“Congrats, baby!” Josh said, his face pixelated on Skype from the less than stellar service I got on campus.
My heart soared, and my nose burned as tears formed in my eyes. “Hi, love! You made it!”
His smile was enough to bring me to my knees. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world. I’m so proud of you.” He stayed online while April and Gus hugged me, and he was still there when Luke came over to offer his congratulations.
“Look who made it through Vandy! Congrats, Red!” He pulled me into him with a tight hug.
“I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Bullshit. You couldn’t have done it without the coffee shop. I just happened to be there.”
“Okay, that may be true,” I said with a laugh.
He snagged my phone out of my hand. “Well, hello there, Flyboy.”
Josh grimaced. “Luke. You done pawing my girlfriend?”
“So jealous, that one,” Luke whispered at me. “Shall I make her day even better?” he asked Josh, then looked over at my puckered forehead and handed the phone to Mom. Then he took a white envelope out of his gray blazer pocket and handed it to me. “I asked if I could deliver this one personally.”
The envelope was thin in my hands, but heavy in implication. I held it up so Josh could see.
“Well, open it,” he said, leaning in to the monitor.
I wet my suddenly dry lips and ripped the envelope carefully. Then I opened the tri-fold letter and began to read. “Dear Ms. Howard, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted for the Ephesus Fall Dig program! Ahhh!” I shrieked and jumped, nearly losing my balance in my heels. “I got in!” I waved the envelope at Josh.
“I knew it! God, babe, I’m so happy for you!” His smile was just as big as mine, and in that moment, it didn’t matter that he was eight thousand miles away—he was right there with me.
And for that small second, that huge minute…it was enough.
It was everything.
Chapter Eleven
JOSH
“You want to do my area orientation flight, or what?” Will’s voice snapped me out of the study guide I’d had my face in for the last hour.
“Holy shit!” I stood, knocking my chair to the ground, and hugged him. “It’s about time you got here, West Point.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He slapped my back. “I bet you say the same thing when I get home three months after you, too.” He grinned and dropped his backpack on the table.
“I think I may have actually missed you, but the verdict isn’t in yet.”
Will arched an eyebrow but handed me a vacuum-sealed plastic bag. “Well, I know for a fact that you miss her.”
“No fucking way.” Ember. I grabbed a pair of scissors off the desk and cut into the bag, the smell of strawberry-cheesecake cookies wafting through my room. I shoved one in my mouth. “Oh my God,” I moaned.
“Would you like me to leave you alone with your baked goods?”
“Want one?” I asked, offering him the bag. He’d better recognize the sacrifice.
He shook his head. “It means a ton that you’d offer, but she gave me a few, and I’m not coming between that relationship.” He sighed. “She also wanted me to give you a kiss, but I’m going to pretend that never happened.”
“Good call,” I said, popping another cookie in my mouth. Slow down and save a few. There’s only a dozen here. They tasted like home, like Ember on rainy days when she baked insane concoctions. They tasted like kitchen sex and love. I made myself fold the bag over then hid it in the trunk under my bed.
“Have a problem with cookie thieves?” Will asked.
“Jagger has shown up twice in the last month, and I swear, he’s devoured the last two batches she’s sent. I’m always glad to see him, but he needs to lay off my fucking cookies.”
“Noted.”
“Where did they get you set up?” I asked, grabbing my flight suit top and slipping my arms through the sleeves.
“Just another building over. I got here a few days ago, but we’ve been on opposite shifts.”
I paused mid-zip. “You’ve had my cookies over there for three days?”
He didn’t blink. “I could have left them in the Op center, but I figured they’d be gone by the time you saw her pretty handwriting on the bag.”
I pointed my finger at him. “You know what…fine. Let’s get you oriented so you can get on the schedule.”
I shot Ember a quick text on the international cell while on our way to the flight line. That thing was worth every penny we spent on it. Fuck, the battery was dying.
JOSH: HEY BABE, I’M HEADED TO WORK.
We headed to the aircraft, and a few minutes later the phone dinged.
DECEMBER: FLY SAFE. I LOVE YOU.
JOSH: WILL GOT HERE, AND THE COOKIES ARE AMAZING. I LOVE YOU, TOO. PHONE IS DYING. I’LL GIVE YOU A CALL TOMORROW AFTERNOON YOUR TIME.
I turned the phone on silent and stuck it in my vest pocket as we did the run-up on the aircraft. Captain Trivette was flying with me again today, and she tossed a half smile back at Will. “You the new guy?” she called over the coms as the rotors fired up.
“Yes, ma’am,” he answered, belting into one of the back seats.
“Welcome to the sand box. We’re going to give you a little tour.”
“Welcome to the sand box!” Rizzo sang with one hand on his chest, giving his best Elvis impression.