Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 96165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
And even now, he still wished he had Jacob’s faith in his own goodness. God, this was going to be a long damn summer, him so certain he was going to fail at the one thing that mattered now—keeping Jacob safe—and Jacob so darn sure that he could do no wrong.
“You’ll listen to us.” He got that Jacob had wanted this for years, that he was proud of his skills, that he’d earned the right to be here, but he still wasn’t convinced this wasn’t some big adrenaline rush for him. “That’s all that matters. Not any...history between us. What matters is if we can count on you, if we can be a decent team.”
“You can count on me.” Jacob nodded, meeting his eyes with a seriousness that Linc didn’t usually associate with him. “I mean it. And I’ll listen. This morning...you know me, right? Lectures and classrooms and me don’t always mix. But out there? I’ll pay attention. Count on it.”
“I get it. And trust me, I wasn’t much better in school.” Linc had to laugh because he knew Jacob’s ADHD had given him a tough row to hoe, but he hadn’t been much more popular with teachers himself, what with his dad’s parental shortcomings and his own distaste for reading and being cooped up indoors. “Trust us and we’ll trust you and the rest will work itself out.”
He tried to sound like he believed that, tried to find confidence that this would be anything other than an utter disaster as the group came back together after lunch.
“I get to go!” Garrick crowed as he sat back down with them. “Sims said I can demonstrate proper plane exiting procedure when not in a tandem. Woohoo!”
“What was that you were saying about no thrill seeking?” Addressing only Linc in a whisper, Jacob raised an eyebrow. “All serious business, right?”
He had to shift in his chair because Jacob had him there. “Never said you can’t take satisfaction in the work where you find it.”
“Uh-huh. I take it that him going solo means I’m jumping with you?”
“Yep. And you remember that whole listening bit. Garrick, he’s got years of jump experience. This is your first time—”
“I trust you to be gentle.” Jacob had the nerve to bat his eyes. No one was paying them any mind, but still he should know better than to flirt like that on the job. Drawn into Jacob’s good mood as he so often was, Linc had to fight the urge to laugh, not wanting to encourage him more. And damn him for making Linc think about sex, wonder about experience Jacob had or didn’t have, preferences in the bedroom, all the things he was supposed to have banished from his brain.
But he had to leave sex thoughts behind as they headed to the airstrip. He’d been at this enough years to know the pilot and the crew who would be taking them up, ten at a time, in the small plane. In addition to his group, they also had McKenna’s group going up. Jacob and their rookie, Kelley, kept joking around while waiting, even as Linc grew more and more... Not nervous. He didn’t do nervous and this wasn’t his first jump since...
Okay. Maybe he was a little nervous, especially since it wasn’t simply his own neck on the line. He checked all their rigging again, every connection point, and called McKenna over for another cross-check.
“Are you going to be okay?” she asked in a low voice as she verified his work. “I heard you did some civilian jumps over the winter. Good for you, getting back out there. We’re lucky to have you again this season, Reid. Don’t forget who you are.”
Her pep talk wasn’t unappreciated—she was one of the best they had, and if she believed in him, that went a long way. He wished he could believe as easily as everyone else did. She was right—he’d worked with a civilian outlet to get his legs under him again. And it had been a little extra cash, taking tourists up. In general, when he wasn’t a wreck, he liked tandem jumping, enjoyed managing someone else’s experience, giving them a good ride down, showing off his skills. It was far different than a jump for work where every second counted and precision mattered far more than any style points as they battled the elements.
That day was a mix of the two—clear blue skies, not a fire in sight, no two-minute warning to get geared up, and a bunch of rookies as eager as any tourists, the start of the many jumps the rookies would need before the real deal.
Finally, it was their turn, smooth ride as the plane achieved the right altitude near the landing zone. He’d grown used to this view of the mountains and valleys beneath them, so it was kind of neat, seeing Jacob and Kelley get more excited, pointing out the terrain below them and marveling at how far they could see in all directions. He’d always loved Jacob’s ability to find joy in all situations from tossing a toy for the dogs to building a fire in the firepit to playing softball with the family. Heck, he even made working out and cleaning seem joyous, that infectious smile lightening any load.