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“It sort of looks like a conspiracy. A few weeks ago when I asked you if the mice were playing while the cat was away, I meant it as a joke.”
“Are you angry?”
Forward, back, forward, back, forward, back, then over to the bar, where he poured himself a shot of scotch. He didn’t offer to pour her one. “What does the TSA say about these special passes issued to members?”
“It isn’t a new idea. Passes for frequent fliers is a topic already on the table. Some are already in use at selected airports.”
“Where would the planes come from?”
“With so many airlines reducing flights for economic reasons, we could buy the grounded planes for pennies on the dollar.”
“It would still cost millions. Millions more to convert them to that,” he said, gesturing toward the model.
“SunSouth has an extensive line of credit. We borrow the money—”
“And if this concept fails, we’re stuck with a huge debt and no way to pay it back.”
“We would incorporate those newly purchased planes into our normal operation. Our planes always fly full, usually they’re oversold, and we were planning to expand the fleet next year anyway.”
He finished his scotch in one swallow, then went back to the bar, took a cocktail napkin, and wiped the rim of his empty glass, circling it three times, before placing it in the rack
beneath the sink. He replaced the stopper in the crystal decanter and put it back exactly where it had been. He used one of the bottles of hand sanitizer.
Finally he said, “It’s all very speculative, Laura.”
“And preliminary. I said as much. It needs a lot of fine tuning. I’m relying on you for that.”
He didn’t address that. “The likelihood of it succeeding is slim.”
“So was the likelihood of SunSouth’s making it when you took over. Everyone told you there wasn’t room for another commercial airline based in Dallas. Economists said you were crazy. Business analysts laughed in your face. You didn’t listen. You steamrolled over the skeptics. You didn’t let anything keep you from realizing your dream.”
“I wasn’t a cripple then.”
If he’d slapped her, she couldn’t have been more shocked. Indeed, he had struck her where he knew it would hurt the most. She stared at him, then, recovering from her initial astonishment, turned and headed for the door.
“Laura. Laura, wait! I’m sorry.” She paused, her hand on the doorknob. He came up behind her and reached for her hand. “God, I’m so sorry. Forgive me.”
He pulled her down onto his lap, took her head between his hands, forcing it around so she would have to look at him. “I’m sorry.” He kissed her cheek, then her lips. “I’m sorry. Forgive me.”
Hearing genuine regret in his voice, she relaxed her posture. “Why would you say something like that, Foster?”
“It was uncalled for. Completely.”
She looked over his shoulder at the display, which represented so many hours of labor for her and many others. “I thought this would excite and invigorate you.”
He stroked her hair. “I ruined your surprise with my negativity. I apologize for that. Especially since you’ve already had one letdown this week.”
He was talking about her period. True, that was a letdown, but she wouldn’t be distracted from this subject by talking about that. “Do you hate the idea of SunSouth Select?”
“It’s a lot to absorb in fifteen minutes.” His gentle smile was an attempt to soften the blow, as were his carefully chosen words. “You’ve had months to fuel your enthusiasm. I was blindsided. Give me some time to mull it over.”
“But your initial reaction is thumbs down.”
“Not at all. It’s cautiously favorable to an idea that needs further study.”
Which translated to thumbs down.
He guided her head to his shoulder. “In the meantime, congratulations on a job well done. It’s one of the best presentations I’ve ever heard.”
