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The flight attendant who was standing putting cups onto a cart met his gaze. “Can I help you sir?”
“Ah, no thank you. I just need to stretch my legs. I’ve been traveling for a day or two and don’t want to get blood clots.”
Bryce turned and headed back toward the front of the plane. He got as far as the curtain which separated the business class seats from the rest of the passengers. His fingers reached for the edge of the closure, before he drew his hand back. He’d checked those seats when he had first come on board, they were all fully occupied.
By the time he eventually made his way back to his row, Bryce had come to a horrid realization. Vivian wasn’t on the flight. He had no idea where she was, but he now suspected she had taken a plane out of the other airport, Houston International.
If she had, then she could be in-bound to any one of the major airports which serviced New York and its surrounds. She might even be flying into New Jersey. And here he was, stuck on a non-stop no frills flight home without a clue as to where the woman he was falling for was, or how to get in touch with her. His day was going from bad to worse.
Retrieving his leather planner from his carry-on bag Bryce shuffled over to his seat. There were three remaining hours of flight time, and he didn’t plan to waste a minute. It was time to figure out his next move. The one where he confessed to Vivian that she meant a lot more to him than merely a one night stand.
But what if the damage I’ve caused is already too great, and I’ve lost her?
CHAPTERFORTY-FOUR
It turned out that Jonathan wasn’t as young a boy as Bryce had first thought. He was in fact a slightly built eleven year old, who had just spent a month with his grandparents in Houston.
“Did you enjoy Houston? I haven’t visited before,” asked Bryce.
Edward Royal had long had Houston down on his list of places for future Royal Resorts expansion, and Bryce planned to travel back to Texas as soon as he got settled into his new role as CEO. The US board would be looking to him for a detailed review of his father’s growth plans, and to put a formal proposal together.
“It was ok. I didn’t want to go, but my mom and dad made me.”
Bryce frowned. As a kid he had loved visiting his grandparents in both upstate New York and the English countryside. Why wouldn’t a boy want to travel to go and see them?
“Are your grandparents evil, is that it? Did they make you eat peas at supper?”
He was half teasing. Bryce loathed peas. In his book, anyone who forced a child to eat them was nothing short of a villain.
Jonathan shifted in his seat, then with a sigh, hung his head. “No. They’re nice. It’s me whose horrible.” The tone of self-reproach in Jonathan’s voice spoke of someone who might have done something awful and come to deeply regret it.
“I don’t think you are capable of being bad, let alone horrible. Would you like to talk about it?”
He didn’t want to pry, but Bryce sensed his traveling companion was still carrying a good deal of guilt over something.
It must have been something bad if his parents sent him away for a few weeks.
“I took my little brother’s Pokémon cards and sold them at school.”
Pokémon, was that still a thing? Bryce could recall the craze when the mobile app had launched. Some of the Royal Resorts had been designated game stops and guests were running around catching creatures. At first, they had looked to have the stops removed from near the hotels, but his forward thinking brother Matthew had convinced their father that the game actually helped attract paying guests. People were checking into Royal Resorts just to play Pokémon.
“When you say took, do you mean you stole them?” His own experience with younger brothers meant Bryce was uniquely equipped to understand the complex language of siblings. Jordan’s wild days had also taught him the subtle art of semantics. ‘Took’ could mean many things.
Jonathan nodded. “Yeah, I stole them. And I feel bad. I made him cry. He said he hated me. We had a big fight and I—” Tears rolled down the boy’s face.
“But you regret it. I know brothers can be a pain. They can also be your best friend.”
His own words hit Bryce like a punch to the gut. Jordan had made a mess of things, but had Bryce made much of an effort to stay in touch with him while he’d been in Europe and the UK?Rarely.If he’d reached out more often, he might have noticed the warning signs and Laguna Beach might not have gotten so bad. And as for Matthew, he hadn’t even picked up the phone to ask how he was doing since their late night chat.
He might not have taken his brothers’ trading cards, but he wasn’t exactly being the best version of a big brother. Being protective of his siblings was something which came with the territory.I have to do better.
Jonathan wiped his face with the back of his hand. Bryce fished inside his pants pocket and produced a clean cotton handkerchief. It was monogrammed and had cost him more than his last-minute plane ticket. “Here, use this.”
“Thank you.” Jonathan blew his nose then offered it back to Bryce, who politely declined, saying, “You keep it. Ask your mom to wash it when you get home. You can say the B is for brother.”
Bryce shifted in his seat and turned to his young friend. “I know it’s hard being a big brother at times. I have two brothers. But you did something wrong and now you have to make it up to your brother. Tell him you’re sorry. Tell him you know you hurt him. But that you love him and hope you can be friends again.”
I haven’t actually said a proper sorry to Jordan for going behind his back at Laguna Beach. I can’t put all the blame on Dad. And when was the last time I told either of my brothers that I loved them?
