Romantic Acquisition Page 0,30
are. That’s our plane,” he said and gestured towards a relatively large, private jet.
Kate looked around his large frame and took in the beautiful jet with stairs already in place and the passenger door open. She shook her head at the idea of getting onto the plane. “Nope. I’m not getting on that. That’s too small.”
Carlo was already walking towards the plane. When he heard her statement, he stopped and turned around to watch her. He came back and stood in front of her, his eyes roaming her face. “Kate, are you afraid of flying?” he said gently.
She was uncomfortable with his quiet tone. “I’m not afraid. I’m concerned. I don’t like it.”
He smothered a smile at her response. “If I assure you that the pilot is very careful and extremely experienced, would that ease your fears?”
She shook her head. “I told you,” she said, using her hands for emphasis, “I’m not afraid of flying. I just don’t like it.”
“How about if you meet Ted and see for yourself that he’s very safe? He flew in Vietnam and knows just about everything there is about flying.”
Kate sighed. “Why do we need to fly on that one? Why can’t we fly on one of the commercial planes? They are big and safe and have two pilots plus that other person that does whatever he or she does on a plane.”
“Are you talking about the navigator?” he asked.
“Yes, the navigator. Don’t you need a navigator on this thing?”
“No. The pilot knows where he’s going. And there’s a co-pilot as well. His name is Jim and he’s a very experience pilot as well. Kate, I promise that this plane is much safer than the larger commercial flights.” He took her hand in his big one and pulled her along the tarmac towards the plane. “Besides, this one goes exactly where we want it to go. We don’t have to worry about commercial flight schedules. Whenever we’re ready to leave, so is Ted.”
She could tell by his set expression and his gentle but firm grip on her hand that he was not going to relent about getting onto that plane. After a few, awkward and slow steps, Kate allowed herself to be led towards the plane, deciding it was better to be professional about this and not give David something else to criticize about her. “No. I’ll be fine,” she said. With that in mind, Kate started moving towards the plane at a slightly quicker pace, but without enthusiasm.
At the bottom of the stairs, she took a deep breath and ran up the steps. Once inside, she didn’t even notice the luxury. She strapped herself into a large, leather chair that was more like a lazy boy than an airplane seat. She closed her eyes and pretended to fall asleep.
Carlo followed her in and strapped himself into a chair, but not before having a quick word with Ted who nodded and disappeared back into the cockpit.
He chose the seat right next to her and watched her face. The plane took off and Carlo took her hand in his. The only evidence of her fear was a slight squeezing of his fingers as the plane’s tires left the asphalt as it became airborne. To be honest, Ted was such a good pilot, and the plane was so well constructed, there were very few indicators that the plane had taken off the ground except for the angle of the plane as it climbed higher into the sky.
Because it was a private plane, there were no connections or delays. The flight took a little over two hours. Kate remained in her seat with her eyes closed for the whole flight. She breathed a sigh of relief when they touched down on the Houston tarmac. She was also the first one off the plane and was grateful to be standing in the bright, Texas sunshine.
Carlo followed behind her more slowly, taking a moment to thank Ted for the uneventful flight and easy take off and landing. He descended the stairs and met her a few feet away from the plane where she’d been standing, waiting for him.
He followed her to where a rental car was waiting for them. He stood in front of her and noted the pale cheeks and almost white lips. “Are you okay?” he asked, wishing the color would come back to her cheeks. She usually had beautifully rose tinted cheeks because of her constant movement and high energy.
She looked up at his concerned expression