Page 12 of Shy Girls Can't Date Celebrities
“Mrs. Bartlett, I promise Josie will be safe.” Randall gestures at a broad man dressed in black on the tarmac. “We have the best security with us.”
Mom shudders. “Somehow, that doesn’t put me more at ease.”
I pull Mom into a hug. “I’ll be careful. I know how to look after myself.”
“I know, honey,” she whispers. “You already look after all of us. I just can’t imagine a night without you at home.”
“We’ll have her home sooner than you know,” Randall says, beckoning me over. “Now, we must be getting back to Cherry Beach.”
Mom sniffles, nodding as she lets me go. “Okay. Good luck, darling. Say hi to Wyatt for me.”
I let out a soft giggle as I swipe at a tear. “I will. Thanks, Mom. I love you.”
She clasps her hands near her face, smiling and nodding as her eyes well. “Love you too.”
With more adrenaline than I know what to do with, I follow Randall onto the tarmac. We’re waved through by ground staff, and a broad man wearing all-black keeps an eye on us as we take the steps onto the Learjet.
“Whoa.” I gasp at the interior. “Does Wyatt own this plane?”
“Nice, ain’t it,” Randall says with a wink. “And no, it’s not exactly Wyatt’s plane. It’s Circle 8’s plane. You’d probably know all the members of the crew. Like Portia, Simon McAlister, Theo Granger, and Maggie Silver.”
“Oh, yeah. I listen to all the albums and watch all the movies.”
“Nice. At Circle 8, we produce all the music and all the movies. It’s a nice little machine we have going here. Each Circle 8 member has their own fans and careers, but when they collaborate, it’s golden.”
I nod, hugging my middle. “Like Wyatt and Portia.”
Randall grins. “Exactly. Those two work magic together.”
The pilot exits the cockpit and wears a welcoming smile. “Goodmorning, Miss Bartlett. I’m Captain Frank Ford. I’m honored to take you on this journey.”
I jitter as we shake hands. “Uh, umm, thank you, sir.”
Captain Ford nods at us. “Take your seats, folks. We’ll be off in a jiffy.”
We move into the body of the plane and it’s a lot to take in. Along the aisle, there’s first a group of four chairs, two on either side of the aisle and facing each other. They’re overstuffed and leather, like the most ridiculously comfortable armchairs. On each headrest, the Circle 8 logo is embossed.
“Good morning, Randall,” a woman in a blue blouse, tight-fitting pencil skirt, and matching vest, says. She wears a navy blue scarf around her neck, and her hair is secured in a bun. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was a flight attendant.
She welcomes me further into the plane. “Welcome, Miss Bartlett. My name is Claire and I’m here to serve you during your flight.”
I choke on an intake of air, coughing. “You are a flight attendant?”
Claire chuckles. “You could call me that. I’m part of the Circle 8 staff, and I specialize in flight safety and service.”
I follow behind her and don’t know where I should look first. What I can only call a plush, three-seater couch is along one side of the plane. On the other side are two swivel armchairs and a beautiful mahogany desk. There’s an incredible lighting design throughout the plane, along with more mahogany accents.
“Please, make yourself comfortable,” Claire says, gesturing to the three-seater. Beyond our seating area is a wall with two walkways either side. “Behind here are the bathrooms as well as the refreshments area. Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee, soda, juice, water? Or any snacks? Pretzels, chocolate, jelly beans? Anything you want.”
I sit forward. “Did you say jelly beans?”
Claire beams. “Mr. Hayes insists we keep them aboard.”
I nod. “I remember him always eating them.”
“May I bring them to you?” Claire asks.
I sit back with a boost of happiness. “Yes, thank you.”
