Kyle Jacobs is the starring male role in Nickels, a sweet Christian romance novel by Karen Baney. Matt Dixon is a minor character in the novel. Although this scene does not appear in the book, it’s how I imagine Kyle and Matt’s friendship started.
“Hey, Matt.”
“Hi, Kyle. Nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Kyle sat down at the small table at Starbucks with his grande black coffee. “I hope you don’t think it’s weird that my sister suggested we meet.”
“Marcy? Naw. It’s sweet that she wants you to make friends.”
Kyle smiled. “I think it’s more that she likes to meddle in everyone else’s lives.”
Matt laughed. “So… Marcy tells me you recently left the Air Force. What did you do while you were in?”
Kyle shifted in his chair, the smile fading from his lips. Looking off towards the entrance of the coffee shop, he said, “I was a helicopter pilot. Part of a Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) unit. Spent a lot of time the last few years flying into dangerous situations in Iraq, mostly. Rescuing downed pilots. Emergency extractions of officials when things got bad. That sort of thing.”
“Do you miss it?”
Kyle hesitated. “Yes and no. It’s not nearly as glamorous as it sounds. But, I do miss flying.”
“Yeah. Marcy said you might not be able to fly again.”
“There’s not a chance of that happening. Not with a medical discharge.”
Matt nodded. “Found a job yet?”
“Yeah. My dad put in a good word for me with a DOD contractor. They make aviation controls for helicopters. I’m not exactly sure if they had an opening or if Dad convinced them they should hire me anyway. Either way, my military experience seemed pretty important to them. I start on Monday.”
“Cool. Do you think it’s going to be tough switching from a military career to a civilian one?”
Kyle rubbed his chin with one hand. “Maybe. I’m just glad to be going back to work. It’s been months since the accident. Haven’t contributed much to society for awhile.”
Matt nodded and took a sip of his iced mocha. “So, why Arizona? Ever lived here before?”
“Marcy’s here. Mom and Dad live out near Luke Air Force Base. Dad’s a flight instructor there. Probably won’t see too much of them, though, since it’s all the way across town.”
“You and Marcy pretty close?”
Kyle laughed. “We were quite a team growing up. Caused all sorts of trouble for Mom when we put our minds together. I kinda lost touch with her for a few years while I was in the Air Force, but I’m glad that I live right up the street now. Besides, she’s rooming with Niki Turner.”
Matt quirked an eyebrow. “Oh?”
Heat rushed to Kyle’s cheeks. He hadn’t meant to mention Niki, though he thought of her constantly since moving to town. “No reason.”
