“I came prepared with a dress for tonight, shoes and that whole thing, but I also brought street clothes in case we do anything else, and clothes for tomorrow and snacks.”
I wince and bite my lower lip. I’m not sure I can handle another one of her dresses. It’s hard to think about anything else when she’s dressed up. One thing I never counted on when I agreed to this whole thing was how hard it would be to not feel a magnetic attraction to my fake date. I lower my gaze to the ground and focus on my walking as it’s a decent distance to the plane. Of course, I hadn’t known before we started who I’d be matched up with, but if I give Coach credit for anything, I’d say he’s excellent at hiring people. One of the bonuses to fake-dating someone who lives in a different zip code is when all this is done,we’ll more than likely never see each other again, and all this attraction can be left to simmer.
When we reach the bottom of the steps, a man and woman are standing by the open door. Both are wearing blue avian-style clothing and greet us with too-large-for-this-early-in-the-morning smiles. “Morning,” Sophie rings out while motioning to me. “This is Axl, and he’s flying with us on this trip.” She dips her head in the opposite direction, saying, “This is William, my favorite pilot, and Skye, our flight attendant.”
“You’re a flight attendant, and your name is Skye?” I smile at the lady, who simultaneously reaches forward and takes the handle of Sophie’s bag. She has a perfect hair bun pinned on the back of her head and a cherry-red smile.
“I didn’t even have to make that one up.” Skye motions smoothly like every flight attendant does, inviting us into the plane. “Go ahead and get comfortable. I’ll be right up, and we can take off as soon as the plane is secured.”
Sophie takes several steps ahead of me, ascending the steps, before tossing a look over her shoulder. “You coming?”
“Yeah.” I struggle to make my legs move. This whole event is surreal, and I want to absorb everything.There’s a private jet waiting for me to ride in it.I can’t believe this is how some people live. “Do you always travel like this?” I drag my legs up behind her, slower than my normal pace, looking at everything with care. There are three rows of seats with a wide leather recliner on each side, and it has a brand-new plane smell. Not that I’ve ever smelled a new plane before, but it couldn’t be any other smell.
“I do, and yes, I know how lucky I am. I flew commercial and even rode a bus for a lot of years.” She crosses the aisle, plops down into the first recliner, and immediately straps her seatbelt and kicks up the footrest. “You can sit wherever you like.”
Taking the recliner opposite hers, I’m more intentional as I feel how nice the leather is and notice the ample room to stretch out. There’s even a cup holder ready for a beverage and a large TV screen in front of me. I’ve never experienced anything like this, and I blink several times, hoping I don’t wake up. “We travel all the time,” I say, finally breaking my speechlessness, “but this is not the kind of traveling we do. I could get used to this.”
“I’m sure if you keep working hard, you’ll get one of these someday, too.” Her expression is thoughtful, not at all something you’d expect from someone who lives this lifestyle.
“That’s the plan.” I inhale, taking in the scent again, as everything in this plane feels and looks brand new. “I love playing hockey, and it’s definitely my dream job, but I’m ready to see the world.”
“You like to travel?” She pivots in her chair, getting a more direct glance at me. “What is your dream place to go?”
“I don’t know if I have just one, but I’m more about doing outdoorsy things since I spent my life inside an arena. I want to swim in all the oceans and hike secret trails in foreign countries that only the locals know about until I’m so tired I fall asleep in the middle of the forest in a hammock. Then after I wake up, I’ll head back to some renovated castle I’ve rented for my stay.”
Her gaze stares off above my head, and her voice wafts out a little dreamily. “Wow, you have thought about this, haven’t you?”
“Haven’t you?” I pull my brows up, as I can’t stop thinking about what my life will be like when I finally get ahead.
“No.” She wags her head back and forth. “I just work, and before last week, I spent all my free time running after Rocco and his intense schedule. I guess I have time for a hobby now that I’m single. All of those things sound amazing, actually.”Though her words end optimistically, her gaze lowers to the ground.
My heart twists the same way it did when I first heard about her ex cheating on her. She looks so broken, and as much as I hate this charade, I do feel bad. I know exactly what it feels like. “I’m sorry about what you’re going through. If it’s worth anything, I’ve been there, and it gets better.”
Lines of contemplation stack on her forehead. “You were cheated on?”
Holding my breath, I pause. I can’t believe I’m admitting this, and it seems like another lifetime ago, but in an odd way I’m hoping to cheer her up by offering the hope that life moves on and it’s not worth dwelling on the losers who hurt you. “It was in high school by my first girlfriend. She had a side guy for quite a while, but I didn’t see it because I was so busy with hockey.”
“That stinks.” Her breath blows out. “How’d you find out?”
“I was supposed to leave for a weekend hockey tournament, but a forecasted storm ended up shutting down all the highways, and the bus couldn’t leave. I was relieved because I hadn’t had much time to spend with her, and as soon as I had the word, I rushed over to her house without calling.” I glide my hand over the soft leather armrest, feeling silly to find comfort in something so trivial but it helps me to get the words out. “All I wanted to do was surprise her, but instead I caught her with him.”
“Ah, that’s exactly how I found out!” Her voice ticks up before our gazes connect on a level of comradery. “Did it feel like you died?”
“Nope.” I wag my head, fully remembering the very real pain. “It felt like my heart was ripped out, but I was fully alive and living through the pain. It was the worst thing I had ever experienced, which is why . . .” I pause, realizing how I’m sharing all the things I never tell anyone.
“Why what?” She leans closer, nervous anticipation spiraling out of her eyes.
I scratch the back of my head, wishing I had kept my mouth shut. I need to start taking Bill’s advice more seriously. “Ah, why . . . I never dated after that.”
Her brows spring up. “You haven’t had a girlfriend since high school?”
“Nope, and don’t plan on having one ever again. I’ll stick to hockey.”
Before Sophie replies, Skye peeps her head in from behind the curtain. “The captain is ready for takeoff. Is there anything you need before we taxi?”
“I’m good.” I shake my head, returning my gaze to my side of the plane, glad for the interruption. I sure wasn’t expecting to spill all my secrets first thing in the morning. This whole trip has me acting totally different than my usual self. “No, thank you.”
“I’ll have a pillow, blanket, and some carbonated water,” Sophie rattles off like it’s the most normal thing in the world to have people fuss over her. Skye crosses the cabin to the closet while we taxi. I ponder that it sounds normal because this really is Sophie’s life, even if it’s mind-blowing.
