I didn’t feel like I had subsumed my identity.
I felt like I had chosen who I wanted to be, and I wanted to be with Nicolai.
Even if it was only for a year.
The dashboard clock read that it was almost two o’clock in the morning.
Only three hundred sixty-three more days to go.
CHAPTER 23
night flight
LEXI
Iheld Nicolai’s arm as we crossed the tarmac to the long, slim private jet airplane waiting to fly usand only usto Verona, Italy, which was a thing I would have bet entire paychecks on wouldnever everhappen to me in my whole life.
The manager who’d greeted us when we’d walked into the private airport terminal half-skipped alongside Nicolai in her sensible, low-heeled black pumps and apologized over and over again to him. “I amsosorry that we couldn’t find cabin staff for your flight. We realize that it is a major inconvenience, and I dosoappreciate your understanding in this matter.”
“I called a mere four hours ago,” he said to her quietly, with a rueful tilt to his lips. “It’s fine.”
I trotted faster to keep up, which wasn’t easy considering that I was still wearing not-sensible stiletto heels that skidded on every pebble on the asphalt and the flowing white formal gown that swished around my legs.
“Nevertheless, on your future trips, we will make sure to have cabin staff standing by at all times.”
Nicolai was doing everything short of patting the lady’s hand to reassure her. “According to the contract, twelve hours’ notice must be given before flights to ensure a full staff. I greatly appreciate that you were able to accommodate us with the two pilots required for an overseas international flight on such short notice.”
The woman glanced at me and made deep eye contact as if trying to enlist my support, but she didn’t need support. Nicolai wasn’t mad. He wasn’t even irritated. “The plane was, of course, cleaned when you landed a few days ago, so it is tidy. I did find staff so we could outfit it for overnight travel for two. I’mreallysorry, Mr. Romanov. I assure you that our flight services willmake this right,somehow.”
I smiled at her and shrugged, trying to show her that this really was not a big deal. I certainly wasn’t upset.
Nicolai looked like he just wanted to get on the plane and pass out. “Again, it’s not necessary to apologize. I imagine we will sleep most of the way to Verona, perhaps even through the refueling stop on the East Coast. It’s been a long day.”
Un-der-state-ment. I was so tired that the rough tarmac felt like it was undulating under my fragile sandals as I walked. I’d changed back into my white bucket purse, tucking my wallet, passport, and that roll of cash inside, and left Clementine’s dainty little clutch with the other things to be delivered back to her at her hotel.
“We were able to prepare and stock the plane with beverages, snacks, and a cold meal, according to your dietary preferences. That will all be in the galley and waiting for you. Again, I am so sorry that we don’t have cabin staff available to serve.”
“Again,I appreciate your impressive efforts on our behalf on such extremely short notice.”
“And when you land at JFK, we’ll have a refresh crew ready to clean the plane there, and you can pick up a cabin staff for the leg across the Atlantic.”
“Again,I don’t think we’ll need a cabin staff at all. You’ve done very well with making sure we could take off on time.”
And thus it went all the way across the tarmac, under the wing, up the boarding stairs, and into the plane while we ducked inside. The manager was still leaning into the plane's open door, apologizing and reassuring Nicolai, when a pilot came out of the cockpit and told her the plane needed to be ready to taxi and leave.
She still gave us apologetic glances as she turned and walked down the staircase.
The pilot wrestled the plane’s plug door into position and spun the center flywheel to lock it, checking her manicure afterward and winking at us before she went back into the cockpit and shut that door.
Thusly, I began my first flight on any airplane, ever.
I’d seen airplanes on TV, though.
I knewthiswas not what most airplanes looked like.
Most airplanes were jammed with seats way closer together than movie theater rows, with people trying to insert their legs between their seats and the back of the next high-backed chair in front of them.
This airplane had a long wooden table with four CEO-level office desk chairs around it, except that they were bolted to the floor. Beyond that, toward the tail part, two twin beds were pushed together and laid with crisp white sheets, fluffy pillows, and dark blue blankets.
