by Aj Harmon
Sky Romance Novels
San Diego
love comes in many forms
by AJ Harmon
www.skyromancenovels.com
First eBook Edition, February 2014
Copyright 2014 by ABCs Legacy, LLC
All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without written permission from the author.
Contemporary romance author AJ Harmon is going to do it again with her new romance series, Sky Romance Novels. Book 1, San Diego - love comes in many forms, is the beginning of this heartwarming and inspirational new series.
Building on the success of her First Class Novels series, an Amazon bestselling author, AJ Harmon is going to answer the question we all ask ourselves when waiting in the airport for a flight. “I wonder where they’re going…and why?”
In “San Diego – love comes in many forms” we will follow three passengers and one member of the crew as they explore, discover and embrace love, passion, loyalty and selflessness to fulfill their desire to love and be loved in return.
Flight attendant Jill Delaney has a surprise waiting for her at her weekend vacation destination in San Diego and a life altering decision to make.
William Nestor, an esteemed and wealthy New York Oncologist, flies west after decades of living on the opposite coast to bury his father, where he recognizes an unexpected opportunity to conquer his fear and claim a love that was lost. Will he finally be bold enough to claim what should have been his twenty-five years ago and secure a second chance at love? Or will he once again retreat from his desires?
Annie and Evan Wilder, the perfect couple, travel to San Diego to discover the true meaning of unselfish love and the missing piece to their perfect life, only to be blessed beyond their dreams.
The heartwarming and inspirational stories you’ll follow in this new contemporary romance novel “San Diego – love comes in many forms” will brighten your day as you laugh, cry and celebrate love and family with these loveable and relatable characters that AJ Harmon has brought to life.
This contemporary romance series will continue with “Las Vegas – what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas” coming in the fall of 2014.
Dedication
I know I’ve said it before, but I’m gonna say it again. I have some of the most amazing people who help me publish my books and without them I would be nothing. I am doubly lucky because these amazing people are my family.
To my son, Christopher, who makes it all possible, thank you! You are so incredibly gifted and talented and I love having you for a publishing partner. From proofing to website design, profile pictures to cover layouts, kindle formatting to plot discussion, and everything else that you do, I appreciate it more than words can express. May our collaboration be long and prosperous. Love you, Ursur.
Table of Contents
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EPILOGUE
About the Author
1.
BALANCING A SALAD AND a bottle of Coke in her left hand, Jill Delaney pulled out dollars from her wallet with her right hand and paid the cashier. Then, still balancing her lunch, she stuffed her wallet back in her bag and dragged her carry-on luggage out of the airport news stand and to Gate C37. Her flight was fifteen minutes from landing so that gave her twenty minutes to eat and visit the bathroom before her shift started.
The airport was buzzing. Mornings were always busy and today was no exception. It seemed like every other person she saw were men in business suits, carrying a laptop bag and talking on a cell phone. The overhead speakers were filled with a pleasant woman’s voice paging this person and that person to meet their party at the baggage claim. The massive monitors displaying arrivals and departures were constantly being updated and travelers speed walked up and down the terminal, hurrying to their gate or out of the airport and on to their final destination. The airport had a life of its own.
Jill loved being a flight attendant. In fact, today was her twelfth anniversary. As she found an empty seat near her gate, unloaded her luggage and began inhaling her Cobb salad, her mind drifted back to the very first flight she worked. It was a crazy experience. Even now, a seasoned professional, she couldn’t believe she survived that first day.
Finishing her training with glowing reports and high expectations for her performance, Jill nervously arrived at the airport in her crisp new uniform pulling her brand new airline-approved carry-on. She quietly sat next to the door of the gate, awaiting her co-workers. She was early…a full thirty minutes early, so she fidgeted and twitched in the plastic chair, constantly watching for others dressed in the airline’s blue and cream colored uniforms to approach her. Twenty-two minutes later Emma arrived, all smiles and meticulous in her appearance.
The two women introduced themselves and chatted for a couple of minutes before the other two flight attendants arrived. The four women stood by the door as the Captain and co-pilot stepped ahead of them, off to do their pre-flight inspection of the 737 that had been sitting at the gate overnight. Just as they were grabbing their bags, an airline employee interrupted them and told Emma she was needed immediately in the management offices. She hurried off as the others made the walk down the gate and entered the plane.
Jill’s hands were sweaty, her heart beating hard against her ribs, and her eyes wide open as she watched Lilly and Rachel, her co-workers, stow their luggage in the reserved bins and begin the inspection of the inside of the plane…the cabin. Jill had repeated this same routine countless times in training, but it felt so different walking down the aisle of a real plane, knowing that real passengers would be boarding in just a few minutes. Fortunately, the training took over and pushed her into auto-pilot, checking seatbelts, making sure the floor was clear of trash, and opening all the overhead bins ready for passengers to overstuff them with bags that should have been checked at the ticketing counter.
As the Captain and co-pilot entered the plane, Jill squared her shoulders, trying to give off an aura of self-confidence, even though she was scared to death that one of them would see her legs shaking in fear.
“Good morning,” Ray said.
Jill smiled at the Captain and extended her hand. “Hi. I’m Jill Delaney, the newest member of the crew.”
“Jill,” he nodded, “Ray Gilliam. Morning Lilly. Morning Rachel.”
Further introductions were halted as an airline employee rushed into the cabin. “Change in plans this morning,” she said. “Emma will not be joining you today. She’s been suspended pending investigation.”
Jill all but swallowed her tongue as she choked. “Investigation?”
“Emma’s been suspended again?” the co-pilot asked. The airline employee nodded. He shook his head and turned to Jill. “Hi Jill. I’m Roger. Welcome aboard,” he chuckled. “Never a dull moment, eh?”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “Why?” she asked.
“I bet I can answer that,” Lilly frowned. “I warned her more than once.”
“No!” Rachel sighed. “Again?”
Jill was obviously in the dark. It appeared it had been just a matter of time before Emma was suspended. The question remained. What did she do?
Lilly read Jill’s expression. “She visited the mile-high club again…with a passenger. On
e of the many…many perks of working in first class, at least for Emma,” she said as she shook her head in disgust. “I’ve told her, along with many others mind you, to quit screwing the passengers. Apparently she didn’t listen.”
Ray interrupted. “The reason at this point is irrelevant. We have one hundred and seventy-three passengers about to board, so you won’t be an on-looker today, Jill. You ready?”
Jill nodded. “I am. I won’t let you down.”
Rachel smiled and placed her hand on Jill’s shoulder. “You’ll do great. And Lilly and I am here for you so just ask if you have any questions.”
Lilly pulled the passenger manifest from her pocket. “There are only four first class passengers on this flight, so Jill, you take them. Rachel and I will handle the masses,” she smiled.
“I…I can’t do first class!” she wailed. “I’m not ready for that!”
“Sure you are,” encouraged Roger. “Just fill ’em full of liquor and they’ll be fine,” he chuckled.
Their conversation was halted when the gate agent stepped onto the plane. “You guys ready?”
Ray and Roger disappeared into the cockpit and Lilly and Rachel gave Jill the thumbs up signal.
“We are,” Jill stated with false confidence.
And so her first flight, from Atlanta to Denver, a four-hour induction into the world of domestic first class travel, was completed with only a couple or minor mishaps. As they bid farewell to the passengers as they disembarked, Ray patted Jill on the shoulder.
“Well done,” he smiled. “You’re good for the next leg? On to Portland?”
“In first class again?” she exclaimed.
“Sure. You did great. Just a quick two-hour flight and you’ll be a seasoned professional,” smiled Lilly.
And so she did. Her first day on the job was spent in first class. The Denver leg was easy compared to the Portland leg, however. Jill smiled at the memory. That one passenger in seat 4A made the flight interesting, to say the least.
The elderly woman in seat 4C stuck her head in the galley before take-off, looking very anxious.
“Is everything alright?” Jill asked.
“I don’t think so,” the woman replied. “The woman sitting next to me is…is having some kind of emotional…well, breakdown, I think. Can you come and check on her?”
Jill followed the woman to Row 4 and slid into the empty seat. “Excuse me, ma’am? Are you okay?”
“Fine,” the woman sputtered out. “I’ll…be…fine.”
“Can I get you something? Anything? A drink, maybe? Some tissues?”
The woman shook her head. “Thank you. I just need to get home.”
Jill attempted a smile and looked up at the woman in whose seat she was seating. They both shrugged their shoulders. Apparently, seat 4A was upset but wasn’t about to share why.
Once back in the galley, Jill looked at the passenger manifest and found seat 4A. Janie Anderson. She felt bad for the obviously distraught woman, but there was nothing more she could do. After take-off, Janie ordered a drink, a rum and coke, and nursed it the entire flight, taking small sips in between blowing her nose and stifling little sobs.
To this day, twelve years later, Jill recalled everything about that flight, and often wondered what, or who, had broken Janie’s heart. Over the years she’d seen it all. But Janie Anderson had stuck with her…her first, if you will.
But the time for reminiscing was over. Esther and Rose sat down beside her, her partners in crime for the next few hours. And she was looking forward to it, too. Once in San Diego, she had two days to relax in the sun before her next shift. She was ready to get this plane in the air.
*****
Annie Wilder nervously paced in front of her husband, Evan, ten paces to the left then ten paces to the right, over and over again. Evan watched his wife chew on her bottom lip, noted her fidgeting hands and the creases in her forehead. She’d been like this for days and he still had no idea how to calm her nerves. Only a couple more days and the worst of the anxiety would be over…hopefully.
This had been a long time coming. In fact, it would be ten years ago next month that they’d received the news that any couple wanting to start a family would dread. It’d been devastating for sure, but they’d never given up hope on the dream of having a child and this trip would finally make that dream a reality. A baby…a girl…a child in need of a family…them in need of a child…their child…their new daughter waited for them in San Diego, just a few hours by airplane away. If ever Annie needed a plane to depart on time, this was it.
Still pacing in the aisle in gate C37, Annie looked as tense as she felt. Evan looked decidedly calmer…on the outside. On the inside he was a ball of nerves one twitch away from a breakdown but he needed to be strong and keep it together for Annie. He took a deep cleansing breath and watched the flight crew disappear beyond the gate door and knew it would just be a matter of minutes before they’d be called to board. Grabbing Annie’s hand on her next pass in front of him, he pulled her down beside him.
“Go to the restroom now and when you get back it’ll be time to board.”
Annie shook her head. “I don’t need to go. I need to get on the plane.”
“You know the second we take off you’ll lean over to me and whisper you need to use the bathroom,” he chuckled, trying to lighten the air.
She grinned. “You know me too well.”
“Not well enough,” he smiled and leaned in close. “I’d like to know you right now.”
Annie laughed. It was a welcomed sound causing Evan to kiss her on the cheek. “Thank you,” he whispered.
“For what?”
“For everything! For all of it! For going through life with me. For loving me. I don’t know…just everything.”
“Well, someone had to make the sacrifice and put up with you,” she teased, slapping him on the arm.
“I know. And I’m glad it was you who martyred herself to do it,” he grinned.
“Me, too.”
*****
With the Wall Street Journal read, William Nestor folded it neatly and placed it on the empty chair beside him. He checked his cell phone again and deleted the junk email that had somehow made it past his spam filter and then turned off his phone and placed it in the outside pocket of his laptop bag resting against his leg. He watched the other people in the gate area, waiting, just like him, to board the plane and fly to San Diego. As he looked at families, couples, the individuals around him, he wondered what was taking them to southern California. Was it vacation or work? Was it a welcomed trip or one that was being made grudgingly, like himself?
When he’d left for New York all those years ago, the thought that if he never returned home didn’t bother him one bit. Now, older and hopefully a lot wiser, he realized he should have visited more often, that constantly making excuses to avoid visiting had just hurt him more than his father and brother. However, there was no use wishing it could be different. If he’d learned anything as an oncologist it was that he should look at the here and now and make the most of the present. The past was gone and who knew what tomorrow would bring, or if there would even be a tomorrow? Today should be the focus. He would go home today. The rest was of no importance.
William watched the flight attendants head down the gangway so he stood and straightened his suit jacket, lifted his laptop bag and placed it on top of his carry-on luggage. He always flew first class and knew that he would be boarding momentarily. He’d stow his bags in the overhead bin, settle in his window seat, and order a stiff drink. Then he’d sit back and wait to land in his hometown and see if his brother would pick him up at the airport or if he would be left on his own. He’d emailed his itinerary to Lewis but hadn’t received any sort of reply. Only time would tell how this trip was going to go.
2.
ESTHER AND ROSE STOOD at the front of the plane greeting the passengers as they boarded.
“Hello. Welcome aboard. Hi. Good Morning. Hello.” It went o
n for two hundred and four people until all were on board and accounted for. Esther’s smile disappeared as she was summoned to row fifteen.
“Excuse me, but this isn’t going to work,” the woman said stiffly. “I paid for a whole seat. I should get the entire thing.”
Esther glanced quickly at the portly man in the middle seat. His hips, legs, waist, arms and shoulders were all spilling over to the seats on either side of him. Dammit! Why don’t the flippin’ gate agents take care of this before they board the plane? “Ma’am? Let me see what I can do.” Hurrying to the front, she grabbed Jill by the elbow and pulled her into the galley and quickly summarized the simmering situation in row fifteen.
Jill poked her head around the corner. The airline had filled the first class cabin with all the frequent fliers, giving them a taste of the good life and rewarding them for flying with them. “Crap!” she muttered. “There’s nothing up here.”
With a sigh, Esther headed back to coach and pushed her way through the congested aisle to the back galley where Rose was preparing the ice buckets for the drink service after takeoff. Once again explaining the situation, Rose pointed to the last row of the cabin with one young man at the window. With an alternate seating arrangement ready, Esther forced her way back to row fifteen and explained that if the woman would like to come back to the last row, they could settle her there with a free drink and lunch box and a voucher for another flight.
“I’ll take it,” the stout man in the middle piped up.
“It was not offered to you, sir,” Esther replied, attempting a pleasant smile.
“Thank you,” nodded the woman. “I’ll take it.” With one last look over her shoulder at the man sitting in the middle seat, and most of the seats either side of him, she followed Esther to the rear of the plane.
“One crisis averted,” Rose whispered as Esther looked up. “On a four-hour flight we should only have two more to go.”