Olivia’s cell phone rang when she was on the Metro that night. She saw Cole’s number on the caller ID, and her heart skipped a happy beat.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hey, honey. How’s it going?”

“Better now. How are you?”

“Fogged in.” He sounded annoyed and tired.

“Where?”

“Cleveland.”

“Are you staying there tonight?”

“We’re giving it another hour before we bag it. How was your day?”

“All right. Nothing special.”

“No one got punched out in the store?”

“Not today,” she said with a laugh. The sound of his voice had lifted her spirits. “I’m hoping that was a once-in-a-lifetime event.”

“Once was just enough, right?”

“Absolutely.”

“I miss you. Bad.”

“Me, too,” she said softly. “I was just thinking about you when you called.”

“What about me?”

“About the wall, actually.” Her cheeks heated, and she was glad no one was sitting near her on the train.

He groaned. “Don’t talk about that! I’m at work.”

She giggled at his distress. “I’m not.”

“Behave. So where are you?”

“On my way to Jenny’s on the train. She invited me to stay with them for a while until I figure out my living situation. I can’t stand to be anywhere near my mother right now, not after what I found out about her yesterday.”

“I don’t blame you. I’m glad you’re going to Jenny’s. That’s a great idea.”

“She offered me a ‘safe house’ until I make some plans.”

He laughed. “Cute.”

“My dad thought it was a good idea, too. He’s going to bring me what I need from the house.”

“Don’t forget my offer.”

“How could I?”

“I know we said we wouldn’t talk about it until next time, but are you leaning in any direction on that?”

“Not yet.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“You can ask.” She paused and then added, “You know I want to, right?”

“Do you?”

“Cole… Of course I do. Watching you leave today was so hard.” Her voice caught. “The hardest thing ever.”

“We could be together every day, baby. Every day.” His tone was urgent. “God, I’d love that.”

“So would I, but I just need to—”

“What, honey?”

“I think I need to be on my own for a while. How can I go from my father’s house to your house without ever knowing if I can take care of myself?”

“You don’t have to take care of yourself. I want to take care of you.”

“And I love you for that, but I need to do this for me. Will you hate me if I want to live by myself for a while before we decide anything?”

“Yes.”

Olivia was speechless.

He cracked up. “I’m kidding. Did I scare you?”

“Nah. I knew you were kidding.”

“You did not!”

“Come back, will you? Fly through the fog and come back. I need you.”

“Don’t say that,” he whispered. “You’re killing me.”

“It’s not like you don’t have a plane available, right?”

He laughed softly. “Are you encouraging me to commit a plane-napping?”

“How much time would you do?”

“I think it could be a pretty long stretch.”

“More than two weeks?”

“Much more.”

“Damn.”

“Hang on a sec, hon.”

Olivia heard him consulting with someone in the background.

“Hey, I’ve gotta go. We just got clearance.”

“To go where?”

“Chicago.”

“Will you call me when you’re safe?”

“I’m safe in the plane.”

“Safe on the ground.”

“It’ll be late.”

“I’ll wait.”

“All right.”

“Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

* * *

Olivia was in bed at Jenny’s house when the phone rang two hours later.

“Safe,” he said.

“On the ground?”

“Yes, and on my way home. Finally.”

“Oh, good,” she said, releasing a long deep breath.

“Hey, I don’t want you worrying about me when I’m flying. It’s as natural to me as breathing or driving a car.”

“Only without the breakdown lane.”

“It’s much safer than driving a car. Far fewer people die in planes than in cars every year.”

“But people do die in planes.”

“I’m not going to,” he said firmly. “Just put that right out of your head, or being with me is going to make you nuts.”

“Too late.”

He sighed. “You’ve got to be tired. What are you doing still awake?”

“I was waiting for you to call, and I’m having trouble getting used to sleeping alone again. Thanks for ruining that for me, by the way.”

“Happy to help.”

She heard him choke back a yawn. “You’re beat, huh?”

“Yeah, it was a long day, and I had someone messing with my sleep the last few nights.”

“You loved it.”

“You bet your life I did.”

“What time are you working tomorrow?”

“Noon flight to Orlando, then Atlanta, D.C., and back to Chicago.”

“You’re going to be in D.C.?”

“Very briefly. It’s a short turnaround time, so I won’t see you.”

She moaned. “That’s so not fair.”

“I shouldn’t have told you.”

“No, you shouldn’t have. Let’s talk about something else. What’s your house like?”

“It’s a town house. Three floors, three bedrooms, two bathrooms. Nothing special.”

Nothing special? It sounded like a palace to her.

“Like I told you,” he said in a cajoling tone, “there’s plenty of room.”

“If I were going to take on a roommate, you’d be my first choice.”

“You’re really going to do this? Get a place of your own?”

“I think I am.”

“Don’t sign anything more than a six-month lease. Will you promise me that?”

“Is that long enough to prove my point?”

“Actually I think one month would do the trick.”

“Not long enough. Just think, though, if I have my own place you won’t need to stay at the Sheraton on your D.C. overnights.”

“Well, there is that. And maybe I could hang out with you on some of my weeks off.”

“Really?”

“Why not?”

“I’d love that.”

“I’d have to figure out how that would work with my other gig, though.”

“What other gig?”

“I, ah, fly kids and young adults with cancer to their treatments a couple of times a month.”

“That’s amazing. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t know. It’s just something I do since my mother died. Something I can do to help the cause.”

“Do you always take the same people?”

“Most of the time. I have one I take to Sloan-Kettering in New York and another to MD Anderson in Houston. I can’t always take them because of my work schedule, but I see them most often.”

“You must get attached to them.”

“I try not to.”

“And how’s that going?”

“Not so well,” he confessed. “They’re great kids, and despite what they’re going through, they always have a big smile and a hug for me. It’s very rewarding.”

“I imagine it is. Where do you get the planes to fly them?”

“Several companies here in Chicago donate their corporate jets whenever they’re not using them. I’m checked out on three different planes so I can be ready to fly whatever’s available.”

“Just when I thought I couldn’t love you more I find out there’s this whole other side of you.”

“It’s no big deal, Liv.”

“It is to the people you’re helping.”

“A lot of people helped us when my mother was sick.”

“Was she sick for long?”

“Four months from diagnosis to death.”

“God,” she sighed. “What kind of cancer did she have?”

“Pancreatic. It was the most shocking thing. She went from perfectly healthy to terminally ill in a month’s time. I took a leave of absence from the airline and moved home to help take care of her. I’m so glad now I had that time with her.”

“You must’ve been so devastated when she died.”

“To be honest, the diagnosis was more devastating. By the time she died, it was almost a relief. I know that must sound weird, but the highs and lows of the treatment and the doctors’ appointments—where there was never any good news—just sucked the life out of us.”

“I can understand that. How’s your dad doing?”

“He’s surprised us all. He never lifted a finger at home, and now he’s doing his own laundry and grocery shopping. He even took a cooking class at one of the local churches. He has a lot of good friends who keep him busy, and my nieces and nephews are always over there.”

“Do you think he’ll ever get married again?”

“Nah. I don’t think so. They were very happy together for almost forty years.”

“Would you care if he did?”

“People ask me that a lot. I wouldn’t mind as long as he found someone who wouldn’t try to reorder his whole life. He likes it the way it is.” Cole yawned. “I hate to say it, but I’ve gotta go to bed, hon. I’m fading fast.”

“Me, too. I’m hugging a pillow, but it’s a poor substitute.”

“I hear ya. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Can’t wait. I love you, Cole.”

“I love you, too. Sleep tight.”

She ended the call and held the phone tight against her chest, wishing she could hold him instead of the phone. When she woke up in the morning, the phone was still there.