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Once through security, Ava rushed to her gate. Passing empty chairs, she groaned when the gate agent closed the jet bridge door.
“Wait! That’s my flight.” Ava jogged the last few feet.
The woman with slumping shoulders and an I-don’t-give-a-shit face apologized without a smile. “Sorry. You’re too late. We already closed the door.”
“No!”
“There’s nothing I can do.”
Ava dealt with her fair share of superiority when she served in the military. “I need to get on that plane. I have my ticket right here.”
Before the gate agent responded, she smiled. The action transformed her whole face, making her look less bitchy.
Ava adjusted her pack, ready to flirt back if it’d get her on board.
“Good morning,” said a deep, buttery male voice behind Ava’s shoulder, sending goose bumps down her spine.
Realizing the woman had not smiled at her, Ava turned, giving in to her curiosity. She rolled her gaze over his strong physique as he strolled past her, his delicious scent taunting her. Her eyes ping-ponged from one wide shoulder to the other as she recognized his trendy threads and his freakishly sensual smell. Gamer guy from the security line.
“Don’t tell me I missed my flight,” he said with a sexy twist to his lips and dreamy hooded eyes. He held up his phone, displaying his electronic ticket.
“Looks like we’re both out of luck.” Ava couldn’t conceal her annoyance with the gate agent, even with someone so striking standing next to her.
He gave Ava a sly glance but focused on the woman fiddling with her earring. “This place is so inefficient when there’s a mile-long security line. It must take a toll on you gate agents,” he cooed with crushing emotion.
“You have no idea.” The agent reached for the desk phone. “One sec. Let me make a call.”
And just like that, the woman melted under his gaze and smooth words.
Though irritated beyond measure, Ava refused to get passed over. She stepped closer to the gamer’s side, her head reaching the top of his shoulder.
The agent flicked her gaze at Ava, who also held up her phone, presenting her electronic ticket.
Meanwhile, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome had the nerve to check Ava out, burning holes in her clothing and setting her on fire.Devil.She lifted her chin, meeting his curious gaze. “Well, thank goodness you came along.” Ultimately, she’d needed his help, but begrudgingly so.
He grinned, his topaz eyes dancing with mirth. Then a smile tugged into one cheek, revealing an endearing dimple.
Gah! How irritating.She’d clearly sounded sarcastic.So why did he look at her like that?
She fought the urge to lift her hair off her overly warm and damp neck. Geez, she felt so on edge. She lowered her gaze, unable to maintain eye contact, definitely off-kilter. Maybe a casual hookup at this wedding would do her some good. Scratch an itch.
“All set. They’re opening the aircraft door.” The agent unlocked and opened the jet bridge door. “You can head on down, Mr. Scott.”
“Hey, what about me?”Am I completely invisible?
“You can go too.”
When Ava passed the woman, she looked her dead in the eye with her best you-know-what-you-did look. The agent paled before shutting the door and following them.
“Got two more for you,” the agent said to the flight attendant, who swung open the aircraft door. “I just need to update the manifest.”
“Okay,” the flight attendant glanced at their bags, “but there’s no more room in the overheads.”
“Mr. Scott is in first class,” said the agent, as she collected the manifest from the flight attendant.
“Oh, then come on through, Mr. Scott.” She waved him in but held her hand up to Ava. “Sorry, miss, but your backpack isn’t going to fit under the seat. It’ll have to be checked. Coach is completely full.”
Ava already had her phone and headphones in her pockets, so she allowed the flight attendant to collect it. Ava grumbled under her breath as one of those tarmac guys tagged her pack and disappeared with it out the door. Before, when in the army, she packed efficiently, carrying everything she needed in her canvas backpack. But for this long weekend, she’d checked a small bag with all the different shoes and outfits for each day’s events, along with her pocketknife.
Entering the cramped aircraft, Ava turned right and did her best to avoid elbows all the way to the back of the plane. After climbing into her seat, she sighed. What an ordeal. She didn’t even want to go to this especially long wedding extravaganza. Leave it to a romantic to host a drawn-out matrimonial saga. Not one to bail on a brother in arms, she also wouldn’t miss it for the world. Major Todd Patterson had looked out for her so many times throughout their army career. He often kept her out of trouble, standing up to assholes who always seemed to single her out. She worked twice as hard as any man and never let them forget it, especially when they called her sweetheart or made taunts about her age.
Ignoring the guy smiling at her on her right, she popped in her headphones and selected a playlist, not up for general conversation, and pondered how much preparation time she’d need for tonight’s big welcome gala. She wanted to look decent, for Todd’s sake. According to Todd, this weekend event billed out at around a half million dollars, and he’d advised her to enjoy it. What kind of people paid for flights, hotels, rounds of golf, and all the other bougie activities requiring their own app? Ridiculously rich people, that’s who. It’d likely be the fanciest event of her lifetime, not that she put stock in swank society.
Her current life situation felt like a war zone after a detonation: chaotic and uncertain. After this event, she’d return to Brooklyn, and her son, and sort out their future. But for now, she might as well sit back, relax, and see what adventures a half million-dollar event would bring her.
