Page 64 of Too Much In Common
Diedre scooped up a muffin from the basket in the center of the four-person table and added a banana and a boiled egg to her bowl. “Tell us about flying.”
“I love it. I think it is literally in my blood. I’m a fourth-generation pilot. I find something magical about being able to be up higher than the birds. Earth looks so peaceful from above the clouds.”
“But?” asked Abbie.
“As a woman, there are some downsides. It’s a hard career to raise a family with. Legacy has implemented some great maternity leave policies and added more flexibility for nursing mothers. The odd schedule takes a toll on families.” Tian chose a muffin to go with her boiled egg. “It’s hard to maintain a relationship. I’ve known this great guy for a month now, but I don’t think we’ve had ten days together.”
“Are you going to do anything for Valentine’s Day?” asked Deidre.
“I’ll be in Paris.”
“Wow, Paris for Valentine’s Day.”
“With my Dad and my sister. And I will have been up most of the night before flying. Not quite as cool as it sounds.”
Deidre drank a smoothie that smelled like peanut butter. “Definitely not as fun as going with a boyfriend or husband. The kissing spots at the Eiffel Tower would be wasted.”
“If I have a boyfriend that long.” Tian hadn’t meant to let the thought slip out.
Abbie set down her fork. “Now you have me curious. I don’t know Chris well, but you looked cute together. Is it still the way you met? I was in a conversation with ZoElle and Mom regarding what happened. ZoElle was in shock that he did that. It is so not like him.”
“Did what?” asked Deidre.
Tian related the story of how they’d met. “I think he reacted to me yelling and leaping across the room. He wasn’t angry. Like almost zero emotion.”
“I’m married to a bodyguard. My husband and I have both learned not to sneak up on each other. One hundred percent not wise. I may or may not have given him a black eye on our honeymoon.” Deidre smiled, but Abbie’s laughter confirmed that the husband had suffered an unintended punch from his bride.
“It’s more our schedules. We both love what we do, but it is like having a long-distance relationship. We can’t move forward. I need to be attracted to an accountant or someone who has a nice, boring job.” Tian finished her breakfast.
“If only love were that easy,” said Abbie.
“I don’t know how I would change my job. I’ve come to the conclusion that I work for the best airline, and I don’t want to go back to flying regional so I can be close to home base all the time. Not to mention the pay cut. And I’m not going to ask Chris to change his career. He loves what he does.”
“That is a tough position. I gave up my job when we married. It wasn’t practical to be a bodyguard when my new life required me to have one. I spent a few months improving my photography skills. There are also plenty of charities to be involved in. Now I have the boys. I am more than busy enough.”
“You also keep up with things at Hastings, don’t you?”
“More now that the boys are in school part of the day. It is hard not to when my family is so involved.” Abbie folded her napkin and set it on the table.
“I didn’t have to change careers, but after our daughter was born, I wanted to step away from the action into a cushy desk job. Since my father-in-law owns the security group my husband worked for, it was an easy enough move.”
“I want motherhood, eventually. I didn’t think of how it worked with a career at eighteen.”
Abbie leaned forward. “My mother said that’s one of the beauties of being a woman. We can rebuild ourselves and our careers many times. Right now, she claims to be working on her grandma degree, but I know she still plans out some of Hastings’ protocols.”
“I never thought of that.” Tian filed the thought away to examine when she was alone.
Deidre stood. “Speaking of jobs and children, I need to attend to both. Thank you for breakfast. I’ll see you both on Friday.”
Abbie called for a car, and Tian enjoyed a quiet ride home. The thoughts expressed by her friends didn’t solve her immediate problem. How could she date someone long enough to make long-term plans? She didn’t know any accountants.
18
Chris foldedthe last of his Hastings Security polos back into his suitcase. The week had gone better than expected. The bodyguards from the Seattle group were topnotch and provided hotel coverage, meaning the Hastings team were able to sleep and focus on the excursions. Best of all, Candace completed her business with the airplane conversion team early, and Colin finished his negotiations with the software firm in record time. The children were treated to a number of excursions, and everyone could return to Chicago a day ahead of schedule. Which meant he could see Tian.
Sharing a hotel room wasn’t conducive to communication—meaning text messages and not-so-private phone calls were short and sweet. Too short and not enough sweet. He knew they would have more to talk about if he wasn’t so concerned with listening ears. Last night’s phone call left him with the irritating feeling that Tian wanted to say more, but he was prevented from pressing the issue when he knew others could hear him. He wanted to say more for that matter. Talking to her was more relaxing than his mix music.
He checked the hotel room for anything he may have forgotten and set his bag on the cart with the rest of the team’s stuff to take down the SUVs. The family’s bags waited on a second cart. Chris joined the family in their suite.
