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“Why?”
“Just didn’t occur to me. She must’ve thought I was upgrading you so that you could sit next to me.” I reach up and hit the call button. “Let’s see if they’ve got anything else open. Or I can move back to your original seat in coach.”
“No. I meant why upgrade my seat at all.” She reaches up and pushes the call button again, turning it off. “It’s not a big deal. Just unexpected.”
“No. You said you wanted to avoid me and it looks like we both tried to avoid each other by changing our flights. And now I’ve made things worse.” I reach up and hit the call button again.
Trinity sighs and hits the call button for a fourth time. “It’s okay. Really.” She gives a half chuckle. “I guess we are both trying to do the right thing.”
“Ian would’ve wanted you in first class.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ve never flown first class in my life. Coach on this flight is already so much nicer than the budget airlines I usually fly on.”
Before I can respond, airline attendant bustles over. “What do you guys need?” he asks with an ingratiating grin. “Can I get you some champagne to start with?”
Before I can ask whether there’s another seat I can move to, Trinity responds. “Two gin and tonics.”
“Got it. Singles or doubles?”
At the same time, Trinity and I both say, “Double.”
We’re both quiet for several minutes while the attendant gets our drinks. I watch Trinity while she fidgets, getting her belongings situated where she wants them for the flight.
She seems better than she did at the engagement party. Less tense. A little more thoughtful. Maybe even less sad. That’s good. I don’t want her angry at me. I don’t want her hurt. I just want?—
Well, I just want her. But in lieu of that, I want her to be happy. Jesus, I sound like I’m trying to write a graduation card for her or something equally asinine.
“Thank you,” she says, almost so softly I don’t hear it and without looking up from her iPad that she’s fiddling with.
“Don’t worry about it. If it makes you feel more comfortable, I’ll just make Ian pay for upgrading your flight,” I lie.
“That’s not… I meant for the dress.”
“Ah.” So the gig is up.
She slants a look at me from under her eyelashes. “And the other clothes. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I never said I did do it.”
She ignores my dodge. “Were you afraid I would embarrass Ian?”
For a moment, I can only gape. Then I laugh. “Embarrass Ian? First off, most of the people in that room made their wealth in the tech industry over the past decade, which means most of them have solidly middle class backgrounds. And most of them are in tech. That means they barely notice what they’re wearing, let alone what someone else is wearing. You could’ve worn an actual potato sack and he never would’ve noticed. I don’t think he’s ever noticed anyone’s clothing in his entire life, and that was before he met Savannah and all other women ceased to even exist for him. So no, I didn’t do it because I was afraid you would embarrass Ian. Or anyone else for that matter before you can ask.”
A smile ghosts her lips and she says softly, “It is pretty adorable how in love with her he is. I always wanted my big sister to find someone who sees how amazing she is. And she did.”
Adorable. Right.
God, I wonder how she would react if she knew how obsessed I am with her. Would she find that adorable too, or would it send her running for the hills.
“So if you didn’t do it for Ian, then why?”
By now the plane is taxiing down the runway. I take a sip of my drink and stare out the window for a minute before trying to put my reasoning into words. “I didn’t grow up in this world.”
“This world?” she asks.
“First class. Destination weddings to private islands in the Caribbean. Elaborate engagement parties in fancy restaurants.”
She nods as if she sees my point. “What world did you grow up in?”
