scratched his chin. “You’re right. Maybe I should have packed more.”
“No!” Nick and I shouted at the exact same time.
“I’m sure we can manage with what we’ve got,” I added hastily. “Thank you for all your help.”
The cases took up the entire rear cabin of the helicopter, and the door only just closed. Missy was gonna have a cow.
“Good thing there’s only two of us,” Nick said.
Bradley ignored him. “I’ll lock up. Don’t be late.”
Nick settled himself behind the controls while I fumbled with my safety harness in the passenger side. My second helicopter ride, but I still hadn’t gotten over my nerves.
“Need a hand?” Nick asked.
“I’m fine.”
I wasn’t. The stupid buckle wouldn’t go in the stupid hole, and Nick leaned across to help me despite my protest.
“Stop biting your lip.”
“Sorry. How long have you been flying?”
“I’m not gonna crash.”
“I didn’t mean...” Okay, I did. “It’s just that I’ve only been in a helicopter that one time before, and…”
He reached over to squeeze my hand. “I’m sorry too. I keep forgetting you haven’t flown much.” He started the engine. “Twelve years. I’ve been flying helicopters for twelve years, and conditions today are good. It should be a smooth trip.”
I forced myself to breathe. “How long will it take to get there?”
“We’re not going all the way in this. It’s too far, and we’d have to refuel.”
“Then what…?”
“We’ll switch to a plane at Silver Springs Airfield, then land near Indianapolis. Should take about two hours in total. Bradley’s arranged a car for us at the other end.”
How did Nick make that sound so normal? Missy would totally freak. Like me, she’d barely travelled, and she and Clyde couldn’t even afford a honeymoon yet. Wedding this year, take a trip next year—that was what they’d decided. Missy had spent months talking about the Caribbean, so my wedding gift to them was a set of matching luggage monogrammed with their new initials. I’d arranged for it to be delivered after the wedding, but I’d stuck a picture of it in a card to give them on the big day.
Down below, tiny buildings and a patchwork of trees and fields rushed by, and I couldn’t help smiling. This might not have been LA, but I still had Nick next to me, and I was in a freaking helicopter. And before I knew it, we’d landed.
“Okay?” Nick asked as he helped me down to the ground.
“I think I’m starting to like flying.”
“Glad to hear it. Your next chariot awaits.” He pointed to the jet parked nearby.
“Is that the same plane as last time? It looks smaller.”
“No, this is a Learjet 85. The last one was a Bombardier Global 8000. This one doesn’t have the same range.”
“Is it yours?”
“No, I borrowed it.”
So there were some limits to his wealth. Still, owning a helicopter was quite enough.
“Boy, you must know a lot of people with planes.”
“This one and the last one actually belong to the same person, believe it or not. He’s pretty generous. I’ve got a twin-prop, but it’s in LA.”
What was a twin-prop? I didn’t want to admit I didn’t know, so I just nodded. Mental note: look it up on the internet later.
Not the same plane, but the same pilot. He smiled and nodded as we climbed on board, and a flight attendant handed me a glass of bubbly. This was too much.
“I’m surprised you’re not flying this too,” I said to Nick.
“Sometimes I do, but it’s easier to use a pilot.”
“I was joking. You mean you do know how to fly this?”
He nodded. “But I usually work on flights. Not enough hours in the day and all that.”
“Do you get much time off?”
“This is the first proper break I’ve taken in five years.” His grin was more dangerous than his smile. “Normally, I end up answering emails, but this weekend I’m off-limits unless there’s an emergency.”
I held up my champagne. “Here’s to your first relaxing break in ages. I might even fetch you breakfast in bed again.”
Nick picked up his own glass and clinked it against mine. “I’m gonna hold you to that, baby.”
The vehicle waiting for us turned out to be a two-seater Mercedes sports car. I looked at the tiny trunk, then back at the luggage Brett had stacked on the tarmac, and one into the other didn’t compute.
“Uh, how…?”
Nick pointed past me.
Problem solved. A cargo van pulled up, two men hopped out and picked up all the suitcases, then poof—they vanished. That was actually quite embarrassing.
“Forget I asked.”
“Bradley’s a master