Spindrift

Chapter Eight

729

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Lee seemed a different man when he arrived back at the boathouse after his last flight of the day. Ariel looked up at his laughter and jovial manner as he led the much older man in through the front door.

"We should celebrate, Lee," the man said, clasping her husband's shoulder as she stopped in the lobby.

"Celebrate what?" Ariel asked, as she shifted the folders in her arms.

"Ah – we are signing a contract," Lee said, gesturing to the man. "Ariel, this is Kent Harvetti. He's been the regular I was telling you about."

"I am absolutely fascinated with this island and its native lore," Kent said. "The fact that this man is so knowledgeable about the lore of your people – I learned more in five minutes talking to him, then I have in two years of talking to my wife."

"My people?" Ariel asked.

"The Nereid," Kent clarified.

Ariel gave a tight smile. "They don't really consider me their people, Mr. Harvetti," she said.

"Kent, please," the man said. "And it's a shame that they don't, no more than it's a same that the human side of your heritage has done the same."

"It's the nature of having one's feet in two worlds," Ariel said. She smiled. "Although, incidentally, my human side in my immediate circle, has proved a little bit more accepting of things."

Lee grinned and put his arms around her waist, pulling her into a warm, tight hug and kissing her with passion. Oh, he felt alive against her, with a renewal she hadn't seen in a long time.

"Now, we need to finish hammering out the details, but I want you and Ariel to dine with my wife and I tonight at Michel's," Kent said, as Lee turned them to the office.

"Michel's," Ariel said. She put her hand on Lee's arm. "We don't haven anything here that would work for Michel's," she said, lowering her voice.

"Go, buy something," Lee said, kissing her again. "You could use a new dress, anyway."

She watched her husband lead Kent Harvetti into his office, still stunned at the turn of events. She was unsure of what, exactly, to do.

Katrina wasn't here today, having called in when she would normally be here on their busiest day. And they had a few other flights planned for the day, sight-seeing tours going up with their second pilot, and whatnot.

"It's going to be standard routes, stabile income for you, reliable pilots and flights for me," Kent said, as the men emerged once again from the office. "I like the integrity I see here, and when I see integrity I like, I partner with it, because to do otherwise would be a loss and a shame."

"My dad always says 'If you want to get ahead in life, get with people with like minded goals. If you want to be stupid, get with stupid'," Lee said.

"I couldn't have said it better myself. Tonight, 6:30. Are you sure your father can't come," Kent asked.

Lee gave Ariel a look. "It would be a little bit of a logistical headache at the moment."

"My father isn't doing great without help at the moment and being that our fathers are old war buddies, it helps when Perrin's here," Ariel said.

"Understandable. Gives you both a break," Kent said. "Tonight, we shall toast."

The man left.

Ariel turned to Lee. "I can't leave."

"I don't have to fly again. Something came up in the engine sensor and Boom-Boom is looking over the engine in the plane right now, so even if I wanted to, its not safe to take it up right now," Lee said, putting his hand on her arm. "I will stay in the office, you can go shopping – I know its not your favorite thing to do, but you're right, we don't have any clothes here."

He kissed her temple. "Pick something that rivals the dress you wore when we got married."

"That would be a little extravagant, considering I got married in a maxi dress before the justice of the peace," Ariel said.

"Still, its Michel. And I have met Kent's wife. You may be a half bred, but you have some much more personality and class compared to her. It won't take much for you to outshine her at the table," Lee said.