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her current cup of wine, and frowned. She hated the way Scott always made her feel like she was doing something wrong. She was a grown woman, for crying out loud. If she wanted to go have some fun with friends now and then, she should be able to do so without worrying about being interrogated when she got home.
    “What’s wrong?” Chance asked, breaking into Emily’s thoughts.
    “Huh? Nothing, why?” she asked. Was this guy a mind reader or something?
    “You’re frowning like you just saw a puppy get killed,” Chance said, raising an eyebrow in her direction.
    “Oh, yeah. I was just thinking,” Emily said, trying to force a smile onto her face. She didn’t want to ruin the magic of this night by talking about Scott. Thankfully, Chance didn’t push her.
    “Tell you what,” he said. “Let’s each grab a slice of that strawberry shortcake. It would be a shame to let it go to waste. Then I’ll show you my favorite spot out here.”
    Emily didn’t protest as Chance loaded up two small paper plates with generous servings of the shortcake. She had been curious to try it, and she wasn’t going to pass on the chance to extend this magical night for just a little bit longer. Emily carefully balanced her plate as she followed Chance. He walked toward the runway and her eyes widened as she watched him lie down in the grass on his back, with his knees bent and his feet flat on the hard cement of the runway.
    “Is that safe?” she asked.
    Chance laughed. “Yes. No one flies in and out of here except me. Besides, even if a plane landed right now it’s not going to run over your feet when they’re just barely touching the runway. Come on. Try it.”
    Emily shrugged. “Okay, if you say so,” she said. She set down her plate and lay down on the grass next to Chance, putting her feet on the runway, too. When she looked up and saw the stars, she gasped.
    “Beautiful sight, isn’t it?” Chance asked.
    “It’s gorgeous. I can’t believe how bright they are. Even fifteen minutes away in Red Valley they don’t look like this.”
    “Yeah. I think it’s because there are literally no lights right here when the runway lights are off,” Chance said. “Not even a porch light or something to distract you. We pretty much turn off all the lights in the bunkhouse once people are in bed.”
    “Do all of you live in there?”
    “In the bunkhouse? Yeah. It’s big inside, though. Everyone has their own space and privacy. It’s nice. You’re close to your friends but can get away when you need to. Still, this spot right here is my favorite place to be when I want to think. I like looking up at the sky while having my feet planted on the runway. It sort of reminds me of the importance of staying grounded, even when I’m flying high.”
    “Sounds like something a pilot would say,” Emily observed.
    Chance laughed. “I guess so.”
    Emily sat up and started digging into her shortcake. Charlotte had been right. It was easily the best strawberry shortcake she had ever tried. Chance followed her lead and sat up as well, spooning bites of his shortcake into his mouth. Emily glanced over at him, feeling shy but strangely happy just to be sitting here with him. “How long have you been a pilot?” she asked.
    “I’ve been flying since I was sixteen. Back home in Alaska I flew a lot more than here, too. I’ve logged over ten thousand hours in my lifetime. You could say it’s a slight passion of mine,” Chance said with a wry smile.
    Emily smiled back. “Alaska, huh? Why’d you move here? Wanted to get away from the cold?”
    Chance chuckled, but when he spoke his voice sounded sad. “Naw, there was a lot going on back home. I wanted space. I feel like it might be time to go back soon, though. I miss my friends there. My buddies Sawyer and Anderson were like brothers to me. It’s gonna be hard to leave the smokejumpers, though. They’ve kind of become like family, too.”
    Emily didn’t reply. She was surprised by