“Okay, you got me,” I said.
“Since we’re going to be working together soon, perhaps we should take the time to get to know each other a little better. Would you like to try something new this weekend?” he asked.
If you weren’t my stepbrother, there are a few things I would like to try. I bit my tongue and thought for a second. He was just being playful and wanted to get to know me better. Maybe this was just the olive branch I needed to understand his family.
“Okay. What did you have in mind?” I asked.
“I’ll keep it a secret for now. Tomorrow really is the best day. I’ll send a car for you, and we can go from there,” he said.
“I’ll be waiting,” I replied.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Liz,” he said. Then he took his leave, and I was alone again on the couch.
I looked to the fireplace nearby, and Zach was standing there entertaining a few of his friends, or at least I assumed they were his friends. They all looked to be about the same age.
Zach kept moving his eyes to look at me from time to time. I was about to get up and ask him what sort of interest he had, but before I could do so he walked over.
“Don’t trust Adam,” he said before he shuffled away just as quickly as he had come.
I sat on the couch a bit dumbfounded. Zach had come over with cryptic advice and zero explanation, and I had no idea how to interpret what he had said. I pushed it to the back of my mind, but I knew I wouldn’t forget what he had told me.
I was nervous for tomorrow. Adam had been so secretive about what we might be doing, but to be honest, I probably would have done anything with that man.
4.
“Okay, what are we doing here?” I asked Adam as I stepped from the car that was sent.
“You sounded like you like to try new things. I had a good feeling that you hadn’t done this one,” he said with a smirk.
We had arrived at a small airstrip in the middle of nowhere. On the runway was an airplane starting up its propellers.
“I’m not sure if I want to do this,” I said nervously.
“The funny part about new things is that you don’t know if you like them till you try them,” he said.
“Yeah, but why would I want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane?”
“For fun!” he said, handing me a jumpsuit.
I took the garment and was ushered to a nearby changing room to get fitted. It was completely unflattering, but I was more worried about getting to the ground safely than doing it with style.
I met up with Adam, already changed, outside near the plane.
“I think you’ll enjoy this,” he said with a giddy and excited grin.
“As long as I survive,” I replied.
“You’ll be fine,” Adam said with an eye roll. “Besides, if you didn’t, they would have no repeat business.”
I chuckled nervously as I stepped aboard the small plane. The entire thing vibrated with the hum of the engine. Inside it was incredibly sparse, just a small bench on either side of the plane with one side already occupied by Adam. I took a seat opposite him.
As it was my first time, I was told that I would have someone jumping with me. I was thankful to have someone more experienced doing their best to keep both of us alive. Before long, the plane’s engines roared to a crescendo and we shot down the runway.
“No turning back now,” Adam said.
“I didn’t know that was an option,” I replied.
The plane climbed higher each second. I looked out one of the small windows at the landscape. The area was beautiful, green and entirely open. If I didn’t know I’d be jumping out of this plane, I probably would have enjoyed the scenery much more.
I could already feel my heart trying to pound its way out of my chest. Every couple minutes the pilot would look back at us and shout how much longer until we could jump. I was too nervous to make small talk, but that didn’t stop Adam from trying.
“You’d be amazed how many people don’t even put on the jumpsuit,” he said.
I nodded.
“You’re probably the first to actually go through with it,” he added.
I didn’t like heights, and the more he talked, the angrier I became. Then he gestured to my tandem dive partner, and the two of them switched seats, putting Adam right next to me.
“I know you’re nervous. I was too the first time. It’s okay to be scared. The first time I went, I almost passed out as the blood shot to my head,” he said with a goofy smile.
I smiled. He was showing a caring side I hadn’t seen yet, and it only made him more attractive. I cursed my rotten luck.
“I started thinking about jumping as a metaphor for business. It’s all a freefall until you realize your parachute was waiting for you all along. Once your feet are on the ground, you’ll have a feeling of wholeness that can’t be described. Have a little faith and you’ll be okay.”
I nodded, and he reached over to give me a hug. He was warm, and I could feel his heart was pounding just as hard as my own.