Page 25 of The Best Wild Idea
I try to take the cup back but she pulls it closer to her body, claiming it as hers. Then she looks out the window again.
“I don’t care if it’s cold,” she says, stubbornly. “I still need the caffeine.”
She grips the paper cup tightly, like it’s a valued possession, running her thumb up and down the thick seam.
“Tired?” I ask.
“One might say.”
“You can take a nap on the way to the airport if you’d like. Although there’s a—”
“Thanks to your unexpected delivery, and, really, this whole unexpected trip, I was up half the night trying to decide what to bring,” she interrupts before I can tell her about the bed on the plane that she’s welcome to use. She sighs angrily then glances across the aisle, as if this whole thing was my idea.
I press my lips together and raise a brow at her.
“You know I didn’t plan this, right?” I remind her, gently. “I was just trying to help by sending over the bags of clothes tochoose from. You didn’t have to take anything from them if you already had what you needed. No pressure.”
She thumbs the seam of the cup even faster.
“Right.No pressure. Totally. Got it.”
She takes another mouthful of coffee, wincing bitterly as it goes down.
I try to stop a smile from creeping over my face but fail.
“You really don’t have to drink that. I can ask the crew to make you whatever you’d like once we get on the plane. Cappuccino, macchiato, Americano . . . do you still drink those triple shot—”
“Of course you can,” she shoots back firmly, “but no thank you.” She chokes down another disgusting swig for good measure.
I purse my lips, fighting the urge to respond too quickly or let my unsettled nerves get the best of me.
“I was only offering some hot form of caffeine that wouldn’t make you gag over there. But, hey, that’s fine. You’re welcome to choke it down, if you can’t make it all the way to the plane for a fresh cup.”
After a year’s worth of imagining how this trip might go, I have my answer loud and clear. It’s going to go terribly.
She relents, though still clearly aggravated. “I mean, sure, Si, I’ll have some coffee on the plane.” She places the cup back in the cupholder. “I know you didn’t plan this. I just didn’t sleep very well. I can pay you back for whatever I kept of the clothes. I made a list on my phone to keep it fair. I’ll email it so you can tally up the cost. Or maybe I can send it straight to Katie?”
“No need,” I tell her, throwing a tight smile over the aisle. She has no idea that any one of the mere T-shirts Katie picked out cost no less than a few hundred dollars each. And then there was everything else.
“No. I don’t want to owe you for anything, Si. I can pay for my half of the trip, too.”
This time, I can’t hold back a laugh. It erupts from somewhere deep inside before I can stop it.
She cranes her neck in what must be a glare. I can’t be completely sure, since her glasses are so dark, but it would certainly fit the mood.
I clear my throat, trying to stifle the laugh and what I’m sure is an obnoxious smile taking over my face.
“No. The trip is all taken care of. And you definitely don’t have to pay me back for an unexpected delivery of clothing and luggage that you never even asked for. I was happy to help get you ready for this trip, even if delivering every item in three different sizes turned out to be a nuisance to you last night instead of helpful. I knew you wouldn’t have time to shop, and I didn’t want you to be stuck with something three sizes too big if we estimated your sizing all wrong. It’s been a while since I’ve — since we’ve — well, since I’ve seen you. Katie did all the work anyway, so, no worries. She’s on payroll. It’s not a big deal.”
If I had to guess, I’d say she just rolled her eyes at me.
I look down, trying not to smile too hard.
God, I’ve missed her.
“Ah, yes, you have someone to handleall the things. Please thankKatie on payrollfor me then,” she replies, sounding sarcastic as hell. “I already owned most of what I packed, but I hadn’t worn a few things in a while, so some of it no longer fit. Like a swimsuit. Can’t remember the last time I went swimming, so I appreciated having the options, even ifKatiethought I should wear a couple cuts of dental floss pretending to be a bikini on this little adventure.”
I break into a wider grin without even trying to hide it. Truthfully, I had no part in that, although I’m happy to hear Katie’s taste in clothing options will suit Jules well. All I didwas show Katie her Instagram page to show her what Jules is like, and then I gave her creative freedom to style some options for the trip. No doubt she must have taken note and shopped accordingly. Can’t argue with that.
