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Melissa is nervous. I can tell by the way she is fidgeting in her seat as I power through the traffic.
My truck has replaced the bike, which she appeared grateful for, and I wonder what is running through her head right now.
“Are you okay, baby?” I say, as I turn into the airfield, wondering what she’ll make of my family’s jet that will undoubtedly surprise her.
“Yes, of course, it’s just–”
She inhales sharply, “I, well, this is like, well, a big step.”
I couldn’t feel any worse than if she stepped on my heart and I force a smile.
“A leap of faith, perhaps.”
“Perhaps.” Her soft voice shakes as she stares out of the window and says in confusion, “Why are we here?”
I know she was probably expecting a commercial flight, but now it’s time to come clean. Her first shock of the day, I’m guessing.
“We’re taking my family jet.”
“You have a jet?” Her eyes are wide, and I shrug. “Not everyone with money wears it for everyone to see. I may look like a roughneck, but we travel like kings.”
She shakes her head and her astonishing green eyes sparkle. “You always go and surprise me when I think I have you all worked out.”
“I try, princess.”
I grin as I pull the truck into our reserved space and take a deep breath and fix a smile on my face, when inside it’s as if Satan has taken up residence.
“So, let’s go and find us some sun.”
I make light of it, but I’m not lying. There will be a lot of sun where we are heading but it’s not where she thinks.
As I grab her case from the trunk, she says in confusion, “Have you forgotten your suitcase?”
“Everything I need is on board.”
I nod toward the jet that is standing in the gloom of the morning, resplendent in blue and silver.
“I see.” She smiles and looks so vulnerable I almost change my mind, but another face appears in my subconscious, and I harden my heart.
“Come. It’s cold out here.”
We head up the steps and I leave her case at the bottom for the attendant to deal with and as we step on board, she peers around in fascination.
“I like it.” She sounds impressed and I know she’s no stranger to private jets. Her own family has a company one because Remington Industries is a company that makes billions of dollars every year.
Her jet is paid for by respectable means, our one, not so much.
Chloe steps forward with her usual welcome and I don’t miss the invitation in her eyes as she says huskily, “Welcome, sir, madam.”
“Hey, Chloe, meet Melissa.”
Melissa smiles. “I’m pleased to meet you.”
Chloe is our stewardess, along with Christos, the steward. They have both been with us for several years and know how these things work. They’ve seen stuff that would make a nun weep, and Chloe is a welcome distraction on most flights and takes her duties extremely seriously.
She enjoys her job a little too much and Christos is the same. His duties are a little less intimate, but somehow it works well for us all.
Chloe points to a seat by the window in a small cabin that resembles an elegant sitting room. The chairs are comfortable and the carpeting plush. Blue and silver is the theme and is a little piece of elegance in a life that is at odds with that.
