The blush spreading from his ears to his cheeks has to be as bright as mine. I’m going to be fired before we even get to the gate. I hold my breath for a response, but he shakes his head and grabs my red-light mask.
“Are you going to fire me?” I blurt.
Jett short-circuits. “Uh—well, I…no.”
That’s good. I’ve been looking forward to this trip and my new salary.
“What the hell are you two doing?” a familiar gruff voice rings out. My head snaps to Doug and his wife, Molly, watching uswith bemused looks. “If you plan on continuing, I’m going to record this for B-roll.”
Time suspends between us. And then, with nearly everything I own on the airport’s floor and the wacky shirt in my grip, we fall into a fit of giggles so strong I snort. It only worsens Jett’s laughter, and I even hear a snicker from Molly.
We shove things into his bag and mine, then trudge behind Molly and Doug like children who received a scolding but can’t stop giggling anyway.
This time when I weigh my luggage, it’s two pounds underweight, and Jett gives me a fist bump, which I return with gusto. All the camera equipment goes through security with us, and we’re through the line in less time than it took to pull items out of my suitcase.
“It’s great to officially meet you,” Molly says as we ride the moving walkway to our gate. “I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you from Jett. Between you and me, he’s pretty thrilled you agreed to work with us.”
“Really?”
“Hasn’t shut up about it,” Doug chimes in. “He’s been thinking about how to convince you to work with us since we got off the vessel.”
The topic of conversation is ten paces ahead of us, chatting with a pair of young boys who recognized him.He’s wanted to hire me this whole time?
“He only asked me a month ago.”
Doug grimaces. “Yeah, that’s on me. I didn’t think you would agree. He went rogue.”
“Why didn’t you think I would say yes?”
The married couple exchanges a glance, one that conveys they’ve had this conversation before. “Uh, well,” Molly starts, “we weren’t sure…you would leave your other job.”
I smell a lie, but I don’t know them well enough to call them out. “Well, I am ecstatic to be here and working with you guys.”
This is awkward as hell, and the moving walkway seems to last forever.Did they think I would be a poor fit? Am I too uptight for them? Not experienced enough with film?
Jett returns, blissfully unaware of the tense air around us. “What did I miss?”
“I was telling Molly and Doug how happy I am to be working with everyone and how thrilled I was when you offered me the position.”
It may be a tiny white lie, but I hate how the information they offered settles like a rock in my stomach.
Jett swings an arm around my shoulders, dragging me into his side. “You’re stuck with us now.”
A blush creeps up my cheek as his hold lingers, and when he releases me, I’m wobbly on my feet.
The gate is packed, but we manage to steal a handful of seats. By the time I return from changing my clothes, Jett has disappeared again. I’m halfway through Luisa’s essay about her struggle with identity as a twin when he returns with an armful of snacks and a mischievous grin.
He exchanges a conspiratorial look with Doug. Oh, so he’s in on it, too. Whateveritis.
“I don’t think I like that look,” I mutter.
“Usually ends in something wacky,” Molly replies, pulling a book out of her bag.
“I have a surprise,” Jett announces, bouncing on his toes. “A super awesome, comfy surprise.”
Pausing, he scans over my outfit change. I will admit (in my head) that the fuzzy matching set is far more comfortable than the blazer and jeans.
“Should I be afraid?”
