Saturday mornings in the summer were for sleeping in, not trips to the airport at six o’clock in the morning. They especially weren’t for Uber rides with a driver who refused to take a break from scarfing on his artery clogging breakfast sandwich to lend a helping hand.
What happened to chivalry?
Sure, the lines of grease dripping down the side of his double chin should’ve given me an indication that he didn’t care one way or another, but it’s about the principle.
After I managed to extract my last oversized piece of luggage from the trunk, I slammed it hard enough to rock the tiny car, and if lady luck was on my side, even knocked a bit of his sandwich out of his hand and onto his lap. It’d serve him right.
Outside of the airport, near the corner of the building, an older man ogled a teenage girl. All I could think about were the constant news headlines of girls being taken. I’d never forgive myself if this girl ended up as a headline in the Highsea Daily Newspaper. I could see it now: June 20, 2021, Teenage Jane Doe Found Dead in the Forest.
Highsea was never short on crime with the beach attracting tourists from around the world. Not to mention, the forest stretched for miles. It was the perfect place to make someone disappear.
Not this girl. Not today.
I raced to her before the man made his move. “Are you okay?”
She drew her dingy green bag to her chest with questioning eyes darting side to side at the both of us.
“You’re obviously scaring her. Please back away.” I knelt down. She smelled of spoiled milk and dirty clothes. “My name is Brooklyn Monti. I want to help you. What’s your name?”
“Bianca,” she whispered. “Bianca Hamilton.”
“That’s a pretty name. It’s nice to meet you, Bianca.” She pulled her legs closer to her chest along with her bag. I took the hint and backed away a few steps. “Are you here by yourself?”
She gave me a look while never uttering a word.
“Well, I’m by myself. Actually, I’m by myself often. My parents travel a lot, and I’m an only child. Are you an only child?”
She looked away.
“Can I tell you a secret?” I squatted down and sat Indian style across from Bianca. “I have Huntington’s Disease. It’s an inherited disease that will cause my brain to stop working. I was adopted when I was a baby, but I got it from my birth mom. She passed away. I never had the chance to meet her. I often imagine what she looked like, the sound of her laugh—all those little things. The only thing I know about my dad is his name is Britt Thornburg.”
“That sucks.”
“Tell me about it.”
“What will happen to you if your brain stops working?”
“I could die.”
“Are you scared?”
“Out of my mind,” I said.
“Life sucks.”
“Yeah it does for me, but surely not for you. Why do you say that?”
“I ran away from home.”
“Why’d you do a thing like that?”
“My mom and dad are always gone too. I figured they wouldn’t miss me.”
“I’ll bet they’re worried out of their minds. Where are you from?”
“Goldgham.” She released her bag a bit and pulled on the strap of her backpack.
“That’s over four hundred miles away. I should call security and the police so we can get you back to your family.”
“Good, I want to go home. I thought I was making the right decision, but I was wrong. I haven’t eaten all week. I’ve been sleeping outside. Strange men keep coming up to me like that other guy. I’m scared.”
“How old are you?” I asked while I dialed security.
“I’m sixteen.”
I spoke to a woman at the security desk inside the airport.
“They’re sending two security guards out here with us. No more weird guys, okay?”
“Thank you.”
“Hey, I have a couple of granola bars I grabbed on the way out this morning. Would you like them?”
Bianca grabbed the bars and tore into them within seconds. Clearly she wasn’t exaggerating about not eating.
The security guards appeared outside within moments as promised. I waved them over and explained the situation while speaking with the Goldgham Police Department. Turns out, they’d been searching for Bianca for weeks. I gave the detective our location and made sure she was in safe hands with the security guards before carrying on with my day.
“Bianca, I have a plane to catch, but I want to make sure you feel safe with the security guards before I go.” Luckily, one was a woman.
She reached out and grabbed my arm. “Thank you, Brooklyn. I hope your brain doesn’t stop working.”
“That’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me this week. Make the best out of your life, Bianca. It goes by so fast.”
Helping Bianca filled my heart. God knows I wish I could’ve helped my friend, Veronica. She ran away during our sophomore year of high school. She met the guy online. Her Prince Charming turned out to be a married man with three children. He took her life. The news rocked all of us, and it stuck with me over the years. I should have told her parents where she was going instead of keeping secrets. We were so naïve, just like Bianca. I will never again turn my back on helping a young girl or a woman.
Save one, love one.
I entered the air conditioned terminal, which mimicked leaving the sweltering Southern heat for an Alaskan winter, and was startled by a sharp chime from my cell. I’d set up a special ringtone to alert me whenever our event company, Three Angels, had new account inquiries. This particular job was for a multi-million dollar firm in Santa Bay that would pay a hundred thousand dollars to plan an event for the announcement of their company’s expansion. My partners, Tammy and Lorraine, were going to hit the roof.
I hurried to the counter ahead of a huge group traveling together in matching t-shirts and passed my bags and documents to the TSA agent. “They’re your problem now.”
“Oh, it’s no problem,” he laughed. “This is what I do.”
I gave my chest a little pat where my heart beat for his kindness and followed the signs to undergo the scan and search. I took my shoes off and placed them inside a small bin. The TSA agent waved his wand around me but he got a little too familiar while patting me down.
“Hey.” I smacked his hand.
“You know I could have you hauled off for assault of a public servant.”
“I’ve got two bee stings up here. It doesn’t take all that.”
“Get out of here, and word of advice.” He waved his wand. “Don’t try that with anyone else. You’re lucky I’m nice.”
“Practice what you preach.” I stuck my AirPods in and cranked up the volume to listen to my daily affirmations about allowing love to flow freely through me and how I deserved the utmost happiness.
The glorious smell of coffee beans and fresh pastries pulled me toward the food court.
Just what the doctor ordered.
A young twentyish man with spiked hair pushed out coffee orders like a machine. He mixed the cups before customers could finish spouting their orders. It’s almost as if he had the menu emblazoned in his mind. He made my spicy pumpkin coffee within seconds and topped it off with a thoughtful design from the frothed milk.
“That’ll be ten dollars.”
“One second.” I searched through my bulky bag for my wallet. The line had already grown by four people. The nerves jumped in my shoulder hard enough to knock the bag off my arm onto the floor. I hated being vulnerable in public. All those eyes staring at me—judging me, wondering what the hell was wrong with me. I scrambled to gather my runaway tampons. Before I knew it, tears stung the rims of my eyes. I didn’t have the guts to look up. I felt foolish crawling around the dingy airport floor.
The young man slammed my cup down and screamed. “Do you see the line behind you? I don’t have all day, lady.”
“Hey, buddy, show the lady some respect. Be patient.” A baritone voice boomed with a sexy Persian accent that sent chills throughout my body. “I see I’m not the only one having a hell of a morning.”
A pair of mint green Nike shoes stood before me. My gaze crawled up his legs. He was a bronze hottie with a tapered haircut. He resembled the kind of man who appeared on the cover of romance novels with thick eyebrows and green eyes. He shoved a twenty dollar bill at the barista to pay for both our orders.
Mr. Hottie had huge muscles in places I’d never seen before. His five o’clock shadow looked more like six o’clock. A long scar ran down the right side of his cheek. Strangely, it complimented him. He even smelled like he’d cleaned his house before coming to the airport. The scent roused my OCD, which made a smile spread over my face from ear to ear.
“I appreciate your kindness. I’m going to pay you when I find my wallet in all this mess.”
He dangled a pair of my red silk panties from his finger. “Sexy.”
“Wow, how immature. You don’t even know me.” I snatched my unmentionables away from him and stuffed them inside my bag along with my other runaway items. “Thanks for your help.” I held out a crisp ten-dollar bill. But he refused it.
He followed close behind as I walked away from the kiosk with the little dignity I had left.
“Consider your coffee a gift and an apology for my immaturity.”
“Apology accepted.”
Our hands touched when he passed me the coffee. I nearly dropped it. People often talk about sparks, but this was the first time I’d experienced it. I thanked him again before taking a seat in the area marked D12.
“Are you following me?”
“No, I’m in the right place. I have a layover in Pinemoor. Are you in the right place?”
“Yeah, I guess we’re on the same flight.”
Mr. Chatty Hottie sat across from me while I nervously guzzled my coffee. Every few seconds, I glanced up to see him still watching me with curious eyes. I wondered if he was trying to figure out why my arm spazzed out. But deep down inside, I hoped he didn’t see it. I tucked my hair behind my ears. I’d straightened it the night before and brushed it down with a middle part.
My mother had drilled into me over the years, “A woman should never leave home without putting effort into her appearance.” However, I’d gone against everything she’d taught me when I’d dressed in a baggy sweat suit for my flight. Fortunately, I’d put myself together in a manner that complimented my five-foot-five frame even though I had on very little makeup. Men often gave me a second look, but this guy’s persistence was new to me. I hugged my waist with my free hand to avoid eye contact altogether.
“I’d like to start over. My name’s Kai Rahimi.” He stuck out his hand.
“I don’t know if I should talk to a man who’d show my underwear to a group of complete strangers.”
“Oh, come on. I apologized and I bought you a cup of coffee. I was stupid. Please forgive me.” He held his hands up in prayer style. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. It’d be a shame if I never got your name.”
“Whatever.” I gave in and shook his hand. “My name’s Brooklyn Monti.”
“Brooklyn? I like that.” He gulped his coffee without breaking his gaze.
“Why do you keep staring at me? Are you thinking about my underwear again?”
“No. But now that you mentioned it, I am imagining you modeling them for me.” He sucked his teeth.
“Oh boy, it’s a sight to see. Your butt in that string and lace would drive any man insane.”
I covered my eyes and peeked through my fingers.
“I see you checking me out. I don’t blame you. I look good.”
“You’re so conceited.”
“I sure am. You should be too. Look at you—beautiful hair, gorgeous brown eyes, and full lips with a nice figure.”
“Please stop.”
“Loosen up a bit.” He set his cup on a table next to his chair and moved beside me to place a hand on my shoulder. “There you go—slouch, relax.”
“I don’t know how to slouch. My mom spent years knocking me straight whenever I slouched.” I bent forward and laughed as if I’d told the joke of the decade.
He clumsily put his arm around my shoulders. Perhaps the scent of bleach piqued my interest, or maybe it was his sexy muscles, but whatever the case, I didn’t smack him.
“I’m on my way to train a bunch of stockbrokers in Bay Valley. What about you?”
“I’m going to my college homecoming. I haven’t seen my friends in over a decade since we graduated, except for my best friend, Iris. I consider her to be more like a sister. She flew ahead last night.” I drummed the side of my coffee cup causing the spicy pumpkin scent to infiltrate my senses. “I’m not ready to see them, but Iris twisted my arm. Now, here I am.”
“A weekend catching up with old friends is a good thing—or at least it is in my world.”
The nerves in my hand started to dance. I clasped them together. Kai gently pulled them apart.
“Want to hear a funny story?”
It fascinated me how he calmed my nerves faster than any anxiety medicine ever had.
“I embarrassed myself like hell this morning.” He propped his elbow on the back of the chair. “Earlier, one of the wheels on my luggage got stuck on a piece of paper. Before I knew it, I face-planted on top of my bags. Two immature teens recorded the entire ordeal. I tried to snatch one of their phones, but I guess he was a pretty good basketball player because he faked me out so bad, I almost twisted my knee. Now, I have a bad feeling that the video will go viral any moment.”
My laughter shot out like a machine gun.
“You know what? I think you’ve got a wild side buried deep down inside.”
“Is that your thing—wild women? Typical.”
“Actually, my thing is a woman with intelligence, but my heart beats for a woman with a personality.”
“Good for you.”
Kai never stopped talking. Usually, I’d avoid people like him. But his personality slowly coaxed out the sexy and playful side of myself I usually kept under lock and key.
“I can’t help but wonder what your thoughts consist of when you have that blank stare.”
The gate attendant invited the first-class passengers aboard, and I gathered my bags and walked away to avoid his loaded question. I moved quickly, almost taking out a sobbing woman when our shoulders collided at the gate.
“2B, 2B,” I whispered as I searched for my window seat. “Bingo.”
Passengers were lightly scattered throughout the cabin, which gave me hope that I’d sit alone in silence for the entirety of the flight. I pulled out my phone and thumbed through the texts. No more than a few minutes passed when a shadow hovered over me. It was him again with a goofy smile. From the lower angle, I could see age lines around the corners of his eyes.
He fanned his ticket. “My seat is behind you. I don’t like that.” He signaled for the flight attendant.
“Wait. What are you doing?”
“You’re in luck.” He shoved his bag in the overhead storage. “Since this isn’t a full flight, the nice attendant said I could sit next to you.” He plopped down. “I don’t know how often you fly, but you’re supposed to put your phone on airplane mode, or you could have us lost in space—not that I’d mind being lost with you.”
“Oh, I see. You’re one of those people who can’t tell when they’re being ignored.”
“Stop pretending you don’t like me.”
“I don’t know you.”
“Well, I told you my name is Kai Rahimi. I’m a stockbroker, and I have a son. His name is Dylan.” He showed me a picture. “He’s my pride and joy.”
I squeezed my arm and wished I could stop my nerves from jumping.
“Maybe you don’t like me. I should leave you alone.”
“No, I’m sorry. My mind is all over the place. You have an adorable son.” I pulled my arm close to my waist. “It’s not you. I told you I was nervous about going back to Pinemoor.”
“I don’t know what happened, and it’s none of my business.” He held his hands up. “But I’m a firm believer that it’s best to face uncomfortable situations head on, especially if it bothers you this much.”
I squeezed my eyes and clawed the armrest as the airplane rolled down the runway.
Kai put his hand over mine and belted out an off-key tune. He caught the attention of the other passengers, but he didn’t care. He sang until I pulled my claws out of the armrest.
“For the love of God, stop singing.”
He took that as a cue to sing even louder.
I couldn’t wipe my tears away fast enough. By the time I opened my eyes, we were sailing through the electric blue sky, hand in hand. I quickly pulled away.
“I hate flying.”
“I figured as much,” he chuckled. “That’s good for me because I got to hold your hand, even if it was only for a few seconds.”
“Oh, Kai,” I rubbed the side of my neck where his warm breath grazed my skin. An inch closer and his lips would’ve touched my shoulder. I moved away with a deep sigh and sank deeper into my seat. I often wished the pieces that made me were more like my best friend, Iris. She lived without fear. She went after what she wanted and even if it didn’t work out, she knew how to move on without setbacks bringing her down.
“Ah, see you remembered my name. My plan is working.” Kai kissed my hand and placed it back on the armrest.
“What plan?”
“I can’t tell you,” he laughed. “My goodness, you’re beautiful. I’ll bet you hear that all the time.”
“Not as often as you imagine.” I turned my attention to the window.
The clouds resembled the ones I studied from my glass condo on the top floor of our high-rise. The blue and amber were a sight to see from fifteen stories up.
I bought my condo a year after we started our Three Angels business, which took off like a rocket. We were operating in the black in no time. I tore down the walls and started from a blank canvas. My condo was the one place in my life where I had control, and I took full advantage of it.
“Meeting new people is a good thing.” Kai showed all of his pearly white teeth when he smiled. It was yet another thing that attracted me to the handsome stranger.
“So, you aren’t flirting with me?”
“Oh, I’m flirting. Make no mistake about it. I’m flirting big time.”
I began to relax next to Kai after an hour of gliding across the golden sky. The flight attendant offered us a miniscule amount of food that didn’t match the prices we’d paid for first-class seats, but I didn’t dare decline it. I pulled the shade down and turned back to the small screen I shared with Kai to finish watching Along Came Polly.
“You’re probably the only person on earth who hasn’t seen this movie,” Kai teased.
“I don’t watch much T.V., and I can’t remember the last time I went to a theatre.” I pointed to the screen, holding back my laughter in fear of disturbing the other passengers. “Is that how you tripped over your luggage this morning?”
“Hey, I told you that in confidence.”
The attendant touched his arm. “Buckle up for landing.”
“Damn, it feels like we just took off.”
I squeezed my eyes and clawed the armrest while the small plane bounced up and down as it made its descent.
Kai sang again—as off-key as he had the first time. He rivaled a box of wounded cats.
“Please, stop. I can’t take it anymore.”
He kept singing until the plane stopped, but this time he got a round of applause from the passengers.
“Make sure you’ve got everything. I’d hate for you to leave those sexy red panties behind.”
“You’re way too focused on my underwear.”
“I better stop before I scare you away.” He followed me through the tunnel.
“How do you plan to spend a whole hour in dear old Pinemoor?”
“Actually, I’d like to spend it with you,” Kai said.
“Oh no, you can’t meet Iris. You’ll learn how interrogations work.”
“Who said anything about meeting Iris? We could stay here at the airport and talk—just the two of us.”
He stroked my arm with his rough fingers, raising goose bumps over my skin. “So what do you say? Are you staying or leaving me here all alone?”
I couldn’t bring myself to say no. There was something between us, and I wanted to explore it a bit more.
Kai stuck out his arm to escort me. “Come on, I’ll buy you a mimosa.”
“Now you’re freaking me out. Mimosas are my favorite. If a bearded man with crazy eyes opened the backdoor of an unmarked white van and told me he had free mimosas inside, I’d be as good as kidnapped.”
“See, I knew you had a wild side in there,” Kai laughed. “Thanks to you, this has been a great morning.”
“You’ve pleasantly surprised me.” I covered my smile with my hair.
“Please don’t hide.” He put his fingers under my chin to lift my face to his. “You have a gorgeous smile.”
We wandered upon a snazzy restaurant dipped in gold and leather with a long bar. He guided me to a stool and interrupted the young bartender who zealously typed on her phone.
“Hello, please tell me you guys make a mean mimosa?”
“The meanest in Pinemoor.” She placed a hand on her hip to emphasize it.
“Ah, see, you’ve already earned yourself a healthy tip, young lady.”
“Gee, thanks.” She snatched the twenty-dollar bill from Kai. “I’ll add this to my, get the hell out of Pinemoor and never look back at my savings account.”
I gave her a high-five. At least Iris and I weren’t the only ones who felt that way about Pinemoor.
“Ah, see. Now we’re talking.” Kai rubbed his hands together. “Let’s see how you act after you get a few mimosas in you.”
I pulled out my phone to ask Iris to hold off for an hour before coming to the airport.
“Are you texting your boyfriend?”
“I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“You’re pulling my leg.”
“No, but I’m sure you have a harem of women falling for your long hair and muscles.”
“You’ve got me all wrong. I’m the monogamous type. The world can have the rest. I believe we were created to live in pairs.”
“I see.”
“What? You don’t agree?”
“I agree with you. But most of the men I’ve met don’t think this way.”
“How is that possible? If you were my lady, I wouldn’t glance at another woman.” He paid the bartender and tipped her another twenty.
“That’s what you say now. You don’t know anything about me.” We strolled to his gate.
“Here’s my phone number. I hope you’ll call.”
“How long will you be in Bay Valley?”
“Seven long dreadful weeks,” he huffed. “I busted my ass to get into this training program because I needed a change. But lately, I’ve been regretting it. They keep me on the go.” He gently brushed the hair away from my face.
I knew exchanging phone numbers meant I should tell him I have Huntington’s disease, but I couldn’t say the words. Meeting someone new always scared the hell out of me because Huntington’s has ruined every milestone in my life.
First, I lost my mother, and my father gave me up for adoption. Then my college years interfered with my diagnosis, and my college boyfriend changed after he learned the truth. Then every man I’ve met since has run away from me.
Without warning, Kai wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into him. He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead then his lips wandered down to mine. He held me close, and we stood there looking into each other’s eyes until the attendant tapped him on the shoulder.
“Sir, this is the final call for Bay Valley. Are you still going?”
“Yes, coming now.” He kissed my hand. “Are you going to call me?”
I gave him a nod because he’d left me speechless. I watched him until he disappeared, touching my lips, thinking about our kiss.
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