Page 8 of The CEO's Christmas Wife

“I overheard you talking about needing some new ones the day before yesterday.”

“Thank you, Kandi.”

I buried my attention back into my work. I was uncomfortable with her gift. No one had done anything for me in such a long time. I no longer received gifts from anyone, and the fact that she was so thoughtful touched a nigga in a way that made me uncomfortable.

After twenty minutes, Justin, the pilot, came back and announced, “We won’t be able to make the trip to Atlanta, sir.”

“What do you mean?” I growled, scowling up at him.

I slammed my laptop closed. Justin bowed his head slightly, and with his hands clasped behind his back, he stared back at me. “My apologies, sir, but with the unexpected snowfall that just hit Atlanta, we can’t get the clearance to take off.”

“Who the hell decided this, and why am I just now finding this out?”

“Sir, do you recall that I mentioned I had been in conversation with the FAA and Air Traffic Control about the conditions?”

“And I also know that you have the final authority on whether this plane can fly or if it’s grounded. Justin, I have an urgent meeting in the morning.”

“And I understand that, sir. But I cannot and will not, in good conscience, fly this plane into those conditions. It simply isn’t safe, and I refuse to jeopardize your life, Ms. Jolly’s life, or my team’s life to make that happen, sir.”

“You’ve got several years’ experience in aviation. I know that you can navigate?—”

“I could, but I won’t. Atlanta hasn’t seen a snowstorm like this in several years, and it’s coming down rapidly. The last time they had snow this bad, the city shut down, accidents were all over the highway, and people were sleeping in their cars and stores. They’ve grounded all of their flights going out of Hartsfield, and they aren’t accepting any in. If there’s any way that you can postpone your meeting, I strongly encourage you to do so.”

“That’s not your decision, Justin!” I seethed.

“I’m sorry, sir. But I have made my decision.”

I jumped up and stalked to the front of the plane. “We’ll drive. Is Lawrence still here?” I demanded.

“No, sir. He left right after he dropped you all off,” Kyle, the co-pilot, informed me.

“How the hell are we supposed to get out of here?” I demanded.

“You could take my car, sir.” Kyle’s suggestion came hesitantly as he looked back and forth between Makenna and Justin.

“Uhm, . . . Kyle, if you would like, you can catch a ride with me?” Makenna suggested.

“If that’s okay with you, Kyle, I will take your car and then hire a driver to take it back to Cherokee Springs,” I expressed.

He nodded humbly, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a set of keys. “It’s the white BMW parked in the lot over there,” he stated and pointed out the window in the direction of the parking lot.

I turned back to Kandi, who sat on the edge of her seat, listening. I could tell by the look on her face she was disappointed. I was sure she hoped that I would call the trip off and she could resume Christmas with her family.

Bah-humbug! That shit wasn’t happening today.

5

IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK LIKE CHRISTMAS

Kandi

“Damn it! If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all,” Mr. Kayn growled.

I insisted that he call me Kandi, but he didn’t reciprocate. So, I continued calling him Mr. Kayn, except for when I accidentally dropped the Mister. He seemed to have liked that, though, if the way his eyes lit up and the slight smirk on his lips were any indication. But that might have been all in my head.

“What’s wrong?”

“We’re stuck.”

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