Chapter 126

I was surprised to see that it was Sam who was taking the pictures and I saw JJ standing next to her smiling at me once I shaded my eyes from the direct sun.

Sam looked terrific! She was wearing a tight-fitting yellow dress and her body, always one of her best features, looked even better than I remembered. They came over to me and Sam surprised me by giving me a big hug after JJ shook my hand. She then backed away, looked me up and down, and said, “Wow! The pictures in the papers didn’t do you justice. You’re better looking than ever and you grew since I last saw you.”

I gave her my best smile and said, “And you got even prettier. How long have you been back?”

“I went on that wall dive that I told you about and came home right after that. I thought about calling you, but we’re so busy with the airport expansion that I just haven’t had time. It’s almost finished. You should come by and see it, it’s amazing.”

“I’d love to see it. Maybe I can fly up there next week and...”

There was a tap on my shoulder and Debby said, “It looks like you’re busy, so we’re going to go see what’s happening. Would you, uhh, like me to send you copies of the pictures?”

“That would be great.”

“How do I get in touch with you?” I took one of my business cards and wrote my e-mail address on the back. She took it then she turned it over, looked at the front, and said, “One eight hundred burgers is the main phone number, what if I want to reach you directly?” Nell and I had talked about this, so I answered, “Just ask for me. My secretary will take a message and I’ll call you back.”

She frowned, said, “Humph,” and walked over to her friends.

Sam was grinning when I looked back at her, and she said, “Nice brushoff. Your secretary, eh? I used to know you when you were a regular guy.”

“I’m still a regular guy.”

“You are, eh? Aren’t you the guy I see on TV, the one who has his picture in the paper all the time?

“That’s because of Burgers. I got lucky.”

“I guess you did and I see that you haven’t lost your touch with girls.”

“That girl works at Burgers, I hardly know her.”

“I see, and I suppose you don’t know that gorgeous blonde you showed up with either?”

JJ interrupted, “C’mon, Sam, ease up on the poor guy.”

She answered, “I’m only kidding, Dad,” then she turned to me, “I saw you and the blonde going into the church. What’s going on in there?”

“Della changed her mind about the wedding. I was in with her dad and...”

My cell phone rang, so I excused myself. It was Brandy and she said, “This is going to take a while, Pete.”

“That’s okay, I’ll wait around.”

“It might take longer than a while. She’s changing clothes right now and we’re going to go somewhere to talk. Can we drop you at the hotel?”

“Sure.”

“Do you need to get home tonight?”

“Not really, why?”

“We could be late.”

I suddenly got an idea and I said, “I’ll call you right back.”

I went back and asked JJ, “What are your plans for tonight?”

“We were going to stay for the reception and drive home later, but I don’t know what we’re going to do now, why?”

“That girl is my ride home, but she’s with Della now and they’re going to go somewhere and talk. My hotel room is good until tomorrow. Let’s go there. I’ll tell you about Della, you can tell me about the airport, and Sam can tell me about Hawaii. They have a nice dining room and we’ll let Burgers buy us dinner.”

JJ looked at Sam and she nodded, so I said, “I’ll be right back. I want to let Joe know.”

He was over by the canopy talking with some people. Clara was standing by herself talking on her cell phone. She was closer to me and hung up just as I got to her. She said, “That was Della. She and your friend are going somewhere to talk. Della seems to trust her. Does she know what she’s doing?”

“I think so. I know that she counsels women’s groups a lot.”

Clara sighed then she said, “We’re willing to try anything at this point.”

“Do you want me to talk to Joe about Brandy?”

“No, your word is good enough. I’ll tell him.”

I started to leave, but she walked with me until we were clear of the others, then she stopped, touched my arm, and asked, “Why is it that you’re always there when someone in our family needs you?”

“I don’t know, it just happens, I guess.”

“Thank goodness that it does. You’re a good friend and you came through every time.”

“I’m glad that I’m able to help, but speaking of friends, I don’t see Ben or Kate. Are they coming?”

“Ben is back east on business, and Kate and the baby are both down with summer colds.”

“Bummer; I hoped that they’d be here, it’s been a while since I saw them.”

She looked at me for a minute before she asked, “Do you ever think about that time that we were together?”

“Of course I do.”

She looked serious when she said, “I-I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. I understand why it happened and I’ll always remember how amazing you were.”

She still had the serious look but there was a flicker of a smile for a split second.

It disappeared when Joe started walking toward us and she immediately started telling him about Della being with Brandy and how I said that she was qualified.

Some people came up wanting to talk to Joe just then, so I stepped away and called Brandy. I told her that I’d met some friends and they would take me back to the hotel. She said that she would keep in touch, so I went back to Sam and JJ and we drove to the hotel.

Sam asked if we could go to my room so that she could change clothes when we got there. That sounded like a good idea to everyone, so they grabbed their bags when we got there and we went in.

Sam went into the bathroom to change when we got to my room, so I asked JJ if he would like something to drink.

He sighed and said, “This has been an odd day. I think a drink would taste pretty good right now.”

He asked, “Can you order booze?” when I reached for the phone.

“I think so. Let’s try and see what happens. What would you like?”

“Ask them if they have some good bourbon.”

“What about Sam?”

“Uhh, Sam says that she likes pina coladas, what about you?”

“I don’t drink much, but I’ll be glad to get something for you,”

I called room service, ordered a pina colada for Sam, a Coke for me, and asked, “What’s your best bourbon?”

The guy answered, “We have quite a selection. What would you like?”

“What’s your best?”

“We have one bottle of Buffalo Trace experimental 16, but it only comes as a full bottle.”

I told him to bring it and I asked for some snacks because it was still early. I told him it didn’t matter when he asked what kind, but to make sure that there were plenty and I said yes when he asked if I would like a double order.

I hung up just as Sam came out of the bathroom wearing a blouse and jeans. This was more like the Sam I remembered, but she was definitely better looking than before she left for Hawaii, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. She was folding her dress and putting it in her travel bag, and I guess that I was staring because JJ had to call my name twice before he asked if he could use the bathroom to change next. He was smiling to himself as he went inside when I said okay.

I said to Sam, “I missed you,” when he closed the door.

She was still putting her things away and didn’t answer me for a while. She finally turned to me and replied, “I missed you too, Pete. I missed you a lot.” We stood there looking at each other, and there was an awkward silence that lasted until JJ returned.

It was my turn next. I quickly changed and I was just coming out of the bathroom when there was a knock on the door. I opened it and an older man rolled a cart that was loaded with food and drinks in. I guess that I ordered right because everything looked delicious. Sam squealed when she saw her drink. Her pina colada was served in a big bowl that had flower petals floating in it. It was huge and looked like it would serve six people.

The guy asked who got the whisky and he picked up a bottle and showed it to JJ when I pointed to him. JJ’s eyes got big, and he said, “Wow, I’ve only heard about that brand. It’s really supposed to be the good stuff.” The bottle was a squat little thing and not very attractive, but the server handled it like it was a piece of china and he smiled and looked at JJ, who smiled back when he opened it.

Then he asked, “Rocks, water?” He nodded when JJ said “Neat,” and replied, “Of course,” as he poured some into a glass and slid it toward JJ.

JJ pointed to another glass and asked me, “Are you sure that you won’t try it?”

He said to the server when I shook my head, “Have some, I think that we should enjoy this together,”

The server poured a small amount into another glass with a big smile, and he and JJ raised them together. It must have been good because they both closed their eyes when they drank it.

The guy handed me a slip of paper when I asked about a check. It listed what we ordered, but there were no prices or any place to sign.

All he said was, “It’s been taken care of,” when I asked why, then he left with a slight bow.

I made a mental note to ask Nell about it, but the snacks were looking good right now. There were actually two trays. One had different kinds of cold cuts, fresh veggies, several dipping sauces, and a bunch of different kinds of cheese. The other had a pile of fresh clams, a bigger pile of oysters on the half-shell, a huge plate of king crab legs, and a giant bowl of the biggest shrimp I ever saw was in the middle.

JJ and I laughed when Sam said that we would never have room for dinner if we ate all that, but everybody jumped in anyway and we began eating, drinking, and talking.

I asked Sam about Hawaii and she began talking about how much she liked the school and she went on about the different islands she visited. She described how beautiful and green everything was and how nice the people were, then she told us about how she learned to scuba dive, how much she loved it, and about the wall dive that she went on before she came home.

She seemed so excited about Hawaii that I asked her, “Are you going back to finish school in the fall?”

She looked at her dad, smiled, and said, “No, I had a great time there, but I want to be here with Dad. Our little airport is not little anymore. We’ll be a major hub by this time next year if things continue as they are. FBOs (Fixed base operations, plane rentals, flight instruction, etc.) are leaving surrounding airports to sign up with us every day. We already have as many FBOs as Palmdale and more are calling us every day, plus our repair facility is five times bigger than it was before and it’s going great!”

“That’s fantastic, why is it so successful?”

Sam said, “Tell him, Dad.”

JJ said, “It has to do with money like most things today, and we’re cheaper than everyone. Ben Sanders is a miracle worker. He and some people from his office in LA spent almost a month at Cantil City Hall straightening out files and records that have been screwed up for years. He found things that have been slipping through the cracks that will enable them to nearly double their revenue. The people there and in the planning department think that he walks on water and so does everybody in the mayor’s office. Our tax rate and fees are a fraction of what other airports pay in return, so we can charge less and still make a profit.”

“How do you get qualified people to come to work there?”

He looked at Sam and they both started laughing, then he continued, “Central Air Parts is the largest aircraft parts supplier in the western US. The rep is an old friend of mine, and he’s getting ready to retire. Our Chief of Operations is a very charming young lady and she talked him into taking her with him on his final sweep of his accounts, and the two of them visited every aircraft repair facility within five hundred miles. He’s on a first name basis with every good mechanic around, and she handed out a bunch of business cards. The response has been great.”

Sam was still smiling, so I nodded toward her and said, “I get the feeling that this grease monkey here is now your Chief of Operations?”

Sam said, “You’re damn right, I am, and your old job washing planes in still available if you’re interested.” That got a laugh from all of us. JJ then continued talking about the airfield, the new runways, all the new buildings, and the exciting things that were planned.

It was then my turn and the first thing they wanted to know about was what was going on with Della. Sam said that they knew Della was pregnant, so I filled them in on went on inside the church and how she changed her mind about the wedding at the last minute.

Sam then asked me something that I’d been curious about. She asked if Della seemed calm or did she seem confused. Sam shook her head when I mentioned how clear and calm Della seemed to be, and said, “I talked to her several times lately, and she always seemed spaced out. What changed?”

“I don’t know, I wondered about that too.”

Sam then said that she heard about the time I brought Denise to the dance in Cantil and how I got the Devon sisters, Rocketman, and Blaster to show up, so I told them about what happened for the next half hour. I had just finished when JJ laughed and pointed at the snack cart. It was completely empty.

I grinned, “Wow, we need more food,” and reached for the phone.

Sam and JJ both complained about being full, but I was able to talk them into banana splits for dessert even though they both rolled their eyes.

JJ asked for coffee when I asked about drinks. He shook his head when I pointed to the whisky bottle and said that he had to drive home later, but Sam said, “I’m not driving,” when I looked at her. She pulled the bowl closer and took a big pull on her straw.

She then asked me what I’d been up to since she left and I started telling them about working with Erin on the TV show. They wanted to know all about it, and I was telling them how it was being around the studio when dessert arrived. It was the same guy as before and he handed JJ a fancy looking box after putting the ice cream down, and said, “Your bottle came in a presentation box. You might want to put it in there for your trip home.”

JJ asked, “I get to keep the bottle?”

He answered, “It’s yours once it’s opened. The law says that we have to throw it away if you leave it, and I’d hate to see that happen.”

JJ asked him if he would like another taste, but the guy said that he better not, thanked him, nodded to us, and left. We attacked our dessert as soon as he did. It was so good that we were quiet while we were eating, but Sam asked how I got involved with Burgers as soon as we finished. I was giving them an edited version of how I was chosen to be their spokesman when my cell phone rang.

It was Brandy, and I asked, “What’s going on, where are you?”

“We’re in my room at the hotel. We may want to talk to you later.”

“Why? Is there a problem with Della?”

“No, she’s gonna be fine. We might need you for moral support is all.”

“I have some people here.”

JJ held up his hand to get my attention and said, “We have to get going!” so I said to Brandy, “Okay, they’ll be leaving in a few minutes. Call me if you need me.”