AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her shock was quickly diminished when the woman gestured to Mila’s name tag. When Mila nodded, the woman stuck out her hand with a surprising amount of energy.
“Nice to meet you, Mila. My name is Gerri Wilder. I just wanted to compliment you on your customer service.”
Mila felt her cheeks heat at the praise. “Oh, thank you. It’s my job to ensure that everything goes smoothly.”
“Well, you do your job very well. That particular flight just happened to be a madhouse, so I was very impressed with your ability to stay calm and collected.”
Mila smiled with a chuckle. It was nice to be noticed. She did try very hard. Apparently encouraged, Gerri smiled as well.
“Sometimes a madhouse is just the name of the game. I am used to it by now.”
“Used to it …” Gerri echoed hollowly, raising an eyebrow. “Why do you put up with it?”
“I don’t know,” Mila admitted, not bothering to explain that Gerri had voiced the very question that had been troubling her lately. “I guess it’s just because I have been doing it for so long now. I really got into this business because I wanted to travel, and I love seeing new places. I figured I could get paid to travel and see the world this way.”
Mila shrugged. She honestly hadn’t ever seriously considered quitting despite the way her frustrations with the position had been growing. She loved traveling so much. She couldn’t imagine killing that wander bug in her system.
A part of her pondered on why she was spilling the tea to a perfect stranger. She hadn’t even voiced her doubts to her own sister, the one person she was closest to. But for some reason, it felt very easy talking to Gerri.
Gerri narrowed her eyes, looking like she was considering something. Mila cocked her head to the side, wondering what was going through Gerri’s mind.
“Have you ever considered a different line of work? I happen to have an acquaintance looking to hire a personal assistant. The gentleman flies a great deal, so essentially, you could be a personal flight attendant.”
Mila thought for a moment. A personal assistant would be more rooted than what she was doing now. And likely less demanding. She’d make one person happy instead of hundreds.
“Who is your acquaintance?”
“A prominent figure in the tech industry. He has a private jet and his pilot’s license, so you two would be working relatively alone and in close quarters.”
Mila couldn’t believe that she was actually considering this. It was a far cry from anything she had done in the past, but it would be a chance to settle down yet still travel.
“I suppose if the pay were comparable and my vacation time was more flexible than my current job, it would be something I could consider.”
Gerri’s face lit up like fireworks. The flash of gold Mila thought she had seen in Gerri’s eyes before was definitely there this time. Mila tried to remain expressionless even though she was bewildered by this petite woman who had crash-landed in her life.
“Excellent.” Gerri took Mila’s hands in her own. “I think this would be an excellent opportunity for you, my dear. I would love for you to come out to Oregon and meet my acquaintance. His name is Cyrus Bechtel.” She gave Mila a bright smile. “And he’s a polar bear shifter.”
The name Cyrus Bechtel rang a bell in the back of Mila’s mind, and she made a mental note to look him up later. Working for a shifter certainly did sound interesting.
“It sounds like a plan to me. When would we leave?”
“I just have some quick business here in town. What do you say we leave tomorrow morning? I will look into the tickets tonight. Shall I treat you to something to eat for lunch? It would be my pleasure.”
Mila agreed, relieved she would get to speak to Gerri a bit more before she sprinted off with her to a strange place and unknown potential boss.
Over lunch, Mila realized the bubbly personality she had seen from Gerri was just the tip of the iceberg. Mila believed wholeheartedly that Gerri did not stop talking for the next hour and a half that they were together, and that included the need to breathe as well as put food in her mouth.
“I often find myself flying all over as well. I don’t tend to stay in one place for very long.” Gerri was not shy about personal details, be it hers or that of her companion.
“So, was there anything in particular that pushed you to get out and see the world? I have known a great many people who are content to never leave their hometown,” Gerri queried.
“Well, I grew up in a small hometown, and I have always been fascinated with other places in the world. I had a map of the world on my bedroom wall with tiny push pins in different places I wanted to visit,” Mila revealed.
“It used to drive my sister crazy. We shared a room growing up, but all she had on her walls were boy bands. I aspired a little higher than that. But she ended up traveling a lot, too, so what do I know?”
Gerri’s eyes smiled again. Mila squirmed a bit, feeling uncomfortable with how easily she had just spoken about her personal life.
“And what is it that you do for a living, Ms. Wilder?” Mila asked, trying to shift the focus back onto Gerri for now.
