My hand-holding visions were instantly replaced by those of us plummeting out of the sky and onto the highway.
“You’re kidding, right?” I asked as Price walked up to a tiny four-seater plane.
“No, I am not kidding.” He tipped a fake hat. “Best pilot on the East Coast. This will be my second flight.” He grinned.
I started to walk away, and he laughed. “Come on, Gray, I do this twice a week. And the plane has an emergency parachute.”
I hadn’t wanted to come on this trip at all once I found out that Brooke and Greg were going to the British Virgin Islands for their wedding planning trip. I had said to Diana, “Really?Who goes away to ‘plan’ their wedding? And the BVIs? Couldn’t they have picked somewhere a little more original, like, not where we went on our second honeymoon?”
She had just rolled her eyes. “If you’re trying to get out of your own trip, it isn’t going to work. You’ve given up just about enough for Greg.”
Quinn, who had her head in the fridge, said, “Come on, Gray. I’m here. I’ll keep Wagner.”
Diana and I had shared a terrified look, and she mouthed:I’ll stay here the whole time.
I had nodded. Ever since, she and Wagner had been plotting every time I came in the room. I was pretty sure it was just about how they were going to make pizza, but still. He loved her, and she loved him. Wagner and I were both going to take it really hard when Diana left for good.
Now, on the tarmac, Price was saying, “Wait. How much do you weigh? I need to make sure we can still take off.”
“Ha-ha.”
We landed an hour later in one piece, and it sure beat the pants off of the seven-hour drive.
A car awaited us at the airport, and we arrived at the Mast Farm to lunch. Wine and the first course, soup made from vegetables from the farm, were already waiting for us.
“Wow,” I said. “This is great. So, what kind of work do you have to do tomorrow?”
“Let’s see. I thought I’d start the day with a stack of pancakes and fresh sausage here, then take a long hike with my favorite girl.” He winked at me.
I nodded. “Your job sounds pretty great. Where do I apply?”
“Did I say this was a work trip?”
“You did.”
“Ohhhh. I guess I should have specified that it was more of a ‘work on getting Gray to fall in love with me’ sort of trip than an actual ‘things for the office’ trip.”
I laughed. He looked me in the eye, and I said, “Well, I’d say so far, so good.”
“So do you think we should just bite the bullet?”
I looked at him inquisitively. “What bullet would that be?”
“Families. Sad stories. Yada yada yada.”
“Oh… that bullet.” That was a bullet I was hoping to avoid for a little longer, pretend it was just us hanging out like we were fifteen and this was all fun.
“You first,” I said.
“Okay. CliffsNotes?”
I swallowed a sip of wine and said, “Definitely.”
He took a deep breath. Here we go. “Ex-wife, Kate. Went back to get her master’s. She found a love of Italian literature, and I found her in the back of her Suburban with her Italian literature professor.”
“Ew.”
“You have no idea. Those Italian men…” He cocked his head and squinted as if trying to erase a memory. “Anyway… Anna, twelve. Adorable. Perfect. Slept through the night at four weeks old. Never needs anyone to check her homework. Jackson, ten. Athletic. Disorganized. Slept through the night…well, we’re still waiting. Thinks his floor is a depository for sweaty soccer socks.”
