A Flight of Fancy (Scottish Island Escapes Book 6)

by Margaret Amatt

  ‘I thought you’d be leaping for joy,’ Skylar said. ‘You’ve been set free. Your first trip without Mom and Dad since… Well, forever.’ Their parents had taken the first part of the journey from Los Angeles to New York, but now Taylor and Skylar were crossing the Atlantic on their own.

  Taylor shook her head. ‘Yeah, and why should I celebrate that? I should never have been locked up in the first place.’

  Skylar burst out laughing. ‘You weren’t locked up. God, people say I’m a drama queen.’ She laid her hand on her chest. ‘We’ve given you a job, a home, and the therapy you need.’

  ‘But I didn’t need it. I’m not some dirty secret to be hidden away.’

  ‘Oh, but that’s exactly what you are, Taylor.’ Skylar’s voice turned sharp. ‘What you did to me is unforgivable.’

  ‘It was a long time ago.’

  ‘Six years.’

  Taylor closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. Arguing was futile. Skylar twisted everything. Six years ago, Taylor had been prepared to rob a high-end store disguised as Skylar. The plan to incriminate her had backfired. She’d backed out and confessed before she’d done anything. The pain and anguish at what she’d become had pushed her to the brink, she’d turned to drugs and been thrown into rehab for a year.

  ‘Surely that’s long enough. I did my stint in rehab. I’ve kept my head down and worked hard for you for the last five years. Can’t you drop it now?’

  ‘Maybe,’ said Skylar.

  ‘Good. Because I’m done with this job,’ said Taylor.

  ‘How do you mean?’

  ‘I can’t live my life like this, shut away, promoting you from behind the scenes.’

  ‘Promoting me?’

  ‘Well, yes. I do your PR.’ Taylor stared at Skylar. ‘Don’t you even know what I do?’

  Skylar examined her long glitter nail. ‘It’s just lip service, Taylor. Your job isn’t real. It’s something Dad made up to keep you busy. I don’t think any of your promotions ever go anywhere. The PR manager files everything you’ve done in the garbage can.’

  ‘That’s not true.’ Taylor bit her lip. It couldn’t be true. But sometimes she wondered if she convinced herself of her own reality to stop herself from going crazy. ‘And if it is, well, it just tells me that what I’m planning to do is the right thing.’

  ‘And… What are you planning?’ asked Skylar slowly.

  ‘I’m getting out. I’m going to do my own thing.’

  A flicker of fear crossed Skylar’s face and she blinked rapidly. ‘Taylor, that’s dangerous talk. If you’re using this trip to run away, then you’re making a mistake. Mom and Dad won’t support you if you go it alone. This is why you need to sign an agreement promising not to impersonate me again.’

  ‘How can I do that? Sometimes people think I’m you without me even trying. I’d be breaching the agreement just living. And don’t suggest surgery – I won’t.’

  Skylar rolled her eyes.

  ‘I don’t have to live under your thumb. I would have thought you’d have been happy to get rid of me.’

  ‘Oh, sometimes I would, believe me. But I can’t trust you. Look at you now. You got on this trip because we thought you’d changed but clearly you haven’t. The minute you’re on your own, you start this. I need to call Dad. If you’re gonna be causing trouble, I’m not babysitting you.’

  ‘I’m not causing trouble. I just wanted to give you the heads-up that I’m not sticking around after this trip.’

  ‘And where are you going then?’

  ‘I’m moving to London. With Alex.’

  ‘London?’ Skylar’s lips curled upwards and she looked away, bobbing her head. ‘And Alex, of course, Alex. I forgot.’

  ‘We’ve talked a lot online,’ said Taylor, ‘and he’s gonna help me out.’

  ‘Sure he is.’ Skylar winked at her. ‘If that’s your plan, then we’re good. Nothing to worry about.’

  She stood, looked around, and moved back to her own seat. Taylor frowned and shook her head. Seriously? After all her moaning, Skylar was ok with that? Wow. Finally. Taylor put in her earbuds and let calming surf sounds lull her to sleep.

  *

  ‘Will the limo be waiting?’ Skylar said, as they made their way through Glasgow airport.

  Liesel, her PA, nodded, running along behind, pulling both her case and Skylar’s, plus carrying the holdalls with their special outfits. ‘Yes, it’s ready.’

  The bodyguard kept pace with Skylar, scanning around as she raced along.

  ‘And you’ve contacted Alex?’

  ‘Yes, he’s in the limo already.’

  ‘He’s here?’ said Taylor.

  ‘Of course he is,’ said Skylar.

  Taylor’s stomach flipflopped. The guy who was her ticket out was here – actually here. As the location manager, he had contacts all over the UK. He’d introduced the producer to Glasgow and they were using it as the backdrop for 1950s Philadelphia after the location’s success in ‘World War Z’. Taylor grinned, remembering Alex’s unrepeatable comments about that movie. Throughout their chats, she’d harboured the idea they’d get together and date for a bit, as well as work. She needed it. After being kept on a short leash for so long, her dating experience was pathetic.

  ‘Great,’ Taylor said. ‘When we chatted, we talked about going round Glasgow together and getting to know each other a little… After we drop you off at the hotel, of course.’

  Once Skylar was at the hotel and meeting the co-stars of her latest movie, Taylor and Alex could have time alone. She hummed to herself as she imagined flying free as a bird, and her veins flooded with a pleasant warmth she hadn’t felt for years… Maybe ever.

  Skylar’s laughter cut across the overhead speakers and the chattering crowd. Her bodyguard moved in closer, shielding her as a large family group veered towards her. ‘No, sorry. That won’t work,’ said Skylar, almost running. ‘I’ve been messaging Alex. He and I are zipping off for an afternoon on the town. Liesel will call you a cab.’

  ‘What?’ Skylar and Alex? Seriously? ‘But Alex and I—’

  ‘Oh, Taylor.’ Skylar stopped dead and both Liesel and her bodyguard crashed into her. ‘You are such a sad little puppy. Alex totes thinks so too. One day your prince may come but it won’t be Alex, he’s not interested, not like that.’

  ‘Ok, what?’ Taylor held out her hands.

  ‘Stay calm,’ said Skylar. ‘Let’s not make a scene. Remember, this is like parole. You gotta behave if you wanna get a guy… So the less crazy stuff the better.’

  Taylor’s mouth hung open.

  ‘Alex and I might not be back until late, so you go with Liesel and be a good girl.’

  ‘You are kidding, right?’

  ‘No,’ she said with a flick of her long blonde hair, striding off again.

  They reached the main foyer and Skylar opened her cell to ring Alex, but Taylor had heard enough. ‘I’m going to the ladies’ room before I go anywhere,’ she said to Liesel. ‘I don’t feel too good.’

  She whipped around and ran up the escalator. When she checked back, Skylar was stalking towards the exit, beaming from ear to ear.

  Going with Skylar wasn’t an option, not if Taylor could find another way. Could she catch another flight? But to where?

  She was alone for the first time in years and she didn’t know where to start.

  Chapter 4

  Magnus

  ‘Parking brake released, and off we go,’ Magnus said, pushing the throttle and easing the plane forward. If only he could push his life in the same direction and with such ease. ‘Straight ahead to Alpha one. Before take-off checklist, please.’

  ‘Config,’ said First Officer Sarai.

  ‘Checked.’

  ‘Flaps.’

  ‘Five green lights,’ said Magnus.

  ‘Stab trim.’

  ‘Six point five units required and set.’

  ‘Cabin?’ said Sarai.

  ‘Secure.’ Magnus held the throttle
forward, taxiing the plane towards the runway. Secure, yup. Randomly, being in the sky was about the most secure part of his life right now. More and more he couldn’t shake the feeling he’d taken a wrong turn somewhere. Flying planes was easy compared to navigating life on the ground.

  Sarai checked in with the tower. The engines rumbled steadily.

  ‘We’re cleared for take-off,’ said Magnus, ‘please seat the cabin crew.’

  With the flick of a switch, Sarai opened communications with the cabin. ‘Cabin crew, please take your seats for departure.’

  ‘Before take-off checklist, please,’ said Magnus. They worked through the list. ‘You have controls.’

  ‘I have controls,’ said Sarai. ‘Start timing.’

  ‘Timing,’ said Magnus. Timing indeed. His timing was immaculate when it came to planes, but it was definitely an area to work on in his private life. Breaking up with a girlfriend right before his brother’s wedding was not his finest move. Possibly a catastrophic fail. This was the one time he’d been ready. He was all set to stroll in with that plus-one neatly hanging on his arm. Now he’d be sidling in alone, dancing with the old ladies, and propping up the bar all evening with everyone whispering about him. He would have to pull out his happy face and stick it on for the week.

  Sarai pushed the throttle and Magnus put his hand on the base – the captain’s honour, holding on in case of a need to override. ‘Stabilised.’

  ‘Take-off thrust set,’ she said, pushing the throttle forward.

  ‘Set,’ Magnus confirmed, keeping his palm on the throttle base. ‘Eighty knots.’

  ‘Checked.’

  ‘V1 rotate.’ The plane eased off the ground, rising gracefully into the air. The adrenaline rush he used to get from doing this had diminished over the years and become second nature.

  ‘Gear up,’ said Sarai. ‘Engage autopilot. Bug-up.’

  Magnus flicked the gear lever and listened to the radio comms as he checked the flaps and flipped the overhead controls. ‘Release the cabin crew.’

  Sarai flicked the switch and gave the command as they cruised over Brussels, still rising. They headed north. ‘So, you’re off after this, you lucky sod,’ she said.

  ‘Yeah.’ Magnus loosened his collar. ‘I’ve managed to wangle ten days, though it’s not exactly going to be spent in paradise.’ He smiled as he pressed the cabin comms switch. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain, Magnus Hansen, and alongside me, I have First Officer Sarai Hughes. Welcome to flight 221 non-stop from Brussels to Glasgow. We have good clear weather and anticipate a smooth and uneventful flight. Sit back, relax and enjoy.’ He flipped off the switch.

  ‘I thought you were going to a wedding?’

  ‘I am. My youngest brother.’

  ‘Ahh.’ Sarai looked forward with an all-knowing smirk. ‘I get it.’

  ‘Do you?’

  ‘Yeah, you’re the oldest and wisest and all that, but they got married first.’

  He nodded sideways at her accuracy. ‘Something like that.’

  ‘I don’t think I’d like it if my little brother got married first. Think of the jealousy. Ugh, having to watch him being unbearably happy all the time, pretending to be thrilled while wanting to curl in the corner and cry with a bottle of wine.’

  Magnus quirked a grin. ‘Ok, drama queen. I’m not that bad. It doesn’t bother me. I’m not the marrying type.’ Say it enough and it would become true. And it was true. He’d never had the need to settle. But things were changing. He felt it daily – when he passed happy couples, saw photos of his brothers and friends on social media, and discovered exes were now married or had kids. Hooking up with different women all the time was exhausting. No matter how often he tried to keep emotions out, he couldn’t. Breakups hurt, hook-ups sucked. They left him empty.

  ‘It doesn’t matter what type you are,’ said Sarai. ‘Weddings bring out the worst in people. Even if people don’t say it out loud, you can guarantee they’ll all be thinking it.’

  ‘Thinking what?’

  ‘Why’s he not married?’

  ‘They can think what they like. It’s not like I’ve sat around all my life wallowing in singledom, waiting for a wife to show up.’

  Sarai laughed. ‘Yeah, I think they’ll work that much out.’

  ‘Meaning what?’

  ‘They’ll have you branded as a playboy.’

  ‘Yeah, great.’ Maybe it was true. His love life might buy him some kudos amongst other guys but he could hardly brag about it in front of his mother. He checked the controls. ‘Let’s have the fifteen hundred feet checklist.’

  Just as well life didn’t come with a checklist. What milestones could he check off? Very few that weren’t career related, and while that wasn’t a bad thing, it left a gap, a huge gaping hole of unaccomplished things, and he was thirty-six. Luck had blessed him with youthful looks and good health. He kept fit and took care of himself, but it didn’t alter time.

  Every second brought them closer to home, closer to the moment when he would have to fess up and tell his mother he was single again. The wedding prep would be thrown at him and he’d have to grin through it, the ceremony, the feast and the reception… On his own. While everyone else had partners to fall back on, share stories, moan to, and snuggle with.

  Even his ‘temporary’ girlfriend would have helped to ease things. Ha, who was he kidding? Temporary girlfriends were all he ever managed. Women didn’t see him as a keeper. His lifestyle was flighty and easy to blame. But worse, he came with a reputation.

  ‘Shame I didn’t realise sooner,’ said Sarai. ‘I’d have pulled a sicky and come with you.’

  ‘I thought you had a boyfriend.’

  ‘I do. But I’d come as a mate, I haven’t been to a wedding for ages.’

  ‘Just wait a couple of years and you’ll wish you never had to attend another one.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘When your friends start hitting thirty, that’s when it starts. I’m getting to the other end of it now, most of my friends are already married, some of them are on to their second. Once Carl’s wedding is out of the way, I hope I won’t have any more for a good few years.’

  ‘Maybe mine.’

  ‘Okay, apart from yours.’

  ‘Or your own.’

  He laughed and adjusted his headset. ‘Yeah, don’t hold your breath on that one. Oh, here, let’s watch this, we could have a spot of turbulence.’

  Turbulence loomed on the horizon all right. He would bring his surface calm, his smiling face and his easy temper, but underneath he would die a little more as he watched his brothers with their perfect lives and perfect wives. Sure, he didn’t need that to be happy, but deep inside something was missing and with every air mile he took, he felt it more keenly than ever.

  Chapter 5

  Taylor

  Everyone knew it was the first sign of madness – Taylor did too – but she also couldn’t stop. Angry mutters escaped her lips. She ignored the funny looks from passengers. The wheels on the now four-year-old Gucci case that had once been Skylar’s rattled on the floor. Taylor scanned the overhead digital monitor, searching for anything. Where could she go?

  ‘I will never forgive her, never. Not this time. She’s done it now. There’s only so much a girl can take.’ Forcing back angry tears, her words were drowned by a call over the intercom. ‘I don’t care where I go but I’m getting out of her life.’ She checked over her shoulder for any sign of Liesel. Hell, no! There she was. Taylor dodged a queue of passengers and put her head down. Adrenaline kept her moving but tiredness crept through her limbs and she wanted to go somewhere and chill. Maybe she should stop running and return to Skylar. Would being holed up in a hotel for the week make any difference? She’d been travelling for so many hours, through several time zones, and her strength was at ground zero.

  A sign for toilets loomed ahead. She could hide there and decide what to do. Maybe she could get a cab into town. She could handle that on her own, right? Ok. Th
is was the time for sensible Taylor to kick in. She’d taken the over-emotional route out. Now she had to think. Pulling out her phone, she gaped. What? Notifications pinged in, splashing photographs across the screen. Skylar attached to Alex at the lips. Selfies in the limo as it headed towards Glasgow.

  ‘You bitch!’ Taylor shrieked at the phone. A woman in front turned around, giving her a ferocious stare, and pulled a child out of her way. ‘Yes, I’m totally unhinged,’ Taylor muttered. ‘And I’ve had enough.’

  In the restroom, she spent a few seconds staring at her face. ‘Look at my cheeks.’ They were rosy red, her eyes were puffy, and her blonde hair hung limp around her shoulders. ‘Oh, god, I’m a mess.’ She splashed some water on her cheeks, with no effect. I guess it doesn’t matter what I look like, who’s going to see me? No one! No one ever does.

  What the hell should she do? If she returned to Skylar, she’d have to spend the week watching her and Alex. She couldn’t stand it. Air. She needed air. Her chest was constricting. After so many hours on and off planes, in airports, she had to get outside. This wasn’t a panic attack, it couldn’t be. Find the exit, go outside, and breathe. Over and over, she thought the words as she left the restroom, glancing around for any sign of Liesel.

  Nipping along the concourse, she followed the arrows to an escalator heading downward to the exit. The air felt too thick. She hopped on the top step and chanced a glance at her phone. Maybe she should throw the damned thing in the garbage. At the bottom of the escalator, the wheel on her case jammed. Taylor snatched at it, but as it came loose, a loud yell vibrated from behind, followed by a bang and an almighty clatter. Taylor hit the floor. With her left cheek planted on the filthy polished concrete, a crushing weight landed on her back and compressed her chest, pinning her fast. ‘Oh no,’ she murmured, barely able to move her mouth. Her lungs ached beneath her. She’d been caught. Who was it? Liesel? No, too heavy, too wide. A man? It must be. Their bodyguard? No, he would have gone with Skylar. Airport security?