With a grin, he looked up as he continued to type. “Peyton, believe it or not, I can handle registering for an event on my own. That would be a waste of my assistant’s time. Plus, why wait? Besides, it looks like registration closes tomorrow.”
Wordlessly, she nodded.
Once he finished, he looked up at her again. “Where are you flying out from and where are you staying?”
“Oh, um…” She glanced down at her hands, and Ryder had a feeling she was hesitating for a reason.
“You’re still going, aren’t you?”
She shrugged. “I mean…I still have my registration packet and passes, but…I canceled my hotel and never booked my flight to begin with, so…”
Waving her off, he shut his laptop. “Not a problem. I’ll fly us out and I’ll handle our hotel reservations.”
“But…” Her eyes were wide and she didn’t look convinced, but that didn’t deter him.
“Peyton, do you want to go to the show?”
“Of course I do! I just don’t need you to do all of that. I’m perfectly fine flying out on my own and making reservations for myself. I’m sure you’re used to staying at the kind of places I can’t even afford.”
“The trip is on me because we’re going together for the sake of my resort,” he explained. “Consider this all part of the whole consultation package. Besides, I have a company plane for this exact reason. Why not utilize it?”
That seemed to make her relax. “Well, okay. If you’re sure. Just know I have no problem making my own arrangements and…”
“Peyton?” he interrupted.
“Yes?”
“Just say ‘thank you’ and let’s move on,” he said with a smile.
She blushed prettily as she smiled back at him. “Thank you, Ryder.” After a small pause, she added, “And for what it’s worth, I think you’re going to really enjoy the show and learn a lot about everything we’re going to be working toward.”
“I’m counting on it.”
After that, they started talking about concepts for the resort restaurant and potential menu ideas before moving on to discuss the poolside café and what that would entail. The entire vibe was different from the night before and rather than snarking back and forth at each other, they had a very interesting and informational conversation that he was enjoying immensely. It seemed like she was as well, which was why he was surprised when she stood and began gathering her things.
“Is something wrong?” he asked as he came to his feet.
Peyton smiled at him as she adjusted the satchel strap over her shoulder. “It’s getting late and I need to get going.”
Glancing at his watch, Ryder was shocked to see it was after six.
“I think we accomplished a lot here today,” she told him. “We’re off to a good start and I’m going to think a bit on a couple of different ideas for both resort eateries.”
“We can keep talking,” he offered. “Can I take you to dinner?” It was an attempt to prolong their time together under the guise of business, but deep down, Ryder knew he was doing it because he was enjoying her company.
“I appreciate the offer, but I have plans tonight.” Reaching out, she shook his hand. “You have my number and I’ll text you my email address. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.”
“O-kay…” He kept her hand in his, unwilling to let it go just yet.
“And if you wouldn’t mind letting me know about the travel arrangements, I’d appreciate it. I’m a stickler about itineraries,” she said with a small laugh. “I love to know where I need to be and when.”
“I get that,” he replied and appreciated her honesty, and realized he was still holding her hand. “I’ll get all of that to you once the reservations are made.”
“Thank you,” she said softly as she gently pulled her hand from his. “I look forward to hearing from you.”
He walked her to the door and wished her a good night, and then stood by the door and watched as she drove away.
“I am in big trouble,” he murmured as he shut the door.
Going to the trade show made perfect business sense.
Being away with Peyton for a week could only wreak havoc on him and test his self-control in ways it hadn’t been tested before.
He just wasn’t sure he was up for the challenge.
And that scared him more than anything.
6
Two weeks later, Peyton stood on the tarmac of the local airport in disbelief.
“I don’t understand,” she said, staring at the small plane in front of her.
“I told you I had a company plane…”
“You didn’t mention how small it was, Ryder!” she cried, nearing hysteria. “It doesn’t look safe!”
Beside her, he chuckled softly as he kept walking. “Believe me, it’s very safe.” When he noticed she wasn’t following, he paused. “Peyton, are you afraid of flying?”
“No,” she replied defensively. “Not on a normal plane. But this is…it’s just not what I expected.” Silently, she willed herself to calm down because she knew it had to be safe. There was no way someone like Ryder would have a subpar jet. It wasn’t possible. Letting out a steadying breath, she nodded. “Okay. I’m fine. I’m good. I promise.”
If only she truly believed it…
“Come on,” he said softly. “I think you’ll be very impressed.” Then, leading them up the airstairs. “It’s a six-passenger–including pilot and crew–and has a restroom. Our flight time is four hours and I can guarantee you’ll be very comfortable.”
Peyton wasn’t quite so sure. Right now she felt a little like she was going to be sick, so all she did was nod.
“Our luggage is being loaded and we’ll be taking off in about twenty minutes.”
Looking around the small and luxurious interior did not make her feel any better. “Um…where’s the pilot?”
“You’re looking at him.”
A nervous laugh was out before she could stop it. “Um…no. No, no, no. You are not flying us. Just…no.”
Frowning, he stared down at her like she was crazy. “Why not?”
“Because you’re not a pilot, Ryder! It’s bad enough I’m flying in this teeny-tiny plane! I can’t do this with you as the pilot! It’s crazy!”
“I can assure you that I have my pilot’s license. I’m completely certified.” His tone was calm and soothing, but it wasn’t working on her at all. If anything, it annoyed her. “You need to trust me on this, Peyton.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to counter that she couldn’t, but…she’d be lying. After their initial falling out over her property, she’d come to realize that Ryder was a man of his word. Over the last two weeks he’d reached out to get her input on numerous things and always took her suggestions into consideration. And on top of that, it seemed like everyone in her family couldn’t say enough nice things about him. That meant no matter how uncomfortable she was right now, she owed it to him to trust him.
With a curt nod, she walked over and took one of the seats, closing all the window shades as she went. She immediately buckled her seatbelt and pulled out her phone.
And began to search for flights to Denver.
Okay, so maybe she didn’t truly trust him with just this one thing.
Looking up, she saw him in the cockpit with his headset on as he quietly talked to someone on the other end.
This is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong…
Her words only amped up her anxiety, which then doubled when she saw there were no available local flights to Denver today. If she got off the plane and didn’t fly out until tomorrow, she’d miss the first day of the show and potentially cause Ryder to miss out on seeing things as well.
Dammit, I hate being empathetic.
But right now, she hated Ryder more.
They had talked on the phone just about every day since their meeting at his house. She had sent him several menu ideas, and they talked décor and theming and ev
en about the show, and not once did he mention that he was going to be the one flying them to Denver. It was something they were going to have to discuss because she did not appreciate being blindsided like this. If they were going to work together, then he was going to have to be way more transparent about the things he planned–especially when they involved her.
Of course, that wasn’t going to happen right now. There was no way she was going to argue with him or distract him when she needed him to fully focus on flying them safely across the country.
“Just take some deep, cleansing breaths,” she murmured to herself. Doing her best to get comfortable, she pulled out her tablet and figured she could settle in with a good book and do her best to pretend she was on a 747, except…
“Ryder?”
“Hmm?”
“Is there anything to drink?”
“One moment,” he replied before standing and stepping out of the cockpit. Peyton watched as he walked over to a small cabinet and pulled out two bottles of water and then a small basket. “I had this made for you. Hopefully there’s something in there you’ll like.” He handed her the basket before placing one of the waters in the cupholder beside her. “Enjoy.” And with a confident smile, he went back to his position in the cockpit.
For a minute she felt like a kid on Christmas morning. The basket had all of her favorites, and she didn’t know what to touch first. There were fresh strawberries, mini chocolate chip muffins, pretzels, and a small assortment of chocolate truffles. It literally had everything she could want for a trip–sweet and savory. She had to hand it to him. The man thought of everything.
Except to tell her they were traveling in a plane equivalent to a VW Bug.
Within minutes the airplane door was shut and locked, and Ryder checked on her one more time. “Do you have everything you need? It’s going to be a little while before I can do anything. There are more beverages in the cooler, the lavatory is behind you, there’s Wi-Fi, and outlets for any electronics you want to use. Just wait until I give you the okay to use them.”
Mutely, she nodded.
This is it. I’m going to fly in the tiny plane…
“You are welcome to join me in the cockpit at any time…”
“Yeah, no. I’ll just sit right here,” she told him, and he must have sensed her discomfort because he didn’t push. And with a nod of his own, he took his seat in the cockpit.
As soon as they started to move, Peyton’s hands gripped the armrests hard. Her knuckles were white as her nails dug into the soft leather. Her eyes slammed shut as she immediately began to pray and hated the fact that she hadn’t reached out to her family to tell them she loved them. The plane picked up speed and her stomach clenched as she felt them take off. Part of her wished Ryder would talk to her, but she heard him talking softly to someone. She knew nothing about pilots or flying a plane, but she assumed he was talking to someone in air traffic control.
And prayed they knew what they were doing, too.
Time passed. She knew it did, but she had no idea how long it was until Ryder told her she could use the Wi-Fi and could stand up if she wanted to.
Um…no thank you.
Still, she forced herself to relax and breathe. She turned on her tablet and pulled up the new book she had just started–a cute rom-com about a cheery baker and an uptight CEO. Taking a sip of her water, Peyton opted to try the mini muffins and before she knew it, she was on chapter three of the book.
“You’re awful quiet back there,” Ryder called out. “Everything okay?”
“Just reading,” she replied, hating the interruption. Out of the corner of her eye she could see he was turned around and looking at her. “Shouldn’t you…you know…be watching the sky?”
His laugh was low and deep, and at any other time, Peyton knew she’d appreciate it.
Just not right now.
“Seriously, Ryder, can you please just watch the sky?” her voice shook slightly and she could tell he was torn between doing what she asked and being what she needed.
Ultimately, he turned around and focused on flying.
They were two hours into their flight when the first real bout of turbulence hit. Ryder called back to her to stay seated and buckled, and she quickly tightened her seatbelt. After that, things didn’t get better.
The turbulence was awful and because the plane was so small, she knew it probably felt worse than it actually was. But it was powerful enough that her basket fell over, her purse spilled, and her bottle of water went flying. There was no way she was going to call out to Ryder and disturb him, but if things didn’t settle down soon, she knew she was going to freak out.
She was back to having her white-knuckled grip on the armrests, with her eyes shut and praying. Right now she’d give anything to be on the ground. Hell, if they lived through this, she was never going to fly again. She’d drive from Denver all the way back to Magnolia Sound before she got back on a plane!
Please let me live…please keep us safe…please stop the turbulence…
It was bizarre how it felt like they were on the ground, off-roading, rather than in the sky. It felt like hours, but she was sure it was only minutes. Either way, whatever the problem was, it wasn’t easing up.
“Peyton!” Ryder called out authoritatively. “Things are about to get even bumpier! We’re going to make an emergency landing!”
She nodded, unable to speak.
There was a loud booming sound and suddenly things got quieter. She heard him curse, but didn’t dare ask what was going on. If she was going to die, she didn’t want to know how.
Well…it was obvious how considering their current situation, but the less she knew, the better.
The plane lurched to the side drastically, and this time she did scream.
“Almost there! Just hold on!”
The plane shook and sounded like it was going to come apart, and tears began to stream down her cheeks. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t the way things were supposed to end for her.
Compartments opened and she could hear things falling down all around her, but she didn’t dare open her eyes to see any of it.
I love you, Mom…I love you, Dad…I love you, Parker…I love you, Mason…
She went through every family member, every friend, and wondered how everyone was going to get along without her. There was another loud boom and more shaking before everything went quiet–eerily quiet. The only sound she heard were her own sobs. There was no point in trying to subdue them. She wanted the universe to know how devastated she was and just wished there were someone she could scream at right now–someone she could shake and demand they make things right.
“Peyton? Peyton, can you hear me?”
Was that God? Was He talking to her?
“Hey,” the voice said softly. “I’ve got you. It’s okay. We’re okay.”
It was Ryder’s arms that went around her. She knew it without opening her eyes. With shaking hands, she undid her seatbelt and wrapped herself around him as she continued to cry. And she had zero intentions of letting him go anytime soon.
They were alive and on the ground and as much as she had what felt like a million questions to ask–like where they were–there was no way she could speak right now. So she held him and was thankful he was holding her right back.
Right now, Ryder had no idea which of them was shaking more. As soon as the plane came to a stop, he jumped from his seat to go to her. The sound of her sobbing was more than he could bear.
Of all the egotistical things he’d done in his life, this was by far the worst.
There had been no reason for him to pilot this flight. He had a pilot who worked for him who could have flown them, but Ryder had wanted to show off a bit.
And look where it got them.
His arms banded tightly around her and Peyton’s limbs held on to him like a vice. Her arms and legs were wrapped round him and there was no way he was going to try to pry her off just yet. She needed this.
One hand reached up and anchored into her hair as he felt her calming down. She wasn’t shaking nearly as much as she was a minute ago. Not that it mattered. She was entitled to cry, and Ryder would do his best to comfort her for as long as she needed.
Or so he thought…
There was a banging on the aircraft door and even with the blinds closed he could see the flashing lights of emergency vehicles. Pulling back slightly, he cupped Peyton’s face in his hands. Big, dark eyes stared up at him and in that instant, he saw the same heat and need he was feeling. More than anything, he wanted to close the distance between them–to claim her lips and kiss her until all the fear and trauma were wiped away.
The banging continued and Ryder knew their time was up. “I need to handle this,” he said quietly. She was pale and her lips were quivering, but she nodded. Slowly, he got to his feet and went to release the door and stairs, stepping outside rather than allowing anyone on board.
There were easily a dozen rescue responders waiting for him along with people from the tiny airport he had managed to get them to. The only thing Ryder remembered was that they were in Missouri. All the other details did not register with him in his desperate attempt to land the plane safely.
He shook hands with some and agreed to let the paramedics board the plane to check on Peyton. Other than his nerves, Ryder knew he was uninjured. Questions came at him from every direction and he did his best to answer them all. Bottom line was that he’d never flown through such strong turbulence and he panicked. It was a rookie mistake and one that could have cost both him and Peyton their lives. There had been no engine failure, no storms; it was 100% pilot error.
He was the only one to blame.
It took almost two hours for interviews to be done and paperwork to be filled out. The plane was being towed to a hangar to be inspected. During it all, Ryder managed to arrange for a ride to a local motel where he and Peyton would spend the night. In all the commotion, he hadn’t had a chance to talk directly to her but from what he’d been told, they were in a fairly remote location with very few options for lodging and none of them sounded particularly appealing. Still, he made the decision for them to stay rather than finding another flight to Denver today. And when she was beside him with his hand resting on the small of her back as he guided them to their car, it appeared she was on the same page.
Nobody Does it Better Page 9