be really late when we get there.”
Teddy looked up from his book. “Not that late. It’s two hours earlier there.”
“Late enough, by the time we get out of the airport and ride to our hotel. Sea-Tac’s not especially close to downtown Seattle, you know.” He waved his phone, apparently as a form of proof, but Teddy couldn’t see the screen.
“Did you have plans to meet up with someone there?”
“No.”
“Do you turn into a pumpkin after midnight Central time?”
“No.”
“Then what difference does it make when we get there, as long as we get there before our meeting in the morning?” Teddy didn’t travel often, but when he did, he tended to go with the flow. He couldn’t control weather or flight schedules, so he might as well sit comfortably and wait instead of stressing.
“We’ll be tired.”
“You can sleep on the plane.”
Romeo shook his head. “Not gonna happen.”
“Well, unless you have a line on a private jet that can whisk us away right now, there’s nothing we can do about it. Seattle is famous for coffee, right? We’ll mainline some in the morning.”
Ordinarily, Teddy might also have been worried about being too tired to function well. He and Romeo had remained at the office very late last night—outlasting even Imani—as they prepared materials for their presentation. But Teddy was too keyed up to feel sleepy.
Before Romeo could start complaining about anything else, Teddy pointedly turned his attention back to his Kindle. He was reading Tab Hunter’s autobiography, mainly because Romeo had gotten him thinking about the fifties. Man, that must have been an interesting time—a box office star who was also gay during a time when people had to hide it. If Teddy had been in Hollywood back then, would he have found a way to cozy up with the rich and famous? Probably not. He would have probably worked in a store somewhere. Ooh, but the fashions! Those broad-shouldered suit coats and snazzy hats, the saddle shoes, the—
“Do you think it’ll be much longer?”
This time Teddy didn’t even look up from his book. “Dunno. Why don’t you go find something to eat?”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You don’t have to be hungry to enjoy airport food. Or you can buy something for later.”
Romeo shook his head.
Before Teddy could respond appropriately, the gate attendant gave a nearly inaudible announcement. Their plane was finally ready to go. Thank goodness. But despite all the griping, Romeo didn’t look happy.
Skyler had warned them they’d be traveling on a tight budget but had ponied up the extra fifteen bucks each to get them priority boarding. Stepping into the plane after a three-hour delay, they had their pick of seats.
“So where are we supposed to sit?” Romeo looked confused as he scanned the interior. Obviously he was too high-and-mighty to be familiar with discount airlines.
“Anywhere we want. Why don’t you grab that window seat?”
Oblivious to the impatient line behind them, Romeo stayed put. “I’d prefer the aisle, please. More legroom.”
Teddy rolled his eyes at the subtle dig over his height and scooted in. Fine. He liked the window better anyway. He buckled up and watched Romeo settle in. They’d scored big: the flight wasn’t full, so they got to keep a vacant seat between them. Teddy looked forward to spreading out once they were in the air. He didn’t even sigh too heavily when a young woman with an infant and preschooler occupied the row across the aisle. Maybe the kids would sleep.
It seemed to take everyone an inordinate amount of time to get situated. Teddy was going to complain, but then he noticed Romeo’s tight jaw and bouncing knee. He was also intermittently scratching his bottom lip. When the flight attendant did his safety spiel, Romeo fixed his full attention on the guy, even going so far as to consult the safety card in the seat pocket in front of him.
Crap. Romeo hadn’t just been aloof in the airport—he was nervous.
“Want a donut?” Teddy held the open bag toward him.
“No. Thanks.”
“They don’t feed you on this airline, you know. Just drinks and pretzels. Did you buy something to eat?”
“I’m not hungry.”
Teddy put the bag away since he wasn’t really hungry either, and examined his seatmate more closely. Romeo was gripping the armrests tightly enough to turn his knuckles white, and that was definitely a bead of sweat near his hairline. He looked like a man about to face a firing squad.
“I dated a flight attendant,” Teddy announced.
Romeo turned his head and blinked at him. “What?”
“Flight attendant. It sounds really