Page 15 of Fly with Me

His smile didn’t falter, as if working at Disney World meant he tried to imitate the Cheshire Cat. “Oh, yes. About the hotel. As a thank-you, we’ve upgraded your accommodations to one of the suites.”

“Oh… thank you. You didn’t have to—”

“You saved the life of one of our own. Mr. Feldstein’s brother insisted. It’s the least we can do. We want to make sure you get the honor you deserve. We really hope you enjoy your new accommodations. The photos wouldn’t take long at all.” There seemed to be an implication that this meant press photos was the least Olive could do…

Olive rubbed the back of her neck. She was already sweating, and she hadn’t even started running yet. “Can I see how I feel afterward?”

“Of course. Of course. Do you mind signing a few release forms so we can use any photos in promotional materials?” He handed her a pen.

“Sure, that’s fine.” She skimmed the page and then scribbled her name at the bottom. “I think tomorrow will be better. Um… can I go get my bib now? I probably need to find my corral.” She also desperately needed to answer a few messages. Derek was going to be pissed.

“Would you like a golf cart to bring you to where you need to go?”

“No, I’m good. I’ll be fine. Uh—thank you. How do I get in contact with you if I decide to do the photographs for tomorrow?”

“Pick up the phone in your room. There’s a note on your account.”

After an awkward goodbye, Olive trotted outside. She waited in line to check her shoulder bag and then tried to find a quiet enough space to call Derek.

Derek answered on the third ring, which was weird given the time of day. “What in god’s name happened on that plane?” She heard another muffled male voice and the sound of blankets moving.

“I’m guessing you’ve seen the video.” She tapped the toe of her sneaker onto the pavement.

“Have you seen the video?”

“No. I hate watching myself on camera. This is mortifying. The Disney people want me to do photos. The airline forced me to do photos. This is a goddamn circus.”

“You looked hot saving him all like Grey’s Anatomy and shit. I’m glad you were wearing those Lululemons I bought you instead of your pants with the holes.” Derek Chang had been Olive’s best friend since middle school, and he never missed an opportunity to give her shit about anything, especially clothes.

She adjusted her fanny pack, rechecking that she had everything she needed, switching the call to her running earbuds. “Ugh. Me too. Imagine the press I would have attracted had my crotch been visible in the viral videos.”

“I shudder to think. Where are you now?”

“At Disney World.” As much as she’d loved Disney as a kid, the crowds were a lot. She’d never been here alone. Her heart thumped louder.

“How’d you get there? A second flight? I checked, and it said your flight was diverted.”

Other runners pushed past her as she tried to navigate the crowd, scanning the crush of people for signs. “It was. And there were no more flights. Uh—the copilot drove me.”

“You met a man.” He chuckled.

“You’re a sexist asshole. Her name is Stella.”

“You’re talking to a male nurse, O. I’m making assumptions based on statistical probabilities. You’ve dated men on occasion.”

“True, but she’s a woman, and her name is Stella, and it doesn’t matter because I’m probably never going to see her again.” A group of women wearing Minnie Mouse ears and tutus shoved her out of the way so they could find the fifteen-minute-mile corral.

“You think she spent five hours chauffeuring your sexy ass out of the goodness of her heart?”

“I—I think she is a genuinely nice person. And it was six and a half hours. She’s… something, though. Utterly gorgeous and wrong for me. Type A. She won’t even drink coffee in a rental car. Kind of a control freak.”

“You’re talking about her an awful lot for someone you don’t have a crush on.”

Olive tripped over the curb and had to steady herself on a lamppost. “I never said I didn’t have a crush on her. I said she’s utterly wrong for me. She’s a pilot, for fuck’s sake, and I could barely make it onto the plane.”

“Hold on for a sec.” A muffled conversational noise. “Joni wants to know if you took the Valium.”

“You’re at work already?” He must have been saying goodbye to whoever was in his bed when she called. It was later than she thought, and he lived practically across the street from the hospital. “No, I didn’t, but I will on the way back. Thanks again for covering my shifts this weekend, by the way.”

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