Instead of continuing to the galley, he took the seat next to her, but didn't say anything.
"How long until we land?" She continued to stare out the window.
Frederick looked at the clock over the door. "About ninety minutes."
"So we didn't sleep as long as we expected."
"I suppose we didn't." He used a button to recline his seat a bit. "Do you have a place to stay tonight? A way to get there?"
Elise shook her head. "No. I need to get a hotel. I can take a Yfir ride share to get there, but I never did make arrangements."
"You don't have an assistant to do those things for you?" Didn't all celebrities have assistants?
"I have a virtual assistant who helps with my social media and a few other things and will help with travel arrangements if I ask her to, but I generally take care of them myself." She took a sip out of the mug cradled between her hands.
"You're welcome to stay at the palace." Even as he said it, Frederick wanted to take it back. If the media found out he'd invited a woman to stay in any of the guest quarters in the palace, even as a favor to the queen of an important ally, he'd never hear the end of it.
Ironically, it would be easier if he were married.
"That's very kind of you, but I'm sure I can find a place. I have reservations starting tomorrow. I'll see if I can get my room a day early." She gave a one-shouldered shrug. "If not, there's plenty of other options."
"There's still no reason for that. It will be late by the time we land, and you'd have to find a place." Why was he trying so hard to convince her?
Elise held up her phone. "I can make arrangements from here, you know."
"Internet access is down," he countered. "You won't be able to until we land."
She swiped on her phone. "I had Wi-Fi earlier."
"Earlier it was working. I'm not sure why it's not now, but that's what I was told. I couldn't get any work done." He couldn't leave it at that. "At least part of the reason why."
"What's that mean?" Elise looked at him over the rim of her coffee cup.
Frederick leaned back in his seat. "It means there were things I could have worked on without access to the outside world, but I couldn't focus."
"I see."
He doubted she did, though she likely suspected the kiss was at least part of the reason for his inability to focus. "So you won't be able to find a hotel until we land."
"I'll be fine." She gave him a smile. "But thank you for the offer."
Frederick gave a nod then swiveled his chair to stand and walk toward the galley to get a beverage. He decided he should try again to get some work done.
This time, he sat at the table in the main portion of the fuselage. Putting his Bluetooth earbuds in, he set one of his favorite playlists to repeat. With the instrumental strains playing, he was able to focus a little bit. Not much, but more than he had been able to a few minutes earlier.
Somehow, eventually, he managed to get into a zone, typing away on a document he'd been working on off and on for months.
It would never see the light of day, not until long after he passed.
It wasn't a journal, per se, but definitely a recording of his thoughts and all sorts of other things he wouldn't want to become public while he lived - or even while his children lived. Perhaps his great-great grandchildren - or their children.
He didn't know how long his assistant had been standing next to him when he finally looked up.
"My apologies for interrupting your work, sir." His assistant, George, bowed his head toward Frederick. "The pilots asked me to inform you that there's some severe weather over the airport. We'll be circling for a while. It's possible it will last long enough we'll need to divert to Northern Santiero."
"Thank you." Frederick stood and went back to the seat next to Elise. "It will be quite some time before we land."
"I heard." Elise set her now-empty mug on the table next to her. "Hopefully, it will blow over before long, and we won't have to divert."
