Lifting Off Read online

  “Oh my God, Sree.” Casey laughed. “Please do. And record it so we can all enjoy it.”

  “All the brother bullshit aside.” Sree turned her attention to Clara. “How is the foundation coming along?”

  Clara let out a sigh and felt her shoulders sag. “It’s good. I’m hiring Bodie to incorporate, I’ve drawn up a possible board, and created a possible set of bylaws. But there’s still so much to do. I feel like I’m in a little over my head.”

  Casey gave her a “stop doubting yourself look.” “If anyone can pull this off, it’s you, Clara.”

  “You know she’s right,” Sree added. “Remember that equal education movement you started in college to oust professors who were biased on gender lines?”

  Clara sighed. “That was just a small thing.”

  “Small thing?” Casey dropped her jaw. “You know that group still exists, don’t you? And not just at UI, it’s spread across the country.”

  She knew. And she was thrilled with it, but that had been informal, a group she’d pulled together out of passion and anger at the status quo. It hadn’t required legal documents or tax identification numbers. It had simply formed. This foundation was a completely different beast. “Yeah, I know. This just feels a lot more official. It’s a chance to really help some families in need, and I want to make sure I don’t fuck it up.”

  “You won’t,” Casey assured her, putting one of her elegantly manicured hands on top of Clara’s. “And if you need help, you know Sree and I will jump in when we can.”

  Sree nodded. “Any time. Just say the word.”

  Clara smiled and gave Casey’s hand a squeeze. “Thank you, guys. I’m going to try and do most of this on my own, but I’ll probably call on you to push it out to your social media when the time comes, if you’re willing.”

  “Done.” Sree punctuated the word by raising her nearly empty mimosa. “To Clara and Wilson’s Wish.”

  Casey lifted her glass too. “To Clara and Wilson’s Wish.”

  Clara grinned and raised her glass with them, trying to cover the fact that she was scared shitless.

  James

  “I think I’ve found another highly qualified pilot,” James told Cam Monday morning as they were walking through the newly built helicopter hangar. He’d spent the entire weekend scouring his sources for someone that would meet the combined expectations of himself and SkyChase. It wasn’t easy. “He can start in two weeks, just has to put in notice where he’s at in Minneapolis and find a place to live.”

  “That’s incredible, man. Send me all the info and I’ll reach out to him.” Cam’s face was full of excitement, and James was taken aback once again by how much his friend had changed from a party boy to a serious businessman. The transformation had been amazing to watch, and Cam was turning out to have a seriously impressive business acumen. His enthusiasm was hard to escape. “Thank you for doing all the leg work on the pilots. Especially with our standards so high. That gives us five; we should be set for a while.”

  James lifted a shoulder; he didn’t need to tell Cam it took his entire weekend—he was just happy to help. “High standards are important.” He turned his attention to the new helicopter hangar. “This is really amazing.” Everything from the foundation to the light switches was state-of-the-art. He’d never seen anything like it. Their first commercial flights would start the following week.

  Cam looked around reverently. “I know. I’m so excited I can barely stand it.” His eyes were wide as he talked. “I mean, just look at those beauties.” He waved his hand toward the line of five brand new helicopters, sparkling under the overhead lights. “It’s hard to believe this was all just a dream a year ago.”

  “It went so fast.” Once the board had approved Cam’s plan, they had been elbows deep in this process from the word “go.” James had done it before and used his expertise to help guide Cam through the finer points of building a business. Together, James and Cam had proved to be an amazing team. They were already booked out for tourism for three solid months.

  It was hard, brain-wrecking work, but he was glad to be out of Dallas, glad to be helping a friend, glad to finally be excited about something again. It had been too long. “Have you come up with a name for the hangar yet? Or are we going to stick with Hangar 2?”

  Cam’s face crinkled. “No, I’m still working on it. Maggie says it will come to me, but who the hell knows. Carter doesn’t think it needs a name.”

  James patted his friend on the back. “Maggie’s not wrong, and Carter’s an uptight douche. If you want it to have a name, it will come.” Maggie was Cam’s fiancée and the love of his life. James was happy to see his friend in love, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t the slightest bit jealous.

  James thought he’d had everything in order in Dallas. Everything was perfect. He had a business that could do no wrong, amazing employees, and the fiancée of his dreams.

  Samantha was a tall, leggy, blue-eyed, blonde-haired Texan that had stolen his heart from the first time she said his name.

  Their relationship had been nothing short of a whirlwind and he’d proposed to her with a diamond the size of Dallas within six months of meeting her. She was everything he’d ever wanted—sassy, smart, hot, and killer in the sack. It took him far longer than he’d ever admit to realize she was also a backstabbing, heartless cheat who was too busy sleeping with his best pilot to plan their wedding.

  After walking in on the two of them fucking in his own bed, James had given the CEO position of his own company to his VP, broke it off with Samantha, and returned to Chicago. Cam had contacted him the very day he’d landed at O’Hare, and it had been a gift of diversion he could never repay him for.

  “I’ll take your word for it,” Cam answered. “You’re the expert.”

  James snorted. Though his business had become extraordinarily successful, it never felt as if he’d really had a hand in that success. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time when there was a need to be filled. Anyone else could have done what he did with Air Texas if they’d been there before him. “You keep saying that, but you know half of Air Texas was sheer luck, right?”

  Cam shrugged. “I think you underestimate yourself. And, besides, if it was just luck, I’ll take that too. You can be my rabbit’s foot.”

  James laughed. “As long as you don’t keep rubbing me, I’m cool with that.”

  “Deal.”

  As they finished their weekly walk-through of the hangar, Cam chatted animatedly about finally getting the birds in the air. James would add some suggestions here and there, but he was impressed with how well Cam had thought everything through.

  “Hey,” Cam said as they were walking to their cars after making their rounds. “I forgot to tell you. We’re having a family dinner on Friday night at my parents’ house. Mom insisted that I invite you. So, consider yourself invited.”

  James pulled an uncomfortable face. He loved the Chase family; he really did, but the thought of sitting through an entire dinner with Clara glaring at him made it a little less palatable.

  “Don’t you dare say no,” Cam warned him. “You know my mother. If you don’t come, she’ll never forgive you.”

  Fuck. Cam was right—Crystal Chase was a force to be reckoned with. He supposed he’d have to figure out a way to get over Clara’s icy stares. Keeping his body in check around her was a completely different animal. Every time she was near, he felt pulled to her like a magnet, and his cock started thinking on its own. He’d expressly avoided being in the office any time she was there for the last week for that exact reason. He’d found if he was there early in the morning, he could completely avoid her.

  Figuring out how to keep everything from misbehaving for an entire dinner sounded exhausting, but James knew better than to say no. “I’ll be there. Just let me know what time.”

  Cam grinned. “Will do, man. Still up for a flight tomorrow?”

  “Of course.”

  “Awesome. See yo
u tomorrow.” Cam disappeared into his car and James slid into the seat of his own truck with a sigh.

  Dinner with the Chases. Just like old times. The memory of kissing Clara washed over him for the thousandth time since returning to Chicago, and he put his car into gear, wondering if he’d ever be lucky enough to get a second chance.

  Chapter 3

  Clara

  “I’m just so proud of you, sweetie,” Clara’s mother told her as she helped her prepare dinner for that evening. With bruschetta, salad, and mostaccioli, it was turning into a feast big enough to feed the entire company.

  Clara sighed as she sliced tomatoes. “Don’t be, I feel like I’m in way over my head.” After another week of back and forth with the attorney and struggling to write a bylaw proposal, she felt as if she were moving backward.

  “Clara Jane, give it time.” Her mother pointed at her with the wooden spoon she pulled from the sauce. It dripped onto the white marble countertop as she spoke. “You’ve never done anything like this before. And it’s only been two weeks since you got the official go-ahead. Give yourself a break.”

  Clara bit her lip to keep from commenting that it had been the longest two weeks of her life. Especially with the added stress of the possibility of running into James at any given time. The fact that he’d succeeded in avoiding her entirely rankled more than it should. The only proof she had that he was actually ever there was his desk and the few personal items he’d added.

  As if her mother could read her thoughts, she put the spoon back in the sauce. “Carter mentioned that he had to give James half your office.” Her tone was laced with suggestion and intrigue, and Clara nearly sliced her finger with the knife. “How’s that going?”

  “Fine,” she clipped, scraping the cut tomatoes into a bowl and grabbing another one. “We haven’t been in the office at the same time much, so it’s as if it never happened.”

  Her mother studied her for a moment with the blue eyes Clara had inherited. With slightly sharper features and only a couple strands of gray hair shooting through the braid she kept over her shoulder, Crystal was often mistaken for Clara’s sister. Even now in her jeans, T-shirt, and bare feet, she looked as if she were in her thirties. “I never understood why you are so angry at him.”

  Clara’s eyes whipped to her mother’s. “I’m not angry at him.”

  “Bullshit, Clara Jane. Don’t lie to your mother. You’ve been nothing but hostile towards him since he moved back to Chicago, and he’s been nothing but sweet and courteous to you.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She went back to slicing tomatoes. “I have nothing against James.” Then why did her voice wobble slightly when she said his name?

  Ever astute, her mother caught the waver immediately. “Did something happen between you two that I don’t know about?”

  Clara swallowed and attempted her best open-eyed, innocent look and met her gaze directly. “No, of course not. I’d tell you if it had.”

  “Riiiiight.” Her mother dragged the word out in disbelief, but then gave her a playful smile. “Well, if that’s the case, you’ll have a chance to prove it tonight. I invited him over for dinner and Cam said he’s coming.”

  Clara’s knife slipped through the tomato so hard it made a crack against the cutting board. “Oh.” She tried her best to sound unruffled while her stomach was doing somersaults. James was going to be here? She should have worn something nicer than her leggings, put make-up on, made an effort... “That’s nice.”

  Her mother laughed and shook her head. “Just try to be civil to him tonight, please?”

  “Fine, but if he calls me Clare-Bear, I will stab him with my fork.”

  “I think that’s fair,” her mother agreed.

  Clara’s heart thundered every time she heard someone at the front door that evening. Carter arrived first because he was always the first to arrive. A fact that he seemed to take some sort of perverse pride in. He wandered in wearing his idea of casual clothing—khakis and a SkyChase polo—kissed his mom and Clara on the cheek, and then went to find their father in his study. Clara wondered if he even owned a pair of jeans, or sweatpants for that matter. He was such a mystery.

  Cam and Maggie arrived next in a burst of color and sound, and Clara gave her brother and new friend a big hug. She was so grateful that Cam had found Maggie. Not only had she managed to turn her wayward brother into a business powerhouse, but she’d also become one of Clara’s closest friends.

  “Oh, it’s so good to see you,” Maggie gushed, crushing Clara to her chest. “We have to do dinner again soon.”

  “Absolutely.” Clara took the bottle of wine that Cam had carried in. “How’s residency going?”

  “Good. I have just over a year before I’m done. Seems so hard to believe that I’ll finally be a certified, practicing obstetrician by this time next year.”

  Cam hugged Maggie from behind, beaming with pride. “You’ll be the best in Chicago,” he said, kissing the top of her head. Maggie blushed and swatted him away.

  “I have no doubt,” Clara agreed, and they made their way toward the dining room.

  “James here yet?” Cam asked, popping a black olive into his mouth from the bowl on the table.

  “Cam.” Their mother came into the room at the same time, carrying a pitcher of ice water. “For the love of God, can you wait until dinner?”

  Cam put up his hands. “Sorry, Mom, you know I can’t resist black olives.” He rushed over to her, gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and relieved her of the pitcher.

  “At least wait until everyone’s here,” she answered, caving to her son’s apologetic smile. “I get the feeling James doesn’t eat good, homecooked meals. I’m going to make sure he gets his fill tonight.”

  Cam laughed. “I do see him with a lot of fast food wrappers.”

  “Oh, what, and you’re different how?” Maggie asked. “Mr. Large Fry and Mountain Dew.”

  “Busted.” Clara laughed but felt her stomach sink to her hips when the doorbell rang.

  “That must be James,” Cam said, taking off toward the door.

  Must be, she thought, straightening her spine.

  James

  James grumbled as he waited at the door of the Chases’ house, bottle of red wine in his hand, wishing he hadn’t come. It wasn’t as if he had anything other than an empty apartment and sports to watch at home, but that seemed a far cry easier than this night would be.

  He’d loved spending time with this family when he was younger. His own parents hadn’t tried very hard to make a loving home, and with no siblings of his own, he was alone a lot of the time. The first time he’d visited with Cam their freshman year over Christmas break, he was hooked on the Chase family.

  But right now, when his heart seemed so damaged and everything seemed dark, he wasn’t sure he was going to be able to keep up the easy-going demeanor he was known for.

  “You made it.” Cam swung open the door, the same boyish smile James remembered from meeting him for the first time. They were neighbors in their dorms and bonded over the mutual hate for their roommates. Before the end of the semester, they’d managed to finagle a room change and spent the remainder of college as roommates in the dorm, and then eventually in an apartment.

  James grinned. “Well, I couldn’t disappoint Crystal, now could I?”

  “No, you couldn’t.” Cam ushered him in. “She’d never let me hear the end of it.” As they walked through the familiar grand house, James’ apprehension seeped away. This had always felt like home. Despite the mansion-like façade, the Chase family home was lived-in and well-loved. Furniture, school pictures and family portraits all over the walls, the aroma of homecooked food all coalesced into the most comforting embrace.

  “Beware though,” Cam went on as they approached the dining room, “Mom is prepared to stuff you full. She thinks you’re not eating.”

  James chuckled. Crystal Chase had been worried about his eating habits since the day she’d me
t him. To be fair, he had been the scrawniest freshman UI had ever seen, but he’d changed since then—he’d discovered the beauty of lifting and protein. And he’d added running since he’d been back in Chicago. He found it helped him work off his anger over Samantha. Some days he’d pound the pavement so hard that his legs wouldn’t work for several hours afterward. No, he was not the beanpole he used to be. He patted his flat stomach. “Again, I won’t disappoint her. I remember her cooking fondly.”

  Crystal met him at the entrance of the dining room and crushed her to him in a giant hug. “Oh, James, my boy. How are you?”

  “I’m fine, Mrs. Chase,” he mumbled, patting her back. He never really knew how to accept this woman’s hugs, even though he cherished each one.

  She pulled away from him with narrowed eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you to call me mom?”

  He grinned. “Okay, Mom. How are you?”

  “Great, now that all my babies are under one roof.” She motioned for him to follow her. “Come on, everyone is here.”

  James nodded and followed her to the dining room, fisting his hands at the prospect of seeing Clara. He’d managed to avoid her all week, but once their schedule started in earnest on Monday, he’d be hard-pressed to continue avoiding her.

  As he entered, he was greeted by a firm handshake from Christopher Chase. “How are you, son? You look well.”

  “Thanks.” He smiled at Cam’s father. He was the image of retired grace—tall, salt-and-pepper hair, eyes that crinkled when he smiled. His relaxed nature belied the shrewd businessman that had built SkyChase by hand from two thousand dollars and a single gutted airplane. “You’re looking good too, how are the tests these days?”

  “The doctor says I’m clear as a bell.” Christopher patted his chest just over his heart. “The angioplasty worked like a charm. Says I have the heart of a man half my age.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  “I just wish he would relax a little,” Crystal cut in, placing a giant bowl of salad on the table. “Retired, my ass. I can’t get the man to sit still for more than a minute at a time.”