Lowe was tucked into her seat; Bryan, our steward, was already fussing around her.
“Hello, Sir,” he nodded, rushing into the galley to fetch whatever she’d requested.
I buckled myself into the seat across from her, my usual seat - the one with my name stitched into the headrest - and watched as she extracted various creams and lotions from her bag, exactly like my sisters and mom did. The scent of lavender soon filled the cabin, instantly sending me into a deeply relaxed state.
Bryan returned shortly with a coffee for both of us. “Captain Niven says the sky is clear for a quick flight. We should land just after three p.m., Sir.”
“Thanks, buddy.” I took mine off the tray and sipped it, though I wasn’t sure this was enough caffeine to keep me awake. The weariness I felt from the rollercoaster ride of adrenaline I’d been on the last few days had well and truly set in.
Even the opportunity to stare at Lowe uninterrupted couldn’t stop my eyelids from closing as the plane taxied. I was asleep before the front wheels lifted.
Ijolted awake, momentarily unsure of my surroundings or what was causing that incessant whooshing noise. Blinking my eyes open, I was met with a pair of the bluest and most beautiful I’d ever seen. They were coupled with a set of slightly rosy cheeks and full, pinkish lips curved up in a smile.
“You sleep talk.”
Silent panic rolled through me. Given I dreamed about Lowe two thirds of the time, there was a good chance I’d been talking about her.
I sat up straighter. “Oh, really? What did I say?”
She shrugged, teasingly. “I couldn’t tell. You need to enunciate better in your sleep.”
I relaxed again as I laughed. “I’ll remember that.”
She crossed and uncrossed her legs before tucking them underneath her. “So I was thinking… I know we said we head straight to the stadium, but instead, I thought we could meet there tomorrow at ten a.m.… There’s a tour starting, and I figured it would be a great way to go undercover and learn what they teach tourists. We can find out more about the history of it. There are archives open to the public, too.”
She was looking at me with a combination of slight trepidation and childlike eagerness, waiting for my response.She seemed so genuinely excited at the prospect, that maybe working together wouldn’t be so bad. And I did love talking about baseball.
“Sounds good to me,” I smiled, and once again, that familiar feeling of anxiety that usually washed through me was missing; like the last four days had been a bizarre version of immersion therapy, and now I could be in her company without acting like a total weirdo.
She clapped her hands together in glee. “Great! Then I can do some proper research on the history. There’s a company I know that can use old graphics for new designs. I want to update the logo with all the branding. I’ve got so much written down that I want to look at, but it’s going to be great. And we only have five months before next season starts, so we need to get to work.”
“That’s what everyone keeps saying to me,” I laughed, looking over her head as Bryan emerged from the back of the plane.
“Sir, we’ll be landing in fifteen minutes.”
“Thanks, man.” I turned to Lowe, and grinned. “Quick flight…”
“Anything’s quick when you’re asleep for most of it,” she grinned back, and my heart did a little flutter like I was sixteen and this was the most flirtatious conversation I’d ever had. There was literally no way I was usually this lame, or I’d never get laid. Why couldn’t I be cool with her?
“Touché. Thanks for coming with me. I’m sorry it wasn’t the most interesting trip.”
“Are you kidding? It was so fun. I got to hang out with Dylan and the kids, which I never get to do. And you and I got to spend some time together…” She trailed off.
“We did. Guess you need to get used to that. We have a lot to do, remember?” I held the blue of her gaze, but whatevermoment we were having was broken by the request to fasten our seatbelts for landing.
Two cars were waiting as we disembarked, one for me and one for her. When they’d been organized, I’d assumed I’d want to get away as quickly as possible, but now I wanted longer with her. Just five more minutes. That never ending five more minutes.
We waited by her car as our bags were being brought and loaded into the separate trunks.
She hesitated at the door I was holding open for her. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the stadium then.”
My head did that weird awkward, bobbing agreeing thing, which I swear I’d never done before in my life. “Yeah. Ten a.m.”
“Great!” She smiled, her eyes sparkling so much I could be convinced they were made of actual diamonds. “You did it, Penn. You got what you always wanted! Jupiter Reeves is going to play for you. Congratulations.”
I wasn’t ready for, or expecting, the hug she pulled me into; I froze and my heart juddered, but her body was too hot and excited for me to do anything but hug her back. And now she was in my arms I didn’t want to let go, especially as this was the closest I’d ever been to her; the most of her I’d ever touched.
Not that I’d ever touched her.
