“I don’t know. Vivienne said she’d tell me on the jet. She hasn’t told me anything yet.”
“Okay.”
“Are we going to some fucking bunker?”
There was a knock at the bedroom door. Vivienne said, through it, “We’re ten minutes from wheels up. Carmen is on board. I’m going to come in. You’re both dressed, right?”
“Fuck no,” Piper said.
“Bitch, don’t be cute.”
“I’m not being cute, Viv.”
She opened the door. She came in halfway, leaning against the doorframe, not stepping fully into the room. Carmen was behind her in the hallway. They both looked at Piper and Noah sitting on the bed, and Vivienne looked at the flowers, and she said, “Are those flowers from Ralphs? Jesus Christ Carmen, get your boy some taste.”
“I love them, Viv. Stop being a bitch for a minute,” Piper said.
“Sorry, Noah. I will be better,” Vivienne said rolling her eyes and turning to Piper, “So here is the big reveal, we are going to Iceland.”
Piper looked at her. “Fucking Iceland.”
“Yes fucking Iceland. We rented a small house in a village about an hour from Reykjavík. We will figure out next steps there, but Henry is building the case with the help of Caleb Ward’s investigation.”
“But Noah has the conference championship game four days from now, so you better make it fucking worth it.”
Piper looked at Noah and laughed.
“You agreed to this.”
“I sure did.”
“You left the facility to do this.”
“I left because I need you, and I need you more than you will ever know,” Noah said as he leaned into Piper and put his head on Piper’s shoulder.
“Your coach?” Piper asked.
“Saw the photographs,” Noah said. “Told me to take a couple days. Said if I came back ready for the San Francisco rematch, we’d figure out the rest. Carmen worked it out. I’ll be back at the facility Monday morning.”
“Sandwiches are coming. Try acting like people whose lives are not on fire for five fucking minutes. I need a martini,” Vivienne said as she closed the bedroom door.
“Bitch, get the shaker out, let’s get shitfaced. Let the boys reunite for fuck sake. Where is the food?” Carmen yelled from the main cabin. Vivienne shut the door.
“Vivienne scares me. Personally. Because I’ve been thinking about you for four months and she’s been thinking about you forever. She knows every dumb thing I’m about to do before I do it,” Noah said.
“Yeah.”
Then Piper said, “Thank you for the flowers. Seeing you is what I needed after the day I had.”
“You’re welcome, sexy.”
***
Los Angeles
The plane took off ten minutes later. Piper was on the bed with Noah next to him. Vivienne and Carmen were in the front cabin with their laptops open and martinis shaken. The flowers from Ralphs on Olympic were in a coffee mug held together by a rubber band. The cabin lights went down as the plane pitched up. Piper felt Noah’s hand on his knee.
“I haven’t slept in four days,” Piper said.
