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23
By the time they touched down in L.A., Jane was all smiles, and cool as a cucumber. Austin couldn’t believe the transformation. As he got her talking, he found her to be engaging, funny, sweet, caring, smart, and thoughtful. He knew it had been a risk sharing his secret, and he still wasn’t sure how he had been able to do it, but he had successfully distracted her on the six-hour flight by talking, playing random games, ordering a few cocktails to calm her nerves, and otherwise distracting her. Even when they hit a few bumpy patches, she seemed OK, as long as he kept her talking.
“Thank you,” Jane said to Austin with a smile, as they walked to find their car service at LAX. She felt calm and relaxed, and it was because of what he had done for her on the flight.
“For what?” Austin teased her as they walked along the concourse. To anyone who noticed, they looked like a strikingly good-looking couple.
“For helping me during the entire flight, and for sharing so much with me,” Jane answered. “It meant a lot to me, more than you know.”
“Well, I think it’s safe to say that you know a good deal about me, and I feel like I know everything there is to know about you at this point,” Austin joked.“Will you need me to sign an NDA?
“Oh, stop!” Jane laughed, “I wasn’t that bad, was I?”
“I’m kidding with you,” Austin said, shaking his head with a laugh. “I’m just glad it worked out.”
The last six hours in the air with Jane almost seemed like a first date, a really long one, but one he didn’t want to end. They really got to know each other, and they shared lots of things about themselves. As the hours ticked along, Austin found himself looking at the time and wishing it wasn’t going by so quickly. He had thoroughly enjoyed sitting with her, talking and laughing.
When he had laid eyes on her a week ago at the meeting with his father, his first reaction was that she was beautiful, but a total hard-ass when it came to work. He knew her guard was up having him around, but she had slowly begun to defrost over the last week as they had worked together. But being with her, one-on-one, he found himself almost mesmerized by her. She was personable. She was witty. She asked him questions about his life, which normally girls didn’t do because they usually just cared about his money. There hadn’t been a lag in their conversation for the entire flight. He hadn’t talked much about high school, but he did get Jane to share her high school experience and he knew, without a doubt, that her experience was the complete opposite of his own.
“I didn’t realize how paralyzed with fear I was about flying,” she said, “never mind thinking that I would be doing it alone.”
“I bet if I hadn’t turned up, you would have made it perfectly,” Austin said as they walked along.
“Um,” Jane chuckled, “I think the flight attendants would probably disagree. I’m just glad I didn’t have to roll the dice on that one.”
“Well, the drinks seemed to help, too,” Austin added, with a funny look on his face.
“I did feel great after those drinks kicked in,” Jane laughed, making Austin’s smile glow. “The few bumps were barely noticeable.”
“Did you know that you’re a lot funnier with a few drinks in you,” he teased, making her laugh.
“I felt a lot funnier,” she said, “although I don’t want to make a habit of drinking cocktails at 10 am!”
Jane had been a trooper on the flight. He had traveled so much in his life that flying was second nature. He knew there were fearful flyers, his mom was one, but his dad normally took care of her. He had never been in charge of keeping his mom calm. When he saw how frightened Jane was, his immediate thought was to take care of her, protect her, and even hold her in his arms. He’d never had that overwhelming feeling come over him when it came to a woman. It made him feel good to see the positive effect he’d been able to have on her.
“Well,” Austin said, “now that I know ahead of time, I’ll be fully prepared tomorrow night with another bag of tricks.”
“Or you might get lucky and I’ll sleep the entire way back, giving you some peace and quiet,” Jane answered. “I have a feeling the next 24 hours are going to be crazy for us. I can’t believe the sampling is tonight. There’s so much to get done.”
Austin nodded, knowing that Jane most likely had everything under control. He couldn’t get over how naturally pretty she looked walking along with her suitcase. She had worn casual clothes for the flight, just simple black leggings with a white tank top and cropped black hoodie. She had also worn a baseball hat with her hair in long braids underneath. He couldn’t help but steal quick glances at her, even being pissed when he noticed a few guys checking her out.
As they walked along, a high-pitched voice exclaimed, “AUSTIN!” and they both turned to see Molly, looking as L.A. beautiful as ever. “SURPRISE!! I wanted to be the one to come get you!” She smiled, looking directly at Austin, not even acknowledging Jane at first. She jumped into Austin’s arms, giving him a big hug, and as she slowly pulled away from the embrace she turned and smiled at Jane. “Welcome to La La land, my friends!”
* * *
Jane hadn’t seen or spoken to Molly since the tasting, but it was clear she had ulterior motives when she arranged this “tasting” trip. The three of them sat in the back of the limo, and Molly pressed herself against Austin the whole way to the hotel, completely ignoring her. When their driver pulled up at the hotel Molly came up with an excuse to keep Austin with her by telling him she wanted him to meet some clients that she wanted to pitch The Oxford to. Knowing he couldn’t say no, Austin stayed with Molly, because this was the whole point of his new role at work.
With no time to lose, Jane got out of the limo solo, grabbed her bag from the driver, and headed inside to get registered. She couldn’t believe what had just happened, and she felt upset and even a little sad watching the limo pull away with Austin in it. It was crystal clear that Molly had no intention of allowing Austin to help Jane get everything set for the wedding walk-through with Kat and Mike. Molly had her own agenda, and Austin was on it. The problem was that Jane couldn't tell if Austin minded or not. But she didn't have time to think about that right now.
Everything went in fast forward from that point on. Jane was in total work mode, getting everything prepped and perfect for Kat and Mike’s sampling that evening. Thankfully, because her chef from The Oxford had arrived yesterday, he had the food for the sampling completely under control. Jane was equally thankful that the flower vendor had recreated everything perfectly. Jane had shipped out the exact place setting of dishes, napkins, and cutlery for Kat and Mike to see firsthand.
“Everything looks great, Jane,” Chef Robert said as he walked into the living room of his suite to view what Jane had created on the table.
Jane looked over and smiled. “It looks exactly like the one we had earlier this week in Rhode Island. Now, if your food tastes half as good as it smells, I think we’re in perfect shape tonight.”
“Looks like you’ve got everything set,” he nodded. “And this view is incredible,” Chef Robert added, walking over to the windows. Molly had booked a spectacular suite overlooking Beverly Hills. Since it was a gorgeous night, Jane had opted to have the sampling on the private patio. With the combination of the night, the view, the venue, and the place settings, it looked beautifully elegant. Now, she hoped that Kat and Mike would be happily impressed.
“When can we expect everyone?” Robert asked, checking his watch.
