Her smile has so much warmth for someone with mud on her ass and a fear of flying. “I collect them,” she tells me, with what looks to be fond memories at the back of her mind. “I have a shelf full of them back home. One for every place I’ve ever traveled to. They’re so small that they’re easily missed. Some of the gift shops even keep them behind the desk. This pretty baby is from Music City.”
That’s a pretty legit high. Especially if the fun in finding them is something she looks forward to when she travels.
“When in Nashville…” I joke. “Buy a message in a bottle. You’re doing a good job at making me envious of your collection, Collie. And I don’t consider myself a jealous man.”
“Happy to be of service to you, Easton.” Tucking it back in her bag, Collie pulls out a snack.Gushers.The nostalgia hits me.
“Jesus. I haven’t seen those in ages.” I nod to the gummy candy.
“They’re the best. Want one?”
“I’m good.” I wave her off. “Wanna watch a movie?”
What I really want to do is fucking sleep. I’m exhausted, both mentally and physically, from these past few days. But at the same time, I feel like I’m at the peak of an adrenaline high, just anticipating the crash out.
The past twenty-four hours roll through my mind like a track. Spin. Halt. Rewind. Only to fast forward to now and fight to forget the look on everyone’s faces.
The moment I fucked up a lifetime of expectations.
Because Easton Voss doing something for himself is completely unheard of. I guarantee the town is in a frenzy. I still don’t feel like dealing with all the hundreds of messages I can almost bet are sitting in my inbox.
“Might make me car sick,” Collie responds, taking me out of my stupor.
“We're on a plane.” I can’t help it. A deep chuckle vibrates through me. Not enough to cause a scene, but enough to watch Collie smirk a bit in victory.
“Got you to almost laugh, didn’t it? Speaking of, do you ever smile? Giggle so loud you fart? Kick back and have a good time? Or do you always look like a moody Mafia man in expensive cologne, dressed in…whatever you call that suit?”
I’m raising questions. I can see it in her fearless, crystal-blue eyes.
I glance down at myself. “A Mafia man?” Can’t say I’ve ever been called that. “It’s not what it looks like…”
“Suuuuure,” she draws out. “That’s what they all say.”
“I’m a good guy. Clean, even.” I point at my wrinkled dress shirt. “I’m just going through a bit of a rough patch.”
That might be a light term to describe my life right now.
“I’d say,” Collie reminds me. “I just can’t figure you out. And that’s usually my specialty. It’s how the men flock to me.” She giggles, humble in her proclamation of beauty.
But Collie is beautiful. An otherworldly kind of beautiful.
“Lucky me.”
A slight swell of turbulence rocks the plane, Collie’s small hand linking onto mine without a thought. “Deal with it, okay?” she tells me, not giving a single fuck we’re strangers.
I wish I could live that way—without reservation.
“Whatever you need.”
“What I need right now is another distraction. Got anything?” Her eyes remain shut, body as rigid as a sheet of plywood while she waits for me to grant her some solace.
I fidget with my pockets. Not sure what I’m looking for,seeing as how I have the bare minimum with me as is. “Sorry.”
“Okay. That’s okay,” she responds with bated breath. “Let’s play Would You Rather.”
I’m exhausted already.
But it’s clear she needs this, so I’ll go along with her game.
