You could never be the bad guy, Izzy. You’re just not. You’re smart. You’re thorough. You’re rightfully proud of everything you’ve accomplished.” Wanting to shine up that pride, knowing he’d tarnished it some with the way he’d handled this, he asked, “Why mergers and acquisitions?”
“I wanted the glamour of pushing paper.” Smiling ironically, she said, “Who wants to strut their stuff in front of a jury, week-in and week-out?”
“Come on. Give me the real reason.” Now that he’d asked the question, he realized he honestly wanted to know.
Her smile faded. She stared straight ahead. “It’s not a very inspiring reason, actually. Nothing like Hoop’s motivations for chucking life in the fast lane and moving to Captivity.”
He took her hand, wove his fingers with hers and squeezed. “It’s your motivation. It only has to be inspiring to you.”
She sent him a sideways look, then sighed. “I think I mentioned that my family didn’t have a lot of money when I was attending school, which is one reason why it was so important for me to get scholarships to college and law school. But things weren’t always so tight. My grandparents owned a dry cleaning shop in my hometown. When my parents married, they bought the shop from my dad’s parents and ran it. They did well. They put money aside. When I was about two, they bought another dry cleaning business closer to Vegas. That expansion worked out, and a year or so later, a friend in the business approached my dad with an offer to sell him two more shops. Dad and Mom discussed the offer and decided to go for it. The timing wasn’t spectacular. We’d just bought a new house, and they still owed money on the shop they’d purchased, so they felt pretty extended already, but their friend offered financing, so they decided they could manage the risk. Dad had my grandparents look over the terms, because they had founded the original business and, you know, they were the experts. If it passed the parent test, it must be okay. You trust your family.”