Playboy Pilot (39 page)

“There’s no way I’m throwing out these pictures of him and his son. I’ll keep them with me for as long as I live. It’s the least I could do for him.”

Gordon had no family that we knew of, so if Carter hadn’t kept this stuff, all of the keepsakes would have likely been destroyed.

As I was cleaning out the bedroom closet, I laughed when I spotted the pair of pants that Carter had borrowed the night of our missing clothing mishap by the lake.

“Remember these, Captain?”

“How could I forget? That reminds me, did you happen to notice that old man George showed up at the funeral in one of my uniforms? I just can’t figure out how he gets into my place and steals my shit. Turns out, he’s been swindling all these ladies, telling them he used to
be
an airline pilot. He gets them tailored to fit and everything. He’s lucky I don’t blow his cover.”

“Let him have his fun. He’s an innocent old hornball.”

Just then a knock on the door interrupted our laughter.

When I opened it, a man in a gray suit was standing there, holding a folder.

“Can I help you?”

“Yes, I’m looking for Carter Clynes.”

Carter put down the box he’d been sifting through. “That’s me. How can I help you?”

“Gary Steinberg. I’m Gordon Reitman’s attorney.”

“Attorney? He had an attorney? He didn’t even have a cell phone.”

“Yes. I’ve been with Gordy for years.”

“How can I help you?”

“He instructed me to give you this note upon his passing. Perhaps, you should read it first, and then we can go over his will.”

“Will?”

“Yes. Mr. Reitman had a significant amount of money. He left you as the sole beneficiary.”

“No, you don’t understand. He had lost his mind some years back. He thought I was his son. He meant to leave everything to Brucey. I can’t in good faith take anything from him, knowing he intended for it to go to his son.”

“You
are
Carter Clynes?”

“Yes.”

“He specifically named you, not Bruce Reitman.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Maybe the letter will explain.”

The lawyer gave him the small white envelope. Carter opened it and carefully unfolded the paper inside. After he read it, he looked stunned. Then, he handed it to me.

I know.

Thank you for letting me pretend it was true.

I could never repay you, but I’m going to try.

Sincerely,

Gordon C. Reitman, III

Wow.

Just wow.

Carter shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t get it. All this time he knew I
wasn’t
his son?”

The attorney nodded. “Apparently so.”

Kneeling down to where Carter was sitting, I placed my hand on his shoulder. “Oh my God.”

The attorney continued, “As I mentioned, Mr. Reitman accumulated a considerable amount of assets over his lifetime. With no immediate family, he has named you the sole heir to his estate, which is valued at over twenty million dollars.”

I felt like I was going to collapse.

What did he just say?

Carter’s eyes bugged out. “Excuse me?”

“Gordon had invested considerably in real estate when he was younger and sold off his properties gradually over the past fifteen years. He had quite a bit of money put away as a result. Nevertheless, he chose to live modestly.”

Carter’s jaw dropped. “Wha…when did he put my name on there?”

“About a year ago, he came to me and changed the beneficiary. He’d previously left everything to a nephew by default. I specifically remember him pointing out that, in his words, the ‘no good son-of-a-bitch’ never paid him any visits. He knew that you were completely unaware of his wealth. Because he was sure you were helping him out of the goodness of your heart, he wanted to do this for you.”

“What does this mean?”

“It means that twenty million dollars will be put into your name very soon. We’ll set up another meeting at my office to make sure that all of the funds from the various accounts are transferred over properly.”

I just stood there speechless.

Carter looked at me then over at the attorney. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t feel like I deserve this.”

“Well, whether you deserve it or not is irrelevant, Mr. Clynes. The money is yours.”

IT TOOK A FEW MONTHS
before it really sunk in.

Carter ended up donating some of the money to charity and setting up a scholarship in Bruce Reitman’s name. There was certainly a lot left over, enough to keep us set for life. We didn’t feel guilty about keeping the rest of the money, since it was what Gordon intended.

The irony wasn’t lost on us, that once we’d stopped thinking about money and stopped letting it impact our lives, we ended up running into more than we knew what to do with.

Carter continued to work as a pilot for now while I moved into his Florida condo permanently. He said he’d know when the time was right to quit. It was a good feeling for him to not
have
to work, though, but to only fly because he enjoyed it. It wasn’t until he was given the choice to quit that Carter realized he did truly love being a pilot. There would come a time when kids entered the picture, when he would likely cut down or quit. We would deal with that when it came.

As for me, I was giving the old ladies here at Silver Shores a run for their money. I’d notified Carter’s Angels (as I’d dubbed them) that they could scale back on the meals for my man. It actually gave me immense pleasure to learn to cook the things he loved.

Florida was my home now. Even Matilda the cat had given up her determination to scare me away once she realized I was there to stay.

Feeling eternally grateful for the comfortable life Carter had afforded me, I’d also discovered a way to give back. My grandmother used to always say if you want to change the world or make a difference, you don’t have to travel very far. Just look in your own backyard for the people who need you.

Carter was the best example of that. One day, I’d been thinking back to what he used to do for Gordon, and it hit me that there were many basic things that elderly people could no longer do for themselves. Things we take for granted, like the ability to bend over and cut one’s toenails, were impossible tasks for them.

After taking a short cosmetology course, I began offering my services around the Silver Shores community for free. Travelling a few hours a day from condo to condo, I would schedule appointments to give some of the women pedicures and manicures. I would give them my time, and in return, they told me stories and dished out great advice. Some of the women became like mother figures to me. Estranged from my own mother, I appreciated that more than they knew.

The best days, of course, were those that brought Carter home to me. It wasn’t uncommon for me to greet him stark naked in our kitchen, holding a freshly made Caipirinha when he’d return from a long trip.

One particular day, though, he’d asked me to meet him at the airport instead. He instructed me to pack a suitcase along with my passport. We’d be meeting at the very lounge where we first met.

When I arrived, Carter was sitting at the same table where we’d sat that first day. He was also wearing the very same brown leather jacket with his wings pinned on it. It gave me a serious feeling of déjà vu. Laid out on the table were mozzarella cheese sticks, wings and egg rolls—the same appetizers he’d ordered back then.

He gestured for me to sit. “Do you know what today is, Perky?”

I wracked my brain. “I don’t.”

“You don’t?”

“No.”

“Two years ago today, Kendall.”

“It’s the two year anniversary of the day we met? How did I not know that?”

“Well, I’ll never forget it. July twenty-eighth.”

“So much can happen in two years, huh?”

“Yes. But some things stay the same. I’m still a man hopelessly smitten with a beautiful, braless blonde.”

“So, tell me, where are we going?”

“In keeping with tradition, that’s up to
you
to decide.” Pulling up the flight schedules on his phone, he said, “The world is at your fingertips, baby.”

“Are you serious? You’re gonna let me choose?”

“Yes. We’ll go wherever you want. But choose wisely. This is gonna be an important trip you’ll remember for the rest of your life.”

My body filled with adrenaline.

Oh my God.

He was going to propose to me there?

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Trust me.”

“I don’t know, Captain. The last time I did that, I ended up getting pissed on by a monkey, got arrested in Dubai, and turned myself into an Amsterdam whore.”

He closed his eyes. “That night in the Red Light District was so fucking hot. That was the first time you really shocked me.” Shaking it off, he said, “Okay, where to?”

Scrolling down the lineup of flight options, I said, “How about Australia?”

He smirked. “That reminds me of a girl I met once. Her name was Sydney. Sydney Opera House. She had amazing, supple tits.”

I smacked him playfully. “So, Sydney then?”

He took the phone. “Yes. Qantas Flight 853, leaving in two hours. Let’s do it.”

I SHOULD’VE KNOWN
that nothing with Captain Carter Clynes was predictable.

We’d settled into our first-class seats as the aircraft cruised. It was nighttime, and the plane was dark. I’d dozed off and had woken up to the sight of Carter watching me.

“Were you watching me sleep?”

“I was.”

“And what were you thinking?”

“I was thinking about how easy it was to slip that ring on your finger while you were out.”

My heart seemed to jump. I straightened up in my seat and when I looked down, a massive cushion-cut rock sat wrapped around my ring finger.

Covering my mouth with my other hand, I said, “Oh my God.”

“Kendall Sparks, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife during our trip to Australia?” He’d whispered it, wanting to keep this a private moment between the two of us.

“Yes. Yes!” I shook my head over and over. “This wasn’t what I expected.”

“I know.” He lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed it. “Do you like the ring?”

“It’s phenomenal.”

“It’s Carter with an ‘I’ in the middle.” He winked.

It took me a few.

Oh!

Cartier.

We embraced each other for several minutes.

“I love you so much, Carter.”

“I love you, too, Mrs. Clynes.” He grinned. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Yes. Anything.”

“Will you still love me when I’m sixty-four?”

“That’s an odd age. Why did you pick that?”

He winked. “Beatles song, babe.
When I’m Sixty-Four.”