Authors: Cassandra Cole
CHAPTER TWO
Cooper led her through the airport to the taxi rank just outside. He spoke to the driver, then opened the car door for her. They were driven 10 minutes to a private airfield on the far reaches of the international airport. The taxi took them up to a hanger with a small plane inside.
"Will this make it over the Indian Ocean?" Eve asked nervously as Cooper pulled her suitcase from the trunk of the taxi. He slipped the driver cash through the window and thanked him before dragging the suitcase over to the plane.
"This thing is heavy, what do you have in here?" he asked, ignoring her question and lifting the suitcase into the small baggage hold.
"Books," she answered with a shrug. He shot her a look of disbelief. She looked around, and for the first time in the hour she had known him, Cooper genuinely smiled. "Where's our pilot?"
He jabbed a thumb in this chest. "You're looking at him.”
Eve's mouth dropped open. "You can't be serious.”
"I am," Cooper said, opening the cockpit and lifting himself up. Eve remained on the tarmac, mouth hanging open, staring at the plane.
"How long have you been flying?” she asked warily. “And you didn't tell me if this would make it across the Indian Ocean!"
Through the window, she could see Cooper flipping switches and checking the plane. "I've been flying for years," he said finally. "And the plane made it over here, so it should make it back."
"Should?!"
Her nervousness made him grin. She was right; he did look like Matthew McConaughey when he smiled.
He said, "It's at the higher end of the plane's range, but we should be fine. There's always Blaire if we start cutting the fuel reserves close."
Eve stood rooted to the spot. She turned and looked back at Bangaluru International Airport, contemplating calling the airline and exchanging her ticket in three weeks' time for the next flight back to London. When she looked back at Cooper, his expression is sympathetic.
"Don't worry about the plane," he said more gently. "I flew it over here, and I had 45 minutes of fuel to spare. We have a tailwind today, so we'll be fine."
He looked up at the sky, which has started to brighten. "And the sun is coming out." He smiled and patted the seat next to him. "Come on, be my co-pilot.”
Just sitting in the tiny plane seemed to put him in a much better mood. His smile and confidence seemed to reassure Eve somehow. She finally took a deep breath and made her way around to the passenger side.
Cooper held out a hand to lift her inside the cockpit. His grip was strong and tight, and his hand was calloused from some kind of hard work.
He pulled her easily inside the plane, his hand warm against hers. He looked at her as if seeing her for the first time and Eve felt her pulse quicken as his eyes locked on hers.
Their grip on each other lingered and as he pulled away his thumb skimmed lightly across her knuckles, causing a not unpleasant shiver to run down her spine and into her legs.
"Thanks," she said in a whisper. She suddenly felt foolish, but glad that she was sitting down as her legs felt a little unsteady.
"Ready?" Cooper asked. He gave her a reassuring, yet devilish grin.
"Not really," Eve said, the familiar anxiety setting in. Her pulse quickened. She knew she would feel every tiny movement in a plane like this, and she would hate every last second of it until they landed safely.
"You don't like flying, do you?"
"How could you tell?"
"You look like you're ready to faint," he said with a sympathetic smile.
"I think I may be," she said, swallowing hard, exhaling deeply.
He reached out and took her hand again, squeezing it.
"Put that headset on," he said, pointing toward what looked like a pair of large green headphones with a microphone attached.
Eve used two hands to slip the headset over her ears, then made a goofy face and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Okay," Cooper said, adjusting the microphone on his headset closer to his lips. His voice sounded like he was speaking through a tin can in her ear. "I'm going to talk you through everything."
"What do you mean?" Eve asked.
"I'm going to teach you how to fly," he replied, smiling at her again. He radioed to traffic control, and as they taxied up the runway for take-off he explained every detail.
As the plane ascended he explained how changes in air pressure and density caused turbulence. She knew a lot of these things, of course, but it was nice to hear them in Cooper's calm, even voice. She knew that he was trying to calm her and she was relieved to find it working.
"So how do you know Frank?" she asked after the plane was at altitude and they reached a stretch of relatively calm air.
"He kind of took me in a few years ago," Cooper said.
"Took you in?"
"Yeah, I had just finished a fourth tour of duty in Iraq. The war was over and they were sending everyone home." He paused for a moment, then continued. "I didn't have anything waiting for me stateside, so after hopping around for two years I ended up in Thailand. I met Frank at a bar. I was looking for work on a ship, but Frank persuaded me to go to Burma with him. He had just bought a hotel and it needed some work." Cooper shrugged as if that was all to be told. “End of story.”
She adjusted the microphone closer to his lips, copying what he had done. She still felt the urge to speak loudly over the noisy engine.
She asked, "So you've been in Burma ever since?"
He nodded. “Yep, I help Frank around the hotel, do some driving for people like you…" He trailed off and waved his hand as if to indicate he did a bit of everything.
Eve laughed. "People like me, huh?"
Cooper grinned and glanced over at her. "Yeah, academics in need of a tour guide." His eyes lock on hers again, and Eve felt a flutter in her stomach that had nothing to do with the movement of the plane.
"Although," he began slowly, "I have to say they're not usually as pretty as you."
Eve heard herself laugh like a school girl. "So, not all academic tourists who come here are as pretty as moi?"
Cooper's grin broadened. "The last woman I took to an island off Burma had these eyebrows..." He held two fingers above his eyes as an indicator and wiggled them.
Eve laughed and settled back in her seat. They were already over halfway through the flight and she was, for the first time in her life, wishing it would take longer.
"You seem to be doing well for someone who is a self-proclaimed bad flyer," Cooper said after a few minutes of comfortable silence. He’d watch Eve settle into her seat to gaze out of the window.
"I guess you're a good pilot, Captain Cooper."
"Parkhill," he replied.
"Huh?"
"Cooper Parkhill, that's my name."
"Nice to meet you, Captain Cooper Parkhill," Eve said. A flush of heat washed over her cheeks when she realized her tone was more than a little flirtatious.
Cooper grinned back at her and said, “And nice to meet you,
Dr. Nee-Iv Cavanagh
.”
Eve smiled and settled back in her seat. For the first time in her life, she found the motion of the plane relaxing. It had been nearly fifteen hours since she’d left home. She closed her eyes and let herself drift into a light sleep.
CHAPTER THREE
Eve awoke to the slight dip and bob of the plane as it started its descent. She stretched and rubbed her eyes.
"Morning, madam," Cooper said in her ear.
"Evening, actually," Eve replied.
She adjusted the headset back over her ears, which had gone wonky during her nap. She looked out the window and yawned into the back of her hand.
She was still tired, but the nap had helped a little. She wouldn’t tell Cooper that it was the first time she’d ever relaxed enough to sleep on a plane.
She looked down toward the earth below. The sun was setting behind them, casting an orange glow on the water below.
"We're just about to pass over Kadan Island," Cooper said, pointing out the window to the small island ahead. "Frank has his house on the west side of the island, right on the beach. The sunsets are fantastic."
"I can't wait to see them," Eve said.
"Are you staying at Frank's?" Cooper asked, glancing over at her. "Usually the only guests we get are rich assholes on big yachts and extreme travelers looking for something exotic to take a selfies of."
"I have a hotel booked on mainland Burma, but I could always cancel," Eve said, glancing at him, looking for a reaction. "Especially if these sunsets are as good as you say they are."
"They are," Cooper replied.
They exchanged smiles. The sun setting behind the plane was illuminating his hair in golden light, and his expression was focused as he guided the plane into position for landing.
As the plane descended, Eve could see postcard-perfect islands jutting out from crystal clear waters. The islands were wrapped in white sand beaches, and canoes dotted the water around them.
"Most of these islands are uninhabited," Eve said academically. “The government is protective of this area; it's only beginning to open up to tourists. I'm actually a little surprised Frank was able to buy a house here."
"You know Frank..." Cooper replied with a knowing nod.
"Yes, I suppose you're right. He can be charming."
"Charming is one word for it.” Cooper said with a laugh. "Do we have a little crush on Frank?"
"I certainly don’t!" Eve exclaimed. “And I hope you don’t either!” She almost regretted saying it… almost.
"Frank is definitely NOT my type," Cooper said. “OK, make sure your belt is tight. We’re gonna land this crate.” He smiled at the horrified look on her face. “Just kidding.”
When the little plane finally touched down with only a few bumps and skids, it was fully dark out and Eve was exhausted. Cooper led her through the airport and out to an SUV waiting in the lot. He loaded her bag, opened the passenger door for her, then climbed in behind the wheel.
Within minutes of pulling away, she fell asleep, her head cradled against the seatbelt.
She awoke to find that they were on a short ferry ride. She dozed on and off as they drove around the perimeter of the island, and came to life just as they arrived at Frank's house.
“Honey, we’re home,” Cooper said playfully, watching her stretch and yawn. He hadn’t been kidding before. She was the most beautiful tourist he’d ever ferried around; perhaps the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He reached across and opened her door.
“I’ll grab your bag,” he said, nodding. “You go on inside. The front door’s always open.”
Eve stepped out of the SUV and stood rubbing the small of her back, always surprised at how out of place Frank’s house looked. It was almost as if the house were built in America and dropped in the middle of Asia. It was surprisingly Western in design and every light was on inside.
When she stepped across the wide front porch and through the front door, the smell of food hit her nostrils and she realized that she was starving.
"Frank!" she exclaimed, rushing over to give the burly man coming toward her a hug. "I was so surprised when you didn't pick me up," she said, breaking away after several seconds.
"I thought you and Cooper would get along fetchingly, so I sent him instead," Frank said with a not-so-subtle wink as Cooper came through the door carrying her bag. Eve felt the heat rise to her cheeks again.
"Well, it was unexpected,” she said with a smile.
"You had me worried,” Frank said, his round face turning serious. “I'll admit, I was a little worried after you sent that email from the airport.”
Eve had entirely forgotten about the sarcastic email she’d sent to Frank. She laughed and blushed harder, clearly preferring he not mention it further.
"What email?" Cooper asked, his face returning to the somber expression he’d worn when he had first greeted Eve at the airport.
"Oh nothing," she said, fumbling for words. "I just sent an email asking Frank where he was."
Cooper gave Frank a knowing nod, then retreated toward the back of the house without another word. Eve was speechless. Her mouth hung open as she stared after him, and she had a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach, like a child who’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t.
"What did I say?" she whispered to Frank.
Frank shrugged. "He's a complicated soul, Naimh. Don't let it bother you. I sent him because he needed to get out of the house and I thought you might find him an interesting… challenge.”
Her eyebrows slowly went up. “An interesting challenge?”
“I know how much you love a challenge,” he said, narrowing his eyes beneath two bushy eyebrows that reminded her of gray caterpillars.
“What does he do for you here?” she asked, looking around.
“He's been refinishing the library. You must see it. Come.”
Frank led her through an arched doorway into a small room. When he clicked on the light Eve nearly gasped. The floor and shelves were teak; almost every inch had been painstakingly sanded by hand. Curls of wood and piles of dust littered the floor along with scraps of sandpaper. Only two rows of shelves at the top of the far wall hadn’t been touched, and they were still orange with years of old stain.
"This must have taken weeks," Eve said. She was in awe at the level of skill and amount of work he had expended. She ran her fingertips over the shelf. “It’s gorgeous.”
Frank made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. She knew Frank wasn’t one to dole out compliments easily. He folded his arms over this belly and sighed. "I haven’t been able to tear him away from it for weeks. That’s why I sent him to fetch you. The poor man needed a distraction."
“Is that what I am, Frank,” she said, bumping his with her elbow. “A distraction?”
“A lovely distraction,” he said. “Come on, you must be famished. There’s food in the kitchen.”