Page 14 of Falling for the Enemy

“Uh, yes, yes, you do.”

“Let’s agree to be strangers on this flight. We don’t know each other. We just got stuck sitting in the same row.”

“Sounds good to me.” I stretched up to make sure everyone got seated. Norman and Evan were in the last set of seats, and there was an empty spot between them. I considered for a second moving back there but then remembered that Norm was covered in fly spray.

Twenty minutes later the plane was in the air and heading to Costa Rica. I’d only had time for coffee this morning, so I leaned forward and pulled out my backpack. The sugary smell of pastry wafted out as I unzipped the top. My snoring neighbor immediately woke up.

Layla had packed me two cheese Danish, my favorites. I had Jack’s attention, too. “Are those the same pastries you brought to the meeting?” he asked with a sparkle in his eyes.

“Sure are. My sister makes them fresh … at her bakery.”

I took a bite and closed my eyes to savor the deliciousness. “She’s so talented. The best thing is I get to eat these delicious treats whenever I want.” I made a point of licking the sticky glaze off my fingertip.

“Didn’t get to eat this morning,” he said. “I planned to get a donut at the airport, but the line was too long.”

“What a shame.”

“I see you’ve got two pastries,” he said hopefully.

I looked down at the brown wrapper where the second pastry sat. “Huh, what do you know? I sure do. I guess I should share.”

Jack sat up straighter.

“Hmm, and here I’m sitting between two complete strangers.” I turned to the man at the window. “How do you do? I’m Ava.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Hank.”

“There, now I’m only sitting next to one stranger.”

“C’mon, Lo. You know that was just me talking out of my?—”

“Yes, and you do that a lot.” I picked up the paper with the pastry. “Hank, can I interest you in a fresh cheese Danish?”

“Wow, thanks. Very generous of you.” Hank took the pastry.

Jack slumped down angrily in his seat. “Not going to forget this, Lo,” he muttered.

I licked my finger again. “Hmm, me neither. This might be her best pastry yet.”

Chapter Ten

JACK

Iinhaled the smell of Ava’s shampoo as her head bounced on my shoulder. I was jealous that she’d managed to doze off. I was annoyingly wide awake, even wider awake since I’d become the pillow for her head. After the pastry incident, I considered giving her a little push, so she could rest her head against her new buddy, Hank, but I couldn’t do it. It irritated me to no end that I actually didn’t mind having her head there.

The bell for the seatbelt sign chimed through the mostly sleepy cabin. The pilot came on. I could barely hear him through the constant engine buzz and because he spoke incredibly fast, but I caught the word turbulence. The second his speaker switched off, the plane began to shift side to side like a giant, lumbering elephant. I glanced across the way where a woman had slid up the window cover to peer out. We were flying through some dense clouds. There was even a bolt of lightning in the distance. The plane creaked as it twisted a little left and right. Ava’s head slid down, but without opening her eyes she propped it back on my shoulder. Her long black lashes fluttered lightly, and I thought she might wake, but she was such a seasoned traveler it seemed she’d trained herself to sleep through anything.

I’d regretted telling her we were complete strangers sitting next to each other on a plane. I would have liked to have someone to talk to, someone to chat with to pass the time on the long flight. Even if it was Ava Lovely. In fact, maybe even especially because it was her. She’d traveled far more extensively than me, and I was sure she had some incredible stories to tell. But I’d never asked her about it. Maybe I was jealous. Maybe envious. I’d started out as an adventurer, but Gwen never liked it when I left for long periods of time. She gave me an ultimatum to stop traveling or she was through with the relationship. She’d also insisted we get married. I had no idea what moved me to give in to her demands. Part of it was pressure from the parents to settle down and start a family. I knew almost instantly after the wedding that we weren’t suited for each other. Gwen wanted the whole thing—picket fence in a small town and a nuclear family where dad comes home after a long day at work and mom’s waiting with dinner on the table. After a year of trying to get pregnant, I thought that was sign enough that we weren’t compatible. All she wanted was a baby, and all I wanted was more freedom, more adventure. And then it happened. Gwen got pregnant with Holly, and while I wouldn’t change that part of my life for anything, Holly’s birth only saved the marriage for another two years. Gwen and I grew farther apart, and I was left with a permanently broken heart knowing I’d never be a full time dad to Holly.

The plane bucked a few times and then gave one good jolt that felt almost as if the plane was dropping from the sky, causing a hurricane of gasps in the cabin. Ava sat up straight and grabbed my hand. It took her a few seconds to shake off the sleep and remember where she was. She looked over at me, blinked her incredible green eyes and then dropped her gaze to our clasped hands. She lifted her hand as if my hand had burned her.

“Sorry,” she muttered.

“No problem. However, if the plane does drop from the sky, I’m afraid holding my hand isn’t going to do much good.”

She smoothed the hair that had gotten ruffled from resting on my shoulder. “I didn’t hold your hand. I grabbed instinctively for the arm of the seat, but since you’ve been hogging the armrest, your hand was in the way.”

“I had to rest my arm there so I could keep my shoulder—you know, the one you were using as a pillow—propped up for your head.”

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