Page 53 of Last First Date

Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all. Hearing him talk about himself and sounding normal had made me forget all about the fact we were flying above the clouds. Alexa returned with a charcuterie board filled with meats, cheeses, and grapes.

“Thank you,” Knox said. “Maybe Waverly would like a cocktail.”

“Oh no.” I shook my head. “It’s too early for that.”

Knox grinned and held up two fingers. “Mimosas, please. It’s never too early for those.”

“Cheers to that.” Alexa winked, leaving us again to prepare the drinks.

I watched Knox as he moved a grape between his fingers. “You know, you’re starting to surprise me,” I said, picking up a piece of cheese.

His eyebrows furrowed. “How so?”

“Well, for one thing, you’re not acting like a jerk.” I paused. “And I kind of like this side of you.”

His lips curled into a smile, and he popped the grape into his mouth. “I have many sides, Waverly. You just need to stick around long enough to discover them.”

“I’m not sure if I want to,” I retorted, raising a challenging eyebrow at him. “The prickly side seems to come out far too often.”

Knox chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Fair point. But don’t we all have our off days? Besides, that’s just one dimension of me, and it takes time to understand the whole picture.”

22

KNOX

She gave me an appraising look, and I could see her wheels turning. This was new. Waverly was tough as nails, no-nonsense, and I was pretty sure she hated me. Our verbal sparring was normal, but there was something different about this conversation. Something more real.

“It still won’t excuse you for being an ass.” She pressed a piece of cheese to her lips before taking a bite. Her eyes were sparkling with challenge and a bit of mischief.

“We all have our faults.”

She seemed to relax, leaning back in her chair. “I can’t believe this is how you people fly all the time. I’ve always seen the movies and TV shows with people cramped into little seats and rushing through the airport.”

I flashed a grin. “You people?”

“Rich people,” she replied.

I laughed, the sound more genuine than I intended. “Well, it’s not all rainbows and unicorns flying private. It gets lonely sometimes.”

Her expression softened and she actually seemed to consider my words. “I never thought of that,” she admitted, picking at the cheese on her plate.

It was a side of her I’d never seen before—vulnerable, understanding. It made her even more attractive, if that was possible.

“And you? Do you ever get lonely?” I asked.

Waverly shrugged, suddenly very interested in the cracker she was holding. “Maybe. But I find ways to keep myself busy.”

“Like working those grueling hours at the office?” I asked, watching her reaction.

She shot me a smirk, a bit of the steel back in her eye. “It’s better than flying alone, I suppose. Or being alone all the time in general.”

“I’m not always alone,” I countered. “In Utah, I have been, but not in New York. It’s pretty hard to be alone.”

A moment of silence fell between us as Alexa returned with our mimosas.

“Alone isn’t bad, though. Not really. If I’m being honest, I spend a lot of time alone. I don’t mind, but I don’t think I could ever fly alone.”

“It’s like working in my office,” I said, shrugging. “Except peaceful. No interruptions. I get a lot of work done typically.”