Page 54 of All the Drama from New York

Apparently, there was a small grocery store not far from the house, along with a handful of restaurants who offered a delivery service. Using Ryan’s list, the housekeeper would make arrangements to stock the fridge and pantry.

I can’t wait to get cooking in a proper kitchen.

He had to keep reminding himself that this vacation wasn’t about him. It was a place where Camille would hopefully have the time to restore her energy and mind. Their carefully vetted accommodation in Saltaire was located in a private part of the island, a little out of the way of the main tourist areas.

And that’s all that matters. Though the idea of getting about the island on foot sounds fun.

But as he continued to stare at the helicopter, fun was the furthest thing from Ryan’s mind. The blades of the chopper were now spinning at high speed, cutting through the air. His stomach did a half turn.

Camille lay a hand on his arm. “Are you ok?”

Confession time. He’d been on a couple of plane flights in his life, but they had all been in large commercial jets. Before each of those, he’d chugged down several large shots of booze. Anything to deaden his pre-flight nerves.

And now here he was, about to get into a helicopter with his boss. The boss who was relying on him. The boss he was slowly but surely falling for.

If he threw up in the chopper, he’d never live it down.

Ryan let out a shaky breath. “I don’t have much flying experience. And the sight of that helicopter, kinda makes me nervous.”

Camille’s grip on his upper arm tightened a little, offering comfort. “Then we will take it easy. I was going to get them to serve us a hot beverage and a fresh pastry on the flight, but we won’t do that now.”

He turned to her, teeth gritted. “Thanks.”

Camille had meant this helicopter flight to be a special treat for Ryan, a little thank you for his support. The plan was for them toindulge in freshly brewed coffee and almond croissants as they flew over the city, taking in the sights.

She took in the ashen color of Ryan’s face, and turned to signal to their driver. They wouldn’t be needing the food or the coffee.

She’d spent her entire life flying in private planes and small helicopters, so the thought that Ryan might not be a good flyer simply hadn’t entered her mind.

I hate seeing him like this, maybe we should cancel the chopper.

“We could ask the town car to take us most of the way to the island, then grab the ferry. Or we could just cancel and go somewhere else,” she offered.

Ryan sucked in a deep breath. “No, we can take the helicopter. I’ll manage. I have to overcome my issues with flying at some point.”

She was unwavering in her desire to show him that he had her full sympathy. She took a hold of Ryan’s hand. “Come with me. But if you change your mind before we take off, just say so. We can make other arrangements.”

The entrance to the heliport was a short walk from the carpark. They followed the marked safety lines which were painted on the tarmac all the way to the edge of the helipad. Camille held Ryan’s hand every step of the way. If anyone bothered to take a closer look at them, they would simply see a couple holding hands. A casual sign of affection, nothing more.

Everything looked calm on the surface, but Camille’s heart was thumping hard in her chest. Being this close to Ryan and knowing they were about to spend two weeks alone on an island had sent desire coursing through her body.

This isn’t about me. This isn’t about me. Worry about him and what he needs.

As they neared the helicopter Ryan’s steps slowed and Camille turned to face him. She moved closer. It was hard to hear above the noise of the chopper’s rotating blades. She rose up on her toes and spoke directly into his ear. “I’ve flown with these people a number of times before. Bryce uses them to take him up to the private jet airfield at Teterboro. If the Royal family thought, there was any sort of risk with using this helicopter service they would cancel the contract.”

Ryan nodded. “Thanks. I know me being weird about flying is— well weird.” He sighed. “I just need to get my head around the whole thing.”

She didn’t let go of his hand. “I will be with you the whole way. We can ask the pilot to give us a bit of a tour of the city as we fly over. Point out some landmarks. What do you think?” Distraction was always a good way to settle nervous flyers. Anything to shift their mind from thoughts of imminent death.

“Could we fly past the Statue of Liberty?” he asked.

Camille glanced in the direction of the helicopter, and the flight attendant who stood waiting patiently for them to approach. “I’ll ask. Are there any other places you’d like to see?”

The color slowly returned to Ryan’s face, and his throat bobbed as he swallowed. “I’d love to fly over the hotel where I used to work as a barista. It would be fun to wave at my old boss.”

“Done. Come on let’s get on board, and run through the safety checks. Then you can give the pilot the address you’d like us to fly over.”

Camille, who’d always had other people looking after her, was suddenly filled with an urgent need to protect this man. To keep Ryan safe.

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