“We can check with Doc,” he suggested.
Alegria nodded.
“I was thinking we could fly tomorrow.”
Alegria turned her body toward his. “Is the plane still here?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Right. Maybe we should ask Doc when he wants it back on the West Coast.”
He had already, and the answer Doc gave him still perplexed him. He told Mantis that the plane would stay in Westchester as long as he needed it. If he owned a two-million-dollar jet as nice as the SF50, he wouldn’t want it out of his sight.
“As long as it’s here…”
“We’ll work through some maneuvers.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Off the books.”
“Mantis…”
“The SF50 has yaw stability augmentation built into the flight control system. We can override it by using the rudder pedals, but it shouldn’t be necessary.”
“And if it is, you can take over.”
Mantis nodded. “That’s right.”
“Okay.”
He wished she sounded excited rather than trepidatious. Maybe being on the controls tomorrow would help her attitude.
Since it had started snowing, his dad pulled up to the front entrance of the restaurant to let his mother and Alegria out. Mantis volunteered to walk in with him.
“We’ll order appetizers, Kip,” his mother said before she closed the car door behind her.
“I wonder where she thinks I’ll have to park,” said his father, circling the parking lot, looking for an empty spot. “Here we go,” he said when he saw someone backing out.
“What did you want to talk to me about?” his dad asked as they both climbed out of the car.
“Dutch.”
—:—
“I’m famished,” said Minnie when they were seated at their table. “What sounds good?”
Alegria laughed. “Everything. I’ve missed this place.”
Minnie set her menu on the table. “Is that all you’ve missed?”
“That isn’t fair,” she murmured. “It was his choice.”
“Biggest mistake of his life.”
“I don’t disagree, but it doesn’t change the fact that he made it, and now we both have to live with it.”
“What if he’s changed his mind?” Minnie asked.