Page 5 of Soaring Sweethearts

“Jack?” She turned away from the window and put her hand on his arm again. Her fingers were so warm and soft.

“Yes?” He looked up into those earnest brown eyes flecked with gold, framed by lusciously long lashes. A man could get lost in those eyes. Not him, of course. But another man…

“How are your plans for starting a flight school going?”

He smiled and sat a little taller. There were very few people he’d confided in about his plans—just Ernie and Constance, really. He wanted to have everything worked out before he told the world. “There’s a fifty-acre potato farm out in Bayport that I have my eye on. It would be perfect for what I have in mind if I could just scrape together the money to buy it.”

“Have you thought about investors? You might be able to put your plans in motion sooner with the right backer.”

It was a good idea, and he had the same thought, though he didn’t know where he would start. “When did you get so smart about business?”

“I’ve learned a lot since I started dating Doug. Come to think of it, he’s always on the lookout for investment prospects. You might try talking to him.”

Ugh. Doug. He was kind and successful and safe and even moderately good-looking. For an accountant. In other words, he was exactly the kind of man she should date. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that she and Doug weren’t right for each other. Not that there was anything wrong with the man. Jack just didn’t like the idea of the two of them together.

“Sure. I’ll talk to him about it.” When pigs fly. The last person he wanted to confide his dreams to was Doug Brown.

“Speaking of Doug, I have a favor to ask you.” She bit her lip and furrowed her brow. Adorable.

“Ask away.”

She folded her hands in her lap, looking down and blushing. “Well, you see,” she began and then paused. “You’re a man, and you understand how men’s minds work.”

He wasn’t sure where this was going, but unease crept over him.

“You know I’ve been seeing Doug for some time,” she said, looking up at him again with those big eyes.

“Yes, I know you’ve been seeing Doug.” He did his best not to frown. There was nothing wrong with the man, after all. He didn’t have a real reason for his dislike.

“I’d like for him to propose, but something seems to be holding him back. I was hoping…” She looked around as if seeking help. Then her eyes settled back on him. “I was hoping you could help me convince him, but without being too obvious about it. I’ve never been much good at flirting, and he’s a bit on the shy side. I thought maybe you could tell me what men like, how to get his attention. You have so much experience with these things.”

Not so very much—and look what a hash he’d made of things with Myrtle.

“Please?” How could he resist those eyes, that face? Any man would slay dragons to get her to look at them like that.

He wanted to tell her to forget Doug. If the man couldn’t see what he had right in front of him, he wasn’t good enough for her. He wanted to tell her to wait for a man that knew her worth and worshipped the ground she walked on. He wanted to…

What?

It was none of his business whom she married, as long as the man treated her right and wasn’t a pilot. He was her friend, and he owed her whatever meager assistance he could offer.

“Of course I’ll help,” he said, patting her lovely, delicate hand. The thought of her touching Doug with that hand made his skin crawl, but it was none of his business.

“Thank heavens. It would be such a relief to be settled and married. It would take so much pressure off Ernie. And the family would be safe if…if…”

Jack squeezed her hand again. “Listen. Nothing is going to happen to Ernie. He’s got the best safety record on the team. You know that.”

“I know. But I can’t help worrying. And it really would be a relief to have things settled with Doug. For all of us.”

Poor Constance. The weight of the world on her shoulders. No wonder she was in a hurry to settle down.

“I said I’d help. What is it you want to know?”

She let out a long sigh. “I know he likes me. But how do I…inspire romantic feelings? He’s so careful with me, always so proper and polite. Maybe he’s nervous because I’m the minister’s daughter. I don’t know. But at the end of every date, I get a chaste peck on the cheek, and that’s it. How can I get him to kiss me on the lips?”

Jack stared at the bow of her lips again, wondering how Doug could resist kissing them. In a strictly theoretical way. But if he let himself forget for a moment that she was Constance, he might have leaned in and kissed her for all he was worth right here in front of a boat full of strangers. What was wrong with Doug? Was he blind, or did he have superhuman self-control?

“Are you sure Doug is the one?” He didn’t mean to say that. It just kind of slipped out. What did he care whether Doug was the one?