North Island

Chapter 4

Brady

I watch Allie as my mother walks her out of the office filling her in on starting details. She’ll spend the rest of her week shadowing my mother doing her daily task. I focus on her ass and toned legs a little longer than I should until my father coughs into his hand. I chuckle cause I know he caught me observing. Nothing beats her in those ripped skin tight jeans, leaving little to the imagination as she swayed her hips Friday night dancing with Kylie.

“I like her.” My pops, a man of few words.

“Yeah, I met her at the pub on Friday. She was with Ky.”

“And?” He wants more details

“I didn’t take her home.” I deadpan

He smiles and leans back in his chair.

“You wanted to though. What was she like outside of a workplace? She didn’t say much.” He pokes

“She seemed polite, but shy.” I run my hand along the shelves wiping the dust.

Honestly, I read her resume and I was impressed. She’s overqualified for the job. She might be the best thing to happen to this place, the easier she makes the admin side, the easier it will be for me taking it over. My parents have always made the financial decisions together and I hope to do the same with Allie.

Truthfully a girl hasn’t caught my eye like her since Emma, my ex.

I can’t blame it on the tiny island, I take my plane to the mainland a lot. I won’t ever drag a girl from the mainland back to the island again. It didn’t workout last time for that reason. After a year of Emma and I together, she began to complain. The island was too small. There was nothing to do. Her friends were on the mainland and would rarely come visit. I was working too much.

As much as I loved her and I was going to propose that weekend, who was I to keep her from happiness. When I told her that I didn’t want to hold her back, she left the next day and I haven’t seen or heard from her since. It’s crazy what can mean so much to one person can mean such little to another.

That was 2 years ago, since then one night stands has been my only connection to women. I convinced myself being a pilot I wasn’t meant to have a wife. She would never understand.

My mother begged to differ, said I would one day find a women who understood me the way she understood my father and his love for flying. If she didn’t understand, she wasn’t the one for me.

A lot of girls swoon over the idea of a pilot until they’re tied down to the reality of it.

My mother is on me to settle down and give her grandchildren even though she has two already.

My older sister left the island when she turned 18 and married a guy she met on mainland months prior. They live in the suburbs of Chicago, in a fancy home with new vehicles. I never understood it truthfully. Issue is, my sister and her family visit for thanksgiving and Christmas, every other day of the year they’re too busy to visit, even if my parents fly down there. It breaks my moms heart and I think me giving her grandkids is her filling the void of missing my niece and nephew the other 963 days of the year.

My mother comes back into office and my pops left to go work on a plane out in the hangar. “What’d you think of her?” She busy’s herself with papers.

“I think she’ll be good for the company.” Even though that’s not all I think.

“I think she’ll be good for you.” She casually banters.

“Always playing matchmaker.”

I begin to walk out, as I reach the doorway, my mom continues.

“Brady, I just want to see you happy again like you were with Emma.” My mothers features scream sympathy. She knew I was going to propose and after we got married, I wanted to have children right away. Another thing Emma wasn’t exactly keen on.

“I’m sure one day I will. Don’t worry about me.” And I walk out with that, I don’t need my head to be a mess when I’m about to have a plane a few thousand feet in the air.