He motioned to Shay to follow him, pulling the door shut behind him once they were in the hall. “I need to line up that pilot.” He didn’t give her time to respond. The rawness of her rejection of days before had worn on him, tormented him. He turned away.
She reached for him, the touch of her hand jolting him in a way no woman should ever be able to jolt a man.
“Caleb,” she said.
Unnerved by how much Shay got under his skin, he didn’t give her time to voice whatever she’d hoped to say. “You know where the storage room is, right?”
“I…” She hesitated, apparently changing her mind about what she’d been about to say. “Yes. I know where it is.”
“Grab something to change into while I line up what I need to for the jump.” He left, going in search of Ryan, who, in his usually easygoing way, had already agreed to join their jump—if they could get a pilot to hang around.
He found Ryan and Bobby in Bobby’s office, just back from a sunset jump. “We got a pilot?” he asked Ryan.
Ryan cast him a grim look. “No go,” he said. “Everyone has plans.”
Caleb eyed Bobby. “Can you fly us out for a jump, man?”
“If you can’t get someone else,” Bobby said, “I’ll do it. But tonight is Jennifer’s mom’s birthday, and her dad’s planned a surprise party.”
“Damn,” Caleb murmured.
“I can fly you out,” Ryan said. “I’m sure we can get one of the other instructors to help with George.”
“This guy was on a ledge about to jump a few hours ago,” he said. “If he decides not to pull his chute, someone has to pull it for him. Ryan’s the man for that job.”
Ryan grinned. “You know I do love a little extra action with my dirt dives.”
“What’s J.C.’s excuse for not staying?” he asked, referring to their most senior pilot, an old Army buddy of Bobby’s.
“Would you believe he has defensive driving?” Bobby asked. “I know. Not comforting that he needs it, considering he’s our lead pilot.”
“Damn it,” Caleb said, running his hand over his face and thought of their newest pilot. “What about Mark?”
“Sent him home early today, and he’s not answering his phone,” Ryan said.
“I might know someone,” Shay said from the doorway.
Caleb turned to find Shay still dressed in her skirt and heels. “Not you,” he said.
“Of course not,” she said. “I don’t have my license yet. But my instructor does, and she’s retired Air Force. Sabrina knows her.”
“Is that Lori Dew?” Ryan asked.
“Lori Day,” Shay corrected.
“Right,” Ryan said. “Sabrina talked to me about her, trying to convince me we should hire her and add flight lessons to the Hotzone offerings.”
“Lori is amazing, and I trust her completely, which says a lot considering she often has my life in her hands,” Shay said. “I can’t promise I can reach her, but it’s worth a try.”
“I say call her,” Ryan said. “Then I can tell Sabrina I officially met her and considered her idea of the flight school. Kills two birds with one stone.”
Caleb and Bobby eyed each other and came to a silent agreement. “Call her,” Caleb said.
Shay nodded and rushed to the phone in the front lobby. Caleb half listened to Bobby and Ryan debate the idea of adding a flight school, but was more interested in trying to make out Shay’s conversation.
“She’ll do it,” Shay said, popping back into the room, “but her brother is in from out of town and took her car out for the night. She needs a ride. I just sent Kent to get her, but he wants to jump with us.”
“Of course he does,” Caleb said. Now he had a suicidal man, a pilot he didn’t know, a gambling addict and Shay—the woman who twisted him like barbed wire—to juggle all at once. Thank God Ryan was coming along because this was going to be one hell of a night.
“I’m going to go meet Mr. Wanted-to-jump-off-a-building myself,” Ryan said. “If I might be saving his life tonight, it seems fitting I introduce myself first.” He headed to the door, and Shay blocked his exit.
“You aren’t going to say anything like that to him, are you?”
“Me?” Ryan asked. “Say something inappropriate? Never.” He snorted. “Okay. Not this time.”
Shay didn’t move, and he added, “I joke around, but I don’t play with people’s lives.”
Shay apparently accepted that answer. She stepped aside to let him pass. Ryan lingered and said, “No wonder Jennifer and Sabrina like you so much.”
“What does that mean?” Shay asked. “No wonder they like me so much?”
Ryan laughed. “You’ll figure it out.”
Bobby sauntered toward Shay. “He meant you don’t take any crap, and you know how to hand it out. Two things both Jennifer and Sabrina excel at.” He put a hand on Caleb’s shoulder. “Later, man. Call me if there are any disasters. Preferably after you’ve fixed them all.”