“Oy, so it sounds like something’s up.”
Katie couldn’t resist teasing her friend. “Well, I guess the big highlight would be I almost drowned.”
“What?!”
Katie relayed Saturday’s events, deliberately minimizing the drama of going overboard in an attempt to keep the good news in the forefront.
“Blimey,” Emma said when Katie finished with her first run-through. “He dove off a ship into freezing water to save his date? How romantic!” She smiled and the duo shared a giggle no man would ever understand.
“He absolutely took charge,” Katie replied, her eyes dancing with excitement.
“So, what happened next?” Emma leaned so far forward in her seat Katie thought she might fall out. “Did you, you know, give him a hero’s thank you?” Emma’s eyebrows arched lecherously.
“No, you pervert! I did give him a pretty good kiss though.”
“Oh, you cheeky girl,” she taunted. “How was it?”
Katie thought for a second. “It was good, but different. Almost all guys, when you initiate, they try to take over in a couple seconds.”
“Yeah,” Emma agreed. “I think it’s in their DNA or something.”
“Right. But Carson was different. It was like he wasn’t sure he should let me kiss him, but once I did, he didn’t seem to mind. And he let me run the show. He didn’t press for more or try to put his hands on me or anything like that. He just kissed the way I kissed and then, when I stopped, he stopped.”
Emma frowned. “It sounds like you're complaining about it. I’d fancy pretty much any chap who saved me from drowning.”
“Don’t get me wrong. It was very nice, just different. But I got the impression he felt a little uncomfortable.”
“Well, he might have been a little knackered. I imagine there’s a lot of stress involved with saving your arse.” Emma winked.
“You’re probably right. I’m just overanalyzing things.”
“Good. So, what’s the next step?”
Katie assumed a contemplative tone. “If my instincts are right – and they usually are – I suspect I’ll receive a call in a couple of days at the most, checking on my well-being.”
“Sure, that sounds right. What then?”
“Based on what I’ve told you, do you think he’ll be able to turn down a home-cooked thank-you meal?”
Emma nodded. “No, probably not. But that depends on exactly how much ‘home-cooking’ you’re planning to do, love.”
“Give me a little credit,” Katie protested. “I’m not going to make it that easy for him!” She hesitated for a moment. “I’m not saying there won’t be a little something sweet for him to nibble on, mind you.”
They shared a laugh over that. “Watch that it’s a small treat.”
“Yes, mother. Oh, I have to go to the mall at lunch. Want to come?”
“What for?”
Katie shrugged. “My phone is filled with Delaware Bay water. How can I entice him to dinner if he can’t call me?”
***
What was that?
Carson’s eyes snapped open as he awoke from the half-slumber to which he always succumbed while flying. He took a quick inventory of his surroundings. The soft glow of the breaking dawn shone through the few open cabin window shades. Most of the other passengers were slumped in their seats. A few snores could be heard.
He felt Pam snuggle against his shoulder. Her blanket was wrapped tightly against her body, and her slow, steady breathing indicated deep sleep. He grinned. The way his fiancée tried to steal his body heat was one of the hundred little things that endeared her to him. After almost three years, not only had he grown used to them, he’d come to love them.
There it is again.
The steady noise coming from the right engine sagged and then surged, as if it had lost power for a moment and then over-compensated. As a private pilot with a couple hundred hours in single-engine prop planes, Carson knew jet engines should no more rev up and down in mid-flight than a car engine should while cruising at highway speeds.
He wasn’t too worried. Even if something went seriously wrong with the engine, he knew a two-engine plane like this one could easily fly and land on just one. He leaned over Pam and raised the shade to take a look, but could see only the very back part of the engine, where the thrust came out. Nothing seemed amiss, so he settled back.
Sag-surge. This one was a bit longer in duration, with a deeper sag and a stronger surge. More importantly, a bong sounded in the cabin, and he saw one of the flight attendants jump up to grab the cabin phone. A couple of passengers, alerted either by the misfiring engine or by the muffled words of the flight attendants, started looking around with concern etched into their foreheads.
Carson craned his neck to look out the window again, but still saw nothing out of the ordinary. He estimated there had been about 15 seconds between each engine issue, so he wanted to be watching during the next one to see if he could see the problem himself.
He didn’t have to wait long. Just as the engine sagged, a short blast of yellow-white flame shot out the back. This time he felt a pronounced loss of thrust lasting for several seconds as the engine struggled to regain its normal rhythm. The plane tilted slightly towards that side, and the engine assumed an abnormal, high-pitched noise. Something was clearly amiss.
He nudged Pam gently. “Honey, I need you to wake up.”
Pam struggled to open her eyes, looking about for a second before fixing on Carson’s face. “We there?”
“No. The plane is acting a little funny, and I think we might have to land.” He tried to keep his voice casual, but Pam’s eyes widened as she sat fully upright.
“Is it serious?”
“No, I don’t think so, but let’s be cool, OK? Put your seatbelt on.” He snapped his in place. He didn’t want her to ask any more questions. Most people didn’t understand flying or aviation and would
