Lost and Found: (A Ripple Effect Romance Novella) (5 page)

But he’d found a couple of things that were possibilities, and this was one of them. Blake had never been skydiving, but the website had made it sound fun. After reading a few customer reviews and the qualifications of the professionals who’d be jumping with them, he’d selected Charlotte Skydiving. The biggest draw was that they could jump one right after the other, so they could experience it together. One pair said they were so close in the air, they could see each other’s expressions. Something about watching Lydia’s face as they plummeted through the sky was very appealing to him. He’d called before breakfast and scheduled the jump.

Buster and Liam were their instructors and would be jumping with them. Liam was short, muscular and so tanned you could practically see cancer cells multiplying. Buster had a bushy blond beard and a ponytail. When Buster explained what to do in the unlikely event that the chute didn’t open, Blake began to wonder if he’d made a mistake. Lydia looked like the Cullen clan had sucked her dry, and she was biting her bottom lip so hard, he feared she might bite through it. She clasped her hands together in a tight little ball on her lap, and her feet were hooked around the legs of her chair.

“Any questions?” Buster asked. When neither of them answered, he said, “All right. Come with us, and we’ll get you suited up.”

Blake stood, but Lydia seemed stuck to her chair. “Are you okay?” he asked her. Lydia’s head gave an indecisive roll. Was that a nod yes or a shake no? It was probably a little of both. Blake reached down to help her up. Her hand was freezing. She unwound her legs from the chair and let him pull her to her feet, but when he started to let go, she grasped his hand tightly.

“This will be fun,” he said. When she didn’t answer, he stopped in the hall. “Hey, if you really don’t want to do this, you don’t have to. I’m not going to force it on you.” The truth was, Blake would have been fine backing out. This wasn’t something he needed to do to die happy.

Lydia took a deep breath. Her voice came out, but just barely. “I really want to do it. I’m just terrified.”

Blake tamped down the nerves he’d been feeling. He wanted to help her do this, and if it meant putting on a brave face, he would. “I read last night that they have to jump more than two hundred times before they’re allowed to jump tandem with someone. They know what they’re doing. Let’s just have fun.” Lydia nodded but didn’t let go of his hand. Blake didn’t mind.

“Thought we lost you,” Buster said when they walked into the room where they’d dress. Dozens of flight suits hung according to size against one wall. On another wall were parachute packs and goggles. Lydia pulled her hair back into a tight bun then Liam helped her get into her suit while Buster helped Blake. Liam was flirty and talkative, and Blake was glad to see Lydia laugh.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Lydia said as they stepped out of the building.

“After you do it once, you’ll want to do it a thousand times,” Buster said.

Across the tarmac was a small plane. Blake had never been in a plane this small, and his stomach tightened.

“You’re about to have your adventure,” he said.

“Thanks to you. And let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I haven’t jumped yet.”

Instead of seats, the plane was equipped with a long bench that led up to the door. Blake sat in front of Buster. Ahead of him were Liam and Lydia. Blake would have felt awkward wedged tightly between the two instructors, except that his mind was too occupied with what was coming.

The engine roared to life, and it was hard to hear anything else. They taxied down the runway and soon they were flying higher and higher above the green, North Carolina countryside. Liam was yelling last-minute instructions to Lydia, who nodded, put her goggles in place, and grasped her shoulder straps.

When they reached eleven thousand feet, a green light above the door lit up. “Ready?” Liam shouted, and Lydia gave a barely perceptible nod. A man they hadn’t met opened the door of the plane. A whoosh of air whipped through the cabin. The man grasped a bar outside the door and stood half in and half out of the plane. Liam and Lydia scooted up the bench to the door of the plane, and the man with the job Blake didn’t envy helped them to a standing position. Lydia held the straps at her chest while Liam held the bar above the door. Blake and Buster moved up behind them.

“Just hold onto the straps and keep your head back,” Buster yelled. “We’ll be going right after them.”

Blake nodded and watched Lydia. The wind pulled strands of her strawberry blonde hair loose, and they danced around her face. She turned to Blake and smiled, though it looked more like a grimace. “It was great meeting you,” she yelled.

Blake grinned. “I hope we meet again,” he yelled back.

Lydia leaned her head back into Liam’s shoulder, and they were gone. Almost as soon as they’d jumped, the man standing on the precipice grasped Blake’s hand, sports-team style and helped them up. The ground was more than two miles below. A few wispy clouds floated below them. Blake thought he might throw up, but the thought of losing his breakfast into the wind that was pelting his face made him steel his stomach. A second later, the light turned green, and Buster stepped out of the plane, Blake in front of him.

For a moment, Blake’s body reacted with terror, sure he was hurtling to his death. The wind roared in his ears and cut off his air. His arms flailed for a moment, reaching for something stable. It was difficult to get a breath. Buster held his arms out above him, which reminded Blake to put out his arms and legs. Below him was a red speck. They fell faster than the speck and soon the speck became Lydia and Liam. Buster and Liam maneuvered through the air until they were about twenty feet apart. It looked like Lydia was yelling something, but Blake couldn’t hear it above the roar of the air. She gave him a thumbs up, and Blake gave her one in return. Buster made an adjustment and they began a slow spin that took them farther away from Lydia. The ground below him was moving in circles as they fell fast.

Buster seemed to be in no hurry to pull the chute cord, and Blake started to wonder if he’d forgotten that little detail. “Don’t forget to open the parachute,” he yelled, but his words were probably lost in the screaming air.

Buster finally pulled the cord and the parachute opened above them. The sudden change in speed made Blake feel like a marionette whose puppeteer had experienced a sudden muscle spasm. Now they were falling feet first. The rumbling air quieted to a gentle whisper, and even though they were still falling much too quickly, the contrast was dramatic. It felt smooth and peaceful. Everything was intense and beautiful. From this vantage point he could see the city turn into suburbs, the suburbs into a patchwork of fields, and in the distance the fields gave way to the mountains. A few moments ago, the wind had robbed him of his breath. Now it was the beauty that stole it.

In the distance, Lydia waved as she swayed gently through the air. The earth seemed to move toward them faster the closer they got. “Hold your legs up,” Buster said and Blake obeyed. Buster’s feet hit the ground running and Blake remembered their safety briefing and kept his legs up and out of Buster’s way.

When they were stopped and his feet were on the ground, his legs began to quiver as they adjusted to the earth’s surface. Blake looked around for Lydia. She was landing about half a football field away. “Go find your girl,” Buster said, when he’d unstrapped the parachute pack. “We’ll get the rest of this off you inside.”

Blake started toward Lydia on shaky legs. “That was the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” she yelled before he’d reached her. Liam was still unhooking her straps. “Did you like it?”

“Once the parachute came out. I could’ve done without the freefall.”

When Lydia was free of the straps, she threw her arms around Blake’s neck. “I loved it all,” she said. Blake hugged her back, wishing they weren’t wearing noisy nylon suits. “Thank you for making me do this.” He put her down and she squealed again. “I can’t believe we just did that.”

The smile stayed on her face long after they were back in the car and driving toward Hickory. Blake felt a sense of pride that he’d helped put that smile there, and he kept glancing over at it. Something about her smile tugged at something inside him.

She’d almost kissed him. Lydia couldn’t believe she’d almost kissed him.

The crazy thing was, she’d just jumped out of an airplane, had watched the ground rise up to meet her, and all she could think about was that she’d nearly kissed Blake. It was probably because of the excitement of her first real adventure or the relief of having her feet solidly on the ground again. Or maybe it was her gratitude that Blake had arranged this whole wonderful, exhilarating experience. A doctor might have explained it away saying the fault belonged to the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

Whatever the cause, Lydia had hugged Blake and almost kissed him.

She blushed at the thought of it. It was so unlike her to be forward like that. Who was this girl who’d impulsively stayed in Charlotte and had just jumped out of an airplane? Lydia felt like she was in a stranger’s skin.

“Hickory is the next exit. You’ll turn right at the light.” Blake had been pretty quiet since they’d gotten in the car. She’d caught him glancing at her a couple of times, but he hadn’t said much. “Are you glad you did it?” she asked him.

“I’m glad
we
did it,” he said.

“Thank you. For doing that with me. I don’t think I could have done it without you.”

“That makes two of us.”

“Turn left on 8th Street. It’ll be on the left.”

Blake pulled the car into the Shady Days Manor parking lot. The name was perfect. Large trees lined a wide sidewalk that led to the front doors of the gray stone building. The information desk looked like it belonged in the lobby of a fancy hotel. They stepped up to the counter and spoke to Candace, a girl with a sweet voice and heavy eyeliner.

“We’re looking for a resident that lives here,” Blake said. “Gladys Baker.”

A sad expression came over the girl’s face. “I’m so sorry. Gladys passed away last spring. I think it was in April.” Blake took a slight step back, disappointment evident.

Lydia stepped closer to the counter. “Maybe you can help us.” Lydia explained their situation to Candace. “Could you put us in touch with any family that might have taken her things? Could you possibly give us a phone number?”

“I don’t think we can give that out. You’d need to talk to my supervisor, Janet. Maybe she can help you.”

Janet was at lunch so they made an appointment to visit with her an hour later.

“They might not help us.” Blake said as they ate tacos at a little restaurant a couple of blocks from Shady Days.

“Then we’ll have to break into their offices after hours and find it ourselves.”

“Wow. Get the unadventurous girl to jump out of an airplane, and she’s suddenly ready to commit felonies. Criminals do lead adventurous lives, I suppose.”

“Just show her that little dimple, and she’ll probably give you whatever you want,” Lydia said. Blake raised his eyebrows. Lydia couldn’t believe she’d just said that out loud. “I mean, just smile and be really nice to her and she’ll probably cooperate. You know, be charming?” She wanted to crawl under the table. She really should have talked to more people the last three months. Maybe if she had, she wouldn’t sound like a social buffoon.

“I’ll do my best,” Blake said, “but I’m afraid my charm has its limits.”

Lydia wasn’t sure about that.

Janet’s stark office looked more like the showroom at an office furniture store. The only things on her desk were a computer screen and a telephone. A row of filing cabinets lined one wall, and a clock was mounted on the wall opposite the desk. There was nothing personal—no diplomas, no pictures, not even a nameplate.

“Please, come in.” She motioned for them to take a seat and sat down opposite them. “Candace tells me you were asking about Gladys Baker.”

Blake smiled a smile that would make an orthodontist proud, and Lydia bit the side of her mouth. “Yes, we’ve come from Denver. Gladys and my grandfather were friends. She had a box of belongings I was supposed to come get.”

“But you’re not actually related to her.”

“No, but—”

“I’m terribly sorry, but our policy is that we don’t give out any personal information. I’m sure you understand.” She scooted away from the desk, ready to dismiss them.

“I understand, but Mrs. Baker told my grandfather to have me come.”

“But Mrs. Baker is no longer here. Perhaps your grandfather knows Gladys’s family and can arrange it for you.”

“My grandfather died last spring. He can’t arrange anything else.”

“I’m so sorry. But I can’t go against policy.” Janet stood. “I wish I could help you.”

“Ma’am, would it be possible for you to contact Gladys’s family and see if they’d be willing to talk to us?” Lydia asked. Janet sat back down, a thoughtful look on her face.

“I could—“

The phone on Janet’s desk buzzed, and a voice came over the intercom. “Janet, Grace Whittaker in Room 219 has fallen. Chet needs you up there right away.”