“Oh wow,” I rhapsodize. “These pancakes are amazing!”
“Thanks. I added my secret ingredient.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
Troy grins. “If I tell you, it wouldn’t be much of a secret.”
“Come on!” I wheedle while batting my lashes. “I promise not to tell anyone else!”
He grins.
“Fine. It’s not that big of a deal, and there are two secret ingredients actually. I put honey and vanilla extract in the pancakes because it gives them extra moisture and flavor.”
I nod, eyes wide.
“That’s the sweetness I’m tasting. They don’t even need syrup, come to think of it.”
But Troy merely grins and pours half the jar of maple syrup onto his stack. “They don’t need it, but they’re even better with it.”
I giggle, staring at the sticky mess. I swear, there’s more syrup on his plate than carbs.
“I wouldn’t have suspected you to have a sweet tooth.”
He nods, before shoveling a huge bite of pancake into his mouth.
“I definitely do.”
“Really? I thought folks who had sweet tooths were shaped like Santa Claus with big bellies,” I reply with a giggle.
He merely grins and takes another enormous bite.
“Lots of working out. That’ll do the trick.”
My eyes rake down Troy’s body and immediately, I grow moist between my thighs once more. He’s so gorgeous with that chest carved from wood, and I’m the lucky girl who gets to eat breakfast with him the morning after! Who would have guessed?
But then I clamp down on my feelings because who knows where this is going? Yes, our interactions are comfortable, intimate, and familiar. But again, this is a man who flies the friendly skies for a living, and maybe he’ll disappear tomorrow without a word. So I can’t go crazy with my fantasies, even if deep down, I’m hoping Troy Simpson will stay.
5
Troy
* * *
“So you’re a pilot?” Cammie asks. She takes another big bite of pancake and moans. If I’d known food would make her sound like that, I’d have cooked last night too. Anything to get her to make those melodic hums again. I nod, grinning.
“I am.”
“How did you get into this particular line of work?”
I shrug. “It just happened. I liked planes a lot as a kid and despite being a foster child, or maybe because of it, I worked a lot of part-time jobs when I was in school. I saved up all my money and used it for flying lessons. Eventually, that led to becoming pilot.”
She nods thoughtfully.
“Makes sense. Are you in the air a lot?”
I nod again.
“All the time. I’m not sure what Caitlin’s told you, but even though I technically live here in Medina, I’m rarely home. Most of my nights are spent in hotels all over the world.”
Cammie nods wistfully.
“Oh my god, that sounds amazing. I’d love to travel to exotic locales.”
I grin.
“Well, if you include Duluth and Wichita as exotic locales, then I guess so. But I understand what you’re saying, honey, and yes, I’ve been to Beirut, Amman, Tokyo, and many other cities. Is that what you mean?”
She nods, her eyes going dreamy.
“I’d love to travel to far-flung places one day. But right now, Medina it is. What’s your favorite destination?”
I grin. I love how Cammie has the travel bug, even if she has yet to indulge it.
“I have a lot of favorite places, actually, but Lebanon is in the top five. I just got back from Beirut, actually.”
“Oh, wow. I’ve never even been out of the state, if you can believe it.”
I merely shrug.
“That’s true of a lot of Americans. They never get a chance to leave the continental U.S.”
The curvy girl nods. “I think I mentioned that I have three younger brothers, so international travel was pretty much out of the question for my family. Instead, our vacations consisted of camping and other inexpensive, local things to do. We didn’t have a ton of money growing up and my parents were really frugal.”
I nod.
“You’re talking to a kid who grew up in foster care, so I completely get it. I think that’s why I love traveling so much now - because I’m making up for lost time.”
Cammie sighs.
“I’ve been saving up to hopefully take a trip soon. I’d like to see something other than Medina one day. And I don’t mean just exploring Minnesota, either.”
I cock my head.
“Where would you like to go, honey?”
She thinks for a moment, looking absolutely adorable while pursing her lips.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I kind of kept myself from even doing the research because I knew I couldn’t afford it. Do you have any recommendations? Should I give Lebanon a try?”
I laugh.
“For your first trip, you should go bigger than Lebanon. Maybe a trip all over Europe. Why not? Hit up all the capitals, participate in Oktoberfest, hit up some symphony halls. It’ll be fine. God knows, I’d love to join you. I’ve always wanted to see the places I’m at, instead of just seeing the inside of a hotel.”