Chapter 13

“Ms. Walsh, it’s almost five-thirty. Just thought I’d check in with you before I go.”

Irene Delgado was a short, slightly plump Latina in her forties, whose title was executive secretary to the CEO and CFO of Air-Bytes. In a stroke of luck, shortly after incorporation, they had hired her from a defunct drilling company. She’d become, at least in Anastasia’s mind, the one employee Air-Bytes could not afford to lose. Truth be told, it was Irene Delgado who kept the wheels on. She knew Air-Bytes inside and out and was the de facto head of Air-Bytes during the times Cassandra and Anastasia were on the road, or otherwise unavailable.

Anastasia looked at her desk clock and sighed.

Damn, where has the day gone?

“Any word from Ms. Cavanaugh?” Despite their best efforts, Anastasia and Cassandra had no luck in getting her to address them by their first names.

“I got a text from her as she was boarding her flight about an hour ago, so I expect she’ll be here soon.”

Irene looked at her tablet. “She was scheduled on an earlier flight. I hope there were no problems during the meetings.”

“I’m pretty sure we’d have heard.”

Irene nodded, and looked at her tablet again. “Mr. Kaufmann and Ms. Vishnevsky finished the interviews with three pilot candidates, and they’ve recommended that two be hired. I’ve sent the files to you and Ms. Cavanaugh.”

“You sat in. What did you think?”

She paused, on the verge of demurring.

“Irene, I know you’re not a pilot, but you are a great judge of character, and I value your opinion.”

“The two they selected will fit in well.”

“And the third?”

“He spent all his time hitting on Ms. Vishnevsky...”

Anastasia chuckled. “I bet that went over well.”

Irene had trouble keeping a straight face. “He barely escaped with his life.”

They both laughed.

Irene went on. “I didn’t ask them to hang around since you were on that never-ending call with the management at that tech startup in Boise, but I’m sure Mr. Kaufmann and Ms. Vishnevsky will fill you in at dinner.”

Anastasia looked at her blankly.

“You had me make dinner reservations at Zack’s Steakhouse for five of you tonight.”

She smiled. Of course.

“Oh, and Mr. Reynolds called and said he’d be here the day after tomorrow.”

Anastasia kept her expression neutral, hiding her disappointment.

I wish he’d called me. We still have some things to talk about. I miss him. It’s been awful - those months without Case by my side. The physical part of our relationship was wonderful, but that’s only a part of what I miss. I miss the closeness we had. I could bounce ideas off him and I could just be his ‘Ana,’ and let myself go. I screwed it up...

She thought about the last time they’d been together – Christmas Eve almost three weeks ago in Lodi.

There was no opportunity to talk. And there was Vika staking her claim. And I was being stupid, flirting with Jonas. And then Case’s sister was killed. How terrible for him. I tried to call as soon as I heard, but had to settle for leaving a message. I sent flowers, but what I really wanted was to fly to South Carolina and just hold him. He has to be hurting.

Now, I’m sorry I didn’t. As soon as he arrives, I’ll spend some time with him. I need to know how he feels – he was so reticent at the airport, and distant at lunch at Lodi. Could we ever get back what we had?

Unconsciously she shook her head slightly as she stared out her small window.

“Ms. Walsh, are you all right?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry, Irene – just thinking about how horrible it’s been for Case - losing his sister.”

Irene examined her for a few moments. “Yes, horrible. He was so proud of her. It was obvious they were very close.” She left it at that.

Anastasia nodded sadly. “Yes.”

She paused, and then asked, “Did he leave a time and flight number?”

Irene shook her head. “He said it was a Gulfstream – a private charter, arriving sometime after noon.”

“What? How on earth? Wonder who he knows who can afford to charter a Gulfstream?”

“Other than you or Ms. Cavanaugh’s mother, and a few of our Board members, I can’t think of anyone,” Irene said dryly.

Anastasia failed in her attempt at a disapproving scowl and added. “Case is pretty resourceful. He makes friends everywhere he goes...”

Irene stared at her. “Right ... He is resourceful, but I thought it was unusual. He didn’t explain.”

Anastasia shook her head, trying to hide her amusement. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Irene went to the door, paused and turned. She smiled slightly. “And don’t keep Ms. Kesi up late. She’ll be working with me tomorrow – wants to learn all of Air-Bytes’ secrets.”

Anastasia couldn’t help but smile in return.

“You’d better watch out, Irene, if you teach her all your secrets, you could be out of a job!”

Irene laughed. “As sharp as that girl is, you could be right, but I’m not really worried. She’s a pilot like her dad, and a desk is hardly competition for the wild blue yonder!”

“So I’ve been told.”

Maybe I need to learn to fly.

“I’ll see you in the morning, Ms. Walsh. If Ms. Cavanaugh needs anything when she gets here, just let me know.”

Anastasia gave a mock disapproving look.

“Not a chance. Now get out of here. You make us all look like slackers anyway!”

Irene left with a chuckle, and Anastasia’s thoughts returned to Kesi and Jonas.

Kesi’s a wonderful young woman, but any woman interested in Jonas has to understand they’re a package deal. I really like her and I think she likes me.

They’d been out looking for houses together during her lunch breaks while Jonas had been busy with familiarization flights and getting his licenses renewed.

When the realtor mistakenly called me ‘Mrs. Kaufmann,’ I felt a flush of pleasure. Why? Is it because of the way Jonas looks at me? Could I be that woman – the woman who gets the package deal?

She envisioned Jonas’s endearing crooked smile.

Is that what I want?

Anastasia let that thought drift away and got back to the new contract she was reviewing.

Damn lawyers anyway. Getting paid to change ‘happy’ to ‘glad!’ These are pretty simple contracts that any first-year law student should be able to review and approve without these niggling changes.

She changed the wording back to the original and attached it to a carefully worded e-mail to the attorney for the potential client.

Then she pushed away from her desk and leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.

The way Jonas looks at me ... He’s handsome, smart, a wonderful father, and he’s interested. I’m narcissistic enough to enjoy the attention, but do I see him replacing Case in my heart? I’ve only known him for a few weeks. We’ve never even had a date, much less any alone time. Heck, I’ve spent more time with Kesi in the week they’ve been in Austin. What’s it going to be like when Case and Jonas are both around?

She had an amusing vision of two knights on chargers with lances jousting for fair Anastasia’s hand.

She shook her head and opened the next contract for review.

___________________________________

“Jeeeze, what a day!”

Anastasia looked up to see Cassandra Cavanaugh drop into the chair across from her desk. It was already after six and she looked tired, and her nicely tailored blue suit was rumpled from travel.

“Rough day, huh?”

“That’s an understatement.” She pulled a thick file from her briefcase and set it in front of Anastasia.

“First the plane was late leaving Orange County, which meant I was late for my meeting with Mr. Duncan and his coterie of accountants and attorneys in Dallas, and then the meetings went long so I had to reschedule my flight to Austin. And to top it off I got one of the last seats and it was in the last row in the middle!”

“Well, you’re staying with me this week and I have reservations at Zack’s Steakhouse tonight, so we’ll have a bottle of wine or two and you can just relax.”

“Sounds like just the thing – although I think I’ll start with a single malt.”

“I’ve got the perfect thing. Dad got me a bottle of 21-year-old Redbreast for Christmas. I’ll put it up against any other Irish whiskey any day. He said he wanted to upgrade my liquor cabinet for when he visits. You can start in with that while you’re getting changed. Think that’ll work?”

Cassandra grinned. “Probably. Sounds like your Dad has good taste. No Scotch, though?”

“Bite your tongue. With a name like Cavanaugh, you should only be drinking Irish. I think I might have a bottle of Scotch somewhere. I seem to recall getting some as a gift and it’s never been opened. If that’s what you’d prefer, it’s your funeral, or should I say, your hangover.”

Anastasia paused and smiled. “Oh, I get it. Your sainted step-dad Dillon drinks Scotch, doesn’t he?”

Cassandra nodded. “On the very rare occasion that he drinks. On my twenty-second birthday he sat me down and said he wanted to give me a lesson on what he called ‘adult beverages.’ I laughed and asked him what was wrong with rum drinks. He said, ‘nothing as long as you’re a pirate or sitting on a beach somewhere, and want fruit and an umbrella in your drink.’”

Anastasia laughed. “Score one for Dillon! In the Walsh family from County Kilkenny, it has to be Irish single malt, but if you insist on Scotch, so be it.”

“I’d hate to insult the ‘Walsh family from County Kilkenny,’ so I’ll give it a try.”

“You definitely won’t regret it.”

They laughed.

Turning serious, Anastasia asked, “Other than your flight misadventures, I’m guessing the rest of your day went as planned.” She gestured toward the file on her desk. “Otherwise I would have heard.”

“It did, and I appreciate your offer to fly up, but everything went well, thanks in large part to your hard work. So, we’re still on track to close the sale on March first. The main reason I missed my flight was Mr. Duncan wanted some one-on-one time with me.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, he’s decided to cut his son from the deal.”

Anastasia nodded. “That’s a good sign. It means he’s taking this purchase seriously, and not another vanity bauble about to be wrecked by that idiot.”

“That’s the impression I got without him spelling it out. However he does want both of us to stay on longer, offering a two-year contract, with extensions based on performance.”

“Both of us? Did you accept?”

Cassandra shook her head. “Noah was fine with the six months originally offered, because that would coincide with his leaving the Marines. If I accept Duncan’s offer that means we make a commitment to Austin and Noah would have to start looking for a job here instead of Tulsa.”

“That’s tough considering you guys have pretty much decided on Tulsa. But it’s a guaranteed job for the next two years – a job you love doing, and he doesn’t have a job yet.”

“True, but we don’t need the money, and if we were both out of work for a while, it wouldn’t be a tragedy. We could take some time and go sit on a beach on some Greek isle for a month or so.”

Anastasia sighed. “Sounds wonderful. Clothing optional?”

Cassandra’s face colored slightly, and she replied with mock indignation, “Only in our beach-side villa – I don’t want any of those Aphrodite wannabes ogling my man!”

Anastasia winked. “Or vice-versa.”

Cassandra rolled her eyes as Anastasia suppressed a giggle.

Cassandra turned thoughtful. “Although, I would like to stick around long enough to make sure the new and improved Air-Bytes is a success. I’ll talk to Noah. I’m thinking about going back to Duncan and saying I’ll stay for a year.”

Anastasia looked disappointed. “I’d love to see you commit for two. We work pretty well together. You could float the idea of two years by Noah and see what he says.”

Cassandra nodded and then smiled. “Maybe I will, but the call of the Greek isles is pretty strong. I guess that means you’ll accept Duncan’s offer.”

She smiled. “Oh, no doubt, I’ll stay.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I wanted to know before I called Noah. If we decide it’s only for a year, I know you’ll provide the continuity after I leave.” She smiled. “And then, whether it’s a year, or two, you could take over as CEO.”

Anastasia shook her head. “You know me better than that. I’m fine as CFO, because I can stay in the background.” It was her turn to smile. “The CEO is the one who has to take all the flak. No, thanks.”

“You’d be a good CEO, but I understand. I’d hate to bring in someone from the outside. Do you think Case might be persuaded?”

Shaking her head, Anastasia didn’t hesitate. “He doesn’t want the job.”

Cassandra raised a questioning eyebrow.

“It’s not that he couldn’t, he’d actually be a great CEO ... He’s just not interested. You saw the way he groused about being senior pilot.”

She smiled. “True, he really didn’t want that job either, but decided to take one for the team.”

Anastasia looked sad. “Case is happy in his own skin. He loves what he does and he doesn’t want to sit behind a desk. Not telling him about William, ‘The Third,’ Davis aside, I’ve come to the conclusion that for us to get back together I have to convince him that I’ll quit trying to mold him into something he isn’t. I foolishly wanted him to stop being ‘just a pilot.’ To win him back I’ll have to get him to trust me again, and I’d have to convince him that I’d be happy with him the way he is.”

“And can you? That is, accept him just the way he is, or will it be a constant source of friction? Anastasia, I know you. You’re very competitive, and driven. Any man who is with you has to accept that. I think the successful part of your relationship with Case was that he accepted who you are, but didn’t feel threatened by it. You admitted you couldn’t leave well enough alone.”

Anastasia just nodded.

“And, what if Case had been one of those highly competitive guys that you’ve been around all your life? Most of them have pretty big egos which can also be pretty fragile. Many actually don’t want a woman who can compete. Would you be happy being the ever-supporting wife to one of those guys? Doubtful.

“In many ways Case was the perfect guy for you – calm, supportive, and not threatened by your success. I don’t think he wants to be a house husband, but he does want kids. Did you ever talk about that?”

She shook her head. “I know he does, but we never got around to having a serious discussion about it.”

“Anastasia, would you be willing to put your career on hold for a few years to start a family? Like me, you don’t have to worry about money, so being married to a mere pilot wouldn’t be a burden – at least financially.”

Anastasia was quiet for a long time, staring out her window. “I just don’t know the answer to that. Having and raising kids scares the heck out of me. My own parents are hardly what you’d call great role models.”

Cassandra reached across and touched Anastasia’s hand. “Tell me about it. My messed-up family...” She swallowed, keeping her emotions in check. “Including me, drove my older brother, James out of the house. Mom and I were lucky to get him back. From what you tell me, your brothers seem to be doing fine, and I kind of like the Anastasia sitting across from me.”

Anastasia smiled slightly. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

They both sat silently for a couple of minutes, lost in thought.

Suddenly, Anastasia brightened. “Cassandra, what if we offer Noah a management position with Aero Services Austin?”

“Huh? Where on earth did that come from?”

“I think left field, but hey, I’m a problem solver. Hear me out.”

Looking at her friend like she’d lost her mind, Cassandra nodded.

“Right now, Aero Services Austin is nothing more than some corporate documents in my desk drawer and a pending lease on the hangar three doors down.” Anastasia pointed out her window.

“And?”

“On March first ASA will be funded by the sale of the Air-Bytes stock we transferred to the corporation and shortly thereafter we’ll pay the leasing company and take delivery of the three aircraft from Air-Bytes and take possession of the hangar. At present, Rachel Paulson, at least on paper, is CEO of ASA, but since she is still obligated to Air-Bytes until September 1st she just won’t have time for the hands-on stuff. And lord knows we don’t have the time to get involved.”

“So, what you’re saying is that ASA will need some full-time staff right away.”

“Exactly, like an experienced mechanic to take care of the TBMs, someone to manage the office, office support staff, and here’s where Noah comes in – a senior manager who can keep the regulatory stuff straight, sign documents, deal with the FAA, and at the same time be out drumming up more charters. He’d be the CEO in all but name, and if he plays his cards right Rachel’s just liable to go to the board and have it made official!”

Cassandra laughed and shook her head. “I think senior manager is just fine.” She turned serious. “But Noah’s not a pilot.”

“No need. Noah’s a Marine officer - someone who can organize and manage. Jeff and Rachel will be available to advise and will come on full time on September first. Didn’t you tell me, with his accrued leave; Noah could leave the Marines as early as May first?”

Cassandra opened her mouth to respond and then closed it. She sat back, obviously thinking it over.

Quickly warming to the idea, Cassandra said, “Noah’s looking for a challenge and this could be it. It would also be a résumé builder.” She grinned. “Somehow a career of making loud noises and breaking things doesn’t translate well into most HR algorithms.”

“So, you’ll talk to him?”

“Definitely.” She looked at her friend. “Anastasia, you may just get your wish that I stay for two years.”

“That was the plan. And maybe sometime we can arrange for you and Noah to get that vacation to the Greek isles.”

“I’ll tell him to get that in writing!”

Anastasia fielded a phone call while Cassandra caught up on her messages.

Finally, Cassandra asked, “Any news from Case?”

“He called Irene – he’ll be in the day after tomorrow, arriving, according to Irene, by private charter. A Gulfstream no less.”

“What?”

“That was my reaction, too. I guess your mom didn’t set that up.”

Cassandra shook her head, looking puzzled. “I’d have been told. I know she likes Case, and was dismayed to hear about his sister, but certainly not a chartered jet.”

“Wonder if he’ll tell us.”

Cassandra replied, “Not our Case. He won’t volunteer a thing. If we want to know we’ll probably have to pry it out of him.”

That remark got a nod and the expected chuckle from Anastasia.

Cassandra turned serious. “Do you think he’ll be okay?”

Anastasia gave some thought to her answer. “I hope so. It had to be a terrible blow, but Case is a resilient guy. What do you think? You’ve talked to him since ... since his sister died.”

“That’s true, but it was just that once on January second – that call I told you about. That’s the only time, and that wasn’t much of a conversation. I told him how sorry we all were about his sister and the dear man responded by apologizing because he felt like he was letting Air-Bytes down. I told him Vika was filling in for him.

“But knowing our Case, he’ll be ready to go to work when he gets here, and fortunately we have Vika and Jonas on board now to fill in, so he can concentrate on the new Air-Bytes.”

“You’re right. I’m glad he’s not scheduled for flying though – we’ve got so much to do that he’ll hardly have time to sleep, much less brood.”

“That’s probably best. With Vika covering for him, he can concentrate on working with us to get the new Air-Bytes ready to go. How are you going to handle being around him all the time?”

Anastasia considered her question. “After meeting him at Orange County, I think I’ve helped clear the air. He knows where I stand. We still have things to talk about, but working together should be fine. We both know what’s at stake for everyone in this organization and will work damn hard for the new Air-Bytes to be successful...”

Anastasia paused and said ruefully, “Ex-girlfriend, or not...”

“And if he decides Vika’s the one? She’s pretty determined and committed to relocating. I know she’s already put in an offer on a condo, not all that far from here.”

Anastasia stared at her for a moment. “I won’t like it, but I’ll survive, and considering what’s at stake we’ll make it work. Although, I have to say after watching them at lunch in Lodi, I think it’s pretty one-way. She has a tremendous crush on him, but he doesn’t feel the same way.”

“Despite the kiss?”

“A wise friend said something like, ‘what red-blooded male wouldn’t enjoy being pursued and kissed by a beautiful young woman?’” Anastasia gave a fleeting smile. “Heck, I’d probably enjoy being kissed by Vika!”

Cassandra laughed.

“And Jonas? It was obvious from the start that he’s attracted to you. How’s that been since he arrived?

Anastasia colored a bit. “Well, what red-blooded female wouldn’t enjoy the attention of Jonas Kaufmann?”

Cassandra smiled. “Touché.”

Anastasia grew thoughtful. “I’m attracted as well, despite the fact we’ve never even dated, much less kissed. I adore Kesi. Being around her has given me some important insights into Jonas the man and father. Future? I think that depends on Case...”

Cassandra looked at her friend. “You and Case make a good pair – always thought so, but that said, from what I’ve seen of Jonas, he might be a better fit for you.”

“Oh?”

“I believe Jonas is the guy you want Case to be. He’s smart and driven, and from the little I’ve seen, he also cares about people. I’m looking forward to meeting Kesi. From your description, she’s a wonderful young woman and that says a lot for Jonas.

“I’ve looked at his record, and I know you have too. Successfully running Air-Bytes would be easy in comparison to running a helicopter squadron fighting terrorists in Africa.”

“So, you’re saying that Jonas could be the next CEO of Air-Bytes?”

“Anastasia, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Over the next year we’ll have an opportunity to look at Jonas, as he gets a look at us. I already envision his role as more than just one of our pilots. He’d be wasted and probably quickly bored with that position.”

“With as much as Case will have on his plate as senior pilot, maybe Jonas needs to be manager of operations?”

“Good idea. Let’s talk it over with Case when he gets in.”

Cassandra pointed to the file regarding the buyout she’d placed on Anastasia’s desk.

“I’ll leave that with you; I think everything is as it should be. They really didn’t have any but minor changes, but as always, I’ll want your opinion as well as Irene’s. I’ll email you both copies of my notes once I look them over once more.”

Anastasia pulled the documents from the file folder. “What’s this?” She held out a copy of some newspaper articles.

“Oh, sorry, those must have gotten mixed in. They’re the articles about Case’s sister from the local Barnwell newspaper. Seems everyone in town knew her and the family.”

Anastasia examined a photo of Juliet in her police uniform. “I’m sorry I never met her. Case thought she was pretty special.”

Cassandra nodded in agreement. Anastasia opened the website for the newspaper. The articles and photos about Juliet and the family were not hard to find, and included a number of photos from the memorial service.

As Anastasia scrolled through the photos she asked, “Any idea who this is?” She pointed to a young woman. She was a tall and beautiful Latina who was next to Case in every photo. In some she held his arm, in others, he had his arm around her as she leaned against him.