CHAPTER 2
Saunteringtoward the security checkpoint with his backpack slung over one shoulder, Ethan Shapiro reminded himself not to look back. He hoped she was watching him and trying to figure out his nickname for her. Did she remember him from the coffee shop or the dozens of other places where she had spotted him? Maybe it was her sweet voice or her genuine kindness to others that had tripped him up, or perhaps there was something undeniably unique about her that enabled her to see him when no one else could. After months of blending into the background, he could finally come out of hiding, and he was going to need every second he could get to convince her to take a chance on him.
“Pre-check is to your left,” the TSA employee stated,seeing Ethan’s boarding pass. The pre-check was almost to the entry point, while the regular security line wound through the designated maze of stanchions and past the ticketing counters. He weighed his options, but knowing she wasn’t ‘pre-check’, his choice was obvious. He trudged to what seemed like the end of the line, although it was hard to tell where it was when they all seemed to blend.
Saying computers were his thing had been a bit of an understatement. Having graduated at the top of his class in cybersecurity, Iron Dragon Defense Systems had recruited him as soon as he graduated. With access to cutting-edge technology, the information they could acquire on anyone seemed limitless. So, when they were hired three months ago to investigate a scheme involving the marketing agency where Brielle worked, it had seemed like an easy task.
Without any research, she was clearly related to the well-known philanthropic St. James family of Washington, DC. With her big emerald eyes, flawless mahogany skin, and high cheekbones, she resembled a younger version of the matriarch, Gladys St. James..
Finding little information on Brielle beyond the basics, his boss ordered a deep dive to uncover her secrets. Ethan had been assigned to surveil her while others combed through every step she had made online, including her emails, texts, social media, and search histories. At first, he had dutifully observed her movements, remaining unseen. It wasn’t difficult to ensure he was always where she was, considering her precise schedule. He hadn’t realized, until they had eliminated her from their inquiries, that she had quickly become an integral part of his day. Without her presence first thing in the morning, he felt untethered, like he had left something important behind. He gravitated to her favorite spots and told himself that they still needed intel on her boss, but found her musical laugh and sassy wit grounded him in a way nothing else ever had.
He watched her join the fray farther down the concourse while he inched toward the destination with the flow of the crowd. He needed to rethink his plan if he was going to get any time with her. It wasn’t an accident that he was at the airport at the same time as her. But he hoped it was providence that had brought them to the same destination.
“Hey, are you in line?” asked the family behind him when he stopped at the labyrinth of ropes that would prevent him from ‘accidentally’ running into her again.
“Go ahead. I’m waiting for someone.” He waved the group to pass and as many others as he could until security started eyeing him suspiciously. Beyond the stanchions, he tied his shoe and searched his phone often for an excuse to let passengers get ahead of him.
“Are you following me?” he asked, leaning toward Brielle when she finally reached the zig next to his zag of the cordoned path. Laughing at the irony of his joke, he reveled in the freedom to interact with her, and his pulse sped up as her sweet vanilla scent enveloped him.
“Excuse me?” She whirled around, her face almost touching his. Her lips quirked in recognition, and he was relieved that it wasn’t accompanied by apprehension.
The queue swept her away from him. He stood with his position fixed, people and suitcases running through him as they tried to squeeze past.
“You don’t recognize me?” he resumed as she took the spot next to him. The giggle she hid behind her hand made him suspect she had seen his antics in the effort to wait for her. They moved in unison with the crowd, inching closer to the checkpoint.
“I can’t quite place you, though you look familiar.” Her nose scrunched in thought, but he saw a flash of mischief in her eyes, and her glossy, red lips couldn’t contain her smirk.
“Imagine me in a dapper, navy blue suit and a crisp white button-down.” He lifted her travel case onto the table, while she placed her electronics and bags in a bin in preparation for the conveyor belt for TSA.
“No tie? That’s a little rebellious for a suit.” She winked at him, turning around in the full-body scanner. Her sassy witand radiant smile felt like a reward for enduring the throng of travelers to be near her.
“If that makes me more appealing to you, I'll take it, though I usually call it comfortable. The point is for you to remember me as the sexy gentleman who rescued your Dirty London Fog.” The security employees laughed at their banter as they moved through the process.
“I might recall a double Americano stopping a vanilla latte from running off with my liquid elixir.” She slipped on her boots and put her laptop away before leaving the security area.
“I like the specifics. You’re just missing the part about how irresistible I was and your undying gratitude.” He grabbed his backpack and trotted toward her, shuffling his feet in his shoes.
“I’m not missing anything but my flight if I don’t hurry.”
“There’s a coffee shop over there with your name on it.” He suggested, clutching his bag tighter.
“I’ll have to take a rain check on that, Americano. I’ll see you next year at the coffee shop.” She waved over her shoulder, rushing down the concourse toward her gate.
CHAPTER 3
“Made it with time to spare,”Brielle sighed with a small fist pump. She was relieved she didn’t have to listen to the attendants count down the closing of the doors as she attempted to leap over suitcases to get there. The fact that the board said the flight was delayed didn’t detract from her satisfaction in conquering the holiday bedlam.
Finding one of the only free seats in the waiting area, she tried to ignore the incessant buzz of voices, combined with the incoherent overhead announcements. It seemed to reverberate off the darkened wall of windows and high ceilings, making the overcrowded space feel more chaotic.
The rich aroma of coffee wafted around her, making her wish she had made a quick stop. However, a mini-date with her mystery man would have been irresistible. Not hers. Of course not. She had a career to get back on track. There was no room for delicious distractions like him.
“Even if he’s come to your rescue again?” The smooth baritone that was becoming familiar sent a warm tingling through her. She forgot to wonder what else she had said out loud when atall paper cup appeared in front of her as if it was floating on a cloud.
“We have to stop meeting like this, Americano.” She wrapped her hands around the beverage and breathed in the soothing citrusy vanilla scent of her favorite drink before turning to find him in the seat behind hers. After months of him lingering on the periphery of her life, she wondered why he had chosen now to come forward.
“It’s just coffee. You don’t need to look so concerned.” He was so close, his minty breath caressed her cheek, so only she could hear how well he saw through her.
“Thank you for this. I really needed the pick-me-up. How did you know where to find me?” Happier to see him again than she expected, she chose to believe it was just from the habit of seeing him around so often.
