The top is up, but I see Nick’s silhouette behind the wheel. Opening the Jeep’s passenger door where I know Seb is sitting, I take the container from him, then climb into the backseat. “Hey. Why did you take my cookies, Sunshine?” Seb asks, twisting to mock glare at me.
“Because they’re for everyone, not just you.” Seb sticks his full bottom lip out in a pout.
“Nope. Your pout won’t work,” I shake my head and turn to say hi to Nick, and I get a grunt in return. His hair is in its usual bun, and he hasn’t shaved his scruff. Then I notice a holster. He’s in a suit, but his jacket isn’t on, so I see the gun tucked under his arm. “You have a gun?” I question.
The surprise must show on my face, because Seb leans back. “Nick is the only one of us who’s 18, so he can carry.” We’re all juniors in high school this year, so that means Nick should at least be a senior. It must be part of his story. The mystery that is Nick deepens, but I won’t ask.
“Okay,” I nod, eyeing Nick and the gun warily. I don’t know him well enough to be comfortable with it.
“Don’t worry, Sunshine, he’s trained. Nick knows how to use the gun,” Seb reassures me, so I settle back in my seat.
Seb talks non-stop on the drive to the venue about anything and everything, which helps take my focus off Nick. When we get there, Nick parks in the designated staff parking on the front left lawn and grabs his suit jacket, then they each take a spot on my sides as we walk. I’m trying not to check Nick out in his suit, but he must notice me looking because he has a smirk on his face. That irritates me, so I keep my head down for the rest of the walk.
We stop at a security booth along the driveway. Troy is there with E and Bay. They’re both stunning in their suits too, clean shaven with their hair styled. I offer the cookies up,and they all grab one with thanks, as Troy hands each of us an earpiece to communicate. “Are you sure I’m supposed to get one of these?” I ask Troy.
“Yes, Z said to give you one so you can follow what’s happening.” Placing the earpiece in my left ear, I notice Nick doing the same as he walks off towards the house without a word.
Two men who were in the meeting yesterday walk up to the booth, pulling Seb and E away, one going with each to their designated areas. “Bye, Sunshine!” Seb hollers as Troy tells me to follow him to the house.
“So Z is inside the house, and the chopper is on the roof already. You'll take off shortly, so you’re airborne before any guests arrive. You’ll be up there during the ceremony and until the party moves inside. Once that happens, you will land and join us on the ground.”
“Okay,” I nod, easy enough. I’m pretty excited about riding in a helicopter.
The driveway is fairly long and graveled, ending in a circular area surrounding a fountain. Evergreens, magnolias, azaleas, and many other trees and shrubs surround the house, perfectly landscaped, along with vibrant green grass. The home is beautiful and massive. It looks like a cross between a Victorian house and what you would imagine a southern plantation to be like. White-painted wood siding covers the surface, with wisteria and green vines climbing up various sections. There are tons of windows with pale green shutters open on each side.
When we enter through the front doors, it feels like I’m walking into a fairytale. White marble floors with gold veining and dark wood wainscoting line the foyer. There are white bouquets and garlands on every surface. Organza with twinkle lights loop along the two staircases on each side of the room. Gold and crystal sconces line the walls, and there's an enormous crystal chandelier hanging from the center of thefoyer.
“Hi Summer,” Zander smiles as he walks towards us from a hallway on the left. “Pretty nice place, huh?”
“Yeah, it’s amazing,” I nod, head swiveling so I miss nothing.
“Come on, we’re heading to the roof. The guests should start arriving in about 20 minutes.”
I nod as I follow him up the staircase. The second floor has many more bouquets along the hallway. Zander leads me to the end of the left hall, where he opens a dark wood door, hiding a staircase. We climb until Zander opens a steel door at the top that leads onto the roof. “Here we are,” he says, gesturing towards the chopper. It’s the same greenish-black as the Finn uniforms, but there’s no logo or anything, just a number on the tail. It looks so small up close. “I’ll help you get situated, then we’ll take off.”
I follow Zander to the side of the helicopter, where he helps me up into the seat and gets me situated with the straps and a headset. Once he gets settled in, he starts up the chopper, then taps on his headset. “Summer, put on your sunglasses. We’re ready to go,” he smiles.
Taking off isn’t smooth like an airplane, and my belly drops as we wiggle and get airborne. I sense every small dip and turn the chopper makes. It feels like a cross between a plane takeoff and a rollercoaster ride, but it’s kind of fun. Zander flies us out over the ocean, which the property juts against, and I suddenly understand why I need sunglasses. The water is sparkling in the sun like diamonds. “How are you doing, Summer?” Zander asks.
I give him a big smile. “This is amazing!” I exclaim.
He laughs. “Glad you like it. So we’re going to be up here between 1 and 2 hours. Let’s take you on a quick tour of the coast, shall we?”
Zander flies along the coast toward Charleston. The aerial view, with mansions, water, and marshes below, is breathtaking. There are lots of rich people around here. He turns out over the water before we get to the city, looping back around.
“Alpha 1, Alpha 2. Guests are arriving.”I hear Troy’s voice come through.
Zander picks up a weird-looking phone to answer. “Alpha 1 copy,” he says. Waving the phone around, he explains it's a satellite phone. We can’t use cell phones up here, and it’s the easiest way to communicate with Troy on the ground.”
Cool. I never considered that you couldn’t make a call from up here. “So what are we doing up here flying around?” I ask.
“The family was worried about paparazzi getting shots of the wedding from the air. Honestly, I tried to convince them it wasn’t necessary. I really don’t expect any paparazzi issues up here, but they insisted. I think it’s a status thing. They can say they had a helicopter for security,” he shrugs. “They’re extremely rich, so they can afford it. We’ll be circling the property to make sure no other aircraft gets close while everyone is outside.”
Zander flies a pattern around the property as I watch the scenery below. Although we don’t pass directly over the house, I can watch the ceremony on the back lawn from afar. Seems to be a large gathering. Troy occasionally provides updates, but no issues have arisen yet. We enjoy some cookies and water, but we talk little, and it’s comfortable. As the sun sets, we get the all clear from Troy. The party has moved indoors, so Zander flies back to the house and lands on the roof again.
After Zander helps me out of the chopper, we walk towards the steel door. “That was fun, Zander. I enjoyed the bird’s-eye view. Thanks for inviting me.” It was nice to share the experience and see him in his element.
“I’m so happy you liked it, darling.” He’s beaming at me, sheer joy radiating from his pores. He really loves to fly. “I’m going to walk around the house and property to check in with everyone. I’ll drop you off with Nick. He’s in the security office, and you can watch the monitors with him.”
