Page 27 of Love on the Sidelines

“Are you all right?” Charlie asks.

“I will be.”

“Anything I can do to help that along?” he asks, a ghost of a smile on his lips. Why am I staring at those beautiful pink things, wondering what it would feel like with them on mine?

“No. I mean, am I even dressed okay for a private flight?” Charlie is wearing slacks and a polo shirt, while I’m wearing the equivalent of a tracksuit and sneakers.

Charlie laughs. “Not too many people will even notice what you’re wearing. They’ll be too busy ‘conducting business’ to worry about that.”

“That makes me feel so much better,” I say dryly.

We get to the entrance and they check Charlie’s paperwork and then let us through. “That’s it?”

“People who pay for a higher priced flight are usually just trying to get to where they’re going.”

This differs from the ideas I’ve had about people with money for a good portion of my life. Who knew I’d learn that much from a missed flight?

14

CHARLIE

To say today has been odd would be an understatement. I’m sure I’ll get some criticism for leaving my niece with practical strangers, but I got sidetracked by that conference call. At least Emily has friends from the team. Nothing like moving at the beginning of summer to ruin that part of her life.

And it’s not like she’s young enough that I need to hold her hand crossing the street. As long as there’s a responsible adult around, I count that as a win.

But to find that Ava also missed the flight was a surprise.

I’d planned to use the time to work. Now I’ve got more room on this private charter, but I don’t really have that itch to open up my laptop.

Ava looks like she’s just found out the earth isn’t flat because she keeps glancing around the cabin with her eyes wide. There are only about ten passengers, which is normal for me. Do I have enough money to buy a jet? Yes, but I don’t want to be irresponsible. I’ve heard how people roast the Kardashians about stuff like that.

“What do you think?” I say, asking Ava.

“I really shouldn’t be enjoying this as much,” she says, settling into the chair.

I laugh and shake my head. “What do you mean by that?”

“It’ll be hard to go back to the regular flights after this. All this legroom. I mean, I’m not the tallest person in the world, but even I struggle to stretch out in a normal commercial flight.”

“It definitely has its perks.”

There’s a long moment of silence before she speaks. “Why are you really paying for all this stuff? Emily is by far our best player and she and Sarah mesh so well. I’m not playing her more because of that. She’s got the talent and the height to go far.”

I smile, thinking of my brother-in-law, who was several inches over six feet. He would love to know that his baby girl has height.

Mulling over her question, I say, “I didn’t always have what I have now. I played youth hockey until it got too expensive for my parents to send me further. It was something my father regretted until he passed, but sometimes those trials end up making or breaking us.”

“So you want others to have the opportunities you didn’t,” she says, more of a statement than a question.

I nod. “Absolutely. And Emily has been through a lot in the past year. If chipping in a bit helps make her smile and remember that I’m her favorite and only uncle in the world, it’s worth it.”

Something passes over her face and I wonder what she’s thinking. It’s usually difficult to tell with her.

“Why are you so opposed to people helping monetarily?”

Her lips form a thin line. There are several seconds where she says nothing and I wonder if I said something wrong.

“Not everyone with money has had the best intentions in my life. It’s easier for me to be skeptical rather than nursing a broken heart again.”

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