Rafael Patino has a great life in Rain Valley. He’s a teacher at the high school, has a great group of friends, and enjoys the occasional baseball game. Other than the sporadic call from his drunken mother, he’s pretty content. He’s also been in love with his best friend Dustin for nearly a decade. Years of keeping those feelings under control are put to the test when they begin a summer project together. Dustin Vance builds furniture for a living, has just earned his pilot’s license, and has an amazing best friend. When he buys a 1976 Cessna Skyhawk, he asks Rafael to help restore it, then travel with him to Wisconsin for the largest aviation convention in the world. As they spend their days working on the plane, they begin to spend their nights together. Will they find love in the clouds, or will they stall out before they even take off?

Love in the Clouds

Mac and Daisy surprised them, stopping by Dustin’s plane as they loaded their luggage into the baggage section. They needed to stow a few things behind the front seats, too, so they secured everything to the floor, then used the seat belt to keep the cooler in place.


In the last couple of weeks, Daisy had changed so much. Her hair had been cut and styled, she’d put on a little more weight, and her shoulders weren’t hunched over. She looked…confident. Happy. Like an entirely new kid.


“Hey, Daisy!” Raf grinned. “What are you guys doing here so early?”


“We wanted to say ‘goodbye’ and wish you good luck. And guess what? I just found out I’m going to be in your class again this year!”


“That’s great,” he said before Daisy went to circle the plane.


“Oh, yeah, Dustin said. “This has been a dream of mine for years.”


Chapter 58