“Do you have your baggage claim slip?” said the TSA security worker.
“I have this,” Nate said, holding up a torn ticket.
“What’s that?” both workers said.
“A ticket for the carry-on, I’m guessing?”
“What am I supposed to do with that?” Vivi shrugged at the security guard. He shrugged back.
Nate sighed. “Is there somebody else I can talk to? A supervisor maybe?”
“Oh, here we go,” Vivi said as she picked up the phone. “Need you up front. Code Hot Potato.”
“I’m not trying to get you fired.” Nate’s phone rang and he glanced at the caller ID. His mom’s B&B landline number. She probably wondered how close he was to the house. He lifted a finger and said, “Excuse me a second,” as he turned away to answer the call.
A deep slow drawl that was definitely not his mom answered his hello. “Howdy, Nate. Quick question. You know some lady from Nebraska?”
Gus.A little bit of the tension left Nate’s shoulders at the sound of a friendly voice. Until he registered what Gus had said.
Nate plugged his ear not pressed against the phone to hear better over the construction noise. “Sorry, what? Nebraska? No. I don’t know anyone from Nebraska.” Except for a dotty gorgeous redhead he was trying to forget. But she wouldn’t be calling. Would she? “What did she say?”
“Something about needing you badly and wanting you to please check your pocket,” Gus said with a chuckle. “She sounded fun.”
Nate groaned. Not McKenna. Winking Wendy. He should’ve known. She’d texted him right before he boarded his flight—at least he assumed it was her based on the winky emoji followed byGuess who!
He hadn’t responded. Never planned to. Which is why he blockedher number. She must’ve tracked him down to his mom’s B&B. Why had he ever mentioned Bugle?
“Gus, do me a favor. Don’t tell that woman anything. I don’t want to talk to her.” And he definitely didn’t want her showing up in Bugle. “If she calls again, just hang up or say whatever you need to so she won’t keep calling.”
“Now I’m even more intrigued to meet her.”
“You don’t want to. Trust me. And hey, not a word about this to my mom either.” She’d invite Winky Wacky Pants to supper and have the two of them married by the end of the night just to get some grandbabies out of Nate.
“Leave it to me,” Gus said. “I’ve got you covered.”
By the time Nate slid the phone into his pocket, a petite woman with the name tag Alice had appeared behind the counter, wearing the sort of smile that suggested she did hope customers asked for her name so they could be friends. “Name?”
“Nate Lambert.”
She tapped on the keyboard for several seconds like a bunny after five shots of espresso before she looked up and said, “Destination?”
“Here.”
More over-caffeinated-bunny tapping. Then, “Favorite color?”
“Uh...”
“Just a little airport humor. Trying to diffuse this intense situation before you snap.”
“I’m not going to snap over missing luggage.”
“Told you he was sarcastic,” said Vivi.
“I’m being completely genuine,” said Nate.
“Please don’t raise your voice,” said Alice, now trembling like a frightened bunny.
“My voice isn’t raised.”
