driver’s side door. She kissed him and smiled brightly as he rushed from the car, forgetting his backpack in the passenger seat, and hurried into the house to finish packing for their trip. With a pleased smile, she calmly reached into the car, pulled out the backpack, and carried it inside behind him.
She had spent the entire day packing while he was at the college so she would be available to help him with his own preparations. Her assistance included watching over him to ensure that he didn’t forget anything important, such as his passport, new exclusive joint-account credit card, or his collection of notes and brochures on London that he had assembled meticulously during the past month. Additionally, she made arrangements for Devon Archibald to check in on the estate a few times during the week. She also left word with the security system monitoring company to make Devon the primary local contact at night, but to respond immediately to any daytime alarms.
Within a couple of hours, evening arrived in full. Caleb finished packing, and Katrina made a call to Sunset Air to send a car to pick them up. One of the company’s additional services was to arrange for secure transportation to and from the airport, if desired. In order to avoid leaving their car at the airport, she had quickly decided the added cost was well worth it. Additionally, their luggage would be automatically processed and loaded on the plane.
“Are you ready?” she asked with a smirk as she noticed Caleb glancing at his watch for the third time in less than twenty minutes.
“Me?” he asked innocently, folding his arms across his chest. “Oh, sure. Yep, ready to go.”
“You’re adorable,” she observed with a smile as she regarded his nervous energy. He had a contagious sense of wonder and anticipation about him, which she found endearing. You’re definitely keeping life both fun and interesting for me.
Katrina’s cell phone rang, and she gave the Sunset Air driver a temporary access code to enter the neighborhood gate. Then she manually opened the driveway gate to allow access to the front of the estate. Minutes later, a black limousine pulled up in front of the house, and Caleb hastily carried their luggage to the back of the car. His heart was beating fast as he anticipated what he hoped was the journey of a lifetime with Katrina.
* * * *
Their aircraft was a three-engine airliner specially outfitted with oversized fuel capacity for non-stop transatlantic flights. The interior of the plane was laid out in a series of special oversized compartments reminding Caleb of miniature hotel rooms. Each compartment had locked and closed portal windows and was tastefully furnished using lighter colors. In the center of the room were four large seats facing a large flat-panel display inset into the wall panel.
The already roomy seats were fastened together in pairs so that a set of two could be turned into one large area, much like a small sofa. Mounted before each seating space and appearing to be adjustable forward, up, or down, was a small oak-finished table. Suspended directly above each of the four seats was a console with an individual drop-down LCD display, reading light, adjustable air vents, and buttons to summon attendants or control the display.
Set behind the single row of seats was a small bed and a large overhead storage compartment. Next to the bed was a small doorway leading into a private bathroom, including a small shower. All in all, it appeared to be a comfortable setup for long-term flights. Katrina had reserved an entire compartment for them, though Caleb had no idea exactly how many other passengers might be on the flight in the other compartments, if any.
She sat next to him in the set of two seats closest to the outer wall of the fuselage. She noted the curious expression on his face as he viewed the interior of their compartment.
“Geez, this is nicer looking than any plane interior I’ve ever seen,” he observed with awe. “It’s like our own little apartment. There’s even a bed back there.”
She grinned at him, pulled up the seat arm that was barring her from snuggling next to him, and commented, “That’s right. This is your first time on a Sunset Air charter flight. It’s unlike most anything humans are used to, for obvious reasons.”
He scooted closer to her and placed his hand on her thigh. “Are there any other passengers on the flight?” he asked as the aircraft’s