She gave an approving nod. “Impressive,” she said, sounding sincere. “I’m in sales. At Salesforce.”
“Also impressive,” I replied.
As soon as we were in the air, we both instinctively settled into the rhythm of work. It was almost comedic how in sync we were.
At one point, I let my frustration at a transaction show, rubbing a hand through my hair as I glared at my screen.
“Someone making your life difficult?” she asked.
“You could say that,” I muttered. “Just a client trying to nickel and dime everything.”
She gave a knowing smirk. “Ahh, one of those.”
The flight attendant returned with our breakfast, forcing us to close our laptops.
“Can I get you anything else?” she asked.
“I’m good,” I said.
Sherri turned to her. “I’ll take a mimosa, and he will, too.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I don’t drink those.”
She laughed. “On this 747, you’re going to have a drink.”
I shook my head, amused. “All right, but make mine a Bloody Mary,” I told the flight attendant. “Sorry, I’m not a mimosa kind of guy.”
Her lips curved. “What kind of guy are you?”
Ah, she was flirting. I took a sip of my drink instead of answering.
By the second round, I learned that Sherri was from Ohio and the youngest of three brothers. Divorced. No kids.
“My ex said I worked too much,” she admitted, swirling the stem of her mimosa glass.
“Sounds familiar.”
She glanced down at my left hand, her eyes lingering on my wedding ring. “So…your wife says that?”
The question caught me off guard. My cheeks flushed.
“Actually, no.” I said finally. “I do my thing, and it works.”
“I see,” she said, her expression unreadable. She didn’t press further. I didn’t know if she was testing the waters or seeing if I was the type to join the mile-high club. But before I knew it we were landing. Probably for the best not to find out. As we gathered our things, she slipped a business card into my hand.
“It was nice meeting you, Mr. Bradford,” she said. “If you’re ever lonely when you’re back in Chicago, give me a call.”
Shit.
Even my wedding ring wasn’t bulletproof.
But a little harmless flirting wasn’t the worst thing, right?
CHAPTER 5
PERFECT ON PAPER
NATALIE
