with a local girl and spend my life sipping out of coconuts while teaching at a flight school. It’s called a vacation. You know how that works, right?”
“Right, but I also know how life works.” She gestured to my phone, lying on the table. “Call the airline. Ask them about some time off. It’ll be good for you to take a breather.”
“I didn’t actually mean I was going to call right this minute.”
She frowned at me. “Why not? You’ve only got a few days off. Optimize them. Adding to them is better than wasting them.”
“Jesus.” I shoved my hand through my hair. “I haven’t even showered since I got off my last flight and you’re already pushing me onto the next one?”
“As if that’s something new to you.” Mom waved a hand at my phone again. “Go on. Even if they approve your leave, you don’t have to get back on the plane while you’re still in your uniform. I’m sure they’ll have a flight once you’ve showered and changed. Just don’t let life wait on you any longer, Jaxon.”
Relenting with a sigh, I picked up my phone and looked up the number for our HR department. The receptionist was nice, but she couldn’t help me. “I’m afraid the woman who runs that part of the department is out right now. I’ll pass on the message to call you.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I made eye contact with my mother. “I’ll call her back again another time. It’s nothing urgent.”
Mom huffed out a short breath at me, but even she couldn’t bring someone back into the office who was already out for the day.
I shrugged when I hung up. “She’s out. I’ll call her back. I’ll see Fiji one of these days, Mom. It doesn’t need to be today.”
Chapter 3
LINDSAY
I sat on my couch with my feet tucked in underneath me, staring at two birds in a tree in my backyard. My long hair was tied in a messy bun on top of my head and my face was bare of any makeup. A cup of tea dangled between my fingers in my lap, but it was probably cold by now. I didn’t really know how long I’d been sitting there since I made it, but I’d only had about half of it.
My thoughts were racing, but at the same time, my mind was at peace. It was difficult to explain how I felt. I guessed I didn’t really know how to feel. Who would know how to feel less than a day after being left at the altar?
No one expected that kind of thing to happen to them. I was no exception.
A key turned in my lock at the front door, but I didn’t get excited. It wasn’t Will coming back to beg me to give him another chance—not that I wanted him to.
Ember was the only person with a key to my place and she used it liberally, never bothering to call ahead anymore.
“I’ve got breakfast,” she said. “Tell me you haven’t eaten yet.”
“Not since yesterday,” I replied, not moving from my position. The scent of freshly baked goods preceded my friend into the room, making my stomach grumble. “You’re an angel. Please tell me those are from Newmarket Bakery.”
She grinned, throwing herself down beside me before stretching her legs out in front of her and propping her feet on the coffee table. “You know it. Best sticky buns in town. I got us Super Fudge Brownies as well, since it’s a special occasion.”
“Why is it a special occasion?”
“It’s not every day you get stood up on your own wedding day.” She reached out to pat my leg. “How are you holding up?”
“I don’t really know.” I shook my head before leaning it back against the couch to look up at the beams in my ceiling. “I just didn’t see it coming. I feel like there had to have been some kind of sign that I missed. I should have at least suspected something.”
“Will isn’t exactly very in touch with his emotions. He’s on one solid level all the fucking time. How do you think you could have suspected it when the inflection of his voice never even changes?”
“He’s not that bad.” I rolled my eyes at her. “You can stop ragging on him now. He’s out of the picture, remember?”
“How can you say he’s not that bad when he ran out on you just yesterday? You should be ranting and raving about what a total and utter dick