Page 84 of Ten Years and Then…
It was just her imagination. She shook her head, muttered to herself, and headed for the taxis.
Daniel, that exact same moment
The flight had been okay. He had a window seat, which he always preferred, and nobody next to him. He’d spent the whole flight going over the booth schedule—so focused that the flight attendant had to call him three times before he looked up.
Once he landed, he headed straight for baggage claim. Daniel had packed brochures, spare giveaway items and an extra laptop he’d had to beg the Logistics office for—just in case one of the freight trunks arrived at the convention center late, or someone on the team forgot their computer. You never knew what might happen.
He couldn’t see any signs to indicate which carousel he needed to go to, but a voice over the PA system announced that the bags from his flight were arriving on Carousel #2.
He was almost there when he caught a glimpse—dark-blonde hair, a flicker of blue and orange, a skirt brushing against her knees. His breath caught.
It couldn’t be.
It was exactly how Nora liked to dress.
But obviously it wasn’t her. Why would she be flying to Kansas City, landing at the exact same time he did?
No. If he was ever going to see her again, it would be eight years from now, back at Albion College. If she wasn’t married by then—but of course she would be. She was too funny, too beautiful, too … everything. She was probably already dating someone, maybe even engaged. Of course she was.
He shook his head, laughing at himself. He was here to work, not to chase shadows. Not to chase her.
Nora, half an hour later
Her good luck was continuing. Nora got to the reception desk just ahead of a busload of tourists.
“Welcome to the Marriott Downtown, Ms. Langley. You’ll be with us for five nights?”
She had to take a moment, and count the days on her fingers to be sure. “Right. Checking out Sunday. But I’m still working Sunday afternoon—can I leave my luggage somewhere after I check out?”
The perky girl behind the desk smiled. “Of course.” She tapped away at her keyboard. “And here you go. Twentieth floor, Room 2020. Enjoy your stay!”
The girl handed over a plastic card.
“That’s my key?” She knew that some hotels used keycards instead of good old physical keys, but she’d never stayed in one that did.
“Yes, ma’am. We switched over last winter.”
“Sure you did,” Nora muttered, looking a bit suspiciously at the card before tucking it in her purse and heading for the elevator. As she did, she heard a voice behind her. A familiar voice, talking low, as if he didn’t want to disturb anyone else in line to check in.
“Yes, Dad. I’m allowed to call home on the cell phone. The company isn’t that cheap!”
It sounded exactly like Daniel—same tone, same rhythm, even that low chuckle at the end. But, just like at the airport, it obviously couldn’t be him. She started to turn, just to prove to herself that, of course, he wasn’t here. But the elevator dinged open at just that moment, and with three other people behind her, she let herself be swept inside—without turning around.
Daniel, the same moment
Daniel walked into the lobby of the Marriott, shivering a little at the blast of air-conditioned cold. He was right behind a crowd that poured out of a tour bus—a dozen people all talking at once as they got in line ahead of him to check in. It would probably be ten minutes before he’d get to the front of the line. Plenty of time to call home—just long enough for Mom and Dad to tell Mrs. Parlato that their son, the business traveler, had phoned from the lobby of a Kansas City hotel.
Dad answered on the first ring. “Daniel? Is that you? Are you calling from your work phone? You won’t get in trouble, will you?”
He shook his head, and kept his voice low as he reassured his father he wouldn’t be reprimanded for a five minute call home. The whole lobby didn’t need to know his business.
“You just do a good job, son. Make sure they see what a star you are.”
“I will, Dad. Don’t worry about that. I just have to figure out what to do with myself tonight. Nobody else from my team is here yet.” He hadn’t spent any of his meal allowance today, so he had $60 for dinner. That would go a long way, even at a fancy downtown restaurant.
He said goodbye to his father and hung up, and just as he slid the phone back into his pocket, a voice floated up from the front of the line—bright, clear, a little sarcastic
It could have been Nora. The tone was exactly right. But it couldn’t be. Of course it couldn’t.
