Free Oceans Apart by Karen Kingsbury

his bite and shook his head. “Man, she’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”
    “Don’t you know?” Paul laughed and leaned back in his chair.
    “That’s my kid sister. I’ve got two of them. That one’s a junior at the state school an hour away.” He shot her a look over his shoulder. “They’re already out on break.”
    “Why didn’t you tell me about her?”
    “You never asked.”
    “Okay.” Connor nodded, but he was in a trance. “That’s fair enough.” He paused, studying her. “She’s home for the summer?”
    “Yes.” Paul chuckled. “You can go back to eating.”
    “Does she have a boyfriend?” Connor’s eyes were still locked on Paul’s sister. “Tell me she doesn’t have a boyfriend.”
    “You have a month left, remember?” Paul gave him a kick under the table. “You told me to remind you if you ever got like this.”
    “That was different.” He grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth.
    “Introduce me.”
    At that moment, the girl turned and found Paul. Still talking to the friends around her, she made her way to their table and gripped her brother’s shoulders from behind. But already her eyes had found Connor’s. “Hey, big brother, how’s school?” Paul looked up and grinned at her. “One month left.”
    “What about your friend?” She motioned at Connor with her chin. Her eyes held a teasing that made it clear she was intrigued.
    “Connor?”
    “Okay, yes.” She angled her face and her smile looked more shy than before. “What’s Connor’s story?”
    “I’ve got it.” Connor shot a look at Paul. Then he stood and held out his hand. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Connor Evans.” He could feel his eyes dancing, teasing her the way she’d been teasing him. “My story is the same as your brother’s. Senior at West Point, graduating officer in a month.”
    63

    – Oceans Apart –
    “I see.” She took his hand and gave it the slightest squeeze.
    “Nice to meet you, Connor. I’m Michele.” They were together the rest of the evening. Over the next four weeks, Connor drew on all his discipline and saw her only twice.
    The evening of their graduation and wing ceremony, Connor and his family joined Paul’s family at the reception.
    When the commotion died down some, Connor found Michele.
    “It’s stuffy in here.”
    She smiled. “Yeah, all those pilot egos crammed into one room.”
    “Touché.” He grinned at her. “Let’s take a walk outside. The pond’s just a few minutes away.”
    She took his hand and when they reached the pond, he turned and drew her close. “Michele, I’ve thought about you every day since we met.”
    Her eyes fell to the ground, and a blush spread across her cheeks. “I wasn’t sure.”
    “I would’ve called you every day, but I had finals and graduation and . . .” He searched her face. “Well, now I have the whole summer ahead of me.” His voice fell a notch. “Let me take you out, Michele. Please.”
    Connor realized as he stood there, brush and tree groves surrounding them, that she was the first girl he’d sought after. Every other time the girl had done the seeking. He held his breath, waiting for her answer.
    “Okay, but don’t fall in love with me.” She was grinning, teasing him the way she’d done back at the barbecue. He took a step back, his hands on her shoulders. “How come?”
    “Because I could never be with a pilot.”
    “Really?” He raised a single eyebrow. “Too much like your brother, huh?”
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    – Karen Kingsbury –
    “No.” Her smile fell away. “Because I’m scared to death to fly. I couldn’t stand to fall in love with someone who spent half his life in the skies.”
    With feather-soft care, Connor eased his hands up her neck and on either side of her face. “Well, then . . .” He wanted to kiss her with everything in him, but he held back. “We’ll have to change that, won’t we?”
    For the next two months they were rarely apart. The attraction was there