“There was some kissing. And stuff. Before he got called out on a job.” Though Jenny and Sydney were close friends, Erin didn’t mention Luke’s frantic call to Slim. Until they knew more, Erin didn’t want Jenny to worry.

“I love that kind of stuff,” she said with a sigh. “He’s so sexy.” A deep voice in the background said something Erin couldn’t make out. “Oh be quiet! I’m married, not blind.”

Erin laughed at the banter between Jenny and her husband. “I can’t disagree about his sexiness. But he’s also very sweet and funny and…”

“You like him.”

“I like him. A lot.”

“He’s crazy about you. He was watching you the whole time we were talking in the shop. This is so exciting, Er!”

“Don’t lose your mind just yet. It’s still very new.”

“But it has potential.”

“Maybe.” As they talked, she arranged and rearranged the magazines on the coffee table, aligning the edges and then redoing it when she wasn’t happy with how they looked.

“Why’re you doing that thing you do any time someone gets a little too close?”

“What thing? I said maybe. How’s that a dirty word?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. This guy could be perfect for you, and you’re already battening down the hatches to keep him out.”

“I am not! That’s not true at all.” Her hatches had been anything but battened down when he’d been sucking on her nipples. The thought nearly made her laugh out loud.

“Then what is it?”

“You know.” Jenny was one of the few people in Erin’s life, including her parents, who knew about her unwillingness to fly since the attacks. “Think about what he does for a living. He’s already asked me to go to Florida with him and to Evan and Grace’s wedding in Anguilla. How do I do that stuff?”

After a long pause, Jenny said, “Maybe it’s time to put that fear aside and get back to traveling again. You used to love it, and Toby would hate that you lost that part of yourself because of him.”

“It wasn’t because of him,” she said more sharply than she’d intended.

“I know, honey,” Jenny said gently, “but you get what I mean. Slim is an excellent pilot. Everyone says so. If there’s anyone who can get you past this, it’s him. All you’d have to do is ask him to help you try.”

She began to rearrange the magazines once again. “I have no desire to put myself through that.”

“I understand better than most people would. It took me a long time to get back on an airplane. You know that.”

“Yeah. I remember the first trip you took and how hard it was.”

“It will be for you, too, and then it’ll get a little easier every time.”