Page 46 of The Summer Request
She dabbed at her nose with a stiff paper napkin. There was a smile on her face now. “I think we should spread Justine’s ashes there. After that, we can find Mr. Beverly.”
Michelle reached across and grabbed her hand. “Let’s do it.”
Val smiled. It had taken long enough, but they were finally all in.
Seventeen
The dreaded announcement rang overhead. It was time to switch to airplane mode and stow carry-ons.
It was time for takeoff.
How did the flight attendant’s voice always sound so calm and collected? Michelle pulled her phone from her purse and saw a message from Arthur. “Good luck on your flight. Looks like clear skies all the way to Maine!”
That was nice. Of course, he could be lying to make her feel better. And planes could crash during nice weather. Mechanical issues didn’t care about the weather.
She thanked him anyway and clicked into airplane mode.
The plane rolled down the runway and Michelle gritted her teeth. She shot a look at her friends – all smiles, deep in conversation about Sam Beverly.
She couldn’t deal with that right now. Maybe it was time for Val’s takeoff care package? She’d resisted using it, but with how her heart was pounding in her chest, she figured it couldn’t hurt.
Michelle opened the little heart-covered bag and pulled out a pair of noise canceling headphones. She slipped them on, plugged in her phone, and pulled up the relaxing playlist she’d downloaded earlier. Then she pulled the mask over her eyes and tried to sit back and relax.
Val must’ve infused it with perfume. It was a pleasant, flowery sort of scent, disguising the smell of stale coffee and ozone in the cabin. It reminded her of the massage she’d gotten in Miami…
The noise canceling function of the headphones was surprisingly effective. She didn’t know how it worked, but wow. What a difference. She couldalmostpretend she wasn’t in a giant metal tube, forty thousand feet in the air, propelled by turbines and explosions.
The first song began, edging in with soft synthesizer tones and a delicate piano concerto. It faded with the sound of a stream and raindrops.
That got her through the sensation of takeoff. She was tempted to peek out and see if the plane engines were still attached, or if they were on fire, but she decided against it.
The next song was a violin blended with the sound of crashing waves. Then a forest with twittering birds. And on and on…
She made it nearly two hours into the flight before she removed the headphones and took off the mask.
When she opened her eyes, Val was beaming at her, a Bloody Mary in each hand. “Perfect timing! I was hoping to share one of these with you. I mean, I can obviously handle them on my own, but myintentwas to share with you.”
“Thanks.” Michelle accepted the tall glass, carefully balancing the set of skewers on top. One was packed with olives, squares of cheese, tiny pickles, and tomatoes. The second skewer was more adventurous – a small grilled cheese sandwich, a soft pretzel bite, and a mini pizza bagel.
Val smiled. “Cheers!”
Michelle nodded and returned her smile before looking outside. Everything seemed fine. All she could see were white clouds, and the flight attendants weren’t panicking. That was always a good sign.
“Did I miss anything?” she asked.
Lisa leaned in from across the aisle. “I had a brilliant idea. I paid for Wi-Fi and requested the medical examiner’s report for Justine’s death.”
“Oh, lovely.” Michelle pretended like that was a totally normal thing to do and took a sip of her drink.
It burned, forcing her into a cough. She’d forgotten to mix the vodka that had pooled at the bottom. First class sure did make their drinks strong. “Did they answer you?”
“Not yet,” Lisa said. “Hopefully soon.”
Michelle took a bite of the grilled cheese. It was cold, but still tasty. Next, she took a bite of the pizza. Also surprisingly good.
She mixed the drink using the slice of bacon sticking out of her glass and took another sip.
Much better. All the salt would have her bloated like a balloon by the end of the flight, but she didn’t care. For the moment she wasn’t afraid of dying, and that made the inevitable fluid retention worthwhile.
