Return of an Impetuous Pilot (RIP Van Dyke Series) by Kate McLachlan

Author:Kate McLachlan [McLachlan, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781619291539
Publisher: Silver Dragon Books by Regal Crest Enterprises, LLC
Published: 2014-03-02T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Bennie - 1989

BENNIE GLANCED IN the rearview mirror frequently. For all Amelia's talk about not being afraid to "pop off," she'd not been pleased to learn that she disappeared in 1937. She hadn't seemed as upset as Jill had, but it did bother her, Bennie could tell. She was reassured every time she saw the bug still behind her. She probably shouldn't have let Amelia drive it by herself.

But Bennie had precious cargo to get safely home. She looked sideways at Van, who stared nearly unblinking through the Honda's windshield into the night. Bennie had never seen Van like she'd been that evening. She'd started out all uptight and nervous, but with every drink she became more relaxed, looser and sexier, until by the end of the night she had no trouble slipping into Bennie's arms as if she belonged there. It was the alcohol that let her act that way, of course, but the feelings were real. Bennie felt them too strongly to doubt it. Van loved her.

Bennie's gut glowed with warmth when she thought about it. She'd loved Van, longed for her, and been denied her for so long, it was like a miracle to find out now that she was not wrong. Van did love her. But what did that mean for them? Would it make a difference in their lives? Would Van let it?

"You know what Amelia said to me?" Van asked suddenly.

"What?"

"She said do what you want to do," Van said. "She said do what makes you happy, even if it hurts other people."

"Yeah," Bennie said. "She said something like that to me too."

She didn't pretend not to know what Van was talking about. They both knew what they wanted to do, though the details weren't clear. Have an affair? It would be the easiest thing in the world to do, with Patsy's new schedule keeping her busy five nights a week, but Van might not want to do it. Not that long ago, Bennie would have pressed her advantage on a night like this, and tried to talk her into it. Amelia would say she had every right to do so.

"Amelia says other people don't have the right to ask you to be unhappy," Van said.

Bennie nodded. What Amelia said sounded so reasonable.

"I can't tell if she's wise or stupid," Van said.

Bennie laughed. "Me either." She grasped Van's hand and felt Van's fingers wrap around hers. The pleasure the simple gesture gave her was intense, but would it be enough, Bennie wondered, if it was all she ever got?

"You think she'll be all right?" Van asked.

"Sure," Bennie said, though she wasn't sure at all. "She's got a lot of courage. It'll take more than death to scare Amelia Earhart."

Bennie pulled off the highway onto a paved two-lane road. Shortly after that she turned onto a dirt road carved through tall pines, and finally onto Van's gravel driveway. Van's house was only thirty minutes from the city, but it felt like they were in the middle of a forest.

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