Learn to Fly (2 page)

Her resume said she was twenty-five with little to no
employment history but she projected a calm self-assurance that
hinted at a wisdom that was gained only by experience.

Jerry seemed flustered at her confidence and Carl could
see the interview was getting away from him. The worse he tried to
make the job sound, the more interested she became.

Carl was impressed with her quick thinking and
directness. He had been hesitant when she had first entered the
room, her obvious beauty could be more of a hindrance to the job than
a help. However, she didn't seem to be trying to use any womanly
wiles to make the interview go more in her favor.

Carl sat back in his chair and laced his hands together
behind his head. “You realize this isn't a glamorous job?”
He interrupted, drawing her gaze to him. “You'll basically be
a glorified babysitter. You'll haul their shit, keep track of their
schedules and have eyes on them at all times.”

“
Easy as pie.” She didn't
break eye contact and he found himself reassured by her
self-possession instead of intimidated by it like Jerry had been.

Carl had actually wanted to avoid
hiring a woman if at all possible. Jerry had given him the scripted
speech on sexism in the workplace and Carl had finally agreed to
hiring an
ugly
woman...if it came to that. But the young lady sitting before them
was the antithesis of ugly.

He
turned his tone
severe
and his frown deepened, “Make no mistake, I'm not paying you to
be their girlfriend. You cannot, under any circumstance, sleep with
them. Do you understand?”

“
Loud and clear.” Lenny
matched his expression and Carl had to hold back a smile. She was
definitely not what he had expected.

He
sighed and ran both hands through his hair while looking up at the
ceiling. He chuckled sardonically, “I have no idea why I'm
even entertaining the
thought
of hiring you. You are exactly the kind of girl that can bring this
tour crashing down.”

“
Listen, I know I’m a
chick and I know I’m not what you expected,” she started,
refusing to be deterred, “But I’m stronger than I look
and I'm a fast learner. I can do the job and I'll do it well.”
She repeated, her jaw flexing lightly under her skin and Carl heard
the desperation that she tried to hide in her voice. Why did she
need
this
job so badly?

He knew Jerry was watching him, waiting for an
indication of some kind but he couldn't look away from the determined
stare of her midnight blue irises. She was serious, she meant
business, and he believed her. Somewhere in her life she had learned
to fight for what she wanted.

When
he spoke again his attitude had changed from skeptical to decided.
“I've been with these guys for nearly twenty years. They tend
to be pretty self-destructive and I need someone on the inside. Not
just an assistant. I need someone who can be their best friend but
stay loyal to me. They have to trust you, need you and like you.
I
can't have another tour riddled with scandal and the guys have
promised they've changed but...” He rolled his eyes and rubbed
his chin dejectedly.

“
They're
so stubborn,” he growled, “they keep insisting they don't
need an assistant.” He shook his head in frustration. “They
have argued with me about it every step of the way. They hate the
idea of having someone they haven't picked themselves basically be in
charge of their lives for the next six months. They have more trust
issues than
I
do.”

He sucked air in through his teeth as a fresh thought
crossed his mind. His eyes flashed at Lenny and a slow smile spread
across his face.

“
What?”
Lenny asked apprehensively, her eyes lighting up as she realized
that the job was in her reach.

“
I'm
gonna stick you on the plane with them tomorrow. Let them think
you're another passenger. If you use as much charm on them as you
have on us, they'll hire you themselves.”

“
That's
pretty sneaky, Carl,” she pointed out, arching one eyebrow at
him.

“
I'm out of options, kid.
These guys have been the collective pain in my ass ever since I
walked into their garage and told them to keep it down. They have so
many hoops to jump through, you have no idea.”

He shook his head and looked over her
again. “I like you, Lenny. I almost feel bad asking you if
you want the job. It might ruin your life.”

Carl watched Lenny as she considered all of the
information. At first glance, with her blonde up-do and flawless
skin, he thought she was just another pretty face. But she had a
spark in her she couldn't hide. A spunky cockiness that appealed to
him.

She was undoubtedly perfect for this job.

“
You're making a good choice,
Carl.” She gave him a half-smile and Carl was surprised at his
own sense of relief that flooded his veins.

For the next twenty minutes the three of them went over
the confidentiality agreement and the touring schedule. She signed
some paperwork and asked hardly any questions. They all shook hands
and she left.

Carl stared after her, lost in his own musings. He had
complete confidence that they had found the ideal person.

“
That was easier than I
expected,” Jerry broke into his thoughts. “I wasn’t
sure you’d find what you were looking for.
Considering...everything.”

“
She’s perfect,”
Carl agreed.

“
I sure hope this works out for
you. Better than the last tour anyway.”

“
It will,” Carl said
matter of fact as he started to gather his things. He couldn't wait
to get out of this office and have a cigarette. He hated coming to
this building but Jerry insisted they do the interview in his office.
Saying something about how Carl's smelled like cigarette butts and
coffee.

“
What makes you so sure she
won’t run off with one of them and end up in the tabloids?”
Jerry attempted to joke.

“
She’s got a brain,”
Carl responded. “Besides, she didn’t even ask what band
she’s working for. Not once,” He took a breath and
picked up his bag, “Whatever she’s looking for, it isn’t
fame and drama.”

***

Lenny sat patiently in the plane next to the window. It
had been a long time since she had flown anywhere alone and she was
kind of excited. She tried to suppress the giddiness in her belly,
knowing the plane would take off soon and her new adventure would
start. The text message she had sent before boarding had been the
final goodbye to be said.

The ticket was waiting for her at the counter like Carl
had promised and that was what made Lenny realize this was really
happening. She was really doing it.

Always early, she was first to board the plane and
assumed the band members would be along shortly.

“
Hey, beautiful,” an
attractive man with sculpted shoulders and long, dirty blonde hair
pulled back into a low ponytail greeted Lenny. She smiled politely
as he sat down next to her. He must have been in his late twenties.
His ratty blue jeans and worn, Chuck Taylor's seemed out of place in
the first class seating but Lenny didn't mind.

“
How did I get a seat next to
you?” He asked her flirtatiously, his pale blue eyes sparkling
with mischief.

Lenny shrugged and played it cool, remembering her
instructions from Carl. “Probably luck,” she replied
coyly.

“
Story of his life, the
bastard.” Another voice joined their conversation from across
the aisle.

Lenny leaned over to see what she assumed to be two more
band members seating themselves adjacent to them. Another two men
plopped into the seats in front of her as well. They were all in
their late twenties to early thirties, had rumpled clothes on, and
dark circles under their eyes. As she looked more closely, she began
to recognize them.

“
Going on vacation?” The
friendly young man next to her kept the dialogue going.

“
Looking for a change of pace
and a new job,” Lenny replied, not exactly lying. She was
pleased that she wouldn’t have to work too hard to get their
attention. When Carl had said she was supposed to befriend them, she
wasn’t exactly sure how that would happen. But it seemed they
were impressed with a pretty smile and a hair flip. At least this
one was.

He grinned at her and asked, “Unemployed and
sitting in first-class? How is this possible?”

“
I have wealthy parents,”
she explained strategically, realizing her slip. She tilted her head
and smiled sweetly, hoping they could skip the details about her
life.

“
I’m Sway,” he
introduced himself and stuck out his hand, not truly interested in
Lenny‘s back story.

She grasped it strongly and replied, “I’m
Lenna.”

“
Beautiful name for a beautiful
girl,” he winked at her and Lenny suppressed an eye roll. It
wasn't exactly the most original line she'd ever heard. She let her
hair fall over her face as she dipped her eyes, thankful that she
could hide behind it, pretending to be flattered. Her physiology
didn't normally respond to a guy flirting with her, she had always
told herself she was far too practical for things like butterflies
and blushing. And she couldn't respond as she really wanted to
because her new job required her to be
friendly-
whatever that meant.

H
er
hair was not in its usual tight braid. Her elastic restraint had
broken in the airport and she was forced to let it hang loose,
something she had grown to hate over the past couple of years, but
was now finding it a very useful curtain.

Sway, if that was indeed his name, though Lenny doubted
it, wasn't traditionally handsome. His face was wide and angular
with high cheekbones and soft, full lips. His skin was smooth,
freshly shaved, not even a hint of stubble. His fine, blonde hair
was probably shoulder length, though it was hard to tell since he had
it casually pulled back. Lenny looked at his unbroken elastic with
envy and Sway caught her gaze and gave her a suggestive eyebrow
waggle. Lenny fought back a chuckle and looked away with feigned
shyness.

Out the window, the plane was rising off of the runway
and into the air and the flight attendants were going through their
perfectly practiced speeches. She swallowed hard to compensate for
the pressure change and tried not to think about home.

She had left a note for her parents with very little
explanation. Her mom would be unreasonably worried, which is why she
avoided the conversation altogether. They would never understand.
They had always struggled with comprehending the majority of her life
decisions, but even more so in the last couple of years.

As her thoughts kept following their path, her chest
started to burn with an irritatingly familiar heartache. She closed
her eyes and leaned back in her seat, deliberately pushing those old
thoughts and feelings away. The past was the past and she couldn’t
change anything, so there was no reason to think about it.

Her hand clutched her phone and she checked to make sure
she had turned it off at the attendant's reminding. She knew she had
though, she had powered it down before boarding, not looking forward
to the inevitable string of irate replies when she had to turn it on
again.

***

Luke Casey tried to catch a glimpse of the gorgeous girl
tucked between his bass player and the window across the aisle from
him without being too obvious. It was a rare occurrence when a woman
didn’t start giggling nervously at Sway's obvious flirtation.
But he could tell right away that this girl wasn't like others.

He and his band mates had seen her at the airport
waiting to board the flight. The entire airport couldn’t help
but notice her, or maybe that was just how Luke saw it. She was
dressed plainly in cut-off jeans and a white t-shirt, her long,
naturally blonde hair hung past her shoulders. It wasn't
bottle-blonde like so many of the other girls in SoCal and Luke
wondered if maybe she wasn't a local.

She had an energy that was captivating. Even sitting
still in the airport, Luke could sense an underlying passion just
below her smooth surface, like rushing water beneath a frozen river.
She had the kind of beauty that reminded Luke of sunsets and mountain
vistas. Natural, wild and dangerous.

And she had no idea. Maybe that's why
Luke couldn't get her out of his head.