Page 51 of If You Were Mine (After We Fall 3)
“Yeah? What’d you find?”
“I’m English, French, Irish, Dutch, and a little German.”
“A mutt.” I cocked my head. “Suits you.”
She kicked me under the table. “Jerk.”
After that, she was quiet for a moment, but I could see her struggling with something. Finally she asked, “So are you not a pilot, then? I’m not trying to be nosy, I’m just…trying to get to know you.”
I thought about it for a second and decided to answer honestly. “I have a recreational pilot certificate. I don’t use it much, though. I wish I did.”
“What made you get one of those?”
“Just always wanted to learn to fly.”
“But you didn’t want a career as a pilot?”
I hesitated before lying. “No. I don’t like strict schedules. It wouldn’t have suited me. But I do love flying.”
“I hate it.” She shuddered.
“Why?”
“It’s terrifying. I don’t understand how something that heavy can even get off the ground, let alone stay up there.”
I laughed. “You don’t have to understand something to enjoy it, do you? I don’t know how to make pizza but I enjoy the hell out of a good slice.”
“I’m telling you, just the thought of being on an airplane gives me a panic attack.” Her eyes were wide and serious. “My mother is the same way.”
“What are you afraid of?”
“Dying!” she said, like duh. “Falling out of the sky!”
I shook my head. “You do know that the odds of dying in a car accident are much, much higher, right?”
“That’s different.” She sniffed. “I have control in the car. And even if I’m not the driver, at least I know what all the noises and bumps are.”
“What happens when you want to go somewhere you can’t drive to?”
She sighed. “That is a problem. Because I do want to go places like that—Paris. Florence. Madrid…” Her head tilted to one side. “Maybe I’ll take a boat.”
I laughed. “That’s a long boat ride. Can’t you just get over your fear long enough to get on a plane and take a sleeping pill or something?”
“I don’t know. Maybe someday.” Her cheeks flushed slightly. “You probably think it’s silly to be so afraid of something.”
I shrugged. “Not necessarily.”
“What are you afraid of?”
Not wanting to leave here tonight. “Nothing, really.”
“I knew it. You’re a thrill seeker, huh? I bet you love rollercoasters.”
“Uh huh.” I swallowed the bite in my mouth. “But not as much as skydiving.”
“Skydiving!” she shrieked. “You mean you have purposely jumped out of a perfectly good plane?”
“Many times. Nothing like it.”
