Sparks - Wendy Higgins Page 0,50

sipping their coffee, I slipped twenty-five dollars from my polyester dress pocket and placed it in front of him. He eyed it like something gross.

“That’s too much.”

I rolled my eyes. “I know how much things cost. Don’t be difficult.”

He peeled the twenty from the five and tossed the five onto my lap before pocketing the twenty.

“My God,” I muttered. “You’re impossible.”

He slightly grinned before taking a drink of his black coffee. I stared at his freshly shaven jaw with its little dimple a beat too long before looking away and glancing straight at Beth, who was staring at me with her shit-eating impish grin. Pretty sure she’d caught me ogling. I smiled back at her innocently before taking a drink of my coffee.

“Well, good morning, ladies,” said the other pilot. He was a blond guy only slightly taller than me, slightly goofy and always smiling.

“Hey Lee,” Holly said. “Where you flying today?”

“Six legs today, back and forth to Green Bay. I think Harlow’s on my roster.” He looked at me. “You got your cheese hat ready?”

I gave him a thumbs-up.

“I think our pilot is that hot chick,” Lee said, his eyes alight. I knew immediately which pilot he was talking about. She really was cute.

“Pilot Heather?” Beth asked. “She’s, like, forty.”

Lee gave a jaunty smile and bounced his eyebrows. “And your point is?”

Beth rolled her eyes.

“How are things over at the crash pad?” Lee asked us. Everyone seemed to be fascinated with our apartment full of ladies.

“Actually,” Holly said, glancing at me and then Beth. “The sink nozzle came off in my freaking hand this morning.” We both cringed, and she went on. “And I stubbed my toe on that broken tile.”

“I thought Cheryl contacted the landlord about that,” I said. “I left messages.”

Beth made a noise. “That piece of shit’s been contacted multiple times. He never fixes anything.”

“I can fix it,” Silas said.

We looked at him in surprise.

“You can?” I asked. There must have been major skepticism in my voice because he shot me an offended look.

“Yes. I can.”

Again, Beth made a clicky sound with her mouth. “There’s no way you’re super hot and handy too.”

He gave a slight shake of his head like he did whenever someone complimented him, and he pulled out his phone. “Okay,” he said, tapping and scrolling. “Here’s a bit of my handiwork.”

Beth reached over and snatched his phone, her small eyes widening.

“Wait…you made this?”

Lee grabbed it from her, his eyebrows going up. “Wow, man. I didn’t think you had social media.”

“I don’t,” he said. “That’s Jacquie’s account.”

I was dying of curiosity now.

“Let’s see,” Holly said, yanking the phone from Lee. I leaned over and looked with her. It was an Instagram picture. For a second I didn’t see anything except Silas’s face. I’d never seen him so casual. He was crouched down in jeans, a fitted blue T-shirt, and a ball cap.

“This is amazing,” Holly said, handing the phone to me.

I stared longer. He was crouched next to a wooden table with hand-carved legs and drawers. I glanced at the username handle and the small thumbnail of his wife in a bikini, hair and body on freaking point. Username CaliBodForLife. The caption under the picture said: My baby made me a new vanity with his own sexy hands.

Wow.

Silas gently pried his phone from my hand and we met eyes. He seemed to be waiting for a reaction.

“I’m impressed,” I admitted.

He slid his phone back into his pocket almost bashfully.

“So,” Beth said. “When can you come over to fix all our shit?”

“Yeah, man,” Lee said. “Now you gotta do it.”

“I’ll see when I can fit it in,” he said. “But for now, time to run.” Silas stood and placed his pilot hat on his head, giving us all a nod before walking off.

Beth let out a little moan. “He is so fucking hot.”

Holly sighed. “And definitely never coming over to our apartment. Let’s be real.”

“Whoa, whoa,” Lee said. “Let me get out of here before girl-talk sets in.”

We laughed as he stood and put his hat on, not having nearly the same effect as he walked away. Poor guy.

“I’ll be back tonight by ten-thirty if anyone needs a ride,” I said, standing. I kissed Holly on the head and waved bye to Beth before joining Lee and pilot Heather in the hall to start our long day. She had her wavy brown hair in a neat low bun. I noticed exactly two gray hairs at her temples, but they were overshadowed by her cheekbones