“Yes,” she said, looking down at her hands for a moment. “Actually, I do.” She was silent for a long moment and then continued. “But what do you want to do? We’re leaving tomorrow.”
“I know.”
“Do you… do you want to postpone again?” I could hear in her voice how much she didn’t like that idea, but she was sweet to ask.
“No. I wouldn’t do that to you two. You’re my best friends in the whole world, and you’ve been so patient. Besides, the trip is the lesser of two problems. The bigger one is the wedding. Am I supposed to pretend to cheat on Ethan tonight and then show up next year after our trip and ask him if he’d like to date?”
“You’re right, that doesn’t make much sense. But that’s not your only choice, you know. Just talk to Ethan. Maybe you can come up with a plan.” She attempted a small smile to cheer me up. “From what I’ve seen, you two are pretty good at scheming.”
I tried to smile for her sake, but I just couldn’t. I couldn’t fake one more smile. That was one of the reasons I’d been avoiding Ethan. I didn’t want his last memory of me to be of me looking miserable. He’d done nothing wrong. It wasn’t his fault that he didn’t feel the things I felt.
“Just talk to him, Kate. Who knows, maybe he also wants—”
“No, he doesn’t.” I stood up, and started pacing, my tall heels sinking into the plush carpet.
Julie stood, too. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you. The guy’s crazy about you.”
Tears sprang to my eyes. “I wish that were true, but it’s not.”
“But how do you know if you haven’t talked to him?”
“I… we… we shared a… a moment.”
“Oh god, you didn’t sleep with him, did you?” I didn’t say anything, but the look on my face seemed to confirm Julie’s suspicions. “You did? When?”
“Last night.”
“How was it?”
“Awful,” I said, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from falling.
“Really? He looks like he’d be great in bed.”
Involuntarily, a small laugh escaped my lips. “Not that. That was great. I woke up this morning, and I was so happy. I thought it meant… I was foolish. I thought it might mean that he wanted to be together, too. But he didn’t even wake me when he went to work.”
“No! He just left? He didn’t even leave a note or anything?”
“Oh, he left a note all right,” I said bitterly. I reached inside the neckline of my dress and retrieved a small, folded piece of paper from my bra cup.
Julie stood up. Ignoring my unusual method for storing the note, she took it from me and scanned it, reading a few choice phrases aloud. “’Thank you for all you’ve done… best wishes for your trip… send me a postcard...’” She threw the note down on a small, ornate desk. “He actually asked you to send him postcard? After all you two have been through? Where is that bastard, I’m going to kick him in the nuts.”
She actually started toward the door, so I grabbed her arm. “He didn’t do anything wrong. This was only ever a business transaction for him. He kept up his end of the deal. The money for our trip is in our bank accounts. Now I have to finish up my end of the bargain.”
Julie was still livid. “But you were living with him. Sharing meals. And you slept together! I thought Ethan might be your Prince Charming, but he’s the fucking Cowardly Lion—no heart.”
“It’s the Tin Man who has no heart.”
“Well, then, he’s both. He doesn’t have a heart and he doesn’t have a brain, because if he did, he’d never let a woman like you go.”
“It’s not his fault if he doesn’t want me.” The words were true, but they cut me like a knife. Judging from the look on Julie’s face, she wasn’t too pleased with them either.
“I still think he’s an idiot.”
“All men are. Even Dan—sometimes.”
“Yeah,” she said. She looked at me for a moment, opened her mouth, and then closed it again. Then she rifled through her small clutch and looked at her phone. “It’s quarter to eight—almost time.”
“I know. I’ll be out in a minute—I need to make sure my eyes are dry first.”
Julie gave me a hug. “Just remember, tomorrow is the start of our trip. It’s going to be so damn amazing that you’ll forget all about whatsisname.”
I clutched at her tightly for a moment longer and then stepped back. “I know.”
Julie gave me a sad smile when she reached the door. “See you after you get caught cheating on whatsisname.”
She left, and I sat down at the fancy little writing desk, staring blankly in front of me. Cheating. It was such an ugly word. I knew I wouldn’t really be cheating on Ethan—we didn’t have a relationship, so how could I cheat on him? But still, the thought was upsetting.
If Ethan had feelings for me the way I did for him, there would be no way in hell I’d ever cheat on him. Never in a million years. Even the thought of doing it for pretend made me feel sick.
Even though he didn’t have feelings for me, he was still an amazing man. Funny. Smart. Kind. And good god, he was sexy. Last night had been incredible—at least until I figured out it was just a release for him, nothing more.
Still, as it got closer to eight, every fiber of my being rebelled. How could I even pretend to cheat on the man I loved? I knew it was too soon for love. I knew we hadn’t known each other long enough for it to be love. But that’s what it was. I felt it deep in my heart.
And therefore, I couldn’t cheat on him.
I wouldn’t.
So I guess I’d have to do the runaway bride thing. Hastily, I opened a small desk drawer. Inside was fancy stationery, envelopes, and pens. Placing them on the desk, I started writing a note of my own. I wasn’t entirely sure what to say, but it would definitely be a hell of a lot more meaningful than ‘send me a postcard.’
Nineteen
Ethan
She was avoiding me. There was no other explanation. And I can’t say I really blamed her. I should’ve woken her up before leaving this morning, but doing so—and knowing I couldn’t ask her to stay—would’ve been too damn painful.
So yeah, I could understand why she was pissed, but I didn’t know if it was more than that. Did she regret what we did last night? As the evening wore on, I saw her making small talk with various guests, but she dashed away the minute I got within three feet of her. It seemed more and more likely she was upset about spending the night together.
She’d been so strong this whole time. I knew it wasn’t easy for her, lying to my grandparents like that. Especially Grandma. They’d formed a special bond. But Kate had more than kept up her end of the bargain. I’m the one who crossed the line by making a move last night. But I hadn’t been able to help it.
Even if it was just one time, I had to know what it would be like to hold her in my arms.
And now I had my answer—it was fucking amazing. Every bit as good as I imagined and then some. I didn’t want it to be the last time, but I didn’t see what other choice we had. Anything could happen in a year. She could fall in love with a man in a foreign country. Someone on the other side of the ocean. Hell, she could fall in love with Dan.
Dan.
I glanced at my watch and swore. It was eight. She’d be in there right now with him. In his arms. Right now, she could be kissing another man that wasn’t me. No way in hell I was going to let that happen.”
“Ethan?” It was Grandpa, with Grandma at his side. “You said you wanted to talk to us about something?”
Shit. I’d forgotten that the plan was to meet them here and then lead them into the entryway so they could witness the breakup.
“I’ll catch you guys later,” I said, already moving away.
“Okay, but the dinner’s starting soon,” Grandma called. The last thing I saw as I exited the ballroom was their perplexed faces.
The entryway was empty, which was a good thing since I stormed over and flung the cloakroom door open so hard it h
it the wall bounced right back at me.
Pushing it aside, I stared in shock. Dan’s back was to me, Kate’s arms clutching at his neck, his head bent as he kissed her. Shit, they were really going at it. “Let go of her,” I growled, grabbing Dan by the shoulder and spinning him around. “Don’t you fucking touch my fiancée—”
The red haze of anger cleared enough to focus on the woman clinging to him. “My fiancée’s maid of honor?”
Dan wrapped his arm around Julie. “Kate’s gone, man. Didn’t she tell you?”
Shock filled me. I’d thought she’d be here. More than anything, I needed to tell her how I felt. “Where did she go?” I directed my words at Julie. Too much adrenaline was pumping through my system for me to risk dealing with Dan.
“She left. She just couldn’t bring herself to go through with pretending to cheat. I came here to tell Dan that he didn’t have to wait here any longer, and, well, we got a little distracted.”
Julie blushed, but I didn’t care if she and Dan were together. In fact, if I weren’t so worried about Kate, I’d probably be happy for her. “Where’d she go? Your apartment?”
“No, we moved out. She was going to get a hotel by the airport tonight. Our flight leaves at six-fifty tomorrow. She really doesn’t—hey, wait. Ethan?”
I spun around when Julie put her hand on my arm. “What?” I barked.
Dan took a protective step in front of Julie, but she waved him off. “She left you something,” she said to me, reaching into her bag. After a moment, she handed me a small but surprisingly thick envelope. I weighed it in my hand for a moment—there was something inside it besides paper.
Thanking her curtly, I strode down the hallway, heading toward the front doors. Part of my mind knew I should be doing damage control. Giving my grandparents a heads up that Kate was no longer my bride-to-be and that the wedding was off.
But none of that mattered anymore. Not in the slightest. All that mattered was finding Kate, and telling her how I felt. She deserved all of the truth before she embarked on her trip. She needed to know important things like the fact that I loved her and would be here waiting when she was returned. Even if she didn’t feel the same way, I just had to tell her that.
It wasn’t until I was sitting in the driver’s seat of my car that I opened the envelope. I read her letter once, then again as I stared at the two small items it had contained.
Twenty
Kate
“This is it!” Julie was entirely too excited for seven o’clock in the morning, but I couldn’t say I blamed her. We were about to be on our way. She was in the middle seat of Row 23. Dan had the window and I was on the aisle. This plane would take us to Chicago and then we’d catch another one to London.
“Five damn years. That’s a long time to wait for something,” Dan added.
“But it’s gonna be great!” Julie was practically squealing.
I wished I felt that way. I should feel that way. But all I could think about was how in a few minutes, we’d be taking off, and I’d be farther away from Ethan. Too far away.
Yes, I wanted to take the trip—but I also wanted Ethan. But he’d made it pretty obvious he didn’t want me. For a moment, I looked at my left hand. It looked very bare without the ring or the bracelet. But the ring had never belonged to me in the first place, and the bracelet… well… if it had represented Ethan’s affection for me, that was one thing. But his actions—or lack thereof—made it very clear that it was just a bonus for a job well done. All along, this had been nothing more than a business deal to him. I’d let myself forget that when I was in his arms—and in his bed—but I shouldn’t have.
A flight attendant walked by, brushing against my elbow. “Seatbacks in their full upright position, please.”
Julie clasped my hand and did the same with Dan. “I’m so happy to be doing this with you two. You’re my best friends in the entire world.”
Tears unexpectedly welled up in my eyes. Ethan didn’t care about me, but Julie and Dan sure did. They were my best friends and my family. I was so glad I hadn’t missed this opportunity with them. Now, nothing would have to change between us.
“Miss?” The flight attendant was back at my side. “You need to return your seatback to its full upright position.”
“But I didn’t lower it.” Nevertheless, I pressed the button and leaned forward. The flight attendant, a middle-aged brunette with a kind smile, pushed on the back.
“It’s still not all the way up,” she said.
Dan twisted in his chair. “It looks normal to me.”
“It’s not,” she insisted. “There’s a little latch that only snaps shut when it’s fully upright.” She frowned for minute, staring at the base of the seat in frustration. “We can’t take off when it’s like this. I’ll be back in a moment.”
She left, and Dan took off his seatbelt, leaning over Julie and tugging at the back of the headrest on my seat.
“Hey!” Julie protested from underneath him.
I quickly settled into my old role as mediator between my two best friends. “The flight attendant is coming back. Sit back down or she’ll scold us all.”
The attendant returned. “I’m afraid you can’t sit here during takeoff or landing, miss. But I do have a seat available in first class.”
Really? “But… we were supposed to all be together on this trip.”
“Are you insane?” Julie said. “We’ve got the whole next flight to be together.”
“And the whole next year,” Dan added.
“You’re right. Do one of you want the first class seat? I can switch with you.” For some reason, I really didn’t to leave my friends. Or maybe the problem was that being in first class would remind me of Ethan. I didn’t need painful thoughts while I was trying to muster the positive outlook I knew this trip deserved.
“You take it,” Julie said.
“We’re good,” Dan said at the same time.
I grabbed my purse and followed the flight attendant up to the front of the plane. She indicated the fifth and last row of first class. There were two empty seats on the left side, so I took the aisle. The seat was wide enough that I could rest my elbow on the armrest without it getting hit by people passing by.
Wow… this was pretty nice. The seats were plush and comfortable. There was plenty of legroom—I’d never seen so much. Trays swung up from below the middle armrest, and there were all sorts of compartments on the seatback in front of me including a screen. There were even built-in cup holders.
The first class flight attendant introduced himself as Gary and brought me coffee and a croissant. I could definitely get used to this.
Gary cleared away my plate and cup as the plane began to taxi. The seat next to me was still empty. Hmm. I wondered if I could ask if Julie or Dan could join me, but it didn’t seem right if two of us were up here in the lap of luxury while one of us was back in coach.
In spite of the coffee I’d just had, my eyelids started drooping as soon as the plane took to the air. It was just barely after seven, and yesterday had been a really long day. It was hard to believe that twenty-four hours ago, I’d been asleep in Ethan’s bed. Those cool satin sheets. The fluffy down comforter. And most importantly, the hot, naked, gorgeous man next to me. Or had he already gotten up to get ready for work by this time yesterday? It would’ve been amazing to wake up next to him.
And now I never would.
That thought was painful enough that I felt tears welling up under my closed eyelids.
For the first part of the flight, I drifted in and out of sleep. Despite the comfort of the chair, I was roused whenever there was turbulence or when someone nearby spoke.
Once when I woke, I found Gary leaning over me. When he saw my eyes open, he smiled, straightening up. In the cup holder in front of me was a ceramic vase and a single pink rose. He’d also put a plush blanket and pillow on the empty space next to me.
“Wow, flowers and everything. I think I’m really going to like fir
st class.” I tried to smile but it became a yawn. I was still tired.
“I hope it’ll be a memorable flight for you, miss. I’ll be back in a few minutes with a breakfast menu.”
“Thank you.”
While I was waiting, I turned on the touchscreen on the back of the seat in front of me. There were hundreds of choices. Movies, music, popular television shows, and even games.
And speaking of games, there must’ve been a child a row or two ahead. For a moment, I’d glimpsed a balloon bobbing up and hitting the overhead luggage bin. But then someone evidently yanked on the string, and it disappeared.
They thought of everything here—entertainment for kids and adults.
I’d just chosen a geography trivia game when the screen froze, and Gary’s voice came over the speaker above me.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to flight 414 to Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Our flying time is approximately three hours and forty-five minutes, and we expect a smooth flight. The captain has turned off the seatbelt sign, but we ask that you keep it on when you’re seated. And please exercise caution when moving about the cabin or getting down on one knee. Thank you and enjoy the flight.”
The screen unfroze, and the trivia game came back on. Before I could select a category, I saw something move again, this time it was two seats up on the other side of the aisle. What, did everyone have a balloon now? How come I never knew they did that in first class? It seems like those pink heart-shaped balloons would get in the flight attendants’ way.
Wait a moment. Heart-shaped balloons. Why did that sound familiar?
And wait—what had Gary just said before? Something about getting down on one… one…
Mr Right Stuff Page 13