Page 81 of A Spot of Tea
Her mom’s face twisted into a frown. There were tears in her eyes. “Are you sure?”
She forced a smile. “Yes, I’m fine. This is all going to work out. Trust me.”
Mackenzie gave her a hug, squeezing her tightly. “You’re right. You’re too smart to go to jail.”
She stole a look at Joey. He was watching her, hands in his pockets.
Would she ever see him again? If she ever got out of prison, he’d surely be gone.
He cleared his throat. “Oh.” He pulled a white charging cord from his pocket. “For the phone. Forgot to give this to you.”
She wanted to tell him she was sorry for what she said. Sorry she’d ever doubted him, that she ever suspected him. Sorry she wouldn’t get to keep seeing his half-dimpled smile or hear his uproarious laughter. Sorry she’d never feel the warm glow of his words in her heart.
Eliza wrapped the cord around her hand. “Thanks. For everything.”
He nodded and disappeared through the door.
Twenty-nine
They walked back to the plane in the dwindling light, their footsteps heavy.
“I might owe you an apology,” Mackenzie said when they reached the dock. “But I don’t know if I’m ready to make it yet.”
He knelt to untie the plane. “Fair enough.” He had no argument. He may not have robbed the bank, but he had lied to Eliza. Far worse than that, he may have broken her heart, too.
They got into the plane and he pulled in his focus.
Engage the starter. Oil pressure good.
Ramona didn’t seem convinced she could bring this guy in. What did that mean for Eliza? She’d get arrested and Derek would run off with Stacy? They’d never find him.
Doors secured. Controls free and correct.
What if Joey got to Derek? What if he could compel him to talk first…
Carb heat, double check.
He had to get him to talk. Get him to turn on Stacy. But how?
Instruments set. Flaps up.
It was so like Eliza to send them away. So like her to take the fall. It was obvious to her that Derek was the robber, but would it be enough to convince a jury? Especially after Derek hired a clever attorney who could point the finger back at her?
Rudders up. Nose forward.
Eliza had looked so small, sitting in that massive leather recliner. It had taken all his strength not to run across the room, scoop her up, and fly her to safety.
They could wait out Derek’s arrest in secret together. Hide away in a little Italian village. Find a cottage in the Swiss alps. A tiny apartment in Berlin.
He didn’t care where it was. Only that he’d be with her.
Liftoff.
They rose higher and Joey, his heart soaring, pushed the plane as fast as it’d go.
There was no going back now.
It didn’t take much to edit pictures of Joey and Stacy together – twenty-seven dollars to be exact. The guy he found to do it wanted an extra six dollars to rush the order. It was done by four that morning.
