“Okay.” I couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear.
“Do you want me to call your sister to join us, or you could invite some friends?”
“No, I just want it to be you. You know, small, intimate.”
Aldridge’s smile faded and he stared at me as if he were solving a puzzle or connecting dots. “I’m so proud of you.”
His words tickled something deep within and tears fell from my eyes. “Thank you.”
He cupped my face wiping away my tears with his thumb. “Happy tears, right?”
“Happy tears.”
“Okay.” Aldridge let me go and clapped his hands. “Let’s get into some shit.”
Aldridge droppedme off at home with instructions to pack an overnight bag, and be prepared to leave in an hour. That allowed for a quick shower, outfit change, and frantically tossing clothes into my weekender bag with zero clue what I was packing for. We couldn’t be going far, maybe one of the casinos for a bit of fun and a spa treatment.
When he picked me up, we were in a premium RideX and Aldridge was sporting a goofy smile.
“Well, this is very covert ops. Where are we going?”
“You’ll find out when we get to our next destination.”
“I don’t like surprises.”
“You’re just going to have to cope.”
“Is it?—”
“Don’t try to guess.”
We ended up at North Las Vegas Airport a smaller airport reserved for helicopters and private planes. “It’s a helicopter ride isn’t it?”
“You’re warm but still cold.”
The car pulled alongside a jet parked on the runway with the passenger door open and boarding stairs in place. On the tarmac everything moved very fast, the driver transported our bags to the plane. A flight attendant greeted us at the bottom of the stairs. “Welcome to Zeppelin Air Mr. Mosley, once you are settled onboard, we can prepare for takeoff.”
“We’re flying?”
“Yes.” He placed his hand on my back guiding me up the stairs.
Onboard my head was on a pivot. I’d never been on a jet before. It was spacious and we were the only two passengers. “Who else is joining us?”
“No one. Small and intimate, remember?”
“We can’t just do this. Hop a plane to God knows where.”
“Mexico.”
“Mexico,” I gushed. “No one knows where I’m at.”
“That’s what makes it exciting.”
“I’m supposed to have brunch with Anika tomorrow.”
“She’ll understand.”
“Aldridge?”
