Page 19 of Always Almost You

The cabin lights brightened. The announcement came. People sprang to their feet. Across the aisle, the tall man in black was already standing. He reached into the overhead bin above Lauren’s row. “Which one is yours?” he asked.

“The pink carry-on,” she said quickly, “with the rubber luggage tag that looks like an iced donut with sprinkles.”

Raising an eyebrow, he shot Lauren a bemused smile. “Got it.” He pulled it down into the aisle and extended the handle. “Hand me the carrier,” he said. “They’re about to open the doors.”

“Thank you, kind sir,” Lauren said, passing Pumpkin over carefully.

“Mike, my name is Mike,” he responded with a smile.

The grumpy man beside her unbuckled and began to rise.

Mike glanced at him. “Let’s let this woman and her dog get off first,” he said pleasantly but firmly. “It sounds like the pup isn’t feeling great, and you’ll have to wait for your gate-checked bag, anyway.”

The man flushed but sank back into his seat. “Go ahead,” he muttered. “Get that mutt out of here. I can’t stand the smell of dog barf.”

Lauren stabbed him with a visual dagger. She scampered around the knees of her row mates and took Pumpkin’s carrier back from Mike.

The aisle began to move. Mike placed the handle of Lauren’s suitcase into her free hand.

She looked up at him and gave him a smile so warm it could have melted the accumulating snow outside.

Without realizing it, Mike pressed a hand to his chest.

“Thank you,” Lauren said. “You’re my knight in shining armor.”

The line advanced. She turned and hurried toward the open aircraft door, Pumpkin’s carrier secure in her hand.

Mike watched her disappear into the jet bridge. And for the first time that day, the delay didn’t feel unfortunate.

CHAPTER 15

Mike crammed the last bite of the club sandwich from the restaurant into his mouth. His eyes stayed on the computer screen, but his mind drifted to the plane and the beautiful brunette with the dog. Her parting words replayed in a continuous loop.

You’re my knight in shining armor.

It was a familiar phrase—almost cliché—but no one had ever said it to him before. He’d scanned the Raleigh concourse for her after deplaning, but the airport had been a chaotic swirl of overworked staff and anxious passengers. He’d quickly abandoned the voucher line and used his reward points to book a room at a nearby mid-level business hotel. A rideshare had delivered him directly there.

The hotel lobby had been only slightly calmer than the airport. He’d waited twenty minutes to check in, eyes drifting repeatedly to the entrance, half-expecting her and her little dog to appear. They hadn’t.

Mike shook his head. He needed to focus. If he forgot about the charming woman he would never see again, he could finish reviewing the bid displayed on his laptop before continuing on to Charleston tomorrow.

He reached for the large cup of coffee he’d brewed in his room. Instead of grasping it, he knocked it over. The scalding liquid raced toward his laptop and the stack of printed plans beside it.

Mike lunged, lifting both just in time. The coffee flooded the space where they’d sat, then cascaded off the desk’s edge and directly into his lap.

He hissed under his breath. “Great,” he muttered aloud. “The one time I travel without a change of clothes in my carry-on.”

As a seasoned traveler, he knew he wouldn’t see his checked bag until it arrived at his mother’s house in Charleston. He placed the laptop and plans on the bed and headed to the bathroom to assess the damage. He dabbed at his shirt and pants with a towel, but the spreading stain was undeniable.

He checked the time on his phone. 8:45. The clerk had mentioned that the gift shop stayed open until nine. With any luck, they’d have something—anything—to get him through the night. He grabbed his wallet and key card and headed back to the lobby.

The gift shop door chimed as he stepped inside.

CHAPTER 16

“We’re next in line,” Lauren said to Pumpkin, who stayed close to her leg at the end of her leash.

The desk clerk handed the woman in front of Lauren a room key. “Our restaurant is open until ten,” he said. “You’re welcome to dine in or order food to take back to your room. We don’t offer room service.” He gestured toward a brightly lit alcove near the elevators.