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They had about thirty seconds to get to the lounge before the entire airport knew they were here. Alessandro made it with at least ten to spare.
“That wasn’t bad,” Megan said after the door was closed behind them. The few people in the lounge were intent on their computers or their children, and the atmosphere was much calmer.
“It was a miracle,” Alessandro said, rubbing his arm.
The rep took them to two deep club chairs in a corner and, after bringing them coffee and breakfast, left them in peace. Alessandro could sip his espresso and admire Megan, who smiled at him and pulled a book out of her enormous purse.
After a few minutes, the rep picked them up and led them through an outside door to the tarmac, where a car took them to the plane before anyone else. A steward offered them more coffee and a snack, gave them a full set of headphones each, and implored them to let him know if they needed anything.
“I’m overwhelmed,” Megan said with a grin, picking up her second mug of coffee.
“Your family does not travel first class for business?”
“We usually stick to premium economy. It depends on the airline. And we don’t bother with the lounges unless it’s an international flight, which it rarely is.” She stretched her legs luxuriously. “Mm, legroom.”
The cabin filled up around them, but again, they were left alone. Megan flipped her legs across his lap and turned sideways, tucking herself into her seat. Alessandro used the excuse of arranging her hood more comfortably around her neck to caress her jaw, eliciting a warm sparkle from her eyes and a kiss to his palm.
They slept during the flight, Alessandro still enjoying the weight of her legs on his. When they saw the skyline of LA through the window, he couldn’t believe how fast the flight had gone.
“The last time I saw this skyline,” he mused, “I was in a very different place.”
“Are you ready to get back in the firing line?” she asked.
“You don’t call what happened to you the firing line?”
“Not compared to what’s about to happen,” she said. “I’m trying to be realistic.”
“Do not be too realistic,” he said, stroking her hair. “I do not want you to lose your joy for life in this cynical town. I learned the wordcynicalwhen I moved here.”
“I think I was too focused on other people’s joy for life. I have to find my own.”
The steward came right then, and within minutes, they were in a car and driving to the private terminal at LAX. There was no partition, so they had no privacy for Alessandro to follow up on her statement, and what would he say? Could she find something to be passionate about in this town? He wasn’t so sure.
He had even less opportunity when they got through the terminal and out to the car that waited for them. Make that cars. Because Yasmin got out of the first one and said, “Finally. Come on. You’re taking the first car. You’re doing Kelly Clarkson in one hour. Megan, hi, nice to meet you in person—you’re taking the second car to Alessandro’s place. He’ll see you later.”
♦
Chapter 19
Megan had zero seconds to absorb the words that had just come out of Yasmin’s mouth or even to give her a reasonable handshake in response to the firm pumping of her hand.
Alessandro gasped. “I cannot just send her to my house like… she’s a piece of mail!”
“She’s not a piece of mail. Steve will get her there safely, and Jacqui will give her the code for the door. Come on. No time to argue.”
Yasmin pulled Alessandro by the arm. Steve, if that was who she referred to, was putting their cases in the trunk of the second car. Alessandro looked mutinous, but Megan didn’t want to tick Yasmin off within seconds of meeting her. “I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “Go. Be amazing. You’ve earned this.”
“I can—”
“Text me when you’re on your way home. I’ll be fine,” she said and hid a wince at the word. Well, this time she would be fine. The air here, even with the smells of aviation fuel and exhaust, was fresh and bright and about forty degrees warmer than what they’d left behind in Boston. The sky was a clear blue, and as Steve ushered her into the car, she scrambled in her purse for her sunglasses.
She needn’t have bothered, of course. The windows were blacked out. And a voice next to her made her jump and take the glasses off so she could see. “Hi! I’m Jacqui!”
“Oh my God!” Megan burst out. “You scared me! I’m so sorry! Hi, Jacqui. I’m Megan.” They shook hands. Jacqui was a platinum-blonde with deeply tanned skin and teeth that made Megan blink. She wore a cut-off T-shirt with Gucci spelled out in gold sequins, and short denim shorts that revealed diminutive but perfect legs. “Um, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, I’m Yasmin’s assistant. I’m taking you to Alessandro’s. Making sure you get settled in, showing you the ropes.”
“But…” Megan tried to get a handle on this situation, so different from what she’d imagined. She’d imagined a slow drive through horrendous traffic, holding Alessandro’s hand and seeing LA through his eyes. When she’d been here for Kane’s conferences, they’d always gone to a huge hotel and stayed there for days. Instead, she had Jacqui talking nonstop and blocking the shaded view out of the windows.
