Howard pulled into the airport entrance, and we both scanned a myriad of signs for my gate.
“Yeah, sure.” Howard said.
Neither of us spoke as we wound our way to the drop-off area. He pulled into the loading zone and turned to me. “I think we both know there’s a lot to talk about when you get back.”
I nodded. “I know.”
“But, Emma, let me say this before you go.” He grabbed one of my hands and held it in his. “Everything’s going to be okay. I promise.”
“I know.”
“Have I ever let you down before?”
I shook my head and we hugged. “Love you,” I said.
“Love you, too.”
Howard helped me get my bags out and asked if I wanted him to walk me in. I said I’d be fine since both Guy and Adam would be there waiting for me. We hugged at the curb, and over his shoulder I saw a threesome of kids lined up next to a car. The dad unloaded the trunk as the kids stood and watched. Mom got out and yelled at the kids to start getting their bags. Shoving, yelling, and grabbing ensued. As I walked away from Howard and the chaos from the neighboring car, I thought about what Pop had said the night before. He’d make the best great-grandpa.
***
I made my way through the airport and successfully maneuvered security without having to get naked. I had worn a cute matching bra and underwear set just in case. Adam texted me where he and Guy were sitting. I stopped off to grab a coffee and a magazine before meeting them. Up ahead I saw them sitting next to each other talking, laughing, and looking at a tablet. I’d bet money it was something to do with either women or sports. Men were so easily pleased. He and Adam had grown close since practice had started for the basketball team. They seemed to have a lot in common. A picture flashed across my mind of me sitting between those two in a bar after a long day of training, Guy and Adam exchanging stories of female conquest and rating women as they walked by.
I shook my head and gave myself a mental slap on the wrist. Guy was outgoing and friendly, but that didn’t make him a womanizer. My tradeshow teddies spotted me approaching and got up to meet me. They each grabbed one of my bags and asked how I was doing. They cleared their stuff from the chairs and offered me a seat. A very different picture than the one I’d just imagined. Maybe the trip wouldn’t be so bad after all.
We boarded the plane minutes later. I made sure to sit next to Adam and in the aisle seat. Guy sat across the aisle from us, but on the end so we could still talk if we needed to. I planned on having my hands full with Adam, so I wasn’t too worried about being able to chat with Guy. I wondered if Adam told Guy about his fear of flying. I’d been through it before with Adam, on two other trips. The first time it happened had caught me off guard. Generally, Adam has two looks: happy and suave. But for the first time, I’d seen fear and anxiety in him. It took me a while to figure it out and actually try to help him. It made me wonder if I’d ever have that mothering instinct. But I’m getting proficient at faking it.
The plane began to roll and shudder as we headed toward the runway. I reached over and tapped the old woman sitting in the window seat.
“Do you mind shutting that window shade while we take off?”
I gestured to Adam who had his head back against the seat, eyes closed, and earphones securely in place.
“Afraid to fly,” I mouthed in a whisper. It was important for Adam to have that closed. He’d be tempted to peek, and that only made things worse.
She pursed her lips into a smile and nodded. Her hair was pure white and looked like cotton candy. I watched as she struggled with the window shade and hoped I wouldn’t have to reach over. But the thing wouldn’t budge; it was stuck like it was superglued shut, or maybe she couldn’t move it because her muscles were old and as brittle as egg shells.
“Dammit!” she said.
I flinched, glanced around, and noticed Guy watching the whole thing. Then I saw a little girl peeking through the crack of the seat in front of us. I leaned across Adam to get the lady’s attention. “Can I help you with that?”
She had one hand on the hinge now, hammering down on it with her other hand. She was determined as hell. “Just … give me … one more … second.” Her words came out like she was holding her breath.
By then we’d reached the runway and I felt the plane turn. Adam opened his eyes, glanced out the window, and turned to me with a questioning look. I held up a finger and smiled.
I had to admire the old lady for not wanting to give up. She reminded me of, well, me. But if she didn’t get that window closed in the next thirty seconds, we’d have a problem.
I was about to unbuckle my seat belt when grandma managed to get the cover down about a quarter of the way, but it stuck there.
“Mother Fletcher!” She turned to me. “That’s one stubborn-ass window!” Her scowl turned to a smile. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” she said as sweet as peach pie.
I hadn’t noticed the flight attendant walk up. She reached across to shove the cover the rest of the way down.
The plane once again shuddered and began to pick up speed. Adam grabbed my hand and turned toward me like a small child, his eyes big, brown, innocent. I knew he couldn’t hear me with his ear buds in, but I said, “it’s okay,” and he squeezed my hand. I had to admit it felt nice to comfort him in that way. I wondered if that was what it was like to be a mother.
We lifted off the runway and our ascension was pretty smooth. Adam and I both laid our heads against the back of the seat, staring at each other. I almost laughed at how silly we must have looked.
When the plane leveled out, Adam closed his eyes and said, “I’m going into my Zen mode now.” This time was much better than the last. Was it me that made things better for him, or was Adam managing his own fears better? Either way, I was relieved that was all there was, and I felt a warm fuzzy feeling I wasn’t used to pour over me. After a few minutes he released my hand. I glanced at Guy and saw him chattering away with an older Asian man seated next to him. I couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying, but it seemed that the man didn’t have a firm grasp on the English language. Guy didn’t look fazed by it and was all smiles as usual.
I stared at the back of the chair in front of me, trying to keep my thoughts focused on our trip. It would be easy to dwell on what might have been or what’s going to happen in the future, but I couldn’t afford to go there, especially not now.
I felt a soft tap on my shoulder. Guy took off his seatbelt, leaned into the aisle.
“I didn’t know you two were so close,” Guy said, looking past me at Adam.
“We’re not,” I answered before thinking. Maybe that wasn’t accurate after what just happened. Maybe we were closer than I thought. I was beginning to see it all depends on who you ask. “I mean, well, he needed me and I was just trying to help.”
“So I take it he’s not that thrilled about airplanes?”
“Ya think?”
We both let out contained laughter, and I checked to see if Adam noticed. When I turned back to Guy, he was staring at me in an odd way. I’m not used to reading looks of endearment and wasn’t about to try and analyze it. I glanced away, checking the aisle for flight attendants or those brave enough to use the telephone booth–sized toilet.
“That was really great of you,” he said.
As compliments often do, his words jabbed me in the stomach. The obvious two-word reply was stuck somewhere between my throat and tongue, so like an idiot I just stared at him. The gold flecks I’d noticed in his eyes before shimmered and pulled at me. I felt like I was floating toward him like a zombie. There weren’t many times in my life when I didn’t feel in complete control, so this autopilot sensation struck fear in me. Like a deer in headlights, I needed to look away. But a bump of turbulence shot me forward and our heads clanked together. His arms clasped around my shoulders to steady me even though I still had my seat belt on.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his face now inches from mine.
Was that my fault or the plane’s? “Oh my God, I’m sorry.” I couldn’t have felt more stupid if I’d jumped in his lap.
“It’s not your fault. Here, let me see.” He released my shoulders and moved his hands to my cheeks. One hand brushed the hair from my face, as he examined a nonexistent injury on my forehead. Why was I letting him baby me like that? Like I’d done with Adam. I didn’t need that sort of thing. Did I? I finally came to my senses and took hold of his wrists. His eyes met mine and I felt claustrophobic, overheated, surely from being in the small space of an airplane. It was totally normal.
“I’m fine, thanks.”
“Guess you’ve got a hard head,” he said. He smiled and sat back.
My mouth flew open, but before I had a chance to be offended, he continued.
“So why does Adam go to these things if he’s afraid of flying?”
“Not much of a choice, I guess. Bill wants Jayne to stay and hold down the fort, but he doesn’t want me to go alone. It’s only once or twice a year, and Adam is great. Besides, I thought you men weren’t supposed give into to your weaknesses.”
“True. Same reason we don’t ask for directions.”
“I guess that’s why they invented GPS—stubborn men.”
Guy shot out a breath and gave me a look.
“What?” I said.
“I bet you can be pretty stubborn yourself.”
I wasn’t about to admit that he was right. “Why do you say that?”
“I’m a pretty good judge of people, and from what I’ve seen, you know what you want and nothing less will do.”
I didn’t answer, checked the time on my cell. The plane would be descending soon. “You should buckle up. We’ll be landing in a few minutes.”
He pointed above his head. “That’s what that little sign is for. Hey, I didn’t mean that in a bad way. I admire your drive and determination. And after what you did for Adam, I’d bet you’re like that with the people you care about, too.”
I wished I could say that was true, but he didn’t know me as well as he thought.
After Guy realized I wasn’t going to respond to that, either, he added, “You know what else I figured out about you?”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“You hate compliments.”
The light came on for passengers to buckle their seatbelts. I shot Guy a haughty look. He buckled up and after the announcement that we’d be landing at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, he leaned over and tapped me once more.
“Yeah,” I said.
Guy held back a smirk. “I just wanted to say that you look very pretty today.”
Smart ass!
Chapter 14
The plane landed just after nine a.m., which gave us enough time to cab over to the hotel, check in, and get settled before our first lecture at eleven-thirty. It was more of an introduction by one of the keynote speakers. Then we’d have a short break followed by a three-hour workshop on creating a tablet business strategy. My head was already spinning so I couldn’t remember what came after that. I was starting to have some serious doubts about whether we were ready for all this and if Guy could handle our transition into this new world. For all I’d done to get the magazine where it was, including our upcoming redesign, this was way over my head.
The trade show was held at The Rio Hotel and Casino, and I made sure we stayed there, as well. Its location was a bit away from the main strip. I’d wanted to avoid traipsing down the street on a carpet of fliers covered with half naked women, especially being with two guys. Some men simply can’t help but compare you, and your body, to the bimbos on display.
The moment we stepped foot outside the airport doors, the hot Vegas wind draped across us, and Adam seemed to snap back to his old self.
“Oh, yeah, this is what I’m talkin’ about,” he said.
“Don’t get too excited, bro.” Guy slammed a hand down on Adam’s shoulder and squeezed. “This is going to be like boot camp. I’m not sure how much time or energy we’ll have at the end of these days.”
“Speak for yourself, man.”
“You’re both right,” I said. “Those workshops are going to kick our asses. But nothing can keep Adam from a city full of potentially single women.”
“That’s right,” Adam said. “And with the Voodoo Lounge right above our heads, it’s just an elevator ride away. We can at least go for the view and a drink.”
“Sounds good,” Guy said.
I added my standard, “We’ll see.”
There were three cabs waiting at the curb. One driver was sitting inside his cab, while two others lurked like hawks ready to swoop down for the mouse. A short, thin man with salt-and-pepper hair raced over to us and reached for my bag.
“Need a cab?”
We followed like we had no choice, and he piled our bags into the trunk. Adam and I grabbed the backseat and let Guy take the front. I’m sure he didn’t mind and wouldn’t want to miss out on another lengthy convo with a complete stranger.
The cab ride was as expected—full of congestion in the streets, wall-to-wall tourists on the sidewalk. Late spring was a busy time in Vegas; the killer heat hadn’t set in yet. The driver asked what brought us to Vegas and Guy filled him in on the magazine and the trade show. They talked about the street art, the shows, and Guy pressed him for interesting cabby stories. The man asked if it was for the magazine, but Guy assured him he was just interested. As they talked, I tried to ignore the cabbie’s eyes continually looking at me in the rearview mirror.
Adam sat next to me, silently texting like a courtroom stenographer. After I’d sent my own messages out—checking in with Jayne and letting Pop and Howard know I’d arrived safely—I looked out the window. Vegas had to be the absolute number-one spot in the world to people watch. It was something I’d done since I was young. I loved to look at people, to try to figure out their story or make one up as I watched them. My stories were typically off the wall and not what most people might guess. If I saw an older woman holding a bag, I’d pretend she was a retired bank robber, or maybe a Hell’s Angel. She was buying a present to give someone at the next Hell’s Angels reunion. The truth was never as fun.
We stopped at a light, and I surveyed the stream of pedestrians treading the streets of Sin City. Many held tight to the little hands of children that struggled to keep up, stomping across fliers that fell to the ground, probably dropped by people surprised at what they’d just been handed. A group of girls in short, tight dresses with boundless energy strolled by with drinks in one hand and cell phones in the other. Those girls had their shit together, looking like they stepped into the Viper Room on a Friday night, only it was ten in the morning on the Vegas strip. I was tempted to nudge Adam. Then he suddenly stopped texting, looked up, and said, “Hey, this is where you got married, huh?”
Guy turned his attention to the back seat. “Really?”
I nodded and smiled. “Yep.”
I guess that wasn’t good enough for Adam. “Yeah, it was one of those Elvis weddings. The pictures were so classic, and Emma was pretty sexy as Priscilla. Damn, Priscilla was hot back then, wasn’t she?”
The cab driver peeked at us in the mirror. “She was.”
“Wow, that’s … interesting.” Guy looked at me like I had three boobs.
“What is?”
“I just didn’t take you for an Elvis-themed, Vegas-wedding kind of woman.”
He was right. It really wasn’t my style. Looking back, I can’t believe I agreed to it.
“That was back when I’d started at the magazine. Bill wanted wedding pics for the ‘Newlywed News’ column.”
The driver cut into my story. “I bet you made a beautiful bride.”
Guy and Adam shot the driver curious looks.
“Thanks,” I said, wishing he’d keep his focus on the road. Traffic seemed to stop every five minutes. “Anyway, Bill wanted something fun and unique, so Howard came up with the idea to do the Elvis thing.”
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“So do you have any pictures with you?” Guy asked. “I’ve gotta see that.”
“No, and no.” I shook my head and then added, “never” to be crystal clear. If he really wanted to, he could pull up a back issue and see for himself, but then I’d have to kill him. Note to self: burn wedding picture.
***
Adam and I checked into the rooms while Guy made some calls in a nearby seating area. Once we made it to the front of the line, I had my room in about five minutes. Then I waited for Adam to work his magic. One of his many talents was securing upgrades and freebies. I’m not sure why he bothered this time, given that the Rio was an all-suite hotel, but I’m sure he was after something—even if it was only a date with the cute blonde assisting him.
I left Guy alone. It was clear he was gabbing it up with someone. I assumed he would call Bill, and I wondered how much the two talked about me. Did Guy ask questions about my personal life? Did Bill ask Guy what he thought of me as an employee? I was being overly paranoid and an idiot. This wasn’t a 007 movie.
When he finished his call he waved me over.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. Marty had to reboot the server this morning, but it’s all good.”
“What would we ever do without Captain Marty?”
“You know, I kind of felt sorry for him at first,” Guy said with a mysterious smile. “But I think he’s a closet ladies man.”
I folded my arms and slumped down on one hip. “Are you on drugs?”
“No.” He laughed with a head shake. “When I was going through his system, I noticed a ton of emails to and from KittyKat88. Some of the subject lines were fairly suggestive.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. But then again KittyKat88 could have been anyone. Hell, it could even have been a man. You never know.
“Did you read any?”
“No, and I was going to say something, but then I had to take a call. When I came back, they’d been deleted. Said he got started on it for me.”
The Tech Guy Page 10