Bryan shook his head when she was out of earshot. “Not tonight, Otis. No jokes. This is Faith’s night.”
“Man, I got you.”
Jurnee was asleep minutes after the plane was in the air. She was curled up next to me, and I felt her breath on my arm. Feeling her next to me like this, helped me relax into sleep until a text alert woke me.
Markus - Your parents are in the States.
Anderson - Which coast?
Markus - West. The story dropped.
“Eric.” He waited for him to look up from his computer. “The story dropped.”
“I know. About an hour and a half ago.”
“What are you working on?” I checked my watch to see how much longer we had.
“Lansing is a gold mine. Residential and commercial opportunities look a lot better after seeing the place. We need to make some long-term decisions.”
“I’ve made one.” Jurnee snuggled in closer to me as a faint snore came out of her mouth. “But I know what you mean. Let’s get through this party and meet next week. I need to have a bigger conversation with her before I start throwing money into her hometown.”
“Have the conversation because we’re going into Lansing. We also should discuss me buying you out of the company whenever you’re ready.”
Bryan and Otis joined us in the small seating area that Eric and I were in. Jurnee slept as each of the guys shared that they were financially ready to buy me out.
“Is there a problem with having me as an investor?” Maintaining my level tone was a practiced skill I was relieved I had. The ping of hurt made me look toward Jurnee to remind myself I wasn’t alone.
“There isn’t a problem.” Otis paused when the flight attendant entered to tell us we would land in thirty minutes. “Look, Anderson, we’ve all been friends forever. We don’t need to be tied together with businesses for us to remain close.”
I gave Jurnee a nudge. “Time to wake up. We’re landing in thirty minutes.”
“We aren’t saying that you have to sell. All we are saying is when you are ready, we are in a position to buy you out.” Bryan leaned back in the chair and looked at Otis.
“You know, if you wanted to have a clean start and invest in someone else’s dream.” Otis paused as Jurnee stood and headed back to the bathroom.
“Guys, I don’t want to hold on to your businesses if you want sole ownership. I just thought–”
Parents - Anderson, we need to see you at the Wilshire. Immediately.
“Bryan, why are my parents at the same hotel your engagement party is being thrown and where we all have rooms?” There was definitely a bite to my tone, and I didn’t particularly care.
“Because I’ve known your parents since I was eighteen, and we invited them to the party.”
“How did that not come up?” I tossed a wadded up cocktail napkin at him.
“Sorry.”
Jurnee returned to her seat, and I whispered, “My parents are going to be at the party, and they have requested that I stop in to see them when we land.”
“Your parents are in New York?”
“No, L.A.”
Confusion was written all over her face. “Your parents want you to fly to L.A.? Tonight?”
I kissed her sweetly. “Baby, we are landing in Los Angeles in five minutes. The party, Bryan’s engagement party, is in L.A..”
“We’re flying to L.A. to go to a party?” She looked out the window and gasped.
“Actually, we are in L.A., and thanks to you, we are here early so my future wife can relax.”
“Your parents are in L.A.?”
“His sisters too,” Bryan added as the wheels touched down on the ground.
“You invited my sisters?”
“What if they find out about us?” Panic hit Jurnee’s face as the events of the last week flashed between us.
Eric gathered his stuff, “Everyone knows about the two of you. Shit! You made People.”
“What?” The breath left her before the word was out as she smoothed her MSU sweatshirt down with her hands.
“Come on. Out you go. Now you get to experience the downside of being with me. Guys, are we ready?”
Otis glanced out the window. “Anderson, this is the last chance to take the back way out of here.”
“Front door. I’m not hiding any longer.”
Everyone did a final check of the order of go. Bryan would go first. It was his day, and he had new music dropping sooner than Otis’s movie. We all knew that one well-placed photo would keep the media floating his name