Page 88 of Fireworks

Harry stood grinning, his back leaning against the office door as I helped Katie from the plane.

“I take it you’re Katie?”

Katie’s head turned to see who was talking to her before looking back at me.

“Yes, I am.”

She spoke with confidence, but I could tell she was curious about how he knew her name.

“It’s nice to finally meet you in person. Honestly, I thought Nate here had made you up. For a while there, he just called you the perfect girl.”

She turned to me smirking. When I had talked about her candidly to Harry as we worked around the hanger, I hadn’t ever thought about the ramifications of him ever meeting anyone I was close with.

“It’s nice to meet you, too. I’m sure most of what Nate told you were probably lies or exaggerations.”

She laughed, walking closer to Harry, leaving me behind. Harry let out a laugh.

“I’m not so sure. He mentioned how breathtaking your beauty was, which I can see he wasn’t lying about.”

Katie’s face blushed instantly, as it always did when she was getting a compliment.

“He rarely shuts up about you when he’s here, so I feel like I’ve known you for years.”

Grabbing Katie around the waist, I quickly interjected.

“You know what Harry, it was great seeing you again, but we need to get going. Have to go pick up her brother from the airport. You know how it is. Probably a ton of traffic, so we need to go.”

Spinning Katie in the opposite direction she was walking, she immediately scoffed that I was cutting her conversation short.

“We have a few minutes. I'm sure Harry would love to tell me all about the things you two talk about.”

An evil smile emerged on her face as she attempted to turn herself around. Picking her up and walking a few steps, I placed her back down on the path I wanted her to take.

“Nope. Not happening. Goodbye Harry, I will be back later.”

My hand stayed planted on the small of her back as I pushed her back out to my truck. Twisting in my grip, she yelled back towards where Harry was now belly laughing.

“Bye Harry, I’ll be back to hear all your stories. Don’t worry!”

*****

Katie

“Seriously Asher? I was sitting in the front the whole time. You get in the back.”

He ignored me as he jumped into the passenger seat, not caring that I wanted to sit there.

“I just had to sit through a flight with a guy next to me that wanted to tell me the entire life story of his three cats. I’m sorry but I earned this seat. Plus, I’m not shoving myself in the back. You want to sit up here; you'll have to sit on Nate’s lap.”

Nate nearly choked as he swallowed, laughing at Asher’s suggestion.

“For the sake of my safety, Katie in the back you go. I’m not driving with you on my lap.”

Slamming the door behind me I didn’t bother mumbling like I usually would have.

“I really hate when you two are together, you know that?”

Asher shrugged before reaching over to turn the radio up.