by Harmon, AJ
First Class to New York
by AJ Harmon
http://www.firstclassnovels.com
First Kindle Edition, November 2012
Copyright 2012 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.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
1.
Janie almost tripped over her large suitcase trying to get it onto the curb. She was much later than she had intended to be. Damn traffic! Her flight was listed as departing on time and she still had to check this pain-in-the-butt suitcase and get through security and to the gate, which was probably all the way at the end of the longest terminal, knowing her luck. The one good thing going for her was that she had decided that for once in her life she was going to fly first class, so maybe she would get through the lines quicker. That had to be a perk right? Shorter lines? Well, she hoped so as she hurriedly walked across the road and through the giant revolving doors.
There was just one elderly couple ahead of her in the first class line, so Janie let out a deep breath and tried to relax her tense shoulders. Yes, she should make it to the gate in time. The ticket agent caught her eye and smiled brightly. “May I help you?” she asked.
Janie moved to the counter and placed her purse on top, rummaging through it to find her I.D. “Good Morning, I’m Janie Anderson. 6:35a.m. flight to New York.” Janie handed her drivers’ license to the pleasant young woman standing before her, and in just a second or two, her boarding pass was being printed and a tall man appeared out of nowhere and was hefting her suitcase onto the scale.
“Thank you,” Janie mumbled, wondering where he had come from.
“Pleasure, Ma’am,” he smiled back.
“Any other luggage you would like to check today Ms. Anderson?” said the ticket agent, snapping Janie out of her thoughts.
“No…..that’s it. Just one bag.”
The agent handed Janie her boarding pass and the stub for her checked bag along with a small brochure for the First Class Lounge to which she now had entrance for the 30 minutes before her flight was due to take off. “Thank you.”
“You are most welcome,” came the reply. “Have a good trip.”
Janie grabbed her purse off the counter and slung it over her shoulder. She made her way out of the ticketing area and around the corner towards the security gates. She had always wanted to fly First Class, to see how the other half lived, so to speak. She had flown many, many times but she and Robert had never had the money to fly anything but coach.
Robert. Robert. Robert never even wanted to fly first class – he was perfectly happy in coach. He was happy not flying at all if truth be told. That was one of the “disagreements” that had endured during their 23 year marriage. Oh they were happy, but Robert liked to stay home and Janie wanted to see the world! But Robert, and lack of money, placed a huge hurdle in front of her. He would be flippin’ mad about this, Janie thought. Buying a first class ticket was just a monumental waste of money in his mind. ‘There couldn’t be anything that much better about those few seats at the front of the plane to make it cost that much more,’ was always his response to Janie when she asked for the umpteenth time to try it just once.
Janie smiled as she thought of him. If that was the worst of the disagreements in 23 years of marriage, then it was a pretty good run, she thought to herself. And, as if on cue, she glanced down at her left hand where her wedding and engagement rings used to be and looked at her empty finger. Even after a year it was weird to not see the gold bands and shiny diamond there.
“OH! Excuse me!” yelped Janie. Damn it! She should watch where she was going. Having been so focused on her hand, she had walked right into the back of the person in front of her in the security line. Stepping backwards, she apologized again. “I’m really sorry.”
Janie was talking to the back of a dark grey suit, with a smidge of white shirt collar showing through some very dark hair, not long hair, but in need of a trim. The jacket started to turn and Janie could see a profile come into view: long eyelashes, average sized nose and a strong jaw line. Janie took in a breath and then came the smell! He smelled divine. Dark blue eyes focused on her and Janie slowly released her breath as he smiled. “No problem,” he said. “Are you okay?” He smiled again. Straight, white teeth and perfectly proportioned lips finished the face. Wow!
“Yes, thank you.” Janie managed to get the words out. And then he turned back and strode to the first of the many TSA agents.
*****
She stood in the women’s restroom, her reflection staring back. Janie had managed to get through the security gate without another embarrassing incident quite quickly, thanks to her first class ticket. And here she stood wondering what had happened back there. Robert had passed away 13 months ago and not for one second had Janie even looked at another man, let alone found one to be positively dreamy looking.
She closed her eyes briefly, frowning, memories of the trips back and forth to doctors and hospitals and clinics and labs flashed through her mind. Almost 11 months to the day after Robert had been diagnosed with cancer he had fallen asleep one night and not woken up. The prognosis from the very beginning had been grim, but even so, Janie had hoped…wished…desperately prayed for a miracle that didn’t come.
And now here she was, standing in an airport restroom thinking of a suit jacket and dark hair. Guilt? She didn’t think so. Her friends had told her that forty-two years old was way too young to be out of the game. Even her sons had told her they wanted her to find someone special to spend the rest of her life with. No, not guilt. But it was something. She just couldn’t put her finger on what.
Janie shook her head and brought her thoughts back to the present. She was flushed. Not because of him, but because she was hot. It must be 80 degrees in here, she thought and stripped off her V-neck sweater. Dressed in blue jeans and a white t-shirt, she wasn’t sure she was appropriately attired for first class, but it was April and not very warm yet in Portland and the weather app on her phone had said it wasn’t overly warm in New York either. Plus, she wanted to be comfortable for the 6-hour flight. She was clean and presentable and ready for the two-week adventure she had been planning since she was 16 years old. Janie pushed her hair behind her ears and headed out of the bathroom in search of the lounge.
*****
Opening the door Janie could see red carpet and leather armchairs and a clear view of the runway. It didn’t look that fabulous upon first glance. She stepped through the doorway, almost feeling like an intruder, and stopped just inside the door. It swung behind her and she started to take another step, the door catching her purse. She twisted and pulled the straps, freeing the offending bag and turned, taking a step forward, and was met with a shivering sensation of cold and wet. ARGH!!!
Janie whipped her head in the direction her feet were headed and found herself 6 inches from the dark grey suit. His hand was against her breasts holding a now empty cup, the contents being absorbed into her t-shirt.
“I. AM. SO. SORRY!” dark grey suit sputtered out.
Shit! I am now a wet t-shirt contest joke, thought Janie.
The dark grey suit finally moved his hand away and produced a clean, white handkerchief. “You weren’t there and then you were….” He sounded perplexed, embarrassed, and Janie watche
d his brow wrinkle. “Really, really sorry.”
Janie accepted the offer of his handkerchief and dabbed at her shirt. Fortunately, her bra was covering any embarrassing bits, but her shirt was clinging to the skin exposed above it.
“Well, I guess I’m not hot anymore,” Janie muttered under her breath. The dark grey suit cleared his throat and Janie looked up.
“No, you’re definitely hot.” One corner of his mouth twitched upwards and there was that perfect mouth again.
Janie blushed beet red and looked down at her sopping wet shirt again. “Is there a bathroom in here?”
“Umm…..yes. Over there.” The dark grey suit pointed Janie in the right direction and she scurried away as quickly as she could.
*****
In a restroom once again, Janie immediately noticed the difference between this one and the one in the “regular” part of the airport. This bathroom had granite countertops and proper towels to dry hands on, and a make-up table complete with lights and lotions. Nice! she thought. Her attention was drawn back to the problem at hand – her wet t-shirt! UGH! Stripping it off over her head, she used the back to try and dry her clammy skin. Janie pulled out her v-neck sweater and put it on, straightening it so the argyle stripes were in the right place. The sweater was soft and comfortable, but the V plunged down much lower than she would ever wear without a shirt underneath. “Oh well, what other choice do I have?” Janie said out loud. The tops of her breasts stared at her in the mirror. They were pink, a reaction to the ice water. They matched her cheeks, still flushed from the comment made by the dark grey suit. “He’s nuts!” she said. No way in hell did anyone think she was hot! Forty-two years old, mother of two twenty year old boys and chubby; not fat, but not the size 6 she remembered before her boys were born. Yes, she might have been considered hot then, but definitely not now. Janie smirked into the mirror and shook her head. Yeah, he’s nuts, or blind!
Making her way to the gate, Janie felt incredibly self-conscious about her sweater and cleavage exposure. Just keep your head down and get on the plane, she told herself. Again feeling grateful for her first class ticket, she boarded the plane first and sat down in her comfortably wide leather window seat and shoved her purse under her leg. Locating the seatbelt under the pillow and blanket, the metal ends clinked as she clasped them together and she pulled the belt tight and leaned back closing her eyes and took a deep breath. She could hear the other passengers around her, finding their seats and stowing luggage in the overhead bins. The pleasant voice of the flight attendant that welcomed her aboard filled the small cabin, offering help and drinks. Yes, first class is indeed worth it, she thought. Taking deep breaths she felt herself calming and the tension in her shoulders beginning to relax. Another deep breath and…………that smell! Janie’s eyes flashed open and she was looking at a silver belt buckle, attached to a black belt, threaded through dark grey pants hanging on slim hips right in front of her eyes. Her mouth opened and her eyes were transfixed on that belt buckle. It moved! It was turning and the body it was attached to stepped closer and twisted to sit in the vacant seat next to her.
“Well, um, this is, well, hello.”
Janie looked up to see dark blue eyes. He was grinning, almost laughing, well, trying not to laugh. How awkward!
“Hello,” Janie squeaked and turned to look out of the window at the myriad of activity going on outside the aircraft.
Shit! Shit! Shit! Janie was mortified, wishing a giant hole would appear so that she just crawl in and disappear. How on earth could this be happening to me?
The flight attendant’s voice came over the speaker. The door was closing, cell phones needed to be turned off and seats and trays needed to be in their upright position. Done, done and done. There wasn’t anything for Janie to do except avoid eye contact at all costs with dark grey suit! The flight attendant appeared and asked for his glass. The dark grey suit handed it to her and Janie’s eyes were drawn sideways to his hand - long strong fingers with manicured nails. No ring. Hmmmm. No ring.
Janie looked back out of the window and felt the jolt of the aircraft backing away from the terminal gate. Why do I care if he has a ring or not? I don’t. Stop being ridiculous.
“I want to apologize again for back there, in the lounge, the water catastrophe.”
Janie slowly turned her head to see a serious expression on the dark grey suit’s face. “It’s fine, only water. No harm done,” Janie managed a weak smile.
Dark grey suit seemed to visibly relax after her words were spoken. “I’m Matt. Matt Lathem.” He smiled, and it went all the way to his eyes. He had the deepest blue eyes Janie had ever seen.
“Janie. Anderson. Nice to meet you.”
“Well this is a story you’ll be able to tell your husband, isn’t it?” Matt smiled again.
“I don’t have a husband.”
“Well, boyfriend then?”
Janie shook her head.
“Girlfriend?”
Janie smiled. “No. Probably just my friend, Katy.” Awkwardness gone. Phew! “Hopefully your wife has a good sense of humor.”
“Two wives.”
Janie’s eyes opened wide and her mouth fell open.
“Well, two ex-wives that is. And no. I won’t be telling them. No girlfriend either.” He smiled again.
He’s gonna have to stop doing that, thought Janie. It really is a perfect smile.
*****
“We will be cruising at 35,000 feet today and it looks like a smooth flight all the way to New York. Expected arrival will be 3:55p.m. local time. Please sit back and relax and enjoy the flight.” The Captain’s voice stopped and Jackie, the flight attendant, appeared with the breakfast menu. What? No pretzels and a coke? Janie grinned to herself. She didn’t feel very hungry, but seeing as though this was probably going to be her one and only trip in first class she decided she should enjoy ALL of the perks.
“Ma’am? What would you like for breakfast?”
Janie looked at her menu again and then up at Jackie. “I will have the bacon and egg muffin please, with orange juice and fresh fruit.”
“Certainly. And for you sir?”
Matt was grinning and ordered coffee, black, nothing else. He turned, just slightly, to Janie and spoke softly. “I’ll try not to spill it on you.”
“Thank you. I’d appreciate that. I am running out of shirts.” Janie blushed.
*****
The breakfast trays had been removed and Matt was working on a laptop. Janie leaned her head on the window and looked at the patchwork of farmland below. Had she fallen asleep? They had been flying for a couple of hours but she didn’t have the desire to break out the novel she had purchased especially for the flight. She heard Matt’s laptop close and saw him put his hands to his face and cover a yawn. He ran his right hand through his hair and put his back against the seat. He turned and his eyes caught Janie’s.
“So, what’s taking you to New York?” he asked.
“It’s the trip I have been planning for a long time,” Janie replied wistfully. She bit the inside of her cheek, thinking of all the times she had all but begged Robert to take this trip with her. He was too busy at work, they didn’t have enough money, the boys had practice for one sport or another, it was the wrong time. There was always a reason, an excuse, and now she was on a plane taking the trip alone. The tears had stopped flowing a few months ago, the shock was slowly disappearing too, leaving happy memories in its place, and at times, sadness.
“Do you have family there?”
“Nope! Don’t know a soul. I have wanted to see New York since I was 16 and I decided I wasn’t going to wait any longer.”
“You’ve never been there?”
“Nope. First time. You? How many times have you been there?”
Matt chuckled. “I live there. I’ve just been in Portland on some business.”
“Oh.”
“It’s the most amazing city in the world. Of course I’m bias,” he smiled. “You’ll have a w
onderful time.”
“I hope so.” Janie bit the inside of her cheek again. WHAT AM I DOING? she thought. I am going to New York by myself for two weeks?
“Where are you staying?”
“Umm. The Ritz Carlton at Central Park. I am splurging, you know, a once in a lifetime trip?” Janie felt as though she needed to explain herself. She didn’t fly first class and she didn’t stay at the Ritz.
Matt smiled. “I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time.” He turned back to his computer and opened the lid. The complicated looking spreadsheet reappeared and he starting typing.
*****
Janie awoke, startled. The Captain’s voice could be heard asking everyone to return to their seats and buckle their seatbelts. There was turbulence. The early flight, getting up at 3am, had helped her to fall asleep, something she rarely did on planes. Janie looked down to make sure her seatbelt was on. Oh crap! Her sweater had twisted and the top of her right breast was exposed for all the world to see. Heat rushed to her cheeks and she tried desperately to pull her sweater back over and cover herself without looking totally obvious. She could see that Matt was still on his laptop and she risked a glance sideways to his face. He was grinning. DAMN!! Again, totally mortified, Janie turned to look out of the window. The ground was getting closer and she could see buildings and freeways below.
“Janie?”
Oh please don’t talk to me. Just let me disappear! Janie thought to herself, but she turned to Matt and attempted to smile. “Yes?”
The Captain’s voice came over the speaker. The plane was just about to land and flight attendants were to take their seats.
“I have a car waiting at the airport and I will be going right by your hotel. Let me take you so that you don’t have to deal with cabs on your first day in New York.” Matt smiled. “It would be my pleasure.”
Well? Janie frowned. This could be a very innocent chivalrous offer, or it could turn out to be an episode of Law & Order SVU in a couple of months, she thought.