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Mere seconds later, the plane started moving.
“You lied about it being only your second time.” I couldn’t keep my teeth from chattering any longer.
This man of mystery, who I’d figured worked for his dad at some small company like ours, obviously had more resources than I would have guessed.
“You’re cold,” he said.
“Freezing,” I admitted.
He unbuckled, located a blanket in a cabinet, and moved to the couch. He patted the seat next to him. “Come over here.” He unfolded the blanket.
If there was a blanket involved, I was all in. I joined him.
After I found the seatbelt, he tucked the blanket around us and pulled me to his side. It wasn’t the way I’d hoped to be snuggled up against him, but this would work. I desperately needed the warmth.
I shivered against him. “Now, can you tell me what’s going on?”
His hand rubbed my shoulder. “It’s simple really.” Nothing about this looked simple. “I contacted my brother about a charter to get us back quickly. He made a call, and it turns out these guys were available, but they’re almost at their duty-hour limit.”
“Still Swahili to me.”
“If we didn’t leave right away, they wouldn’t be able to get us to LA without exceeding the fourteen hours they’re allowed to fly in a day. The plane was here, but without a crew to make the flight, we’d be stuck until tomorrow.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “How do you know all this stuff?”
“I fly all the time for work.”
Now it made sense. Mr. Big Shot never mingled with the masses like me on regular airlines. He only flew in private jets. “And this is how you get around?”
“Normally I take the company plane.”
No wonder the cramped space of a coach seat had been a surprise to him.
Sandy already thought I’d been an idiot for not talking to Josh sooner. She’d blow a gasket when she found out he was rich, in addition to good looking. The plastic watch had fooled me.
“And today you were slumming with the rest of us, because…?” I asked.
The engines spooled up as we began our takeoff roll. “So I could meet an incredibly attractive girl—”
I raised a finger to interrupt. “Woman.” The plane’s acceleration pushed me even harder into him. I welcomed his body heat.
“Woman… Let me back up. Incredibly smart and attractive woman who lied to me about wanting to share a dessert tonight.”
“Point of order,” I complained. “That was a misstatement under duress, not a lie.”
The jet’s nose lifted, and we were airborne, but the takeoff was much steeper than I was used to, and it kept me pinned against his side, not that I was complaining.
Then the jolts began, and memories of the previous airliner catching fire came rushing back. I started shivering all over again.
Josh produced a mini bottle of Dewar’s scotch.
I wiggled a hand loose from my side of the blanket and grabbed for it.
He didn’t let go. “You hold the bottle; I’ll unscrew the cap.” With one of his arms behind me and my other one trapped under the blanket, we had to tackle the task as a team.
I held the bottle like he asked, and after he twisted the cap off, I brought it to my lips. The first swig went down hot. The second swallow finished the tiny thing. The rapid warmth in my belly helped everything seem better.
We weren’t very high when the bumps worsened. The first few weren’t bad, but they quickly turned even worse than they’d been on the big jet.
