“I can’t believe an electrochemist is saying my job sounds made up.”
The plane evens out as the aircraft reaches optimal flying altitude.
“Okay, fine. You can be a business consultant.”
“I’m glad I could convince you.” His lips curl into one of his playful smiles. “So, Christmas with your family, huh?”
“Yep.” I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “Should be a lot of fun.”
“Did you ever make it to Bath and Body Works to round out your mom’s present?”
“Unfortunately, I did not. It looks like the scarf will have to do unless I can find something for her in Leavenworth.”
He glances above at the overhead compartment. “Well, lucky for you, the scarf isn’t something that can get ruined in your luggage. I had to be really careful packing the record for my mom.”
“Oh, I don’t have the scarf in my suitcase.”
He frowns. “You left it home?”
“No, I went to the post office right after I left the mall and mailed a box of presents to Leavenworth. It was in that pile.”
“Right after the mall?”
“Yeah, before I went home.”
“Christmas is in six days. When’s it supposed to get to Leavenworth?”
“Sometime before Christmas.”
“Didn’t you get a tracking number?” There’s a heightened quality to his voice that wasn’t there moments ago.
I shoot him a suspicious smile. “Are you worried about my Christmas presents?”
“A little.” His expression masks over, contradicting his light laugh. “I’m just trying to figure out why you mailed them when you could’ve just brought all the presents with you on the flight?”
“Well, the airline was going to charge me seventy-five dollars to check a bag. And I couldn’t fit everything in my carry-on, so I researched how much it would cost to mail some of the gifts, and it ended up being cheaper.”
“Smart.” He nods. “I would’ve never thought about that.”
“I’m really good at problem-solving.”
He smiles. “Is that your flex?”
My brows crease together. “My what?”
“Your flex. You know, the thing you tell people about yourself to impress them.”
I laugh. “Yeah, being good at problem-solving is super impressive.”
“It can be, depending on the problem.”
“No, I want my flex to be something cool, like I can eat fifty pancakes in one sitting.”
“Can you?”
“Not without throwing up.” I twist so I’m facing him more. “What about you?”
“I think I’d top out at forty pancakes.”
