Page 3 of Changed Plan

He flashes me that megawatt smile again. “If, after we stand in that line together and chat until you get your new coffee, you still have no interest in getting to know me, then yes, I will leave you alone.”

“I can guarantee you that’s how I’m going to feel.”

He fans his hand through the air toward the line. “After you.”

2

Zane

Not Just Another Pretty Face

IfIhavetomiss what might be my mom’s last birthday, I’m going to make someone smile in her honor. It’s what she’d want. In fact, she’ll love this whole story of the beautiful angry woman who spilled coffee on my shoes and didn’t want to let me buy her a replacement, who then ended up laughing at all my jokes and agreeing to have dinner with me in this airport tonight.

At least, that’s what I’m predicting is going to happen. Not that I’m psychic. But I’ve got jokes, and everybody’s got to eat, right?

Mom’s birthday party is still two days away. I’ll still make it, unless the forecasters are wrong again. I knew as soon as I saw the sudden change in the forecast yesterday that I should’ve tried to get on an earlier flight.

They were still saying the storm wouldn’t hit until this evening, but I had that feeling, the one I know to trust.

And I ignored it.

The delays started coming in first thing this morning. By ten o’clock, the writing was on the wall, but I was already inside the terminal, so I kept walking to the gate, telling myself my flight was early enough that we’d still get out.

At ten-fifteen, the forty-minute delay got pushed back to fifty-six minutes. Then an hour and four minutes. Then an hour and sixteen minutes.

My phone lit up with a new message every few minutes until the gate agent announced the flight had been officially canceled. Over three hours past our scheduled departure time, I finally had to face that I wasn’t leaving here today. By that time, the storm had worsened beyond the worst of the predictions.

Thankfully, I had the foresight to grab a hotel room in the airport before they were sold out. That’s one thing I did right. When this storm finally blows out, I’ll already be here, ready to hop on the first available flight to Florida.

“I’m Zane,” I say, extending my hand to the disgruntled beauty standing in line with me. “Zane Jacoby.”

“Hi.” She reluctantly shakes my hand. “Darby Bartlett.”

“Darby,” I repeat. “What a great name. I’ve never met a Darby before. You ever met a Zane?”

“Just one. He worked at the agency for a while. We called him Inzane.”

“Hostile workplace. No wonder you’re so temperamental.”

“As of an eight-a.m. video call this morning, I no longer work there.”

“Damn. I guess you wanted to see someone’s expression when you quit?”

She stares at me, and it becomes abundantly clear I’ve misread the situation.

“Ouch. I’m sorry about that.”

“Yeah, me, too. But they’re the ones who will be sorry in the long run.”

“So, you weren’t heading off on a business trip?”

“Nope. Just an ordinary vacation on the beach, the kind where you’re supposed to return to work when the week is over.” She laughs, but stops as soon as she catches herself.

“It’s okay to laugh, Darby.”

“Oh, sure, it’s hysterical that I’ll spend my vacation looking for a new job, unable to relax for a single minute.”

“Then don’t do that.”

---