I smiled condescendingly and then smoothed down the white shirt of my uniform. “Nah, but I figured I’d give it a try.” I popped a shoulder in a half shrug. “It can’t be that hard, can it?”
It was a joke. But, judging by the way his face paled, it wasn’t even remotely humorous.
“Carter,” he choked out, bending over and propping his hands on his knees.
“Seriously?” Carter, whose name I was disappointed to find didn’t fit him at all, said to me as he marched forward. “He’s kidding,” he informed the drama queen.
“I’m kidding,” I echoed when Henry began hyperventilating. “I’ve been flying for years.”
“He…” He stood up, but his chest continued to heave. “He’s an infant.”
“He’s a pilot with an impeccable record,” Carter replied.
“No,” Henry wheezed.
“It’s either this guy or cancel the show. We don’t have time. You’re already going to be late. The Red Dot agreed to extend their set until we can get you there, but I don’t think your fans are going to like eight hours of an opening act so we can drive.”
“Then cancel the fucking show,” he ordered, standing up straight but no less panicked. “I’m not going with this guy. Call Jackson and tell him either he finds me someone other than Doogie Howser or I’ll take my business elsewhere.”
Shit. Jackson was going to hand me my ass if I lost this guy. And I kind of needed a job. I’d become pretty attached to that whole eating thing.
“Okay. Wait. I’m sorry. Let’s start over.” I extended a hand toward him. “Hi. I’m Evan Roth. I’ll be your captain today. I’m thirty-one, but I’ve been flying for most of my life. My stepfather was a pilot, and we had a small plane he used to let me copilot as a child. When I was eighteen, he helped me get my license. I was qualified to fly commercial liners before I was even old enough to drink. My parents were partial to college though. We compromised on the Air Force Academy.” I shrugged and tossed him a half smile. “I did three overseas deployments before getting out of the military almost a year ago.”
He didn’t look impressed, so I continued.
“I have a degree in engineering, but I knew the only job I ever wanted was in the sky. I’ve been living that dream for over a decade now. I promise you couldn’t be in better hands today.”
“A decade,” he scoffed. “A decade? Craig has been flying for almost thirty years. And you want me to put my life in the hands of a novice? No fucking way.”
It wasn’t professional in the least, but I couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, he does have me on hours clocked. However, I have him in pretty much every other way possible. I’m younger. My mind is sharper. My reaction time is quicker. If there was any kind of problem, a half a second could make all the difference. I have twenty-twenty vision—no contacts or glasses needed. I’m in perfect health, so you won’t have to worry about chest pains or any other kind of illness while we are up there. And above and beyond all that, I own the sky.” I pointed to the ceiling. “You may feel safer on solid ground, but up there, that’s my home.”
It was his turn to laugh. “You own the sky?” He turned to Carter and laughed again. “Who the hell is this guy? No. Just. No.”
“Jesus,” Carter swore at the ceiling.
Turning on a heel, he called out, “Thanks, but no, thanks, Maverick.”
After rolling my eyes at his nickname, I gave my attention back to Carter. “Look, don’t call Jackson. I’ll call one of the other guys and see if they can get here in time. I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was going to freak like that.”
Holding my gaze, he banged on the glass of the vending machine, freeing my chips. “We have no time for that shit. Be on the plane in fifteen minutes.”
“You sure that’s going to be a good idea? I’m not real fond of emergency landings due to a passenger trying to claw their way out of a window.”
“He’ll be fine. Just fly the damn plane”—he paused, and a patronizing smile grew on his lips—“Maverick.”
“Awesome,” I breathed with sarcasm.
I watched him walk away in the same direction Henry had left. Before the door clicked, I heard him mock, “I own the sky.”
Out-fucking-standing.
“SEE? THAT WASN’T so bad.” I tossed Carter a weak smile when the plane slowed to a roll.
He glared at me. “My leg is numb.”
Quickly removing my death grip on his thigh, I replied, “You have health insurance, right? Maybe you should get that checked out.”
His glare transformed into a scowl.