1

My desk phone was ringing as I walked in from the break room.

I transferred my M&Ms into the hand holding my soda and grabbed the phone. “What’s up, Miriam?”

Reindeer Runway was one of the first regional airports to get the FAA’s new sustainable air traffic control towers, which enabled us to handle regional commercial flights. Miriam was our head air traffic controller, and she didn’t call this line unless there was a problem.

“Hey, Gray. The pilot flying in from Chicago just contacted the tower and said his landing gear never retracted.”

Miriam was a seasoned professional and had managed a number of flight issues in her long and storied career. This was not a big deal.

“That’s the tech bro coming in, right?” I asked, checking the log as Sweetie, my mostly black Cavalier King Charles Spaniel pawed my foot. “The one renting out your cabin for the season?”

“Yep. I’m also his ride, so here’s hoping he, one, survives, and two, isn’t an asshole.”