As soon as he saw Oliver and Maggie walking toward him, Finn felt adrenaline racing through his veins. It was always like this before he flew—excitement pulsing through his body. It was a rush, pure and simple. The thrill of a lifetime.
Finn knew the moment Oliver saw him standing in the airport hangar. He started running toward him at breakneck speed, leaving Maggie in the dust.
“Welcome to O’Rourke Charters. Thanks for choosing to fly with us today, Oliver.” Finn gestured toward the plane. “Please step inside and make yourself comfortable.”
“Awesome!” Oliver practically tripped over himself making his way to Finn’s side.
Finn placed his hand on Oliver’s shoulder. “I think you’re forgetting something,” Finn said, jutting his chin in Maggie’s direction. Finn could read Maggie’s face like a book. She was fretting over her decision to let Oliver fly with him.
“’Bye, Mom,” Oliver said, rushing toward Maggie and hugging her tightly around the waist. “Thanks for letting me do this.”
Maggie’s expression instantly transformed. She was smiling down at Oliver with an expression of joy etched on her face. Oliver’s happiness was contagious.
“Be safe up there,” she called out to them.
“Always,” Finn said with a wave before helping Oliver into the plane. Oliver’s eyes widened once he realized his seat was right in the cockpit next to Finn’s seat. Once Finn was seated in the cockpit, he set Oliver up with a headset so they could talk over the roar of the plane.
“Up to the wild blue yonder,” Finn called out as he worked the controls and began to ascend into the sky.
Oliver repeated Finn’s words, reminding him of the way he and Declan had always recited those same words—their grandfather’s mantra.
Once they were up in the air at a decent altitude, Finn began pointing out landmarks.
“This is my grandfather’s plane,” Finn explained. “I fixed it up a few months ago so it runs perfectly. It’s called the Killian after him. He taught both Finn and me to fly on this plane.”
“Wow. It must be old,” Oliver said.
Finn let out a throaty laugh. “It is. We don’t fly any customers in this plane. We reserve it for very special people.”
“Like me?” Oliver asked, his grin threatening to split his face wide open.
“Exactly like you, Oliver.” Finn turned toward Oliver. There was something about this kid that endeared him to Finn. He was curious and sweet and he had a zest for life unlike anyone else. Finn cared about Oliver in a way he couldn’t even explain to himself. The kid brought up feelings inside him he’d never felt before. He could safely say he would take a bullet for Oliver.
“Look out the window! Do you see those trees covered with snow? That’s Nottingham Woods.”
“It looks so small from up here. Jasper said it was huge!” Oliver said, wrinkling his nose as he peered out the window. “They don’t really look like trees.”
“It’s actually a really big forest like Jasper said. When we were kids my brother and I used to go cave hunting with our friends, the Prescott brothers. And guess what? Your mom came, too, whenever she visited.”
“She did? Aw, man. I’ve never been in a cave,” Oliver said in an awestruck voice. “Will you take me sometime?”
Finn grinned. Oliver was a boy after his own heart. He would have asked the same thing when he was Oliver’s age. “If your mom says it’s all right, I sure can,” Finn said with a wink.
Finn steered the plane to the left, dipping it down low at an angle to give Oliver a thrill. Oliver let out a whoop of excitement. A few minutes later Finn spotted the glistening waters of Kachemak Bay down below. Patches of white reflected ice chunks on the surface. Finn loved looking down at the body of water. Its raw power was awe inspiring.
“Do you know what that is down below?” Finn asked.
“Kachemak Bay,” Oliver said without hesitation.
“You’re saying it perfectly. It takes most folks a while to learn the right way to pronounce it.”
“Mom taught me on the ride over,” Oliver said, his voice full of pride. Finn felt a little hitch in his heart at the sight of Maggie’s son sitting beside him in the plane. He must be a resilient kid to have lost his father not so long ago and still be able to greet the world with a smile and optimism. He prayed Oliver’s future wouldn’t be hampered by the loss of his father. He knew all too well how those wounds festered.
As Finn made a final loop around Love, he looked out across the landscape of the hometown he adored. For so long he’d denied the pull of this town and what it meant to him. He glanced over at Oliver. He was sitting quietly, gazing out over the horizon with a look of satisfaction etched on his features.
“We’re about to go into our descent and head back to the hangar,” Finn announced. Truthfully, he could hang out in the sky for hours, but he knew Maggie needed him at the store for a few hours. He wanted to check out her window display and slap some red paint on the sign outside the shop. In a few days, the shop would be ready for the grand opening.
After landing the plane, Finn led Oliver inside the airplane hangar. A quick glance at his watch showed he was still within the time frame he’d promised Maggie. They could have a quick snack then head over to the shop.
“Hey, Oliver. There’s a fridge out back. Why don’t you go grab a juice box or some chocolate milk? I’ve got some stashed back there.”
“Okay,” Oliver said in an agreeable voice before dashing off.
Declan was sitting at his desk poring over some paperwork. He swung his gaze up and focused on Finn.
“You’re pretty crazy about Oliver, huh?” Declan asked. His blue eyes were twinkling with interest.
“He’s a great kid,” he said in a curt voice. Declan wasn’t fooling
