On A Night Like This (Callaways #1)

kitchen. Fortunately, no one seemed to be looking outside. He didn't want to answer questions, didn't want to have to explain what he was doing or where he was going, because he had no answers. Like Sara, he just needed some time to think, and it was obvious his time at home had run out. His father and grandfather were determined to have some sort of discussion, a conversation he was not in the mood to have.
    Sara was waiting at the truck when he got there. She didn't say anything to him, just handed him her suitcase and then got into the passenger seat. There was a determined expression in her dark brown eyes now, a decided improvement over the pain and grief he'd witnessed earlier. She was getting herself together. Hopefully, putting some distance between her and those photographs would help.
    As he started the engine, he saw Emma come out of the house. Sara saw her, too.
    "Just drive," Sara ordered. "Now."
    He pulled away from the curb. In his rearview mirror he could see Emma standing on the sidewalk with a thoughtful expression on her face.
    "I should have talked to Emma," Sara said a minute later, guilt in her voice. "That was rude."
    "You'll talk to her when you're ready. She'll be fine."
    "I can't imagine when I'll be ready."
    As he turned the corner, Sara rolled down her window, letting the cool air dry the lingering tears on her face. It was a beautiful, sunny day, warm for early November, the temperature in the high seventies, the sky pure blue, not a cloud to be seen.
    It was a good day to be going somewhere – he just wasn't sure where.
    He weaved through the city streets without much thought, and when he found himself heading over the Bay Bridge toward Berkeley, he kept on going. She wanted miles between her and her father, and he was happy to gain some distance from his family.
    Coming off the bridge, he continued north, heading toward the Napa wine country. As they left some of the bigger cities behind, the scenery grew more rural. Driving through the Napa Valley, they passed lush vine-covered fields, and historic stone buildings that housed wine cellars and offered tastings on Sunday afternoons. He could feel Sara's tension ease and she finally broke the quiet of the last hour.
    "Look, hot air balloons." She pointed to a half dozen bright, colorful balloons soaring over the valley. "I wonder if it's peaceful or scary. I'm sure it wouldn't scare you to be that high."
    "Actually, I'd feel more comfortable with a parachute strapped to my back."
    She glanced at him, her gaze curious. "What's it like, Aiden? Jumping out of an airplane?"
    He thought for a minute, searching for the right words. "It's monumental, exhilarating, mind-blowing. I don't even know if I can explain it. Right after you jump, you go into free fall, your body hurtling towards the earth at an incredible speed. It's amazing. Then the chute opens, and your life is saved. That moment is followed by an incredible quiet, a sense of wonder and amazement. It doesn't last long enough. Soon, you're trying to use the wind to land on the ground and not in a tree."
    "You love it," she said with a small smile.
    He smiled back at her. "The jumping never gets old. The rest of it – let's just say landing is not always that smooth and clean."
    "Have you ever landed in a tree?"
    "More times than I'd like to admit. I've also dumped myself into a lake, some really sharp rocks and even a patch of poison oak."
    "But none of that stops you from doing your job once you're on the ground," she said.
    "Sometimes it slows me down, but unless I've broken something, I don't stop. I'm there for a purpose." He felt a rush of pride at the admiration in her eyes. He'd seen so much condemnation and criticism in recent weeks that he'd forgotten what it was like to be someone who was good at his job.
    "You were always a daredevil. I remember when you and your brothers set up your own version of a skateboard park in front of the house. It started with a ramp going down the driveway, over a pile of boards and around some garbage cans. It was wild. I sat on the porch thinking any minute one of you was going to kill yourself. I even had the phone handy in case I had to call 9-1-1."
    He grinned, remembering how much fun they'd had that day. "That was a great course. Unfortunately, it only lasted until my father came home."
    "Actually, I think it ended when Sean broke his wrist," she said dryly.
    "I forgot about that. Collateral damage," he said lightly.
    "I don't think your