Sidelined

He couldn’t let her keep talking. He had to exit now and fast. With his bag over his shoulder he backed toward the door.

“Last night was fun, Penny. I’ll call you.” He pulled the door behind him and rushed to the elevator.

Ranger and Hollywood pulled beside Bolt and Eagle and parked their jet next to them. They opened their canopies almost in unison. “Smell that sweet California air.” Hollywood shouted from the seat behind Ranger.

All four unhooked their gear and climbed out on the side ladders. The two jets had returned with no mechanical problems and nothing significant to report to command. Ranger, the lead pilot, despite his annoyance with the womanizing and bar hopping, was pleased with the mission.

Ranger patted Bolt on the back. ?

??Good flight home, dude.”

“Yeah. Clear skies. Perfect day for flying.” Bolt inhaled a whiff of jet fuel on the Miramar tarmac. He retrieved his flight bag from the gear pod under the wing.

It only took ninety minutes to make it back to San Diego. Almost record time for F/A-18 jets.

Hollywood handed Ranger his gear. “I bet your wife’s waiting for you.”

Ranger’s face lit up as he strained to see if anyone was standing in the hanger. “She always is.”

Anyone who went on the road with Ranger knew Caroline, his wife, was always prepared for their arrival with cookies or brownies for all the guys. Sure, they gave him a hard time about his weight, but they never rejected the desserts she handed out. They admitted they would easily gain ten pounds too if they lived with someone who baked constantly.

“Alright, guys. Who is up for a drink at the O-club?” Hollywood pulled his shades from his pocket.

Bolt shook his head. “The O-club? We go there every Friday night. Let’s go downtown. We’re in San Diego.”

“Oh, downtown? Since when is the O-club not good enough for you, Bolt?” Hollywood popped a piece of gum in his mouth.

“It’s not that, man. I just want to go downtown. A different scene for Friday night. I’m tired of the nurses.”

Eagle unclipped the buckles on his suit as they approached the hangar door. “You’re crazy. The nurses are awesome. Maybe you should just try one nurse instead of all of them.”

Bolt didn’t want to argue about it. Eagle probably had good luck with the regular girls who partied at the base’s biggest gathering spot, but Bolt had dated half of them and he needed some place new.

“You guys go to the O-club, hang out with the same girls and I’ll be downtown if you want to meet up later.” He watched as Ranger pushed ahead and jogged toward Caroline. She was standing with three extra plastic containers. Looked like brownies this time.

Eagle and Hollywood exchanged glances. “Whatever, dude. We’ll catch up with you later.”

“Later.” Bolt walked toward his truck. He had parked behind the hangar before they left four days ago on the cross-country trip. He checked his watch. It was early enough he could head to his condo, shower, and hit the bars.

Two

“This can’t be happening. I worked on that proposal for six months. Six crazy, intense, I-canceled-every-plan-in-my-life months.”

“Skye, it’s not personal. You know it’s business. You heard what they said. Upper management appreciated your ideas.”

The raven haired brunette stormed across the office, throwing a black file across her desk. “Appreciated them so much they’re going to use them, but I don’t get the account. Greg gets the account with my ideas!” She slumped in her chair, kicking her five-inch heels to the side.

“Well, that’s a crappy way to look at it. You know I’m upset for you, right?”

Skye looked at her co-worker and friend. “Kari, only you would try to see the silver lining in this bullshit.” She sighed. “There were two slots on this account and there is no reason one of them shouldn’t be mine. I should be leading this campaign. I earned it. I deserve it.”

“Ok, so what we need is a girls’ night.” Kari smiled. “You have a free weekend now, right? It’s time you unwind a little. Loosen up and have a good time. I think you’ve forgotten there’s more to life than work.”

Skye glared at her. “Not helping.”

“Right. Remember silver lining. We can go to the new bar in the Gaslamp district. It’s right around the corner from your place. It will be fun.” She pulled her phone from her purse. “I’m going to check in right now for reservations.”

“No. Don’t, Kari. I’m the worst company right now.” She shuffled one of the graphics she had made of the zoo and sighed. All this beautiful work for nothing.