Page 13 of The Perils of Pretending
“Enjoy your comfy aisle seat,” I say sarcastically.
Brody grins as he walks to the boarding line. “I will, sis. I will.”
As the very mature adult that I am, I make fists with both hands, thumb-sides pointing outward, and knock the meaty sides of my hands together just like Ross and Monica do inFriends.
“Sadie,” Mom chides, following behind Brody.
My gut tugs. I ignore the feeling. Brody deserved it.
Max laughs.
I sigh, resigned to my fate. “I thought for sure he’d want to sit by you.”
Max’s laugh gets louder. I find myself smiling in response to the sound.
“Why? I’m a grown adult and can sit on my own.”
I grab my backpack sitting on the floor by my feet, slinging one strap over my left shoulder. “Yeah, but he’s the one who told you to go visit your family. The least he could do is keep you company on the flights.”
“Lucky for you, it’s your job now.”
I raise my brows. “Is it luck?”
“For sure.”
We’ll see about that.
Chapter 5
Max
“Doyoulikethewindow shade open or closed?” I ask Sadie as we buckle our seatbelts on the plane.
Sadie pulls out a tablet from her backpack. “Up to you. I’ll be reading and don’t have a glass screen to worry about.”
“I’ll leave it open then. I like watching the ground below get smaller as we ascend.”
“Gah!” Sadie says, digging through her backpack. “I forgot my neck pillow. The one I bought specifically for this trip. It was on my couch.” She smacks her forehead. “I knew I was forgetting something when I finished packing.”
“Sorr—”
“Whoo-whee, I barely made it,” a guy about my age says with a southern accent, plopping into the seat next to Sadie. He’s wearing a blue plaid shirt, boots, and a cowboy hat. “My last flight was delayed. Didn’t think I’d catch this one. What’s yer name, beautiful darlin’?”
The air shifts from the new arrival’s movement, and the moment the stench flutters under my nose, my nostrils sting and my throat burns. What the heck is this guy wearing? I cough, my body begging for a fresh breath of air, but there isn’t any.
The vapor radiates off this guy like steam in a sauna.
There’s no freaking way we’re stuck next to this cowboy who smells like a mix of decaying soil and moldy flowers masked by leather.
Whoever makes that cologne needs to stop production immediately.
Twisting the air vent above me, I open it as wide as it will go. Leaning against the interior wall of the plane, I rest my elbow on the armrest, my hand covering my mouth and nose. My breath isn’t the best smelling, but I prefer it a million times over compared to the cowboy’s disgusting reeky cologne.
“I’m Sadie.”
“Nice to meetchya Sadie, the pleasure is all mine,” the cowboy drawls. “What are we gonna do ’bout this here arm rest? You up for sharin’, sweet pea? Because that’s my preference.”
“All yours.” Sadie’s voice is tight like she’s trying to talk without breathing.
