Page 12 of Wish Lists and Road Trips

“Because you have to love yourself before you can really put someone else first, or else it doesn’t mean as much. I could promise to take care of you when you’re sick, but if whenever I’m sick, I just ignore my symptoms until I get worse and worse and don’t take care of myself, then why would you believe I would do any better for you? Not you, of course. Hypothetical you. Him. Whomever.”

“Is that why you left your fiancé? You didn’t love yourself enough to marry him?”

“It’s complicated,” she said.

“Getting home after missing a cruise is complicated. Breaking off an engagement seems pretty cut and dry. Did you want to marry him?”

“No.”

Something inside me was relieved at how vehemently she declared that. “There you go. Not complicated.”

Her pretty brown eyes sparkled like I’d said exactly the right thing and it crossed my mind that any guy who had the chance to make her face light up like that and didn’t take it was an idiot.

“Folks, I’m going to need you to buckle up as we approach our landing.” The pilot’s thickly accented voice came over the speaker, despite the fact that he was about six feet away.

I hadn’t unbuckled since we took off, so I just readjusted in my seat, planted my feet on the floor, and slipped my arm through the strap of my backpack.

The plane banked to the right while Brit was still buckling and I shot her the same look my mother used to give me when I’d take off on my bike while still strapping on my helmet.

“It’s fifty-two and raining in Houston,” the pilot continued like he’d recently flown Delta and memorized the captain’s speech.

Brit shimmied in her seat. “Brrr. We’re going to need some more clothes before we fly back to New York. And I’m starving. Do you think they have a gift shop or something at this airport?”

I couldn’t help the laugh. I was starting to think this woman had never been anywhere in her entire life.

Houston Hobby Airport did, in fact, have a gift shop. Actually, it had an entire shopping center. Nick didn’t seem surprised by this, which meant he was just being nice when I’d wondered out loud if I could get a Snickers bar while we went through Customs.

Thatwas an adventure. I’d planted myself behind Nick, fingers curled in the back of his T-shirt while an impatient crowd of people much taller than me jostled suitcases around us. He walked me through the declaration kiosk-thingy, patiently waiting while I figured out how to scan my passport, then to this little mall in the middle of the airport.

“It’s too bad we couldn’t get on the same flight,” I said as I pawed through a rack of Houston-branded hoodies. Nick had booked his flight through some third-party website this morning, while I’d called my father’s travel agent and begged him to do it for me and not tell my parents that I’d needed the help. This little detour was testing my new competent and in-control persona. I hoped Nick was still buying it.

I picked out a navy-blue sweatshirt and slipped it on over my tank top. “You should get a matching one. People will think we’re one ofthosecouples.”

Nick leaned against the drink coolers, sipping a coffee that he’d insisted be our first stop. I tossed him the same sweatshirt in an extra-large and he looked at the tag and tucked it under his arm. “You need a bag,” he said, watching me juggle my stuff. He looked at his phone. “And we need to get to our gates.”

“You’re a guy who learns a lesson once,” I said. “I like that.”

He pointed to a row of tote bags embroidered with the wordsWelcome to Texas, Y’allon the side. I scrunched my nose. “It’s a bit much with the sweatshirt.”

A little muscle in his jaw twitched and I bit back a giggle. Twelve hours stranded with someone teaches you a lot about them. Nick was annoyed but too polite to say anything. I had the overwhelming urge to poke the bear.

“Maybe we should go to another concourse,” I said. “I think they had a travel store back there.”

“I don’t think we have time, Brit.”

“What’s the worst that can happen?” I mused. “We miss our flights and have to stay on vacation forever?” That would actually be catastrophic considering the auction was in three days, but I kept playing with him. I pressed my index finger to my cheek like I was thinking long and hard. “Hmm. I guess I’d rather stay in Costa Rica if I had the choice.”

“You don’t,” Nick mumbled, pushing off of the cooler where he was leaning and marching toward the cashier.

I scurried after him like a little lapdog.

I bought the Y’all bag and itwasridiculous. I was like a walking billboard for this state I’d probably never return to. Nick hadn’t put his sweatshirt on yet so I was stuck repping “H-Town” on my own.

He walked me to my gate, slowing to toss his empty coffee cup in the trash, and I looked out the bank of windows to the dreary, gray sky and the tarmac dotted with colorful planes. It was fitting, the gloom. Once I boarded this flight, my vacation from the real world was over. I’d be on my way back to the mess I’d stirred up. My disappointed mother, my father’swhat now?s.

Sean. Even though our relationship was over, I was never getting away from him completely. Our futures were tied up in purse strings. That was the thing about your fiancé—ex-fiancé—being second-in-command at your father’s company. I could avoid him, but I would never be completely free. That thought sat about as well as my dinner of gift shop candy and soda.

“I guess this is it,” Nick said. He took his hands out of his pockets and I thought maybe he’d hug me, or at least shake my hand, but he just rubbed the back of his neck. He was still holding that letter from the plane. “If I had to endure this travel nightmare,” he said, “I’m glad it was with you, Brit.”

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