Cooper rounded the corner and entered the galley with a new optimism in his step. He flung open the flight deck door and, to his surprise, saw Wolf sitting in the copilot’s seat and going over the checklists.
Wolf turned to look at who’d walked in. “Nice of you to join us,” he sarcastically greeted Cooper before turning back to what he was doing.
“I was buying coffee since I figured you were busy getting another speeding ticket,” Cooper responded to his friend with equal sarcasm, always willing to poke a sleeping bear.
“Yeah, not all that funny . . . that was a three-hundred-dollar car race that I can’t afford right now.”
Cooper plopped himself in the captain’s seat. “Oh, you big baby, I’ll pay your ticket. Quit being a sore loser.”
“It’s not the damn ticket. You know I can pay that without blinking. It’s the mark on my record,” Wolf grumbled.
“Then be more aware,” Cooper told him.
Wolf’s annoyance level with Cooper was now even more apparent. But then Wolf’s expression turned from annoyance to a smirk. “I did beat you after all, so I suppose it would only be reasonable for you to pay the ticket . . . and my car insurance for the next two years!”
Cooper shook his head while flipping a few switches on the overhead control panel as the two shared a laugh.
Cooper wished women could get over petty annoyances as easily as men did. Men didn’t hold grudges and carry on for hours, having to talk about their feelings and why something happened. Hell, it was better left unsaid, in his humble opinion.
He sat back and started buckling in, suddenly looking forward to a flight he’d done a thousand times. He was really looking forward to his next round of coffee with a certain spunky barista.
The flight began to board and the flight crew focused on their typical preflight checks. A group of attendants was in the main cabin, busily guiding passengers to their proper seat assignments and assisting with carry-on bags.
Meanwhile, on the flight deck the sound of radio traffic and the hum of electronics combined with the chatty flight attendants and boarding passengers was almost deafening. The plane wasn’t scheduled to return to New York, but was heading to El Paso, Texas, for a quick turnaround and would be back in Seattle by nine thirty that night.
As Wolf began to read off the checklist, his voice grew fainter as Cooper became entwined in his own thoughts about the coffee woman again, which infuriated him.
“Enough of this!” he blurted out loud, completely out of context with what Wolf had been saying.
The man was in the middle of conducting the first officer’s pre-takeoff checklist and Cooper was fully ignoring him. Wolf looked at him with confusion.
“What, thirty-five thousand isn’t high enough?” Wolf asked in an alarmed voice.
“No, no . . . thirty-five thousand is fine. Sorry, my mind was wandering.”
He reached into his pocket and his fingers rubbed over the worn gold of the locket he carried with him every flight. It had been his good luck token for six years. Odd that he was reaching for it so much more often lately.
“Hey, I’m looking for the flight manual,” Wolf continued.
“Oh, that’s no problem. I have it right here in my flight bag . . . shit.” Cooper paused. “I left my bag at the coffee shop. I have to go get it,” he exclaimed as he quickly stumbled from his seat and out of the flight deck.
“What about . . . ?” Wolf stopped mid-sentence as Armstrong had already left.
He never did anything as foolish as losing his flight bag. This was the exact reason for him to quit obsessing about the damn brunette at the coffee shop. Now it was messing with his job.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Putting away a container of milk, Stormy turned and something caught her eye. Right in front of the counter sat a large black leather briefcase with Captain Armstrong, Trans Pacific Airways printed in bold letters on the side.
She knew it was important, and if she didn’t get it to him the flight could be delayed. She grabbed the bag and began to sprint for Gate A6, the one he’d been directed to over the intercom earlier.
“I’ll be right back!” she called to Amy and Henry as she bolted past the counter and out to the main corridor.
Her heart beating madly, she made her way toward the gate. She wasn’t sure if it was because she was running, or if it was because she was going to see Cooper again. If it was the latter, she was in more trouble than she’d thought.
While frantically heading toward Captain Armstrong’s gate, Stormy’s mind wandered as she imagined him thanking her in all sorts of ways for saving his flight.
She moved quickly through the crowd.