The lights from the panel illuminated Jackson’s face. That hard-set jaw with just enough scruff to make her wonder what it would feel like beneath her palm . . . No. She wasn’t wondering. She didn’t want to reach out and see how he reacted. What in the world was she thinking?
Maybe being confined in this small space was a bad idea. There was nowhere to go and she was literally at his mercy.
“Pretty good,” he replied. “They have a plane in one of the other hangars. They went in on a Beechcraft Piston a few years ago. It’s pretty nice.”
She’d had no idea anyone else occupied the other hangars on the property. Her father had rented the space to recreational fliers, but Olivia never thought about Jackson doing the same.
“Do you have other renters?” she asked.
“A few. I have one guy who was going to leave town, but he ended up falling in love and is staying.” Jax’s laughter came through the headset. “I admit, I’m the one who set them up. But I’ve since learned they knew each other years ago. She was his late wife’s nurse or something. It was an interesting story. Still, if I hadn’t reconnected them—”
“You’re a regular Cupid,” she stated dryly. “What about other renters?”
“I still have space for two more, but aviation is a dying sport. I have a few teenagers who are interested in getting their license. They’ve talked to me about getting hours in and already started their online training. We’ll see if they stick with it.”
Olivia knew some people loved to fly, but once all that power was in their hands, they froze up. Some people scared themselves on landings or even takeoffs. She’d loved every minute of all the rush, the freedom. But the push-pull relationship with her father had tainted her love of the sport.
This entire airport had left a bad taste in her mouth when she’d left, and she hated to admit it, but the longer she was here, the more she was remembering the reasons why she loved it as a child.
She pushed aside the sentimental thoughts and returned her focus to the conversation. “Sounds like you’re not doing too bad.”
She hadn’t meant to let that slip out. She didn’t want to start getting invested emotionally into this situation. That wasn’t smart business sense and she definitely knew better.
“I do all right.” That low, rich voice filled her headset. “As long as I can provide for my daughter and do what I love, I don’t care about extra.”
Guilt slithered through her. Had he purposely thrown his daughter into the conversation to make her second-guess selling?
Olivia couldn’t bear other people’s crosses. She had her own issues and her own life to get on with, and she planned to get on with that life as soon as she put this portion of her past behind her once and for all.
“So you have your teaching license?” she asked.
“Yeah. I didn’t necessarily have the urge to teach, but I’m always looking to learn more and better my skill. Things just fell into place, plus the extra money is nice. I have to watch the hours because of Piper and my regular flights.”
A single father was not someone she had experience with. She wasn’t sure what his life must be like. Olivia didn’t have to worry about anyone else’s schedule. When she wanted to do something, she checked her work calendar first and that was all.
Oh, no. She was shallow.
“Why haven’t you flown since you left?” he asked.
Olivia stared at the controls in front of her. The urge
to grab hold was strong, but she fisted her hands in her lap. Everything before her was the past, not her future.
“Probably for the same reasons you’re not married.”
Silence settled over the airways and she wondered if she’d stepped over the line. Obviously, she had, but she didn’t want to delve into her issues any more than he did.
After a moment of tension-filled silence, Jackson’s gruff chuckle came through. “You really don’t want to talk about this, do you? Fine. I’m not married because when I was in the air force my wife gave birth while I was overseas. When she decided she didn’t want to be a parent, I knew I had to give up my career and step up to the plate. She was a heartless mother and signed her rights over as she rushed to get out of town. So, I’ve been a little too busy to date, let alone remarry.”
Olivia stared at the horizon where the darkness met the city lights. She wasn’t sure what to say. She hadn’t fully expected him to open up, so that was shocking in itself, but the picture he painted was heartbreaking.
His wife had left him and a newborn baby? She wanted to compare the parallel childhood she had to his instance, but she’d been eighteen when she’d walked away from her father.
“Nothing to say?” he asked. “You don’t want to share with the class your little secrets?”
Olivia tucked her hands beneath her legs. Part of her wanted to feel those controls once again, part of her wanted him to land this thing because she couldn’t handle being wrapped in all these memories.
“I don’t know what to say,” she murmured. “But no, I don’t want to share anything. I just want to sell this airport. I can’t have this in my life.”