Page 18 of Accidental Wedding Crasher
“That’s me.” Mia winced internally at her answer. “Um, but please call me Mia.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mia. I’m Carolina Stevens, and I’ll be the steward on your flight today. Shall we board?”
“Yes. Um, I’m ready.” Mia had no idea how to handle the situation. This was worlds away from the commercial flight she’d expected, and even that would have been a challenge, since she wasn’t used to flying internationally.
“Perfect. Can I take your bag?”
“Oh, no, it’s fine.” Though it was small, Mia’s bag was heavy with the weight of the last-minute items she’d stuffed inside in hopes of looking presentable, and she didn’t want to inconvenience Carolina.
“All right, then. Please, follow me.” The steward smiled and gestured for her to come. They crossed the tarmac toward the jet, which stood waiting with its staircase down. Lights on the plane flashed against the darkening sky. Carolina let Mia climb up first, and as she did, her heart raced. Was she really about to see Evan again? And would he even talk to her if she did?
She ducked under the doorway and emerged into the cabin of the plane. It was much more spacious than she’d expected, with wide leather seats that looked more like thrones than the airplane chairs Mia had seen on the few domestic flights she’d taken. On one of the seats sat Evan, his laptop and a pile of papers on the table in front of him. He was wearing headphones, but when Mia entered, he pulled them down.
“Hi, Mia. Glad you could make it.”
“Hi.” She walked the broad aisle toward him, her heart racing. She felt both awkward and unprepared for this, and she was deeply aware that the last time they’d seen each other, they’d spent the night together.
“Well, I have a lot of work to do.” Evan gestured to the piles in front of him. “If you need anything, please ask Carolina.” And without waiting for an answer, he put his headphones back on and reached for a stack of papers. Annoyance surged in Mia’s chest. Even trapped on a multi-hour flight with him, she wasn’t able to get a moment of his time. What a jerk.
Maybe the night they’d spent together hadn’t meant anything to him. Maybe nothing did.
“Please, have a seat,” Carolina instructed. “Can I get you anything to drink before we take off?”
“Maybe some tea, if possible,” Mia said. She hadn’t had time for her usual evening tea today, as she’d been scrambling with last-minute preparations.
“Of course. What kind of tea would you like?”
“Um, do you have mint?” she asked.
“Certainly. I’ll get that for you in a moment.” Carolina disappeared into the back of the plane as Mia took her seat across from Evan. She shot a few annoyed glances in his direction, but he was so absorbed in his paperwork that he didn’t notice her. Or, at least, he pretended not to. Mia was half-tempted to get up and leave. He could sort out his difficult dating situations with his family himself.
But… she really did want the free trip to Italy, and she was already here. Resignedly, she fastened her seatbelt and dug her book and earphones out of her bag. If Evan was going to ignore her, she’d ignore him, too.
A few minutes later, Mia’s tea arrived, and she sipped it as she read her book. A few minutes after that, the plane was ready for takeoff. They taxied to the end of the runway, raced down it, and leaped into the air. It was officially too late for Mia to turn back. No matter what happened this week, she was going to be stuck in Tuscany with Evan and his family.
Mia snuck another glance at Evan, who was now staring at his computer as though it held the secret to eternal life, and sighed. This was going to be a very long week.
Then she sat back, opened her book, and did her best to forget about the frustrating man sitting across from her. Eventually, tiredness overcame her, and as the sky darkened outside, she slipped into sleep.
CHAPTER 9
EVAN
Evan stole a glance at Mia, who was sitting in the seat across from him. She’d curled up with her feet beneath her and leaned against the window, her eyes closed. She looked peaceful, and her hair was slowly escaping from the bun she’d made, one strand at a time. Night had fallen, and the dark sky outside the window was studded with a thousand stars, but Evan couldn’t sleep. He had too much work to do, and he was too distracted.
Evan knew he should have talked to her. At the very least, he should acknowledge that he hadn’t been responding to her messages. Over the last month, she’d sent several messages and emails asking to get together for dinner to discuss their cover story for the wedding. Evan had ignored them. Mia had been in his mind constantly since the Napa Valley wedding, and he was certain that if he saw her again, it would only get worse.
And it had.
Now that they were alone together — except for Carolina, who brought drinks, snacks, and a meal at regular intervals — it was very difficult to focus on his work. He kept stealing glancesat Mia, and he kept holding himself back from starting a conversation. He was aware of each of her small movements. He was going to have to be very careful this week. If he let himself grow closer to her, it would be impossible to get anything done while they were in Italy together.
And worse, he could risk his whole career if he let himself feel something real.
Eventually, the sun began to rise. The sky lightened through orange and pink and finally into a bright blue. Beneath them, the ocean gave way to green land, and they began their descent. Carolina woke Mia up and brought her a coffee, but Evan just stared at his work, pausing only to thank Carolina for his own coffee. As they made their final descent, he packed his things into his work bag and finally took off his headphones.
He’d expected Mia to try to talk to him. She had been so friendly at the wedding and in her messages. But she kept reading, even as the plane bounced down onto the tarmac and came to a stop. The doors opened, and the flight crew rolled up a staircase. Still, Mia read, turning the pages with a flick each time, her eyes never straying from the book. Finally, when Evan stood and gathered his bags, she got up and took her own. She barely glanced at him, and, to Evan’s surprise, it hurt. He was the one who’d ignored her for the last month, but he’d still expected she would at least try to be friendly.
Well, this was for the best.
