She took a sip of her coffee. It was better than she expected. I'm trying to convince someone to come work for me. Betty raised an eyebrow. Let me guess.
Jake Miller. Victoria looked up, surprised. Betty laughed. Small town, she said. Word gets around.
Jake's a good man. He's had a rough time, but he's doing his best. What happened to his wife? Victoria asked. She knew it was intrusive, but she needed to understand.
Betty's smile faded. Car accident. Five years ago. She was driving back from Denver in the snow, and a semi crossed the median. Killed her instantly.
Jake was deployed when it happened. He came home for the funeral and never went back. Emma was only 6 years old. She doesn't remember much about her mom now. Victoria felt something twist in her chest.
She thought about Jake's face that morning, the way he'd shut down when she'd accused him of hiding. Maybe he wasn't hiding. Maybe he was just surviving. He's a good father, Betty said. She refilled Victoria's cup without asking.
Emma's a sweet kid. Smart, too. Jake's done right by her, even if it means giving up everything else. Victoria finished her coffee and left a 20 on the counter. She drove back to the airfield, but Jake was gone.
His truck wasn't in the parking lot, and the hangar was locked. She sat in her rental car for a while staring at the empty tarmac, then drove back to the hotel. The next day, Victoria went to the airfield again. This time she brought a folder with schematics for the turbine project her team had been struggling with. She found Jake in the hanger working on the same Cessna.
He didn't look up when she walked in. "I'm sorry." Victoria said. Jake stopped working, but he didn't turn around. Victoria set the folder on his toolbox.
"I was out of line yesterday. I don't know what you've been through, and I had no right to judge your choices." Jake finally looked at her. His face was tired, but the anger was gone. "Why are you still here?"
he said. "Because I need your help." Victoria said. She gestured to the folder. "And because I think you need this, too.