David took her hand. “Come on. We need to go.” He lifted her suitcase, grunting a little at the weight.
“I’ll see you Sunday, Mama.”
Carmen was reading the note from David, eyes wide. She looked up and smiled. “Have fun,niñita.”
Zita was desperate to find out where they were going, but David was already tugging her toward the car.
He put her case in the trunk and they got in. “Your dad’s not upset about you taking half a day off work?”
“I’ve got time owing.”
They drove around the city until they came to an airfield. When David turned in, Zita glanced at him. “We’re not flying somewhere.” They couldn’t possibly. It would be far too expensive.
“Aren’t we?” There was a smirk on his lips.
“David. You can’t be serious. I can’t afford to fly somewhere for the weekend.” Dismay filled her. They hadn’t discussed costs, but she’d already decided she would pay her share.
“I can.”
“Don’t be silly. I can’t let you pay for me.”
“Of course you can. It’s my pleasure to take you away.” He pulled into a hangar and parked. Inside was a plane, with Dionysus Oil and Gas written on the side.
“You’re using the company plane?” She was sure there’d be some rules in place about this. She didn’t want David getting into trouble. “Won’t your dad flip out?”
“Executives get the use of the jet once a year, as long as it’s not needed by the company.”
Some of her concern subsided as she got out of the car and looked up at the sleek, white plane. A little shiver of excitement went through her. They could be going anywhere.
At the foot of the stairs to the jet, a flight attendant came to greet them. “Mr. Randall, nice to see you again.”
“Hi Lewis. This is Zita Flanagan.”
“Ms. Flanagan, a pleasure.”
When they climbed the stairs, a woman appeared in the doorway. “We’re ready to leave when you are, Mr. Randall.”
“Great. Zita, this is Captain Johnson. She’s our pilot for the flight.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Zita followed the pilot inside the plane. She’d told herself she wasn’t going to stare, but she couldn’t help it. There were a dozen plush leather seats, each with a table to work on, and the carpet under her feet was soft. It screamed luxury and comfort.
“Where would you like to sit?” David asked her.
She shook her head, still not quite believing it. “Anywhere.”
He pointed to two seats in the middle. “How about here? Would you like the window seat?”
“Yes, please.” She sunk into the leather and buckled the seatbelt. Lewis was securing the door and Captain Johnson had gone into the cockpit to prepare for takeoff. “David, this is unbelievable. I thought we were going to some cabin for the weekend.”
He ran his hand down her arm. “I wanted to spoil you.”
Zita’s heart swelled. No one had ever wanted to spoil her before. Was it any wonder she’d fallen in love with him? “So are you going to tell me where we’re going now?”
“Nope.”
It didn’t matter. Wherever it was, it was going to be somewhere she’d never been before.
