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Settling into my regular routine, I brew a fresh pot of coffee while Mommy and Daddy get the plane ready. Just as it’s finishing up, a sharp, whining voice reaches my ears.
“But Daddy, I want a mimosa!”
Juliet Blackwood. My least favorite “passenger” in the family. It’s not that she’s mean, necessarily, but she is definitely spoiled and clearly she’s in one of those moods today where she’s going to whine about not getting what she wants even though I’ve never, not once, seen Uncle Jasper let her have a single drop of alcohol.
Plastering a smile on my face, I roll the snack cart into the main cabin. “Good morning! Would anyone like a drink or a snack while we wait for takeoff?”
All the Littles answer at once, except for Juliet who glares at me from her seat. “You’re awfully chipper this morning.”
It’s literally my job to be “chipper”, so I simply smile at her as I hand out juice boxes and small bags of cookies to the other Littles. “Would you like a snack or a juice box?”
“She’ll take an apple juice,” Uncle Jasper answers for her with a smile. “But no cookies. Little girls who throw tantrums don’t get rewarded with sweets.”
Sympathy pricks at my chest, but I don’t argue with him as I open the plastic straw of the requested juice box and stab it into the hole. But when I try to pass it off to Juliet, she slides down further in her seat with a huff. “I don’t want apple juice. I want a mimosa.”
“Oh, come off it, Juju,” Natalie says with a roll of her eyes. “You know damn well you aren’t getting any alcohol so you might as well stop pouting and have fun.”
“Language, kitten,” Uncle Evan scolds mildly.
“Sorry, Daddy.” She doesn’t look or sound sorry, but it seems to be enough to appease her terrifying Daddy. The rumor is Uncle Evan is the head of a crime family back in New York City, but I don’t know if that’s true or just something people made up because of the giant scar on his face.
My smile feels brittle as I hold the juice box out toward Uncle Jasper. “Would you like to hold this until Juliet is ready for it?”
“Thank you, Kerry. I apologize for my little one’s behavior this morning. We will be thoroughly addressing her attitude once we’re in the sky.”
Some of the color drains from Juliet’s face, but even her Daddy’s threat doesn’t seem to fix her attitude. “Whatever. Just give me my juice.”
I don’t know what comes over me. One second I’m holding the juice box out to her. The next, my hand is squeezing the box and golden liquid sprays out—all over Juliet.
Chaos explodes around me as her ear-piercing screams fill the cabin.
“My dress! My hair! You did that on purpose, you—”
“What is going on back here?”
We all freeze at the sound of my Daddy’s voice and I whip around, my hands instinctively moving behind me, as if that will be enough to protect me from his wrath. “It—it was an accident, Daddy.”
“No it wasn’t! She sprayed me on purpose!”
Daddy’s gaze slides to the side, taking in Juliet’s soaked face and clothes, and I swear I see his lips twitch for a second before his attention returns to me. “Kerry, apologize to Juliet right now.”
Shame heats my face as I turn back around. “I'm really sorry, Juliet. I’ll pay for your dress to be cleaned.”
“I don’t want your apologies. I want—”
“Enough.” Daddy’s stern tone cuts her off, and the look of pure shock on her face nearly has me doubling over with laughter but I manage to stop myself before the first giggle sneaks out. “Kerry will be dealt with appropriately. But let me remind you, Juliet, that just because my Little girl is working right now does not mean she has to tolerate verbal abuse from you or anyone else. If you cannot be polite to my staff, you will no longer be allowed on my plane.”
Jaw falling open, Juliet stares at him. “You can’t do that! Uncle Max, tell him!”
But Uncle Max only sips at his coffee. “He has my full support on this, Juliet Sloane. You owe Kerry an apology for your behavior this morning.”
“They’re right, princess.” Uncle Jasper’s tone holds no room for argument. “And if it isn’t a sincere apology, we will add five minutes with a bar of soap in your mouth to the spanking you already have coming.”
The threat of getting her mouth washed out with soap seems to seal the deal. “I’m sorry I was rude,” Juliet grumbles.
“It’s okay. I shouldn’t have sprayed you with the juice, no matter how rude you were.”
“Kerry Addison Sterling, are you saying you did do this on purpose?”
