Page 12 of Changed Plan

“Most of us do.”

“Do you have siblings?”

“No. I had no one to torment but my parents.”

We’re both laughing as we walk into the bar at the hotel. It’s packed, too, but I approach the bartender, anyway. If nothing else, we can grab a drink and stand until a table opens up.

Darby doesn’t comment on the lack of seats as we place our order. When our drinks come, she simply lifts her glass for a toast. “To making someone uncomfortable enough that they give up their table.”

“Cheers!”

She spots an open bench in the lobby, saving us from having to loiter annoyingly next to anyone’s table. It’s not the most comfortable place to sit, but it beats standing, and it’s a little quieter out here, anyway.

Conversation comes easy, but when I ask if she wants a second drink, she says no.

“Two glasses of wine and a cocktail are already enough to have me thinking I could sleep on this bench.”

“We don’t have to call it a night yet, do we?”

“What else are we going to do?”

“You ever traveled by train?”

“No, but I’ve always wanted to. I know most passenger trains are pretty basic, but I always think of the ones from old movies with luxurious fabrics and polished dark wood everywhere.”

“Well, you’re not going to believe this, but they have a train here.”

“That is not at all what I envision when I think of traveling by train. Do you really just want to ride the train between gates?”

“I really just want to keep spending time with you. We can pretend we’re going anywhere you want.”

“You are determined to turn this into a date, aren’t you?”

“Oh, we’ve been on a date since I bought you coffee. And no pressure, but so far, it’s not been the best date of my life, so you might want to step up your game.”

“Listen, you better be taking me somewhere amazing on this train trip because this has not been the best date of my life either. Not by a long shot.”

I stand and take the handle of her carry-on. “Hurry. We don’t want to miss our train to . . .” I trail off to let her choose our pretend destination.

“Rome.” Her face looks softer than it has since we met. It could be the wine and the cocktail, but I prefer to think I’m turning this travel disaster into something memorable for far better reasons.

“We’ve got a long train ride ahead of us, but you’re going to love Rome.”

“Just so you know, I might ditch you there if I meet a hot Italian guy.”

“Not if I ditch you first.”

“Fair enough.” She sighs dramatically. “If you ditch me for a hot Italian guy, I’ll totally understand.”

“It’s good to be clear about the ground rules.”

“Exactly. You should know that I expect you to buy me jewelry on this trip. It’s what every high roller does to impress the young woman accompanying him to Rome. I like diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, and rubies. Pearls, authentic, not manmade. No lab-created stones either.”

“What? No furs?”

“Said the guy wearing the vegan shoes.”

“You’re just never going to let it go about the shoes, are you?”

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