Page 27 of The Best Worst Mistake
Whether she actually wants me to or not.
Chapter 9
We park on the private tarmac. Patrick quickly starts to unload our suitcases from the trunk, handing them off to one of the crew members who will roll them on a cart to be stored in the underbelly of the plane. I know my crew well, and I know they like to be as punctual as I do. So even though it’s half past eight o’clock now, they’ll try and get us up in the air as soon as possible, making up for lost time on the flight as well.
“Do you have anything you’d like to keep onboard with you?” I ask, turning to Jules.
She hasn’t made any motion to get out of the car yet, even though Patrick is nearly done unloading the luggage. She looks lost in thought, staring across the red carpet they’ve rolled out between the Escalade and the sleek gunmetal jet waiting for us a few yards away.
“Just my purse is fine,” she says, still hugging it to her chest.
Patrick slams the trunk shut, leaving us in muted silence. Our first time truly alone together in one year and a day. I wait another moment, hoping she makes the first move to get out of the SUV, wondering what she’s waiting for.
“Are you ready?” I prod, hoping this isn’t the moment she decides to bail.
She turns to me then and pulls the sunglasses off her face. Beneath the lenses, her eyes are gaunt, like she didn’t sleep a wink last night between an onslaught of tears and mentally fighting against this plan. The pale blue-green shade of her irises looks translucent in the light of the morning sun streaming in through the car window.
“Are you?” she asks. Her tone makes it sound like a loaded question.
I want to say that I’ve never been more ready for anything in my entire life. That I know how quickly life can flash before youreyes, or the eyes of the person that you love. And that I wake up ready for anything, every single day, including this. But I know she wouldn’t want me to say any of that.
So, I don’t.
Instead, I force my voice into more gentle territory. “Yes, Jules, I woke up ready for today, but I’ve had longer to anticipate this than you. Take as long as you want. That plane is ours.”
“That plane isyours,” she corrects.
“Ours,” I say, more firmly. “We’re in this together. For better or worse, we can sit right here — all day if you need — until you’re ready to hop out and get this thing off the ground. We waited all morning, and we can keep waiting.”
We stare across the tiny aisle at each other.
“You know, I really didn’t see this happening today,” she says, narrowing her eyes. “You’ve had a whole year to wrap your head around this trip, while I . . .” She trails off, gazing out at the plane. “Right now, I’m just a dog on a leash getting pulled in a direction I don’t want to go, in order to get my treat.”
A low chuckle escapes my lips, but I manage to rein it in before it turns into full-blown laughter. This woman is anything but a dog on a leash.
She scowls at me.
“I’m so glad you find this amusing, Si,” she growls. “I’m just trying to be honest with you. This isn’t easy, but, isn’t that why I’m here? To get my treats? To get those four letters? I don’t know why Grant planted them all over the world like a pile of bait to make me go through this worldwide scavenger hunt withyou.”
She suddenly jerks the handle back and pushes the door open, hopping onto the sprawling piece of concrete outside. Andy, one of the flight attendants, steps out from inside the plane and waves at her from the top of the steps leading up to the door.
I watch her walk away and feel a sigh of relief escape my lips. Not just because Jules finally exited the car and is actually on her way into the jet, but because I know there’s one crew member who can put a smile on anyone’s face. No matter how pissy they feel upon arrival. I know, because I’ve been more than pissy myself several times while boarding my flights, but by the end of it, Andy has me in stitches. Works like a charm.
I pull my steel aviators off to watch her make her way toward the bottom of the stairs. She gives a halfhearted wave up to Andy when they appear to make eye contact.
I hold my breath, waiting until she takes her first true step up the stairs, officially leaving Boston behind.
She’s on.
Grant’s plan is working. His letter got her this far, and now it’s up to me to carry her the rest of the way.
“Alright, buddy,” I mutter to myself, shaking my head in disbelief that we’re here. As if Grant can actually hear me right now. “Let’s go get your girl through this.”
Then I pull my door open and slowly make my way across the tarmac, just in time to see her disappear inside.
Chapter 10
Juliet
