Page 51 of Mine This Time
“This is Harlow. I know Mari’s not taking your calls. Here’s the plan. Fly to Seattle. I’ll send over Mari’s itinerary, and you can meet her at the airport there.”
Now, Harlow’s voice got muffled before it became louder. “You can’t tell me what to do. You told me yourself Nash was a great guy. Mari likes him, and apparently, he likes her, so I’m interfering. Just try and stop me.”
I choked back a laugh when Harlow came back on the phone, her tone calm and smooth. “So, can you make that work?”
“Is Max okay?”
“He’s completely fine. So?” she prompted.
I certainly wasn’t going to argue with Harlow. “Hang on. How about you give me your number, and I’ll text you once I confirm my flight?”
“Perfect.” Harlow quickly recited her number, and I added it to my contacts.
“I’m gonna send a text message right now. Just reply to let me know you got it.”
In a matter of seconds, her reply came through. Text me as soon as you know your plan.
After I finished my call with Harlow, I sat at my desk for a moment. My heart had started to kick up to a steady beat. It felt as if a ball was rolling down a hill and, truthfully, I didn’t want to stop it. Now that Harlow and Max knew, I needed to see this through.
For the most part, life had been easy for me. I had parents who loved me and taught me the value of hard work and respect. In high school, I hadn’t been a rich kid, but I’d been handsome and also a football star. Not good enough to go pro, but plenty good enough to get the girls. In short, I’d lead a charmed life, and that charm gave me the confidence to scrap into a real estate empire and make a ton of money even though I started with very little. I didn’t mind taking risks, and I’d learned to take only smart ones.
This thing with Mari felt riskier than anything I’d done in my life. Perhaps it was because I’d never felt vulnerable like this. I wasn’t one of those men who swore off romance. Rather, I simply had other priorities. And yet, just now my main priority was to see Mari. I was about to fly across the country to chase after a girl, and I didn’t even know if she wanted me.
If I knew one thing, though, it was that dwelling never solved anything. With a hard mental shake, I stood from my chair abruptly and strode out of my office to stop beside Lydia’s desk in the waiting area. She glanced up from her computer.
“I need a flight to Seattle. ASAP. I’d like to land by—” My eyes swung up to the clock. “—three p.m. Seattle time.”
“What’s in Seattle, and why so specific?” Lydia asked.
“I’m going to try to be there when Mari’s flight lands from Alaska on her way to San Francisco. She’s changing planes in Seattle and has a three-hour layover.”
A wide smile split across Lydia’s normally sober face. “I will find you a flight. Give me five minutes.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Mari
I adjusted the strap of my carry-on bag on my shoulder and silently cursed the fact that I’d forgotten to get a new suitcase in Alaska. That broken wheel still thumped along, jolting my wrist with every rotation as I made my way through the busy Seattle airport.
I was jostled by people, first on one side and then the other. I thanked God I had plenty of time on this layover. Airports could be a unique kind of hell. I did love people watching, but I was too tired for it today.
“Mari.”
I heard my name through the low din of voices humming in the airport. The shortened version of my name was very common, so I didn’t think anything of it initially. Why would I presume someone was looking for me, after all? I kept walking, although I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. I didn’t know why, but I sensed Nash. Stopping, I glanced around, right when I heard my name yet again. A family passed me on the left, and my view opened up.
My heartbeat took off like a rocket the second my eyes landed on Nash. He was standing in a small alcove where the various terminals met in a massive intersection of sorts. Although Nash and I were surrounded by hundreds of people, all of them intent on whatever their next destination was, it felt as if we were all alone. He pushed away from the wall where he’d been leaning. I stood stock-still in the center of the walkway until someone else bumped me.
“Jesus, lady. Get out of the way, or move,” a voice said.
Whoever spoke was gone so fast I never saw them. I walked toward Nash as he approached me. My suitcase thumped and thumped behind me. Oh God, he looked absolutely delicious. His hair was mussed as if he’d run a hand through it a few too many times.
He stopped in front of me, his eyes running swiftly over my face. I stared at him numbly, trying to scramble my thoughts into something sensible. “What are you doing here?” I finally asked.
“I’m here to see you.”
“You are?”
Nash’s lips kicked up into a smile, and I suddenly felt giddy. Emotion rushed through me and left me tingling all over.
