Page 20 of On the Fly
“Did you eat?” Gina asked.
“I’m not hungry,” Mrs. Jorgensen said, pulling a chilled bottle of wine from the refrigerator. Emma was amazed at how well Mrs. Jorgensen and Gina worked together, so in sync—one uncorked the bottle while the other placed three wineglasses on the counter.
“How did you meet Ander?” Mrs. Jorgensen asked, her whole attention on the bottle opener. When Emma didn’t answer right away, she lifted her gaze. Emma’s face had to be seven shades of red if the heat radiating from it were any indication. She stunk at lying, being far too direct to pull it off. Mrs. Jorgensen gave a patient smile as she manhandled the cork. “I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but Ander told me the truth.”
Both Gina and Mrs. Jorgensen laughed when Emma expelled a deep sigh that sounded almost like groan. “He promised he’d tell you. The way you asked how we met, I thought he hadn’t. We met on the flight here, seated next to each other. I have a terrible fear of flying.”
“And you work for the airline?” Gina asked, accepting the glass Mrs. Jorgensen passed to her.
“I know, right? It’s something I’ve considered every day since I took the job.” Back in her peaceful place, she dug in to the food again, taking another hearty bite.
“Ander says you’re good at your job. I have to confess, I’m too old for all the technology, but you must be the one who handles our social media for Whispering Winds too. Is that right?” Mrs. Jorgensen asked, leaning a hip against the counter.
“I am,” she said, reaching for the glass of wine Mrs. Jorgensen had placed in front of her plate.
“So, you and I have spoken before?”
Emma nodded again. “Yes, ma’am.” For Emma, Mr. Jorgensen’s death had been hard, and she could see the loss in Mrs. Jorgensen’s eyes. “I’m the reason my stepmother found this place. It’s really great how you offer such a discount.”
“First of all, I insist that you call me Aurora. None of this Mrs. Jorgensen or ma’am stuff.” The sadness of a moment ago changed to a twinkle. “Ander had a meltdown about that discount. He didn’t know we considered a stay here as an employee benefit. When I told him Rora Airlines reimbursed me for the discount, I thought that vein in his forehead might actually explode.” She put a hand to her lips to hide her smile. “He’s always been so uptight.”
“He was so serious as a youngster. I’d’ve thought he’d have grown out of that,” Gina said, taking a drink, matching Mrs. Jorgensen’s—no, Aurora’s—stance.
“Nope…” Emma and Aurora said in unison, causing them all to laugh.
“But he was sweet with you tonight,” Gina added as they both turned expectantly in Emma’s direction. She saw speculation staring at her.
“Oh, you’ve misread that. He’s only sweet because of how insufferable he’s been. I almost blew my initial presentation because of him. No, I think he’s doing this for me because he’s been a jerk,” she reassured.
Aurora gave a noncommittal head nod and looked over at Gina, giving a wink. One Gina laughed over. Boy, they were way off base.
“How old are you?” Gina asked. Normally, she’d do what was necessary to make these two understand the truth between her and Ander, but not tonight. She was tired, maybe a little tipsy from all the wine she’d had since she’d arrived…and hungry.
“I’m twenty-nine,” she said, taking a bite.
“He’s thirty-five,” Aurora said to Gina, and in synchronization, they both looked at her again.
“It’s not like that. Not at all.”
“Do you want children?” Aurora asked.
“What?” Emma squeaked, reaching for her glass to help keep from choking on her food.
“It’s a simple yes or no,” Gina said teasingly. Yet, they didn’t look like they were teasing at all.
“I guess. Someday. If I found the right person…which I havenotyet found,” she stated flatly, giving each woman a several-seconds-long confirming gaze to drive home her point.
“You two would have beautiful children together,” Gina said dreamily as if she were imagining said non-existent children.
Oh Lord, Patty and her biting comments might be preferable to this weird conversation. At least she understood how to handle those. She shoveled food into her mouth to avoid answering, chewing quickly and draining her wineglass.
“When I met Daddy Jorgensen, I knew he was for me, and I wasn’t getting any younger. I started trying to have my babies by our third date. It was a good thing he liked me. One night, I told him the truth: I wanted his babies. Lucky for me, he didn’t break it off right then. We had quite the whirlwind romance. Remind me to tell you about it someday.” Aurora winked as if the stories would be truly scandalous.
Too much information. She did not need to hear about Ander’s conception.
Emma scooted off the stool and gathered her silverware and plate before taking them to the sink. She’d had enough for today. Her family would barely notice if she didn’t show up for the rest of karaoke. And she’d be better served by getting some sleep.
“Just leave them in there. I’ll get it when I get the rest.” Gina refilled Emma’s wineglass. Aurora stopped her as she made her way back to the stool and took her in a hug. “I’m so happy to have you in the family.”
