Free A Perfect Fit by Heather Tullis Page B

reappeared, wearing a sweater and with a backpack hooked
over one shoulder. “Let’s go.”
    “Going hiking?” Vince asked while Cami grabbed her jacket.
He checked out the hemp sandals on Sage’s feet, which were definitely not
hiking appropriate.
    “No, just my camera, some extra bottled water, and something
to collect flowers in case I find a few blooms I want to press. You said we
might launch from a meadow, right?”
    “Yeah. It’s not peak time for flowers, but I’m sure you’ll
find a few that interests you.” He held the door open so the ladies could
precede him, waiting while Sage set the alarm, and double-checked the door lock
after he’d pulled it closed.
    They rounded the edge of the garage and Cami could see the
basket and a huge canvas bag sticking up above the sides of Vince’s truck bed.
Excitement shot through her. “How far away is it?”
    “Not too far, maybe ten minutes.” Vince pulled the passenger
door open for them and assisted Cami and Sage inside before circling around to
the driver’s door.
    Cami tried not to squeeze too close to Vince in the cab, but
it wasn’t built for three adults. She found herself straddling the stick shift,
hip to hip with Vince as he pulled onto the road. His cologne wafted her
direction, an intoxicating mix of spice, musk and man. “Do you usually launch
from the same place?”
    “It depends on the wind currents. I actually got permission
from a few property owners for launching, and before I came to get you, I
checked the wind patterns to see which location would work best for the area
where I want to set down. Now we’ll have to see if I actually get to land where
I want. You can’t guide a balloon to land where you want it to; it follows the
air flow around it, so you have to know wind patterns before you launch.”
    “Really? I didn’t feel much of a breeze when we got into the
truck, so is it possible we’ll go up, and right back down in the same place
again?”
    “No.” Vince chuckled as he changed gears, resting his wrist
on her knee, but keeping his hand on the gear shift. “It may seem like there’s
no real breeze here, but if you get up a little higher, the currents change and
there will be wind. And though I checked the wind patterns, the guys on the
ground will still have to follow us because I never know for sure where I’ll
end up.”
    “That’s why it’s called a chase car,” Sage piped up.
    “Right.” Vince took them around another corner and shifted
down. Once they were going at a normal speed, he moved his hand back to Cami’s
knee, setting it there lightly, heating her bare skin.
    “Gage and Jeremy talked like they usually crew for you,”
Sage said.
    “Yeah, we’re all commercial certified hot air balloon pilots
and take turns going up. We have a few local kids who like to crew with us. Two
of them are working on getting certified as well.”
    “Do you have to take formal lessons?” Cami asked, trying to
focus on his words, and not on the hand on her knee.
    Vince turned onto a dirt road. “Not like when you want to
pilot a plane. There’s a written test, then you have to work with a licensed
instructor, and log a certain number of hours and stuff. It depends on what
level of certificate you want. Kids can get a commercial certificate when they’re
only eighteen.” 
    “How incredible. So how old do you have to be to become an
instructor?” Eighteen seemed insanely young to Cami, but if they could drive a
car at sixteen, why not, she decided. People were far less likely to crash in
mid-air than on the twisty mountain roads.
    ~*~
    It was getting light already and Cami spotted Joel standing between
a red SUV and his Jeep in a meadow.
    There wasn’t much time for questions as Vince greeted everyone
and made introductions. The guys pulled the equipment out of the truck bed, and
Sage said she was going to scout out some flowers.
    “Don’t you want to watch the balloon get set up?” Cami
asked.
    “I’ve done