“Larry,” I repeat.
I heard once that when someone feels connected to you, they mirror your actions. For example, if you take a drink of water, they’ll take a drink of water too. Perhaps that’s why I repeat her. I don’t know ... it just seems natural.
Larry ignores our joking and brushes his palms together brusquely, like his work here is finished. “Nathan, shouldn’t you be doing your walk-around? This is a quick turn.”
Oh yeah. Somehow I forgot.
“Actually”—Vincent steps into the doorway—“we’re going to be here a while. Denver is on a ground stop due to inclement weather.”
I try to look as annoyed as I usually am when we get delayed. We don’t get paid for sitting here. Of course, if we stayed on schedule, we’d be sitting in Denver longer, so this doesn’t affect me as much as it could. Biggest problem is, I didn’t bring lunch.
I glance out the door at the sunshine and blue sky. We might not have Denver’s snowstorm here, but we also don’t have their large selection of restaurants. Just one little deli on the other side of security, but it will do.
I face Claire and tilt my head toward the tiny airport. “Hungry?”
“Starving.”
Good. I guess I should invite the rest of the crew too. “Larry?”
“My wife packed me a lunch.” He turns toward Vincent. “Plus I was hoping to get a tour of the flight deck during our sit in Denver. Maybe now would be a better time.”
“It’s the perfect time,” I answer for our captain.
Vincent shoots me a warning look, apparently torn between giving an impromptu flight lesson and the need to play chaperone. Strange, he’s never expressed this need with any of our other flight attendants. Though in looking back, those girls all seemed to avoid me and my relationship sob story.
So what does Vincent consider the problem now? That I’m not lamenting an ex or that Claire appears to enjoy my company? Either way I’m in a better place.
Besides, it’s just lunch.
Chapter Fifteen
Claire
Birds learn howtofly,never knowing where flight will take them.
—MARKNEPO
Sounds like I’ll be celebrating my birthday in Walla Walla. At least I’m not celebrating alone, the way I thought I would be after Wyatt canceled his visit to the Pacific Northwest. I’d had his flight booked and was about to preorder tickets for dinner at the Space Needle when he called this morning.
I tried not to cry since Wyatt considers tears to be manipulative, so I held them in until we hung up. He doesn’t know I cried, and he also doesn’t know I picked up this trip with Nathan.
I’m afraid to tell him about it because I don’t want him to get jealous again.
Honestly, I had no idea Nathan would be on this trip. I’d simply determined to get out of the crash pad. Rather than do so by dining tragically alone at the top of the Space Needle, I figured I’d make a little extra money by working my way across the country. And now I’m not crying anymore.
Nathan finishes his walk-around, then strolls with me along the tarmac toward the simple brick, cement, and glass airport that more closely resembles a hospital or high school. Rolling hills in the distance are brownand mostly barren. Not something you’d see on the other side of the state. Our plane is the only one here, and with the engines off, it’s eerily quiet.
He motions for me to enter the revolving door ahead of him. “I’d doubled up on vitamins to work with Alex, but I have to say I’m relieved to see you.”
I grumble at the irony. “If only he’d called in sick for the trip I worked with him last week. Then he wouldn’t have gotten me sick, and I could have gone home on my days off.”
“Oh man. I’m sorry.” He follows me into the small compartment that spits us out of the sterile area. “I knew you were looking forward to seeing your boyfriend.”
My shoulders sag. “Yeah.”
We head toward the only restaurant in the place. Its entrance is blocked by one of those metal gates that lowers from the top, like a garage door. A few hungry passengers stand around it. So much for my birthday celebration.
A lady rushes to the other side. “Sorry. We normally close once all flights have boarded, but I just heard you’re stuck here. I’ll open back up. Give me a minute.”
