I twist my mouth in concession to his logic, but I refuse to remove my shades. “Maybe people will simply assume I’m a celebrity trying to conceal her identity.”
He blinks. “In a flight attendant uniform?”
My shoulders sag. This dress is going to be the death of me.
“Hey.” He touches my upper arm. “You tried to help. You did your best. What are you afraid of?”
I snort. If sending travelers to a gate that doesn’t exist is my best, then I should be fired before I even begin. “I’m afraid she’ll be angry with me.”
He crosses his arms like he’s buckling in for the duration of my flight from this passenger. “You’re a people pleaser, huh?”
I’ll take People Pleasing for $500, Alex. With a side of self-criticism and some unwanted psychoanalysis.
I roll my eyes, though he can’t see them behind the dark lenses. “It’s my job to make passengers happy.”
“It’s never your job to makeanyonehappy.”
Okay, now I’m more lost than the traveler looking for a gate that doesn’t exist.
He obviously reads my confused expression, because he explains. “As a flight attendant, your job is to do what’s best for customers, even if it makes them unhappy. Think of all the unhappy people when a flight is canceled due to mechanical failure. Yet it’s better for them if they don’t fly on the plane until it’s fixed.”
If only. “A mechanical failure is a lot different from my failure.”
“Okay, you failed. Now go apologize and make it right.”
I rip the sunglasses off my face to make sure he receives the full impact of my crazy eyes. “I can’t get her on a plane that’s already taken off.”
He clicks his tongue.
“Oh, there you are.” The woman I’d been hiding from circles the pilot/therapist to confront me, and I’m not sure which will be worse—his reprimand or the rebuke I’ve got coming. “You look different with your hair down.”
The pilot lifts his dark eyebrows, as if waiting to see how I respond. Or maybe he’s questioning my previous response. Probably both.
I cringe inwardly, wishing I’d ducked into a bathroom stall rather than behind this guy. Though this guy did give me advice for awkward situations.
I swallow down my dread. “Ma’am, I’m very sorry you missed yourflight. Today is my first day in Seattle, and I didn’t realize Terminal S is under construction.”
She trills in laughter.
I eye the pilot to see if he’d expected such a reaction.Isure didn’t.
He rubs his mouth, perhaps attempting to hide amusement, but his straight white teeth are too bright to be hidden.
I frown at him before focusing on her.
She adjusts the garment bag over her shoulder. “My nephew got cold feet and canceled his wedding. If I’d made it onto the flight, it would have been a waste of the whole weekend.”
My lips part, but I remain speechless. I guess today could have been worse. I could have been the jilted bride.
Waving off my shock, she attributes our circumstances to “God’s mysterious ways and all that.” Then she plants a hand on her hip and looks around. “Could you help me retrieve my checked luggage?”
My jaw continues to hang open. I slide my gaze toward the pilot. He knows more about this stuff than I do. “I don’t think you’re asking the right person ...”
He straightens his tie and shoots me another dazzling grin before stepping in. “You’ll want to head to the customer service desk.” He motions toward a booth between carousels. “They’ll take care of you.”
“Oh, thank you.” The woman squeezes his arm, then reaches to squeeze my hand as well.
I awkwardly grasp her cold fingers. This is definitely not how I expected our interaction to end, and if that’s part of God’s mysterious ways as well, then I’m grateful. Though I’ve never really stopped before to give Him thanks. “Take care.”
