Page 96 of Past Due

“B.” Her lower lip wobbled. “You’re going to make me cry.”

“No need for tears.” He leaned over and chastely kissed her. “Only smiles.”

The captain began his landing announcements, and the crew began walking the aisles to gather trash and remind passengers to fasten their seatbelts and move their trays and chairs. He popped up quickly to tuck the book back into Marley’s backpack and returned to his seat.

“When we land, I’ll probably have to go through a different line at Customs,” Marley said offhandedly.

His brow furrowed. “What? Why?”

“I visited a farm and handled animals.”

“What does that have to do with Customs?”

“They have to make sure I’m not tracking in pathogens and bacteria that can kill livestock here. I had to Google it before I filled out the forms they gave us. All of my clothes were laundered, and my shoes are clean, but…” She shrugged. “They may ask me to take them off so they can be cleaned.”

“That better be the only thing they ask you to take off,” he grumbled.

“As much as I love the protector thing you have going, maybe we can dial it back just a tiny bit when we’re dealing with government employees?”

“A tiny bit,” he allowed. “But as soon as we are through Customs, I’m dialing it back to eleven.”

“Look at you making Spinal Tap jokes,” she teased.

The plane dipped suddenly and shuddered. He reflexively tightened his grip on her hand, and she placed her other hand on top of them in a caring gesture. He offered a shaky smile. “I hate flying.”

“Then we’ll have to find a cruise that docks in Europe for our next trip to Albania,” she decided.

“Have you ever been on a cruise?” he wondered, trying to keep his mind off the rattling plane and their rocky descent toward their airport.

“Twice,” she said. “Aston and I went our freshman and sophomore years of college. Spring Break,” she explained. “It was okay. Have you been?”

“Not my scene,” he replied, hating the idea of being crammed into a boat with a thousand strangers.

“Like boats in general or beachy destinations?”

“Boats.” He eyed her curiously. “Are you a big fan of the beach?”

She laughed. “I have red hair. If I skip my hourly slathering of sunscreen, I end up looking like a boiled lobster.”

“I will happily rub sunscreen all over your body every hour to keep you safe,” he offered in a low and lascivious tone. “Every thirty minutes if you’re wearing a bikini.”

“Well, I have always wanted to visit Turks and Caicos…”

The vision of Marley in a barely there pink bikini straddling his lap while he rubbed sunscreen on every single millimeter of freckled skin he could reach got him through the rough landing. It was storming heavily when they touched down in Houston, and he wasn’t looking forward to navigating streets prone to flooding.

They were among the first off the plane, and Marley’s suspicion that she would be pulled aside and sent through a secondary line probed true. He wasn’t allowed to follow her and had to proceed through the regular line without her. He waited impatiently until she finally reappeared.

“Are you okay?” he asked insistently.

“Perfectly fine,” she assured him and looped her arm through his. “They asked me about the animals I touched, made sure I had laundered all of my clothing and sprayed my hiking boots.” She lifted one foot to show him the shiny sole. “That was all.”

Glad that was done, he led her away from the throng of passengers and toward baggage claim. It was a long walk, but it felt good to stretch his legs after sitting for so long.

“I’m starving,” Marley said as they traversed the airport. “Where is the closest Whataburger?”

He laughed. “Months away from Houston and the first thing you want is Whataburger?”

“Uh, yeah, because it’s the best thing ever!” She playfully poked his side. “Tell me you didn’t miss their spicy ketchup and creamy pepper sauce while you were in Albania.”

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