Chapter 16

Parker stood in the basket. It was now upright and ready to go. He checked his instruments. The weather was perfect. Other balloons were popping up around him and the crowds were moving in. Parker wanted to get into the air quickly so he’d have the sky to himself, at least for a few minutes. It was still mostly dark and the flames lit up each balloon as they worked on getting upright. He turned to Ruby, who was transfixed by the balloons, wonder written across her features. He had felt the same way when he attended his first festival as a child.

“You sure you don’t want to come with me?” he asked.

Ruby looked like she did want to come as she ran a finger across the top of the basket. “I—I’d love to…”

“But?”

“It would require my feet to leave the ground,” Ruby said. “And when I think about the fact that the only thing keeping me in the air would be air and fire…” Her voice trailed off.

Parker tried to mask his disappointment. He usually loved going up by himself. But when it came to flying alone or being with Ruby, she’d win out every time. “I understand,” he said. “But if it makes you feel better, flying by balloon is the safest way to travel. Much safer than plane or car. They don’t even have power lines around here.” He held out a hand to her.

Ruby squeezed her eyes shut, like if she didn’t see what was around her, it would make it easier for her to turn down Parker’s offer. But then she nodded. “Okay. But I better do it quick before I change my mind.” She climbed over the side of the basket and landed next to Parker.

He couldn’t believe it. “All right, let’s get this balloon up,” he shouted to Andy and Rafael, and they held onto the basket as Parker turned on the burner. It lit up their balloon like a lantern and they began moving. He kept the flames going until, at last, they rose into the air. He turned the burner off and waved goodbye to his friends on the ground, before turning his attention to Ruby. The sun was just starting to rise behind her, streaks of red and orange illuminating her from behind.

Ruby’s eyes widened. “Whoa,” she said, then grabbed onto Parker’s arm. “This is…surprisingly smooth. And loud.” Her grip relaxed, but she still held on. Parker didn’t mind.

He opened the burner, releasing more flames, and they continued to rise. “I can’t do anything about the noise, sorry. I wish the burner was quieter, but I promise you, the experience is well worth it,” he said. “This is my favorite part of the morning.” They watched as other balloons rose from the ground, all of them lighting up against the dark as the flames heated the air inside.

“This is one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen,” Ruby said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I can’t believe I almost missed this. I almost said no.”

“What changed your mind?”

Ruby was quiet for a moment and they watched the balloons around them lighting up like fireflies. “I could either be miserable on the ground, mad at myself for not being able to experience something as cool as this, or I could be scared out of my mind up here, but at least I wouldn’t be missing out.”

“So the choice was either mad and miserable or afraid for your life?” Parker asked. “That’s quite the conundrum.”

Ruby laughed. “This isn’t anything like I thought it would be. How are we even moving? I don’t feel wind or a breeze or anything.”

“That’s because the wind is what is moving us. We’re moving at the same speed as it is.”

Ruby let go of Parker, placed both hands on the edge of the basket and looked out. “Fascinating.”

“You said you used to own your own plane, right?” As soon as the words left his mouth, Parker wondered if that was a dumb thing to ask. Ruby tended to get weird about the past.

It didn’t seem to bother her as much as he’d thought it would, though. She nodded. “Yeah. Folks in town would hire me to take them to the city or wherever, but it was all in-state. The only time I would fly cross country was with Clark for his dog competitions.” Ruby fell silent, like just mentioning her deceased husband had flipped a switch. Any hope Parker had that he’d be able to have something more with Ruby vanished. Clark would always be a shadow he’d have to live in, and that wasn’t something he was willing to do.

“We can talk about something else,” Parker said. “Or we don’t have to talk at all.”

To his surprise, Ruby smiled. “I’m actually enjoying talking about flying. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to. It’s just…I realized that this was the first time I’ve been able to talk about the past, and Clark, without having it tear me up inside.”

Maybe this could work—no, even if she didn’t cry every time she thought about Clark, he would still be there. A presence that never went away. Parker opened the burner and looked into the distance. He could just barely make out the outline of the mountains.

“This is such a different way to fly. It’s incredible,” Ruby said, sounding giddy. “I have so many questions. Like, how do you steer this thing? I know you mentioned something about the air helping you, but how exactly do you do it?”

Parker cringed. He didn’t know how Ruby would react when he told her the truth. “I don’t.”

Ruby’s grin faded. “What do you mean? You’re the pilot. You’re the one who steers.”

“No, it’s the wind that takes care of that for us. I can go up and down to try to catch winds going in different directions, but it’s not like I have a steering wheel or anything.”

“So…how are we going to get back?” Ruby asked, panic now edging her words.

“Like this.” Parker unclipped a two-way radio from his back pocket. “Thing One and Thing Two, how are you guys doing?” he said into the radio.

It crackled and Rafael’s voice said, “How many times do I have to tell you? My name is the Dark Knight.”

“I’m sorry, my radio was breaking up on that last part. Did you say you wanted to be called the Stark Kite?”

A groan of frustration came over the radio. “I don’t know why I put up with you. I don’t get paid enough for this, you know. Maybe we’ll let you and Ruby find your own way back to the hotel.”

“Please tell him that, if he wouldn’t mind, we’d like to be picked up now,” Ruby said, looking like she was on the verge of a panic attack. Guess she wasn’t having fun anymore.

Parker drew in a deep breath. He supposed it was his fault for not giving Ruby all the facts before they took off. “I apologize from the depths of my heart, my dear Dark Knight,” he said into the radio. “Will you ever forgive me?”

“Okay, now it’s just getting weird,” Rafael’s voice crackled over the radio. “I think I see you. What direction are you heading?”

Parker glanced at his GPS unit. “We’re heading northeast. You may just want to head for the farms we landed at last year. Looks like we’ll probably end up there in about two hours.”

“As long as the winds don’t change,” Rafael said.

“They’re pretty tame right now and all the instruments are looking good. I couldn’t ask for a better day for flying.” Parker glanced at Ruby when he said it. It wasn’t just the weather that made it a perfect day.

“Roger that. See you in a couple hours.”

Ruby looked at the various instruments hung up on the poles around them. “You have to be even more aware of the weather than I did,” she said. “Although you’re lucky that you don’t need as big a landing space.” She looked at Parker. “I can see how it is safer than flying a plane.” She seemed to have calmed down during Parker’s exchange with Rafael.

“It’s only safe if you know what you’re doing,” Parker said. “You’re right, I have to be aware of the weather at all times. It can’t be too hot, too windy, too rainy…basically it has to be perfect.” He checked their altitude, then opened the burner, bringing them just a bit higher. “But once you get up in the sky, it’s the best feeling in the world.”

The sky had lightened enough that they could see the trees below them, and the mountains and hills rolling into the distance.

“I can see how it could be addicting,” Ruby said. She turned to face the side where the sun rose and closed her eyes. “It’s so peaceful,” she murmured. “Like nothing bad could happen.”

Parker stepped up next to Ruby. He wanted to put his arm around her, but thought that would be a bad idea. Instead, he rested his arms on the edge of the basket. “Is this what it’s like for you when you fly your plane?”

“Flew,” Ruby corrected. “I don’t do that anymore.”

“But you could.”

Ruby opened her eyes and looked at Parker. “Yes, I could. Maybe I will. One day.” Her gaze turned to the scenic view. “It isn’t like this, though. It’s more exhilarating than peaceful, though it does have its moments.” She shifted a hand so it rested on Parker’s.

His gaze landed on their hands. He still wore his gloves, and yet the heat he felt from Ruby’s hand was more than any flame could muster. When Parker looked up, Ruby was studying him again. “You know, I’m getting a lot of mixed messages,” he said.

“I know. And I’m sorry.” Ruby shook her head. “I’m so conflicted. This—right here, right now—this feels right. It’s a good thing.”

“But there will always be Clark,” Parker muttered, moving his hand. He longed for her touch, but he couldn’t do it. Not like this. Not when he’d always come in second place.

“You’re different than him,” Ruby said. “But not in a bad way.”

Parker sighed. “Let’s talk about something else.” He turned away and checked the instruments, more to have something to keep him busy. He opened the burner for a moment, then closed it.

“It’s a good thing it’s not romantic up here, or we might have a problem,” she said, her eyes teasing him.

Parker longed for her with every part of his being. He had always been attracted to her, both to her beauty and her intellect. Parker had thought that time would have diminished those feelings, but apparently not. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for us to—be more than what we are,” he said. He couldn’t believe what he was saying, but he didn’t want to do anything he’d regret.

“Me neither,” Ruby said. Then she leaned forward. “But I’m willing to find out.”

“I can’t compete with the memory of the man you chose first,” Parker said softly, holding back.

Ruby hesitated, then stepped away. “Everyone is always telling me how I cling to the past, how I need to let it go and move on. And they’re right. I’m stuck and I’m scared. I hide in my corner with my photo albums and I make everyone around me miserable.” She slapped the edge of the basket. “I see the same faces day in and day out. I’m finally free of that. I’m seeing things I’ve never seen, I’m going places that don’t bring up memories, and I’m with people who are helping me finally feel something good again.” Ruby turned away.

“I’m sorry,” Parker said, reaching out for her. “I didn’t mean—”

Ruby stepped out of reach.

It seemed they were destined to live their lives apart. At least this trip would give him the closure he had needed all those years ago.