Chapter 6
Lynn tried to calm her nerves as she waited at the dock. She was surprised that she felt this way. Usually being near the water soothed her. Was she nervous about the flight?
No, that wasn’t it. As much as she didn’t like heights, she had full faith in Mike’s abilities. He’d even taken her up a few times in the past and shown her the New York skyline from above.
The flight would be fine. It was something else. Maybe the fact that she was seeing Mike again at all.
Yeah. That was the problem. It washim. He was unnerving!
At least he agreed to ditch the disguise. That was nice, and it made her feel like she had some semblance of control. Though Lynn didn’t know what he was up to, and he clearly didn’t want to tell her, she couldn’t help but be curious. Perhaps she could convince him to spill the beans eventually?
Her phone dinged. She pulled it out from her purse and saw that she had a message from Mike. “Look up! Coming in from the southwest.”
She smiled, turning to see a dot of a plane in the distance. She watched as it approached, the engine noisily buzzing as it got closer and closer.
Seaplanes always seemed goofy to her – it looked like they were wearing oversized shoes. She reminded herself they were not called shoes, butfloats.
The red and white plane got closer and lower, until the shoes – er, the floats – splashed into the water. It didn’t take long for the plane to slow down, and within moments, Mike was close enough for her to see him waving from the cockpit.
Gah. He was so effortlessly cool.It’s easy to look cool while flying a plane, she told herself.
Once he stopped, Lynn walked over, careful to make sure her heels didn’t get stuck in the wooden slats of the dock.
“Hey there!” she called out.
Mike stepped out of the cockpit and hopped onto the dock, headset hanging around his neck. “I’m surprised that landing went so well.”
She crossed her arms. “Oh? I was promised a smooth flight to Seattle.”
“You will have it,” he said, walking over to open the passenger door for her. “Please have a seat and get settled in. I’m just going to top off the fuel.”
He offered a hand to help her onto the gently bobbing plane. Lynn took a quick step onto the float before climbing inside. The boat continued rocking as she shut the door. It was a good thing that she didn’t suffer from motion sickness, or this might’ve been a problem.
She straightened out her dress and buckled her seat belt. Lynn wasn’t sure how much use a seat belt would be if they crashed, but it felt like the right thing to do.
Mike returned shortly thereafter and handed her a headset. “Are you ready?”
“Sure.” She fitted it onto her head, testing the talk button. “Just out of curiosity, when was the last time that you landed on water before today?”
Mike shrugged. “It’s been a few years. But it’s like riding a bicycle. My first takeoff was a little unpleasant, I’ll admit. I was rusty. But I’m feeling good now.”
Lynn laughed. “Terrific.”
He started the engine, completed the checks, and taxied out onto the water. He talked about the make and model of the plane, the improvements his friend had made, and the weather forecast for their flight. Lynn knew that he was trying to distract her, but she wasn’t afraid.
They took off, and once they were in the air, she said, “That wasn’t bad.”
He turned to her with a smile. “See? I still got it.”
She laughed and leaned over to admire the view from her window. The flight was easy, the weather was nice, and as they flew over various towns, Mike told her where exactly they were, and Lynn told him about paintings or shows she’d done in those areas.
At one point, Mike said he was eager to get his hands on an original Lynn Campbell creation. She didn’t know if he was serious, so she just replied, “It’ll cost you.”
When they landed in Seattle, a car was already waiting to take them to the gallery.
“What is this, a private ride?” she asked. “Was this a part of the retirement package? I don’t remember being offered a car with a driver.”
He laughed as he opened the door for her. “No, unfortunately, the FBI does not provide a car service. I like this company, though. Very discreet.”
