fumbled with her eggs, her appetite suddenly lost. An idea was rooting around her in head, but was only half-formed, like a halo of ice around a puddle; nothing had crystallized yet.
“What if…” she began, and waited for Sam to lift his head toward her, “what if I helped you? I mean I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do with the hunters and all. Or with plumbing but… I mean do you actually fly the hunters in?”
His brow wrinkled. “Well, sometimes… I’ve actually got Al at the airport that can handle the flying. But someone needs to help the hunters unpack, it’s mostly a grunt job, but you know… customer service.”
“Well, I could do that!” she joked, flexing her bicep comically.
Sam shook his head and then paused when he saw she was being serious. He sat up and crossed his arms and his eyes were lost, staring at the empty plate of eggs, and Emily could see that he was mulling it over.
“
Are you sure, Em? I mean, I know you’re strong… hell, you or Lily could kick my ass singlehandedly on your own,” he said, and Emily smiled even though she knew that probably wasn’t accurate. At least, not in human form. “But these hunters, they’re rough-back, y’know. You think you can handle them?”
“If you’d asked me that a month ago, I would have said absolutely no, but now…” she smiled back at him. “Things are different. Besides, it’s like you said… if you miss this chance, it’ll affect your company.”
Sam still seemed a bit unconvinced and gave her a long hard look, but she returned it with an equally stolid expression until at last the rise of his shoulders fell and he sighed and had to laugh.
“Crazy girl,” he muttered.
She stood up and crossed the table and sat down on his lap, straddling him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “That’s me,” she winked, “so what do I do?”
***
After they’d finished eating and clearing the dishes and Emily had gotten dressed, Sam took her over to the air field again where he introduced Al, an older man in his 60’s that had cheery eyes nested behind years of sun-wrinkled folds of skin. He seemed always at the limit of his own emotions and about to break into laughter, even though he never did, and he and Emily hit it off immediately.
“You didn’t tell me that you were hiding a super-model!” he accused Sam, pointing a craggy finger at the younger man.
“Knowing you , I thought it’d be safer that way,” Sam flashed back, and Al beamed a smile and kissed Emily’s hand.
He had been a bush-pilot all his life, flying from Alaska down into Northern Canada – a huge map on the wall of his small office had tacks and lines of string attached to it, and when Emily inquired, Sam secretly put a finger to his lower lip as if to warn her. The warning was apt, because given the opportunity, Al would wax eloquent on all manner of places he had been. He had even more stories about Alaska than Sam did, and Emily highly suspected that her new boyfriend had acquired the penchant from this old-timer.
Finally, Sam looked at his watch and made a quick apology. If he was going to catch the hardware store before it closed, he’d have to leave now for Fairbanks. Outside of Al’s office Sam turned and wrapped his arms fiercely around Emily’s waist again and they shared another passionate kiss.
“Al will tell you everything you need to know. You can use the car and the cabin for tonight, and he’ll pick you up tomorrow. Are you sure about this, Em? You really don’t have to. I fucked up, this is my
“What if…” she began, and waited for Sam to lift his head toward her, “what if I helped you? I mean I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do with the hunters and all. Or with plumbing but… I mean do you actually fly the hunters in?”
His brow wrinkled. “Well, sometimes… I’ve actually got Al at the airport that can handle the flying. But someone needs to help the hunters unpack, it’s mostly a grunt job, but you know… customer service.”
“Well, I could do that!” she joked, flexing her bicep comically.
Sam shook his head and then paused when he saw she was being serious. He sat up and crossed his arms and his eyes were lost, staring at the empty plate of eggs, and Emily could see that he was mulling it over.
“
Are you sure, Em? I mean, I know you’re strong… hell, you or Lily could kick my ass singlehandedly on your own,” he said, and Emily smiled even though she knew that probably wasn’t accurate. At least, not in human form. “But these hunters, they’re rough-back, y’know. You think you can handle them?”
“If you’d asked me that a month ago, I would have said absolutely no, but now…” she smiled back at him. “Things are different. Besides, it’s like you said… if you miss this chance, it’ll affect your company.”
Sam still seemed a bit unconvinced and gave her a long hard look, but she returned it with an equally stolid expression until at last the rise of his shoulders fell and he sighed and had to laugh.
“Crazy girl,” he muttered.
She stood up and crossed the table and sat down on his lap, straddling him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “That’s me,” she winked, “so what do I do?”
***
After they’d finished eating and clearing the dishes and Emily had gotten dressed, Sam took her over to the air field again where he introduced Al, an older man in his 60’s that had cheery eyes nested behind years of sun-wrinkled folds of skin. He seemed always at the limit of his own emotions and about to break into laughter, even though he never did, and he and Emily hit it off immediately.
“You didn’t tell me that you were hiding a super-model!” he accused Sam, pointing a craggy finger at the younger man.
“Knowing you , I thought it’d be safer that way,” Sam flashed back, and Al beamed a smile and kissed Emily’s hand.
He had been a bush-pilot all his life, flying from Alaska down into Northern Canada – a huge map on the wall of his small office had tacks and lines of string attached to it, and when Emily inquired, Sam secretly put a finger to his lower lip as if to warn her. The warning was apt, because given the opportunity, Al would wax eloquent on all manner of places he had been. He had even more stories about Alaska than Sam did, and Emily highly suspected that her new boyfriend had acquired the penchant from this old-timer.
Finally, Sam looked at his watch and made a quick apology. If he was going to catch the hardware store before it closed, he’d have to leave now for Fairbanks. Outside of Al’s office Sam turned and wrapped his arms fiercely around Emily’s waist again and they shared another passionate kiss.
“Al will tell you everything you need to know. You can use the car and the cabin for tonight, and he’ll pick you up tomorrow. Are you sure about this, Em? You really don’t have to. I fucked up, this is my
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