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The attendant ignored the confirmation and scanned Jayna’s face with her pad. “You are Jayna Cooper, right?”
“Yes.”
The woman’s broad professional smile returned. “Then you are in Suite 4.”
It struck Jayna that Emmaline must’ve somehow gotten her ticket upgraded. Her jaw tightened in anger. She didn’t want anything else from Emmaline or Sid.
But she was too tired to hold onto her frustration, and it quickly ebbed away, leaving her feeling resigned. She didn’t have the energy to fight against an upgrade. Besides, it was going to be a long flight, and she could really use the solitude the suite would provide.
After Jayna sat down, the attendant showed her how to turn the seat into a bed and how to switch the display wall between the various modes, which included a front facing camera and an overhead view showing their large flying wing from above.
“If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask,” the agent said.
Jayna mustered her best smile. “Thank you.”
The attendant had left the display wall in video mode, showing scenes out and about in Manutai. Jayna only paid a little attention to the display until it showed the pool at Kingdom of Tangaroa. As she gave her attention to the display, she realized the video was highlights of the Merathlon, including her triumphant win.
When the stream showed Kalani scooping her from the water, the amazing feeling of winning the Merathlon flooded through her.
Then the stream shifted to the Jubilee beach party, and Jayna realized this stream was a compilation of Jubilee highlights. And that, of course, reminded her of the kiss she and Sid had shared on the beach. What a fool she had been.
With a flash of panic, Jayna realized the stream would show the Jubilee Ball any moment, and while she doubted that the highlight reel would include the lowlight of her fight with Sid, the memory was still far too raw.
Jayna mashed her finger on the control pad, trying desperately to turn off the display. Instead, the wall of her suite seemed to disappear as the display switched to the front-facing camera.
After the initial shock, she was surprised at how soothing it was to watch the rain pour down in the darkness. She dimmed her cabin lights, laid her seat out flat, and allowed her tears to fall along with the rain.
Chapter 38
Sid awoke with a strange pain in his back and intense throbbing in his head. He pried one eye open, and as the room gradually came into focus, he realized that he was lying on the floor.
With a groan, he slowly pulled himself to his knees and attempted to crawl into the bed.
His hands hit something hard and cold. He forced both eyes open but struggled to make sense of what he saw.
There was a bicycle in his bed.
The front wheel was bent, and a handful of loose wires dangled below the top tube. At the sight of the bike’s missing control housing, he vaguely remembered riding along the Manutai cycleways. The power assist hadn’t been working, and he’d gotten thirsty. He must have stopped somewhere for a drink. Apparently, he’d had a little too much.
He stared at the bike in his bed and admitted that maybe he’d had a lot too much.
His head throbbed, and the events of the previous night were still hazy in his mind. He struggled to remember what he had done. Hopefully the bicycle in his bed was the worst of it.
He was relieved to find himself still fully clothed. But why was he wearing a tuxedo?
Sid groaned and buried his face in the sheets as the events of the night before flooded back into his mind. Dancing with Jayna at the ball. Their fight by the fountain. His wild ride through the streets of Manutai.
He groaned as the all-too familiar mix of anger and embarrassment settled over him.
He had known better. Despite her generous heart and enchanting singing voice, he had known better than to let himself fall for that beautiful red-haired gold-digging climber.
She was just like Crystal. And he had fallen for her anyway. He allowed himself to be lured by her siren’s song, and she dashed him against the rocks.
He was such an idiot.
Sid slumped against the bed and closed his eyes. Any minute she would come crawling back, apologize, and ask him to give her another chance.
But he’d already gone through this with Crystal, and he knew how it would end.
