Page 79 of Hard Hitter
She made a trip to the ladies’ room where she took an Advil and splashed water on her face.Tequila is not the answer, she told the tired-looking woman in the mirror. Maybe she’d get some sleep on this flight. That wouldn’t hurt.
When she came back they’d begun to board the plane. Patrick bent over and picked up her bag off the floor, tucking it over her shoulder. “All set?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you.” She gave him a wink. As she boarded the jet, she felt his warm gaze on her back.
The man was tempting. That was for damned sure.
Georgia waved her into a seat in the middle of the plane. Across the aisle, Castro and Becca were sitting together, laughing about something already.
“You donothave the entire play memorized,” Becca insisted.
“Do so! Since the ninth grade. I was a kick-ass Romeo. Which bit do you want to hear? I’ll prove it.”
“Fine. The balcony scene.”
“Act II, scene II.” Castro rolled his eyes. “Everyone picks that bit. I’m bored of it.”
“Maybe you don’t really know it.”
“Girl, I do! Listen.” He cleared his throat. “But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Rebecca is the sun.”
“Oh, lordy,” she said, laughing.
“Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief, That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she. Be not her maid, since she is envious; her vestal livery is but sick and green and none but fools do wear it; cast it off.” He took Becca’s face in his two hands. “It is my lady, O, it is my love!”
“Wow,” Becca breathed. “You must have made all the ninth-grade girls swoon.”
“That’s right, baby.”
“Rebecca,” a stern voice cut through the silliness. All eyes lifted to find Nathan, messenger bag slung over his shoulder, eyes narrowed in irritation.
“What?” she squeaked, pulling her face out of Castro’s hands. Her cheeks were tinged with pink, probably because Nathan’s tone was so scolding.
He stared at her another moment, raising the awkwardness quotient into the stratosphere. “Bring this month’s attendance numbers back to the conference table, please. We’ll start in two minutes.” Then, finally, he moved away.
“Yikes,” Georgia said under her breath.
“What crawled up his ass and died?” Castro whispered.
Ari couldn’t help but turn around in her seat to watch him stomp down the aisle toward the back of the jet. Her gaze snagged on Patrick, who was also watching the big boss storm away from the awkward little fit he’d thrown. When Patrick turned his chin, their eyes locked.
Ouch, said his gaze.
You see why I worry?hers replied.
The flight attendant began to make security announcements. So Ari buckled her seatbelt and pulled her phone out of its pocket to shut it off. She’d avoided looking at it all day.
Seventeen. That’s how many text messages Vince had sent, asking her to call him. And that wasn’t counting the voice mails and the missed calls.
Jesus.
She shut the phone off, knowing that she really ought to tell the security team instead. The flight taxied and took off.While they were climbing to a cruising altitude, Ari searched her brain for a solution to the Vince problem. For the hundredth time, she came up short. So when the flight attendant announced that it was safe to move about the cabin, she did what she had to do.
Getting up, she walked carefully to the back of the plane. She passed Patrick in his seat, headphones on, eyes closed. He looked younger when he slept. Peaceful. It was nice to see.
She found Hugh Major in the last row, reading something on his Katt Tablet, scribbling notes on a legal pad.
“Sir?” she said. “Do you have a minute?” It really didn’t appear that he did, though.
