The Four Corners of the Sky_ A Novel - Michael Malone [23]
Annie touched his face. “You want everybody to fall in love.”
“I tried it myself a couple of times. I enjoyed it.” Clark stepped back as wind blew the rain in on them. “It’s let loose. Told you.” He stretched his hand out into the downpour as if to test it. “My grandma used to say they would get rain so big one drop could drown a cat. So when I was little, whenever it rained, I hid our cat in a dresser drawer—”
Annie had heard this story before. “—and your cat had her first litter right on top of your blue crewneck. That’s why you went into pediatrics.”
“It’s sure why I never wore that blue crewneck again. So, go on in and happy birthday.” Gesturing at her Navy uniform, Clark held up the forefinger that meant a pun was coming. “You hear about the red ship that collided with the blue ship and all the sailors were marooned?”
“Top ten worst,” she said. She ranked most of his puns in the “top ten worst.”
He pushed on his glasses, bent to examine the service ribbons on her white jacket. “So, is that for sure, you’re getting divorced next week?”
She shrugged. “The lawyer swears.”
Clark nodded. “Good.”
She nodded back. “Yep.” They’d been able to talk to each other with nods since the day they’d met long ago in the Pilgrim’s Rest barn.
“About love?” he added. “Next time, go for the package. Looks, brains, job. Don’t settle.” He hugged her. “Or on the other hand, settle and be happy.”
“Got it, Clark.” She smiled at him, his favorite smile.
“You’re not planning on taking Brad back, are you? Don’t even think that.”
She raised her eyebrow at her uncle. “Aren’t you always telling me I move too fast?”
“That’s sure what I told you when you married Brad.”
Annie changed the subject. “Want to hear some good news? I can’t wait to tell D. K. He’ll love this.” She said she had been chosen to test pilot a new short-takeoff vertical-landing carrier jet they were testing for Navy purchase. An F-35. The Lightning II.
“Lightning II, that’s great. Sounds easygoing.”
“I think I can get it over 1200 miles per hour. That’ll be a speed record. So it’s July 14, five in the morning. Another pilot will do the same test.”
“How do you feel about this?”
“Don’t mind competing. Don’t like losing. There’re a couple of guys faster than I am. At flight school, Brad could always kick it over that extra point-whatever. But who knows, this could be my time.”
Clark patted her cheek softly. “I’m mystified as to why anybody would want to set a speed record at five in the morning; five in the evening either.” He rubbed her back. “But, hey, you like that dark blue world.”
“I do.” She looked at the roiling clouds. “I do like it up there.”
Aunt Sam stepped out to join them on the porch. She stared at her niece. “That was the phone. What’s wrong with you? Were you crying?”
“A little while ago. But I’m fine.” Annie looked carefully at her aunt; the vertical lines between Sam’s eyebrows were frowning more than usual. “What’s wrong with you?”
Sam squeezed Clark’s hands. “What’s the matter with Annie, Clark?”
“Nothing. Her divorce isn’t final yet.”
Sam reached out to her niece. “A FedEx just came for you, from Jack.”
Annie stepped away. “From Dad? I just got a weird phone call from Miami about Dad.”
Sam pointed back inside at the hallway. “This FedEx came just a little while ago with some balloons. Was the phone call from Miami a man named Rafael Rook?”
Annie shook her head. “Rafael Rook? No, it was from the Miami police. A Sgt. Daniel Hart. He’s looking for Dad. For ‘fraud.’”
Clark said he wasn’t surprised. “The police were always looking for Jack for fraud. But balloons? That’s a first.”
“Happy Birthday to me,” Annie said flatly. “I’m twenty-six. I haven’t heard a word in a decade. Now it’s a FedEx card and balloons. Sweet.”
“So, who’s Rafael Rook?” Clark asked Sam.
“A good friend of Jack’s. He wanted to talk