Page 62 of Cowboys at Coconuts

“Bargain hunters are good in my book.” Approaching the carousel, Gage scanned the many colors, sizes, and shapes of luggage from duffel bags to dog carriers to guitar cases. Seemingly every bag was black.

Wide-eyed, Alex studied multiple screens listing a gazillion flight arrivals to determine which carousel her luggage would be on. Fumbling with her phone to find her flight number, she dropped her favorite tube of lipstick which promptly rolled under a cart and got squished. Wincing, she fumbled her cellphone before it landed on the floor too.

“Need some help?” he asked.

“Yes.” Nervous laughter escaped. “My friends may think I’m all big city because I’m pretty good at faking it. I’ve only flown one other time and that was to a tiny airport in Burbank.” Waving toward the multiple screens and carousels, she said, “In Burbank, there was only one carousel. It was impossible to make a mistake.”

Gage reached for her carryon. “LaGuardia is a little bigger than that. You flew out of Chicago, right?”

“Yes.”

“I see four flights from Chicago. Do you remember the flight number?”

Alex held her phone in the air and scrolled. “It’s buried among my emails somewhere.”

Gage reached for her hand. “We’ll get our exercise. Your bags are either on carousel 3, 5, 6, or 8.”

Alex noticed a mass of travelers appeared calm as they chatted and strolled out the door with their luggage intact. “Why am I the only nervous person who over packs?”

Waving his hand, Gage said, “Those people probably travel often. We’ll find your bags.”

“I hate feeling out of control like this. I’m always in con—”

“I know you are.” Gage winked. “Now you’re on my turf.” Gage studied the bags rotating on the carousel. “I don’t see any red luggage. Let’s go to the next one.”

Alex’s eyes bulged. “What if someone took them?”

“I highly doubt that. No one would know whether you weighed one hundred pounds or four hundred—or whether you were male or female. Why would anyone chance it?”

“That makes sense.” Alex’s eyes darted around the room. “I think I see one of my bags.” She pointed with her head. “On number 5.”

Glancing in the direction she indicated, he asked, “Is it the red bag with the leopard print tag? That looks like you.”

“Am I that obvious? Yeah, that’s it.” While Gage retrieved her bag, Alex scrolled through her email to see if there were any emergencies at the bank. When she didn’t see a message from Hannah nor her boss, she relaxed.Now I only have to worry about Hannah snooping through my desk.

Once Gage secured both bags, he placed her carryon on top and motioned toward the door. “Nice job on picking a bright color.” After Gage extended the handles, he motioned toward the glass doors. “Ready to see the Big Apple?”

Alex’s stomach did flip flops. “Lead the way.”

“Hungry?”

“I’m starving.” Alex said.

As they exited the airport, Gage said, “I thought I’d give you a quick tour of Manhattan before we have a nice dinner. Sound good?” She nodded as Gage held the outer door open. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

Feeling more confident than she felt, Alex said, “What do the kids say? This will be epic.”

Chapter 62

As Alex and Gage stepped outside the terminal past swarms of passengers, Alex took in the chaotic hubbub. “New York is electric. I can already tell it’s very different from Crystal City.”

Laughing, Gage said, “We’re still at the airport.”

She shrugged. “But I can tell.”

Across the street, travelers stood in multiple, long lines for hotel shuttles. Along the sidewalk, another line formed for a string of cabs. Alex noticed there was a queue and a man in charge who told people which cab was next.

Pointing, Gage said, “We’re going over here.”

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