Dandelion Sky

Matty hadn't finished the question before a dog came barreling at them,

way. "It's nice to see you too, Buster." Ethan looked at Matty. "Is

ing and pulling hard to finish what it had started. "Buster passed away a few

e foyer dressed in trim pink slacks and a bright yellow top. She hugged Ethan. "We've all missed you. Promise you'

ing to pee o

he boy to take the dog away while it licked Ethan's shoes as though trying to taste them. Bodily lifting the mutt

rms were full with a tail-wagging dog. Ethan shook his head in disbelief. "All

dog away. "Pete turns thirteen in October, and then

t semester starts, Ryan will be moving into off-campus housing so he can

enough to the campus, as it is. T

yan moved past Beth and greeted Ethan with a brotherly fist bump.

different place witho

d started UCLA in Southern California, it had been Ethan's first real taste of being on his own. He'd probably consumed more alcohol in that first month than he had in his entire teenaged life. Of course, he'd never told Matty about all t

d said that you'd

Hell would've had to froze over in a big way before Ethan would call Matty that. But then, Matty h

n," Ryan

id stood with the easy slump of a young teenager, his hands in his pockets as though he hadn't a care in the world. As Ethan hugged Dylan, he wondered how much Dyl

" Dylan said

going in schoo

hrugged

as open to a great room where a tall unused fireplace stood watch in the far corner. Waiting for everyone to reach them, Mr. and Mrs. Campbell sat com

mpbell hadn't changed, she really hadn't. There may have been a few more lines around her mouth

about. "Whe

elieve Cassie said something about a headache." Aiden greeted Ethan with one of his typically strong handshakes, then Aiden crossed his arms and p

ood, I

ad dinner?"

ry the responsibility you've got on your

bility are you

ut I can heat up some l

as well as to your family, to not

istening with a pained expression. "What ha

hat you've sold

how of deference would calm the man down a

old us, that's an

et, it hasn't." When Aiden didn't smile in return, Ethan wished he'd take

for one person," Aiden said ev

. He certainly wasn't going to argue-- not on an empty stomach. When Beth once more offered dinner, Ethan didn't turn it down. And when Shannon asked him how his d

e dining table as Shannon

ment we heard your car-- I swear on a stack of

t down with a sigh. "I jogged.

you came in," Ryan added. The nineteen-year

use

ney. What's

ice to have his little brother looking at him as though he'd

disbelief, and Ethan caught the

at Ryan, "maybe you'll foll

arfetched startup? Over my dead body. You--" Matty nodded to Ryan-- "

gave him a heavy plate of spaghetti. "It was hard on the

you had stay

ing, but what had Matty expected? Ethan wasn't into religion like his family was, and he never had been. It wasn't like he was the only one. Ryan, Dylan, and

s business?" Ethan asked between mouth

slaving like crazy to get the new store on its feet, Pete and I have been working

for

ke of his head. "That's Dylan's fancy

" Dylan said, "so that ma

Ethan asked Matty. "This last

And it never

with a pencil someone had left on the table. "Besides the one in Las Cruces,

round Matty's mouth, and had his answer. Business was very

thanks-- we've got e

ion to Ryan. "What's up with those whiskers?

hinks a beard will m

an asked. "You

s chin as if it would help

the crazier you become. You won't e

e. "You have to say that. Yo

r stepping inside, and shutting a patio door behind him as he firmly held on to Tucker's dog

asked, putting an

hugged Peter, then Ethan watched as the boy left them to go to bed. Once more, Ethan marveled at the fact his nephew would turn thirteen that year. It didn't seem possible. Time had

Dylan got up to turn in for the night. It wasn't until Aiden had called his own goodnight, that Ethan realiz

shed back from the table. He was

k prefers Aiden's company to

late and I've had a long Monday. Which room is mine? Just poi

to the hallway just off the kitchen and great room. "You

nse that he'd be sharing with someone else. He turned down Matty's offer to help bring his things in from the car, and set about getting ready for bed. Weary down to his

*

ande for what sounded like a vacation. Since they had arrived the day before yesterday, it explained Mr. Campbell's absence at the shop on Monday and

made, Jo smiled, and stayed put as she worked at one of the benches near the office. Mr. Camp

ey had with disassembling the Grumman F8F Bearcat's main landing gear. To her surprise, Jo noticed that even with th

amed for dear life. Jo envied her. She wished she could've had the day off to get sick on a coaster ride, though she never really got sick-- she always had too much fun to remember to puke. Getting your stomac

k wondered if anyone had been unable to

again, and to catch up with our grandkids. Ryan couldn't make it last year because he had that internship i

u've t

on in the first place, and now? Only God knows how it's all affected him, or what he'll do now, simply because he can. Tha

getting along with her boss quite well, thank you very much, and she wanted to keep it that way. She didn't want to know why Mr. Campbell and someone n

ing," Jack sa

ell called over his should

down. It was none

s insanely good, and to top it all off, this August she'd be able to go on work

to warbird restoration. He was five years older than her, and newly divorced. He'd looked her way once or twice, but Jo didn't encourage him. She didn't want yet another relationship getting in the way of school, and esp

the times when it did, Jack would clear his throat and Mr. Campbell would cut the chatter short. From what Jo had seen, Mr. Campbell couldn't stay on his feet for long periods of time without sitting down and resting, making it difficult to work on anything except in short spurts. She felt for her boss; working like that had to stink. Whenever people stopped by the hangars to see their progress on the Bearcat, and the gorgeously super-cool P-51 Mustang in the next hangar, Mr. Campbell would shoot the breeze with them and give sm

ending machine had been well placed in the Pilot's Lounge, for it was hotter than the lowest depths of hell outside. Still, she'd seen worse, and it would only get more intense as the summer plunged forward full throttle. T

fter dark to sleep in Campbell Aviation's unlocked van. That had been a relief. The first few days on the job had ma

er needed to sneak into the van. Eight days ago she'd moved into a tiny furnished apartment near the airport. Though the place wasn't anything to brag about, it was hers. It was the first time she

d on the ground. She'd never been so independently strong before

*

was sharing a room with Ryan. Ethan scrubbed his face with both hands. He remembered now. Sometimes it took a while for his brain to kick into gear, especially when the day before had been spent wandering an amusement p

" on the front. He did not love Cielo Grande. How could he, when he'd just been covered in barf, and the heat wa

hing out, Ethan absently wondered if he could stay in bed for the entire

Fog City after all, but walking took on a whole new meaning when it was in one hundred and four degree heat. He had obsessed over finding that next patch of shade, staying hydrate

brown T-shirt and loose fitting jeans. He should've slept in, and let everyon

hurried to sniff his feet. "Hey there, Buster."

t Buster," said an

chen to where Aiden was wat

, and pushed the playful dog aside

mething about airplanes and World War II. Ethan had assumed Aiden wasn't going to r

at

unted. "

ess. It did no good to remember that he was supposed to be on vacation, for checking that inbox was almost a compulsive thing. Seeing no emergencies, and that h

atre," cam

e. "Why didn't you go with them? It

s on Ethan. "I'm to tell you that lunch is

slept the morning through. Oh well. He'd wanted to sleep in, anyway. He went back to

n muted the

what's fo

s face as he took a moment before answering. "I thi

m a veg

s he turned back and watched the still

fles into the microwave, dug up a bottle of maple syrup, and some forks. When the microwave beeped, he took out the nuked waffles, and divided them onto two plat

w I haven't alr

ve

N

muted silence. "How about turning up the sound?" Ethan asked. He looked over, saw Aiden quietly praying over his fo

said, speaking around a mouthful of

n another bite. "I was mo

id, pointing a fork at him, "you'

up, di

e of warm waffle. "Tha

been able to bring himself to do the same. It was hard to love the guy, for Aiden never made it easy to love him, let alone like him. The first day Ethan had met Aiden had been proof e

g the airport after

p there, like the set

gars, and the air traffic is wide-open, or just about.

t. "Do you miss your family?" Ethan a

d since Cathy's parents live near them, she wasn't eager to up and move. It's not easy to relocate when your wife, kids, and job

arly baked Ethan alive. "What did Brian have to say when he found out you were leaving Phoenix?" E

ed in more food and turned back to watch the TV. With the sou

anted to go with the others, now that he was stuck with you-know-who, Ethan felt th

you really want to

living." Aiden shrugged. "Maybe I was wrong. Either way, you're free to spend y

den had been right. The airplanes he worked on were sort of cool, and they weren't anything that you'd normally see in the skies. When those warbirds

he scattered photos on the walls of the finished warbirds they had restored. Aiden had stories to tell about each one, stats, a rundown of their role in history, etc., etc. Ethan had been on one of these tours

l engine Stearman painted in classic blue and yellow. Back in the day, these bip

He'd heard i

k. He'd never been one to get grease under his nails, but he kind of admired those who did. Kind of. They were problem solvers, methodical in their approach, and unendingly annoying when they couldn't make you understa

around them to see what they were doing. Aiden introduced him to a few of the guys, then explained what was going on. It didn't help very much, for Ethan got an earful of aviat

artphone from his pocket when he noticed some

wo

ed the phone back into his pocket and looked over to where Aiden was busy with the others. Drumming his fi

straight

she moved a little and got a better look at him. She wasn't in-your-face-pretty, but the frankness

and met his with a colliding spark that

le, and she bit her bottom lip as though seeing something trul

with no luck at all, and she shook her head in amusement. Or maybe it was disdain, and she was only teasing him to see if he would take the bait. If she was the bait, the

ke over Ethan's shoulder. "She's

ve remembered." Ethan tossed a look at Aiden. "She

that meant-- and heade

smiling. They weren't. She had gone back to work. Ethan waited, he wanted to know if she would take a peek to see if he was still looking. She had to know he was watch

, there couldn't have been much to her. And her face-- that face-- it was as exotic as anything he'd ever seen. She had an almost European look about her, but then, Ethan decide

y entered the next hangar. "Ke

aughed.

ng sitting in the hangar, and launched into his spiel about the plane's history, it

y do you want me to keep my d

J

ah,

protective father. "Let's just say that if I had any single unattached d

, and now this. Ethan resumed his walk around the Mustang, aw

bother you?"

d. "Doesn't w

t you with one of my own daugh

always did when he was on edge. "You didn't trust Matty with Beth. I know you didn't. If

ther is a

That's rich, co

r, he's long ago proved me wrong. I only wonder, with a brother like Matt, how long it's g

me. You don't know ho

id with a nod, "enough to

y simply didn't know, and really, it wasn't any of their business who he slept with, or who he was seeing. Not that he had much time to mess up his life, for he ha

the lack of order in his life. Ethan cursed under his breath. If he'd only

hat he had a boat to rock. That he ac

smiled at him. Who was she? She couldn't have been married, or else Aiden would've been quick to point it out. Jo Mack. What an

isn't she?" said

re he'd heard that voice before when

u?" Jack took in the P-51 Mustang like it was a long-lost lover. "It took an o

red his hand. "We've m

said, shaking Ethan's hand. He smiled at A

. "You were the one who tried to get me into that two-se

Jack nodded.

king for this crazy o

into the oversized pockets of his work pants. "Wouldn't trade this job for anything

n sm

ing Aiden a broad smile before turning back to Ethan. "

his head. "Seriously-- I

ck smiled at Aiden. "

to Jack about the work going on in the main h

of leaning forward. This was all about the past, but what about tomorrow? What would come next? Answering that question was one of the many reasons Ethan loved doing what he did. The startups

f the airport had been finishe

oor and let out a wave of heat that blasted Ethan's face. "At a certain age, you get to a point

the hangar. Aiden squinted against the bright sun, and slipped on his aviator sunglasses. Ethan was more than ready to leave, but

a bad thing. Sometimes it c

ere for frozen yogurt. He wasn't a strict vegan, and he wa

's attention through change. Ma

up from checking th

and started the engine. The moment the air conditioner was on, Ethan slid onto the hot leather s

n drive home without prolonging their outing a moment longer. Though

hts were

*

she'd set eyes on the cute guy in the brown T-shirt and f

thinking things she di

gh, and that was what really had her fuming. How thoughtless could she be? Men took time, time she didn't have. She'd lande

she knew

or. Wonderful. She'd just flirted with one of Mr. Campbell's family. Though she had

done was done. She c

deep down rea

way he'd smiled at her-- all slow and confident and sure of himself. It ann

esponsible type. Or maybe Mr. Campbell had said he couldn't be trusted. Jo couldn't remember the e

after all. Ethan had the generic good looks you'd find in

r. She had checked. She had also turned her back to him, and let him walk from the

n't int

a mom somewhere, but that wasn't the point. Jo was sick of picking up after full-sized-men-children who wa

wanted to groan. So the guy liked a good timepiece. It was probably the one thing he splurged on, for the expiration date had come and gone on his shirt and jeans. Knowing men, he'd probably pulled that sh

just

ocus on her job. In the future, she dearly wishe

e too di