18
Aclink similar to that of a coffee cup being set on a table wakes me. I don’t bother to open my eyes until I feel his warm hand brush myarm.
“Good morning.” The raspy sound of his voice forces a subtle smile over myface.
“Good morning.” I stretch out in the bed, taking note that he’s already donning a green Henley and jeans. “You’re already dressed?” I sweep over the soft fabric of his shirt while his fingers tease myside.
Wisps of steam swirl from the mug he’s now handing me. “I have a surprise for youtoday.”
“You and your surprises. Let me guess, you won’t tellme?”
His places a chaste kiss to my forehead. “We have to be at the airport in threehours.”
“I’m sorry? Theairport?”
Henods.
“Elijah I can’tjust—”
The shrill ring of his phone distracts me. He pulls it from his pocket and glances at the screen. “It’s Sunday,” hesays.
“Yes, but tomorrow is Monday, and I haveclients!”
The phone rings again, and he narrows his eyes while rubbing his chin. “Whattime?”
“Nine.”
In the middle of the next ring, he answers the call and heads toward the stairs. After a moment, he covers the phone with his hand. “I promise, you’ll be back in plenty of time for yourclients.”
Then he goes right back into some business dealings as he jogs down the steps like this isn’t up fordebate.
_____
The interiorof the plane rattles as it taxis down the runway. At least I know we’re going to North Carolina—thanks to the boarding pass. However, I’m still completely in the dark as towhy.
Elijah’s busy typing notes on his phone and mumbling about an investor while I stare out the window. The engines fire up like a rocket, and the jet barrels down the La Guardia airstrip. Steph didn’t believe me when I phoned her to tell her I would be out of town until tomorrow morning. She’s managed to get me on two flights in my life—one of which when I was shitfaceddrunk.
I smooth my hand over the wrinkle in my skirt, imagining the plane soaring into the sky before it suddenly explodes into a massive, red ball of fire.That’s not going to happen!Exhaling, I try to think of a more pleasant scenario, but all I come up with is the panic that would ensue if the oxygen mask unexpectedly deployed before the plane took a nosedive. People would scream, and I would most certainly cry as we spiraled toward the hard earth.Boom! Fireball.Now I have that freaking Pitbull song stuck in myhead.
The bleak landscape whizzes past, and I fight to stop my leg from bouncing, but don’t succeed. This aircraft is going to shoot from the ground any second. I grab the armrest and squeeze. Just when the nose of the plane lifts and my stomach catches, I feel Elijah’s hand intuitively covermine.
“Let me guess. Afraid offlying?”
The airliner banks, and I close my eyes, pressing my feet against the floorboard like that will steady the plane. “Not afraid, just anxious. I don’t like not being incontrol.”
He settles in the seat. “Control is anillusion.”
“I like to pretend it’s not. Let me live in my happybubble.”
He chuckles and brings my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles. “Whatever you want, tigerlily.”
I glance out the window, watching the bleak city shrink little by little before it disappears beneath a blanket of fluffy clouds. “You still haven’t told me why we’re going to NorthCarolina.”
“Because it will ruin thesurprise.”
_____
Two hours later we touch down. And I still have no clue why we’re here, or why we didn’t bringluggage.
