Tomorrow. Tomorrow they would be back in the real world.
But this moment – just this moment in time – everything was perfect.
Chapter 27
Ryan held Charlotte’s hand as they walked back to the lodge. There was only a muted glow from the moon lighting the path. He didn’t want her to fall. That was his excuse anyway. Her delicate hand fit perfectly in his. He weaved his fingers through hers. “We made it.” He glanced at her as they reached the bottom of the steps leading up to the lodge.
Though her teeth were chattering, she smiled and his heart melted a little more. “I thought we would.”
He laughed. “You’re an eternal optimist.”
Instead of laughing with him as he’d expected, she looked away, her expression serious. Her chin trembled just a little.
“Hey.” He squeezed her hand.
She bit her lip, then looked at him and smiled. But she looked tired.
“Let’s get some dinner and then some sleep.” He swept a lock of hair from her cheek.
She nodded. “Sounds good.”
Before they reached the restaurant, she stopped and pulled her hand from his. “I need to make a phone call before it gets too late.”
“Sure. I’ll get us a table.”
Charlotte went into the lobby and sat on one of the couches, her cell phone pressed to her ear. Even from here, he could tell that her conversation looked serious. She held one hand over her eyes as she talked.
Maybe she had a boyfriend. Or even a husband. They thought hadn’t occurred to Ryan before. She didn’t have a ring on her finger, but that probably didn’t necessarily mean she was available.
Perhaps he’d been presumptuous and maybe a little unthoughtful by assuming she’d want to hang out with him all day. Just because his own relationship was in a state of flux didn’t necessarily mean that hers was.
He would have to tread more carefully.
And behave.
He ordered a martini and drank it while he watched Charlotte talk on the phone. He told himself he had no right to be jealous.
But he could tell himself that all day long. Truth was, he was jealous. He liked Charlotte. A lot. And the thought of her heart belonging to someone else left an ache in his own heart.
This was a time to back off from her. His relationship was uncertain and he had no clue about hers.
Unfortunately, he didn’t feel like he could ask.
Her brow was furrowed when she came back to the table.
‘’Everything okay?” He made a concerted effort to keep his hands to himself.
She sighed. Her smile was tight. “I think everything is okay.”
“Good. If there’s anything you need to talk about, I’m here.” So much for his resolve to back off. He kicked himself for saying the words that had just naturally slipped out. Just when he’d resolved to stay out of her personal business.
“Thank you. That means a lot.” But she didn’t elaborate as she picked up the menu.
I should be relieved. Not disappointed.
Chapter 28
Charlotte untied her boots and put all her borrowed clothes in a stack on the couch. She didn’t have much to pack, so she decided that morning would be soon enough to throw everything in her duffel bag.
Ryan had said they would be leaving the lodge about nine o’clock to head to the airport. He had to confirm the exact time with Mike and Julia. It was interesting, Charlotte mused as she changed into her shorts and tee-shirt and climbed into bed.
Unlike fling commercial, the passengers pretty much set the schedule instead of the other way around.
Someday, she thought. Someday I may be fortunate enough to pick a destination and fly there. But that would be a long time away. A long time after her sister was well and Charlotte had a full-time job.
Ryan hadn’t come up to the room yet. He’d said needed to talk with Jameson if he was available and track down the honeymooners. She wondered if he would come up to the room or find other place to sleep for the night. She hadn’t thought to ask if another room had opened up.
No matter what, today had been a perfect day.
Tomorrow, though, life would be back to normal. And in Charlotte’s case, normal wasn’t so bright as this weekend had been.
No matter what happened, she was thankful to Noah for taking her mind off the stress and uncertainty of her sister’s illness even if just for a day. And with it being just one day – a day that she was being paid for – she had only limited guilt about enjoying herself.
Chapter 29
As Ryan left Mike and Julia’s honeymoon cabin, he was thankful it was only a few yards from the lodge. With the night air came plummeting temperatures. He pulled up the collar on his coat to cover his ears.
Despite Mike being from that part of society that Sariah ran in, he genuinely liked Mike. Mike had actually offered him a cold beer. While they sat in the living room of the two room cabin, the honeymooners snuggled together under a blanket and shared some of the things that they hoped to do while in Colorado. Unfortunately, Mike had a board meeting scheduled tomorrow and had yet to decide what he was going to about it. He’d told them he was going to be on his honeymoon, but the company hadn’t postponed the meeting.
Julia offered support either way.
Once he was back inside the lodge and had a few minutes for his fingers to warm up, he sent Jameson a text letting him know that they’d be leaving sometime in the morning. He hadn’t seen or heard from Jameson all day. He’d show up, though, when it was time. Jameson was reliable that way. Private and reliable. Not bad qualities to have.
As he walked up the stairs to the second floor, it occurred to Ryan that it wasn’t high society he didn’t enjoy so much as it was Sariah. The though jolted him and he nearly missed a step.
What man in his right mind wouldn’t want to spend his life with such a gorgeous woman. She was gorgeous and could hold a conversation. She never made a scene. She was an ideal woman.
He shook his head. Must be the high elevation. High altitude had been known to cause impairments in thought processes. As a pilot, Ryan was well aware of that possibility. He’d never been affected, but there was always a first time.
He knocked lightly on the door and gave Charlotte time to open the door. She was probably asleep by now. He let himself into the room and silently closed it behind him.
On his way to the bathroom, he passed the bed. He wasn’t intentionally invading her privacy. But couldn’t help himself. He stood next to the bed and looked at Charlotte. Her hair flowed behind her on the pillow and her lips were slightly parted. But it was the moonlight streaming in through the window that gave her a radiant glow.
She looked like a princess lying there sleeping peacefully. He was nearly undone by the love that flowed through him in that moment. It may be the elevation, but whatever it was, he couldn’t deny it.
Charlotte had his heart.
Chapter 30
Their passengers, Mike and Julia, had decided to stay over. They weren’t sure how long they were going to stay so Ryan and Jameson were taking the plane back as scheduled. The honeymooners would either take a commercial flight back or give Skye Travels a call when they were ready to fly back to Dallas.
Charlotte stepped into the plane with Ryan right behind her. “What am I supposed to do?“ She stepped aside for him to move past her.
He stowed their luggage. “You get to do whatever you want to do. Today you’re a passenger.“
“I’m not sure I should get paid for that.“
He seem to consider. “Maybe. It doesn’t seem so much different from being a copilot.” He winked at her. “You can always bring us water and sodas. Or make some coffee for Jameson.”
She smiled with relief.. Although she wanted – Needed - the money, she didn’t want to feel like she hadn’t earned it. “I can do that.”
While the pilots went through their check sheet, Charlotte made coffee.
She smiled to herself as she
waited for the coffee to brew. Ryan turned and looked at her. When he smiled, a little thrill shot through her and she smiled back.
What would happen now? What would happen after they got back to Dallas in the regular lives? She would see him as he came in with the office. But only for a few more days. Friday was her last day at Skye Travels. Last scheduled day.
Maybe, she thought. Maybe Noah hadn’t hired anyone yet and she would be asked to stay for a while longer.
She checked her phone to see if she had any messages from the temp agency. If Noah didn’t contact them soon, they would no doubt schedule her to go somewhere else.
She sighed. She wasn’t worried so much about her job as she was about not seeing Ryan anymore.
They hadn’t talked about anything of course. Why would they? They were just coworkers you happen to get stuck in the same room.
She filled a mug with coffee and carried it to the cockpit for Jameson. Her heart was heavy now. Now that she was beginning to realize that her relationship with Ryan was uncertain. If fact she had no reason to believe that she would see him anymore and just in passing at the office.
She turned avoiding eye contact with Ryan.
She went to the couch in the back – the couch for Mike and Julia had used on the flight over. She played with the seatbelt until she had it figured out. It made her sad to think about how Ryan had buckled her in before.
As she waited for them to take off, she stared out the window. She watched the luggage handlers driving carts full of luggage around the tarmac. Luggage that belonged to people who were out to see the world, to live life to its fullest. Maybe after Abby was better, Charlotte thought, I can look into the requirements of becoming a flight attendant.
She pressed her for head against the cool glass on the window while they taxied down the runway. Then when the plane began to take off she sat back and closed her eyes, Enjoying unfamiliar feel of weightlessness. Once they were in the air, she looked out the window again and gazed at the fluffy clouds.
Suddenly Ryan sat next to her on the couch. She glanced at him, then turned back to the window, a lump in her throat. “Sometimes the worst part of a trip is going home.“
She nodded. “Is that the way you feel after a trip?“
“Sometimes. After a really good trip. But usually I’m just ready to go home, maybe have a beer, watch a movie, and get some sleep.
She laughed. “Is that how you feel now? Just ready to get home?”
“No.” He looked past her out the window, but he seemed to be looking somewhere else. He shook his head. “No. No this time.“
He shifted a bit and looked into her eyes. He put his fingertips on her jaw and lightly swept his thumb over her bottom lip.
Her eyes fluttered closed and she swayed toward him.
His lips replaced his thumb. She sighed as his lips pressed against hers.
He murmured her name as his lips slid from her’s and he pulled her against him, his arms around her shoulders. Her arms went around him and her cheek rested against his chest, her head nestled under his chin. They held each other tightly as the plane traveled through the clouds.
It was too loud to hear, but Charlotte could feel his heart beat against her cheek. And she knew that this weekend had been life altering for her.
Chapter 31
When Ryan got home, he did exactly what he had said. He changed clothes, took a beer from the refrigerator, and sat on the couch.. But he didn’t open the beer and he didn’t turn on the TV.
Instead he reread the text message from Sariah. Don’t forget to pick me up tomorrow night at seven for the theatre. It was as though nothing had happened. What about taking a break? He didn’t know what she’d done while he was in Colorado. He’d probably never know. And she would never know about Charlotte.
He thought about Charlotte and he thought about Sariah. But mostly he thought about Charlotte.
Charlotte was everything that he could imagine wanting in a girl. He ran his hands through his hair. Sariah had told him they needed to take a break. According to Jameson, that was merely semantics for breaking up. Now it looked like he still had a fiancé.
He had two flights tomorrow both in and out. Neither required a copilot. He’d have plenty of alone time in the air to think. He did his best thinking when he was alone in the cockpit in the sky. Noah had told him once that he was same way. Use it to your advantage. Noah had advised him.
Confident that he would figure it all out tomorrow, he dragged himself into the bedroom and fell into bed.
Chapter 32
Charlotte sat across from Noah in his office. He was talking with the temp agency administrators about rearranging her schedule to keep her there at Skye Travels until her contract with them ran out. After that, he wanted to hire her full time.
She’d even told him about her sister and that would no doubt need some time off when her sister had surgery. Noah had been more than supportive. He said that family comes first. A job would be there when she got back.
Charlotte pressed her thumb against her lips to keep from grinning from ear to ear. This was wonderful news. Better than she ever dared think would happen.
She glanced at the time on her phone. Tapped her foot. If this took much longer, she wouldn’t get to see Ryan before his flight, much less tell him her good news.
As the seconds passed, she gave up. She would have to tell Ryan later when he came back from his first flight. Or even at the end of the day if he didn’t make it to the office in between flights.
Chapter 33
Ryan hummed to himself as he walked into the office the next morning. He’d gotten a good night’s sleep and was looking forward to his busy flight schedule today – one in the morning and another out and back in the afternoon. That meant he’d get to see Charlotte both before he left and when he came back around noon.
She wasn’t in yet when came into the lobby, so he went to his office. Jameson was already there.
“Hey.” He greeted Jameson. “What do you have today?
“I have an overnight.”
“Anywhere good?”
Jameson grinned. “Vegas.”
“I always suspected you were Noah’s favorite.”
“I think you were already booked.”
“Yeah. I have two short flights today.”
“Maybe he’s being kind to you since you have a fiancé.”
Ryan glanced at his friend, but Jameson didn’t appear to be joking. “I hope not. What does that even mean?”
Jameson set down his pen and leaned back in his chair. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
Ryan sat and opened his iPad to check his flight plan. At the mention of his fiancé, his good mood had evaporated like a contrail in the sky.
“Colorado?” Jameson asked.
Ryan didn’t answer. He would be leaving soon to make it to the airport on time to meet his client. His plan to see Charlotte this morning didn’t appear to be working out.
Ignoring Jameson, he moved to the conference room and watched for Charlotte while he worked. He waited until the last possible minute to leave the office, but she still wasn’t at her desk.
He shoved everything into his leather briefcase and went to the elevator. Where was Charlotte anyway?
Chapter 34
Passengers rarely came into the office. Sometimes Noah would have someone up for a business meeting or even a social visit.
Charlotte tipped her microphone back and smiled at the woman who merely scowled at her. The woman was obviously a client. Her perfect blonde hair swept back from her perfect face. She wore a red dress over her perfectly toned body.
“How can I help you?” Charlotte asked.
From the way she’d walked straight from the elevator to the Charlotte’s station, the woman seemed to know her way around. “Where’s Ryan?” She checked her watch.
“He’s flying.”
“No. We’re flying. In less than an hour.”
Charlotte already knew Ryan’s
schedule by heart. But she checked anyway just in case she’d missed something. Nope. “Ryan doesn’t have anymore flights today.”
The woman turned and smiled at her. Charlotte recoiled. The woman’s smile held so much… contempt.
“It’s not on the schedule, dear. It’s personal.”
“I see.”
“So?”
“So…”
“Where is he?”
“He’s flying.”
“Where’s Noah?”
“Noah has left for the weekend.” Charlotte informed her. She could have just said Noah was out for the rest of the week, but something about the woman made her want to taunt her - just a little.
“It’s Monday.”
“He’s the boss.”
The woman rolled her eyes. “Then who’s in charge?”
“I guess it depends on what you need.”
“I need to know where Ryan is.”
Charlotte opened her mouth, but the woman interrupted. “Don’t say flying.”
“Okay.”
The corners of the woman’s lips twitched, but she didn’t smile.
“His flight was delayed.” Charlotte told her. “Can I book you a flight with someone else?”
The woman laughed without humor. “You have no idea who I am, do you?”
Charlotte shook her head.
“I’m Sariah Winston.”
Charlotte looked blankly at her.
“I’m Ryan’s fiancé.”
The bottom dropped out of Charlotte’s stomach and the room spun. Sariah said something else, but Charlotte didn’t hear her words.
She got up and took a step away from the desk, but was stopped by the cord on her headset. She pulled it off her head and tossed it on the desk, took her purse from the desk drawer, and after remembering to set the phone calls to route to the answering service, turned and opened the door to her left that went down the stairs.
Just Pretend (Cupid's Kiss Book 6) Page 6