Page 4 of Wedding Daddy

“I don’t understand. Did I win a promo or something?” she asked as her ticket was handed to the attendant who would take her to her seat.

She could barely contain her joy as she was taken to the front of the plane, and her breath left her in a whoosh as the attendant ushered her into the first-class section. This was only her second flight and her first time in this part of the plane. Everything screamed luxury, from the spacious plus seats that looked more like luxurious recliners with more legroom than she could imagine to the soft ambient lighting that gave the whole space a serene atmosphere. Jill could hardly believe she was about to experience such comfort and opulence. It seemed her luck was finally turning around.

She wondered how she’d gotten so lucky as the attendant led her to her seat at the front of the plane, and then she noticed a familiar thick head of hair in front of her. It was the Good Samaritan from earlier, and she immediately got very suspicious as they moved close to him.

He was flipping through a magazine when she approached and looked up when she stopped beside him. “Did you do this?” she asked him.

He paused, one of his eyebrows rising. “Yes, but I’m starting to think I shouldn’t have.”

Jill heard how hostile she sounded and was immediately embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to... It just took me by surprise. That's all.”

“It’s alright,” he said. “I saved you the window seat, but you can have the aisle seat if you want.”

“I’m fine with the window seat,” she blurted out. She would have been fine with any seat. It was first class.

“Do you need anything else?” the attendant asked.

Jill shook her head. “I’m fine.”

“Well, if you do need anything, don’t hesitate to push the call button, and one of us will attend to you.”

“Thank you. So this is how the other side lives,” she said after the hostess walked away and she was finally alone with her helper, a smile of amazement spread across her face as she took it all in.

He closed his magazine and dropped it on the table in front of him, amused to see her look so awestruck. “Glad to see you like it.”

“Like it? I love it,” Jill exclaimed. “My legs are not even touching the seat in front of me.” She turned to him. “I don’t understand. Why are you doing this? I mean, first, you pay for a new ticket for me, and now... this?”

He shrugged. “No reason. It looked like you were having a bad day and could use some cheering up.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “Also, I figured I owed you an apology.”

She frowned. “An apology? For what?”

“Like I said, you were having a bad day, and my manner of approach earlier certainly didn’t help.”

“Are you kidding? You got me a new ticket. That more than makes up for how rude and annoying you were.”

“So you admit I was rude and annoying.”

“A bit,” she said, unable to help the grin that appeared on her face.

“Then I owe you an apology. If my daughter found herself in the same situation you did, I would hope she found someone nice enough to help her and that this person did so in a kinder manner than I did.”

She could tell he was worried, and it made her heart grow warm. “Trust me, you were a lot kinder than you give yourself credit for. Also, I was being a bit of an ass myself. It was my fault for getting to the airport late. Well... my car’s fault, to be specific, and before you say it, I know I should take better care of her. She’s always been so reliable, so I get a little complacent about taking her in for maintenance.”

“Even the best-maintained cars can still get faulty out of the blue,” he said with a small smile. “I should know. I work with them.”

“That’s right. You’re a mechanic.”

“Something like that, and before you ask, no, I don’t make the cars, so I have nothing to do with why they cost so much to maintain.”

It took Jill a minute to figure out he was referring to her earlier statement, and she burst into laughter. “Nice to know you’re not as grumpy as I thought you were.”

“No, not always.”

The pilot instructed everyone to put on their seat belts, and she fumbled with hers, dropping the clasp twice before a large hand closed around hers. She went still, her cheeks turning red as he helped her fasten her seat belt. His knuckles brushed against her stomach, and she wished she had taken the Pilates class Kim signed her up for seriously.

“Thank you,” she mumbled as he sat back.

The plane prepared for takeoff, and she held her breath, feeling a drop in her stomach as she heard the hum of the engine. She hated this part of flying, and the last time she’d been on a plane, she’d had a small panic attack during takeoff. At the time, she’d blamed it on her lack of experience, but as the plane taxied down the runway, she realized it was more than that. She really was terrified.

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