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somewhere he’d like to go, he’d choose a beach, he supposed. He’d taken a woman to the Caribbean once. That had been okay. Women loved beaches.
    “They like to stay active. They’re older now, but they still hike and camp and go on trips to fun places.”
    “How did they meet? You said your mother was from New York.”
    “She went on a cruise. She always wanted to see Alaska, so when she was in college, her parents helped her scrounge up enough money. The ship docked in Anchorage and she went in my dad’s store. They stayed in touch after that. When my mother graduated, she moved here and the rest, as they say, is history.”
    He smiled, wondering if her parents’ relationship was as storybook as she made it seem.
    “We all joke that New York must have made her the active spitfire she is, or was. She was a white tornado when I was a kid. I think that’s what my dad loved about her. He worked hard, but on his time off he liked to pick up and go, usually somewhere remote.”
    “Is that what drew you into piloting?” Her dad had been a pilot. That must have influenced her.
    Junior had stopped his grunt-singing and chewed on a fry, eyeing his superhero. Apparently he’d given up trying to shock Brycen.
    “I wanted an education, and at the time, I didn’t consider bush piloting very professional. Air force had a nicer ring to it, and serving the country had a certain... I don’t know...” She lifted her face in thought. “Noble appeal.”
    “What do you like most about flying?” He never understood why anyone would want to fly a big metal tube through the air.
    “The freedom,” she said, looking upward dreamily. “Soaring through the sky. Everything looks so different from up there. You can see so much more of the land than your own little patch of it in everyday life.”
    “Freedom?” Did she mean nothing but air could stop her? No train tracks, no other cars...?
    “Yeah. The freedom to go wherever I want, to not follow any roads. To see more of the world. It’s hard to explain. Maybe what I really love is the thrill.” She laughed a little.
    “Like the air force would have been?”
    “Yeah. I dreamed of flying a fighter jet when I was in high school.” She lifted her eyes in mock wonder.
    Maybe he could see her as a fighter pilot. More likely she’d thought doing so would be cool as a teenager.
    “And then reality stepped in?” he asked.
    She breathed a short laugh. “It’s a far cry from solving crimes.” She sipped her chocolate milk. “Is that what made you decide to start a crime show? The reality? It had to be more than a good opportunity.”
    She had a quick mind. Sneaky. “Yes.” But then, it wouldn’t take much to figure that out. Detectives were human. Murder wasn’t cheerful.
    Junior had finished eating and had taken to staring at Brycen. He had his head on his palm, elbow on the table, idly twirling his superhero. Brycen didn’t look away and Junior showed no sign of backing down. He decided to have a little fun with the kid.
    “Do I have something in my teeth?” Brycen asked, baring his pearly whites. “A piece of spinach?”
    “No,” Junior said. “We didn’t have spinach.”
    “Something in my hair?” He fingered his hair. “Horns?”
    Junior laughed. “No.”
    “Oh, good. You had me worried there for a second.”
    “You’re weird.” Junior got off his chair and asked his mother, “Can I go play my game now?”
    “What about your homework?”
    His head dropped to one side in annoyed frustration. “I don’t have any.”
    “Noah Jr...?”
    “I don’t,” he whined. “I did it at school. I don’t have any, Mom.”
    “All right. Go ahead, then.” She watched him go to the floor in front of the TV. Crossing his legs, he picked up the controller and began playing.
    Then she turned to him. “You were pretty good with him just now.”
    “Asking if I had horns in my hair? What else can you do when kids stare?”
    “I didn’t expect it, that’s