Page 6 of Cloud Nine Love

“He’s not only a looker; he’s a gentleman, too. He insisted on giving me his seat.”

“Oh, that’s sweet.”

“Don’t worry.” She winked at me. “His bag’s still here. He just went out to take a phone call.”

Yeah, I’d already made note of that.

“Oh, I wasn’t…” I shook my head as I protested, but I couldn’t get over this woman’s similarities to the former Golden Girl. Not only was she the spitting image, she sounded like her too. It was uncanny. I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone. “I’m sorry, but do people tell you how much you look like?—"

“Sophia Loren,” she cut me off, then nodded earnestly. “Yes, they do.”

“Oh, um, I was going to say?—”

Her hand reached out and covered mine as she chuckled. I flinched slightly. “I’m teasing you. Yes, Betty White; I’ve heard that since her days on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. I’ve just always wanted to look like Sophia Loren, she was so stunning.”

“Isn’t it funny that we all want what we don’t have?”

I’d always wished I was a blonde with brown eyes, and my cousin Kenna, who had beautiful red hair and blue eyes, always wanted to have brown hair and brown eyes.

“People are funny that way.” She smiled and began digging in her purse.

When she pulled out her phone, I realized it had been ringing.

“Hello,” she answered. “Oh, no, don’t do that. I’ll come find you. No, no, no. You wait there. I’ll come to you. Okay, love you. Bye.”

“Well,” she sighed as she hung up. “It looks like I’m off. My granddaughter doesn’t want me waiting at the airport all night, so she’s come back to pick me up.”

“Oh, that’s nice.”

“I came out to visit because she just had a baby, but now I just want to get home to my Chester.”

“Is that your husband?”

“No, cat,” she replied.

“Oh, okay.”

“Just kidding, yes, husband of sixty-eight years.”

“Wow, that’s quite an accomplishment.”

Her wrinkled hand reached up and touched a charm she wore on her gold necklace as a wistful smile curled on her lips. “It’s been a wonderful ride.”

I grinned.

“Well, it was nice to meet you…” The woman held out her hand, and I took a deep breath as I shook it.

“Taylor.”

“Taylor, I’m Ruth, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Ruth.”

Ruth stood from the chair and turned to leave just as Sexy Stranger walked up behind her, and the goosebumps returned in full force.

“You don’t have to get up on my account.”

His deep voice vibrated through my entire body.

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