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“And to answer your question, no, I don’t think that’s a stupid reason. Merely an unexpected one.”
She cocked her head to the side. “That right?”
“Yes. There are many reasons why a young woman might want to fulfill her destiny of being a princess, a queen, in time. If you were to take an average person, I’d guess that getting closer to their lost parent wouldn’t be listed on their top ten.”
“Well, it’s the truth. Believe it or not. This is my chance to find out more about my mom’s past, and I’m not going to miss it.” She looked me up and down in a pointed manner. “Even if there are downsides.”
I laughed. “Rest assured, Princess; you’re not the only one who’d rather be in other company.”
Ava reached forward, opening her bag and taking out a large pair of headphones.
“If you’ve got anything else smart you want to say, do it now. Once these go on, they’re not coming off for the next ten hours.”
“Get some rest, Princess,” I replied. “There’s much ahead of you.”
Without another word, she put the headphones over her ears and turned toward the window.
I had work to do and had no intention of spending my time bickering with Ava for the entire flight. When we reached cruising altitude, I grabbed my workbag and stepped over to the small office area, the L-shaped desk looking out over the clouds beneath us. I opened my laptop and connected to Wi-Fi, quickly typing an email to Alaric letting him know that we were en route.
A smile formed on my lips as I hit “send.” Alaric had been uncertain about my chances in bringing Ava back to him. I was most pleased to be able to let him know that the task had been accomplished.
Once the email was sent, I spent another hour or so going over housekeeping—arranging schedules for staff and responding to emails. It was far from my favorite part of the job, but it needed doing and a ten-hour flight was just the time to get it done.
After I had finished, I closed the laptop and was surprised to find fatigue weighing heavily on me. My eyelids sagged, and my body craved a bit of rest.
I rose from the chair and stepped over to the plush, white sofa on the other side of the cabin.
I glanced over at Ava as I laid down, her head bobbing up and down as she mouthed the words to whatever song she was listening to. I found myself staring at her, my eyelids growing heavier by the second…
“Hey,” Ava’s eyes flashed as she pulled off her headphones. “What’s the deal?”
“The deal?”
“Yeah. Why the hell are you staring at me like that?”
“I wasn’t aware that I was staring at you in any kind of way.”
She narrowed her eyes, tossing her headphones onto her bag.
“You’re really going to make me spell it out for you, huh?”
“I am, if that means you’ll tell me whatever the hell it is you’re talking about.”
“The way you’re staring at me, you’ve been doing it since we first met.”
My heart skipped a beat. “How exactly have I been looking at you?”
She stuck her finger out at me, flicking it up and down.
“Like you’re checking me out. I’m like half your age.”
“First of all, you’re not half my age. I’m not quite that old.”
“Whatever. You’re missing the point.”
“And what is your point exactly?” I asked.
She considered me for a moment. “Just that you’ve been giving me the eye.”
