Page 89 of Flight of Fancy

This was something Elle did not wish to admit, let alone in present company. Isaac would be fine. Fuck it, I’ll take Ollie hearing me make an ass out of myself like this. No. She had to tell Riley, who would more than likely be appalled.

“I don’t know where she lives.”

“But you’re like… a board member.”

“I don’t have access to any employee’s private details. Why would I?”

“Because you’re like… a board member.”

Sometimes, Riley could be a real dolt. Elle cupped her fingers around her face and slid her elbows across the bartop. “I’m not even adjacent to HR, let alone in HR,” she muttered through her hands. When she lowered them with a sigh, she continued, “My stupid job is to fly back and forth between America and Singapore to make sure everyone is getting along well enough to keep co-funding an international business. I am a cross-cultural babysitter.”

“That gets paid a ton of money for it, so…” Riley nudged her. “Sounds like you should be helping a girl out.”

Elle blanched at the thought.

“Not me, dumbass! Helping Arianna! What if they fire her for this bullshit? Like, what if she’s fired because of you, a board member?”

“If anything, I should keep her from getting fired, right?”

“I know one thing, and I don’t even know what she’s told you. But she’s not going to be a flight attendant anymore. You were flying under an assumed name, so as far as she’s concerned, you’re a passenger. But also, you’re a board member. So… yeah, you better find her.”

“You think I don’t know that? I was running around trying to figure that out when I realized you were here, and…”

“You thought you’d come verbally rough me up so you could tell your future wife that you found the culprit and have exacted revenge for her honor.”

“I mean, not like that. Not really. Maybe a little.”

“To be fair, if I had been the one to rat you two out, I’d deserve every rough word you’d send my way.”

“Somehow, that doesn’t make me feel better.”

Riley turned her whole body toward Elle, a comical sight to anyone coming upon an off-duty pilot and a much taller woman looking like she had stepped off the roughest flight of her life. “Look,” Riley said with an inspiring grunt, “somewhere in this city-state country thing is the nicest, prettiest flight attendant to ever know her shit having the roughest day of her life. Hell, if I knew where she lived, I wouldn’t only tell you, I’d be there already to say how sorry I was for her! But I guess she doesn’t need that from me.”

“I’ve gotta figure out where she lives. All she’s said is that it’s a flat by Changi Airport.”

“Cool! That narrows it down to a thousand buildings!”

“So helpful!”

“Are you a director or not? Don’t you have some pull somewhere? Find her address! Harass her sister! Be illegal and access the database on some cloud!”

“The HR people would not tell me where she is. But… I think I know someone…” Elle hopped off her stool. “I’m going back up to my room. Thanks for not being a snitch!”

Riley spun around on her stool. “That’s my middle name! Riley No-Snitch Lowe!”

As soon as she was in the elevator, Elle dialed Isaac back in California. It was early in the morning there, but she knew him. He was either already up or his alarm was about to go off.

“What?” he groggily answered. Alarm was not off yet…

“Can you access HR records?” she asked her fellow director. “I need an address. Specifically, I need my girlfriend’s address in Singapore.”

“Whoa, whoa. What are you talking about? You’re in Singapore?”

“Yes! I’ve got to find Arianna. You’re the only one I know who might have access to her personnel file and might help me.”

“That’s not… kosher,” was all he said.

“Do I sound like I care?”

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