Flight to Paradise (Flight Trilogy, Book 1) (5 page)

“I’m noodled. I need to fuel up for tonight. You
are
going out tonight, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I’ll go.”

“Awesome! I’m afraid to leave you home alone with that picture. I’d have to hide all the lube.” He chuckled. “No telling what you might do.”

“Funny.”

“Yo! Dude! Before you go, how ‘bout grabbing me a brew.”

Ryan detoured back to the kitchen, pulled a can of beer from the fridge and handed it to Rex. “Enjoy.”

“S’later, brah,” Rex said.

* * *

When Ryan closed the door, Rex popped up off the sofa and headed for the stack of outgoing mail by the front door. He grabbed the envelope addressed to Keri Hart. With a sharp knife, he surgically opened it, slipped the letter out, and studied it. “Ryan…Ryan. Dude, I can’t let you do it to yourself. If you get mixed up with this chick, I’ll lose my wingman.”

He took the letter to his bedroom and rolled a fresh piece of paper into his typewriter. Trying to duplicate Ryan’s handwriting would be too risky. With a small bit of doctoring, he spun-out a letter guaranteed to get the job done. “Don’t worry, dude, I got your back.”

The letter read:

Friday
,
May
13
,
1983

Keri
,

It’s
been
a
long
time
.
I
learned
from
mom
you're
living
in
Florida
.
She
tells
me
you're
a
flight
attendant
.
Sounds
exciting
.
I
also
hope
to
be
hired
by
the
airlines
once
I
complete
my
commitment
to
the
Navy
.
Probably
next
summer
.

Have
you
met
anyone
special
?
I’m
sure
,
by
now
,
you
have
.
I
met
a
wonderful
woman
here
in
San
Diego
.
We’ve
been
talking
about
getting
married
.
If
we
do
,
I
hope
you
will
come
to
the
wedding
.

Keep
in
touch
and
drop
me
a
note
sometime
.

Ryan

Rex slipped the new letter into the original envelope and sealed the flap with glue. “Buddy, I just saved your life. You can thank me later.” He placed the envelope with the outgoing mail by the door and flopped back on the sofa.

All he had to do now was wait for Keri's letter, intercept it, rewrite it, and stick it back in her original envelope. Then everything would be back to normal.

CHAPTER 6

When Keri saw Ryan Mitchell’s name in the return address her heart fluttered. She'd always believed they’d one day get back together. For nine years, she hoped and prayed he hadn’t forgotten her. The thought of losing him was unbearable.

The first year he was at the Academy she wrote daily receiving only sporadic responses. Then, for no reason, he stopped writing, as if he had died. After he graduated, trying to revive the relationship seemed futile. His being either at sea on a multi-month cruise or involved in some military exercise on the other side of the globe made even the thought of reviving the relationship tiring.

While in college, Keri made a special effort to return home to Buckhead on weekends to visit Martha. Being with Martha and seeing pictures of Ryan around the house gave her hope that all was not lost. Her mind often played tricks on her, imagining he was in another part of the house and might walk around a corner any minute. The thought of them married and home visiting her mother-in-law was a dream her mind brought to life. Giving in to the charade helped her avoid the haunting voice of reality reminding her he was gone forever.

She studied the unopened envelope. She suspected, one day, a letter would arrive from Martha delivering the dreaded news: Ryan is getting married. The thought of a wedding invitation crossed her mind, but why would he invite her to his wedding? Hopefully, this letter contained better news.

Sitting on the sofa, her little West Highland terrier, Bill, peered up at her from the floor, his ears perked, as if anxious for her to open the envelope and see what was inside.

Keri knew Ryan was in San Diego and would be separating from the Navy next August, just over a year from now. Her transfer request to L.A. had been approved for July—two months away. Perfect timing, she’d thought. She dreamed of moving to the West Coast and reconnecting with Ryan—picking up where they’d left off. She gazed at the letter again. Perhaps Martha had secretly told him of their many talks and relayed to him her haunting regrets and bottled passions.

“Let’s see what’s inside,” she said to Bill. He barked. She tore open the envelope and read.

Friday
,
May
13
,
1983

Keri
,

It’s
been
a
long
time
.
I
learned
from
mom
you’re
living
in
Florida
.
She
tells
me
you’re
a
flight
attendant
.
Sounds
exciting
.
I
also
hope
to
be
hired
by
the
airlines
once
I
complete
my
commitment
to
the
Navy
.
Probably
next
summer
.

She clung to every word, her mind racing ahead as she imagined how wonderful it would be to see him again. A warmth spread over her as she analyzed the intent of each phrase.

It’s
been
a
long
time
.

Finally he was ready—ready to start his new life with her.

I
just
learned
from
mom
that
you’re
living
in
Florida
.

“That is so sweet.” In his search to find her, he’d contacted Martha. Her prayers had finally been answered.

She
tells
me
you’re
a
flight
attendant
.
Sounds
exciting
.
I
also
hope
to
be
hired
by
the
airlines
once
I
complete
my
commitment
to
the
Navy
.
Probably
next
summer
.

She detected nervousness in his words reminding her of his tender heart; something she found attractive.

Have
you
met
anyone
special
?
I’m
sure
,
by
now
,
you
have
.

She chuckled, as though he were sitting with her. “Are you kidding?” She read on, savoring each word.

I
met
a
wonderful
woman
here
in
San
Diego
.
We’ve
been
talking
about
getting
married
.

Her heart stopped. She looked away from the letter. “Married?” The blood drained from her head. Her chest tightened. She re-read the sentence to be sure.

I
met
a
wonderful
woman
here
in
San
Diego
.
We’ve
been
talking
about
getting
married
.

Tears spilled from her eyes onto the paper. “No! You can’t do this!” Grief knotted her stomach, ripping at her heart. Pins and needles ran up the back of her neck and a lump in her throat threatened to choke her. Panic took over. The little Westie looked up at her and whimpered. Bile rose to her throat. She ran to the bathroom, collapsed to her knees in front of the toilet, and vomited.

Why
God
,
why
?
It’s
not
fair
.

Hugging the toilet bowl, she continued to sob. She’d lost him. Her nightmare had become her reality. After all the years of waiting, hoping, and praying—the worst happened. Alone and forgotten, all that was left was a bundle of memories promising to torment her for the rest of her life. Bill pawed at her leg and whimpered, obviously sensing things were not right.

Keri flushed the toilet. Shivering from the coldness of the tiled floor, she shakily steadied herself to her feet. Braced on the vanity, she stared into the mirror at her pitiful state, and burst into tears.

What
did
I
do
to
deserve
this
?

She never doubted he loved her, but as she’d feared, time robbed her; it clouded his heart and twisted his mind.

This
can’t
be
happening
!
It
must
be
a
mistake
!

Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she turned on the water in the sink, and washed her face. The warm water refreshed her and with it came a new sense of purpose. She dried her face on a hand towel and glanced up at her reflection in the mirror—her eyes puffy and red. As if a switch had been thrown in her mind, her self-pity turned into desperation. “Married!” Bill let out a bark.

She returned to the den and recovered the letter. After a quick check of the words, she hurled the paper into the air. As if a thief had broken into her house and robbed her of her most valuable possession, she felt violated. She had waited; why couldn’t he?

Now
what
?
I’m
moving
to
California
in
two
months
,
and
for
what
?

The transfer couldn’t be stopped. In addition, because it was a voluntary request, she would be locked-in for a minimum of a year.

Her thoughts ricocheted back in time, rewinding to every possible mistake, searching for
something
or
someone
to blame. She first blamed herself. If only she’d been more persistent in writing him. Why hadn’t she hunted him down after he left the Academy? All those times Martha mentioned to her where he was, she could have gone to him. Why had she been so stubborn? Then her thoughts returned to that night; the night she told him they needed to date other people; he needed to be free. “How stupid! What was I thinking?” As she replayed the details of that night in her mind, her eyes narrowed. She screamed out, “Mother! I hate you!”

She needed to talk to Martha. Surely she would have more information. She could call her and get Ryan’s address—better yet—his telephone number.

That’s
it
,
I’ll
call
him
.
If
he
knows
how
I
feel
,
I
know
he’ll
break
it
off
with
that
woman
.

She picked up the receiver and started dialing Martha’s number and then hung up.

I
can’t
just
call
him
.
I
have
to
see
him
in
person
.

She could hop on a plane and be in San Diego in a matter of hours, but she needed his address.

The
envelope
!

She scrambled for the envelope, finding it wedged behind a cushion in the sofa. The return address said Del Mar, California. She hesitated.

What
am
I
going
to
do
?
Fly
to
San
Diego
,
drive
to
his
house
,
walk
in
and
find
him
with
that
woman
.
After
not
seeing
him
or
communicating
with
him
in
years
,
I’m
going
to
prance
into
his
life
,
tell
him
I
love
him
,
and
demand
he
marry
me
.
How
stupid
!

Scooping the letter off the floor, she read it again.

I
met
a
wonderful
woman
here
in
San
Diego
.
We’ve
been
talking
about
getting
married
.

The words popped off the page:

talking
about
…

Talking
?
Wait
a
minute
.
He’s
not
engaged
—
yet
!
He’s
only
talking
about
getting
married
!

I’ll write him. When he sees how I feel, he’ll know we’re supposed to be together. She ran to her bedroom, pulled out her stationary, and took a deep breath.

May
27
,
1983

Ryan
,

I
received
your
letter
.
It
was
sweet
of
you
to
write
.
I’m
glad
to
hear
you
are
doing
well
.
Knowing
how
dangerous
your
job
is
,
I
never
stopped
praying
for
you
.