“Morning, sweetie. What are you up to today?” Mom’s chipper voice filled my ear.
“Lots of stuff is going on today. Why? Is everything okay?”
“Yes, sweetheart, everything is fine.”
“Are you sure? Because you usually don’t call me this early.”
“Your father and I just got back from our morning walk—”
“Walk? You guys went out walking in this weather? It’s freezing and raining.”
“No, we’re not crazy. We went to the gym and walked around their quarter mile track. Listen, Scarlett has a sinus infection, and she can’t go to the grand opening tonight for the new Care Café in Denver. Your father and I will be there, of course, and Sage will be there. Sienna told me she could attend if you couldn’t.”
“I can’t.”
“Sawyer, honey, are you sure? The Care Café has been a huge community project.”
“I know, Mom. And honestly, if I could make this one, I would. Michael has me meeting with a new client today and tomorrow. I’m actually on my way to the airport now. You’re going to have to get Sienna to go.”
“Oh, how exciting! Where are you traveling to?”
“London.” Lying to my mother came easy for me. I also didn’t have a conscience about doing it.
“Alright, sweetie. Travel safe and have a good trip. I love you and will talk to you when you get back.”
“Thanks, Mom. Love you too.”
As we drove onto the tarmac, through the rain-streaked glass I could see the jet with its lights on. It was still dark out when Michael’s driver pulled up near the bottom of the stairs for the jet. I glanced at the jet’s tail of the Top Cage Fighters logo. I anticipated the TCF jet to be pretty top notch.
I dumped some Tic-Tacs into my hand and then tossed them into my mouth as the SUV stopped. The driver got out and opened an umbrella before going to the back of the SUV to get my suitcase. He opened my door and held the umbrella over my head so I wouldn’t get rained on.
“Thanks, Darren,” I said. I reached for the handle of my hard-sided suitcase. “I’ll get it the rest of the way,” I told him.
“Are you sure, Mr. Lombardi?” he asked.
“Yep. See you tomorrow, hopefully.”
I turned and jogged the short distance to the stairs, dragging my carry-on suitcase behind me. Before climbing the stairs, I lowered the handle of the suitcase and then took the steps two at a time. At the top, I was greeted by a beautiful flight attendant. Her dark brown hair had loose curls that spilled over her shoulders.
“Good morning, Mr. Lombardi,” she proudly said. I managed to pry my eyes off her large tits to read her gold nametag.Holly.
“Holly, it’s a few minutes before six in the morning. We’re fully dressed and awake. Is itreallya good morning?” I playfully asked.
A genuine smile tickled her face as she looked at me. I knew it was a genuine smile because of the way her sparkling blue eyes lit up.
“It is very early, yes,” she said as she reached for the handle of my bag. It didn’t escape my notice that none of her fingers had a ring on them. That wasn’t always indicative of anything anymore, but it was a good sign.
“Is your home base out of Vegas?” I asked. Her hand still lingered close to mine on the handle.
“It is, yes,” she confirmed.
“So I imagine jumping ahead an hour from Vegas to Vail can disrupt your sleep schedule.”
“Flying can be rough on my sleep cycle, but thankfully I don’t fly daily.”
“When did you get into Vail?” I asked.
“Just yesterday. Early evening.”
