Flight to Paradise (Flight Trilogy, Book 1) (24 page)

She stared at him for a moment weighing her emotions.

What
things
do
we
need
to
catch
up
on
?

Just seeing him was hard enough. Only days before her wedding, the last thing she needed was to stir up feelings for a man she could easily love again.

He continued, “I need to tell you the latest about Mom.”

The mention of his mother made her decision easier. She loved Martha Mitchell and had lost touch with her during the last year. “Is she okay?” she asked.

“She’s fine, but it looks like there are some challenges ahead for us all.”

I’ll
just
walk
with
him
for
a
while
.
After
he
tells
me
about
Martha
,
I’ll
make
up
an
excuse
to
leave
.

“I was headed to the park, myself. I really do want to hear about Martha.” They both started walking slowly toward the park.

As they walked, she found herself taking in everything about him. Every few steps, the crowded sidewalk caused him to brush up against her, and occasionally he took her arm, guiding her through the crowd.

The chance of seeing anyone they knew was remote. Just the two of them, alone in a city far from the lives they’d left behind, gave way for feelings of guilt which she quickly suppressed. She compromised—he’s a married man; I’m getting married in a week; we’re just friends.

“Mom’s doctor called me just a few months ago. He said she had the beginning signs of Alzheimer’s.”

“Oh no,” she said, putting her hand on his arm.

“After spending a couple of days with her, I decided we had about six months until she would need full-time care.”

“I am so sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know. That explains why she hasn’t written me back for some time.”

They crossed 57th Street with a crowd of people.

Keri continued, “I was afraid something might be wrong. She was always good about writing, ever since…” She trailed off, but thought…
the
wedding
.

They stopped briefly on the corner of 7th and Central Park South (59th Street) waiting for the traffic light to change. They walked across the street and along the sidewalk leading into the park.

As if they entered another world, the cool air beneath the canopy of trees and grassy lawns invited them to relax. Rollerbladers, joggers, and bikers glided by on the smooth asphalt. The clip-clop of horse’s hooves pulling carriages replaced blaring horns and screeching tires. The sounds of the city grew muffled and less noticeable the farther they walked into the park. A refuge from the chaotic city life: 843 acres stretching from 59th Street to 110th Street.

As they walked, he continued to talk about his mother. “You won’t believe what she said.”

“What?”

“While I was visiting her, she wanted to know if you and I ever flew together at the airline.”

“That’s understandable; after all, she knows I’m a flight attendant.”

“But that’s not what she meant. She thinks you are Emily.”

Keri’s eyes widened. “You mean she thinks….” she trailed off.

Ryan nodded. “Yep. She thinks I married you, rather than Emily. Or she thinks Emily is you…or…well, you know what I mean.”

“How do you know for sure that’s what she meant?”

“She specifically asked me if
Keri
liked living in Texas…with me.” He turned to her and smiled.

“What did Emily say?”

He contained a chuckle. “I thought it might be best to keep that as my little secret…at least for now. I’m sure she’ll find out once mom moves in with us.”

“When do you plan to move her?”

“I’m leaving on Saturday the 27th. I’ve got a break in my schedule.”

It hit her.

He’s
going
to
be
in
Buckhead
the
day
I’m
getting
married
!
Should
I
tell
him
?

Her mother had warned her
not
to tell Ryan about the wedding. It would only create unnecessary complications, both for him and herself.

Parts of her wanted to tell him the truth—the honest part; the engaged soon-to-be-married part. But another part of her—the still-in-love-with Ryan Mitchell part wanted nothing to do with the truth; all it wanted was to spend one last day with the first man she’d ever loved—alone. She knew that once this day ended, she would go back to Rex and the new life that awaited her, and Ryan would return to Emily and his life, but for now, she just wanted to be with Ryan. Just talk.

“Are you okay?” Ryan asked.

“Ah, yeah…I’m fine,” she stammered. “Why do you ask?”

“You just look like you might have seen a ghost.”

“I felt a little queasy for a minute. I’m okay, now. Maybe I’d better sit down.”

They took a seat on a nearby park bench. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, really. So, you’re moving Martha to Texas next Saturday?”

As they talked, Keri’s mind darted into forbidden areas, especially for a woman only days away from walking down the aisle with another man. She struggled with her thoughts, but finally compromised that, if only for one last day, she would enjoy the time she had with him; to freely talk with him without the worry of Emily’s piercing eyes. She would not deny herself this one last unrestricted pleasure.

As if they strolled along a deserted beach, waves of emotions pounded against her heart while her mind struggled to stay focused on reality. She knew the dangers of allowing her heart to loiter too long within forbidden fantasies, but regardless of her measured restraint, she would never stop loving this man.

Within the moments of silence, as the tide of emotions drew back, reality surfaced its ugly head to remind her that Ryan and Emily were happily married and within a few days she would become, Mrs. Rex Dean. She loved Rex and he loved her; that’s what was important.

There’s
nothing
wrong
with
talking
to
an
old
friend
?

For the next few hours, Ryan was hers to enjoy.

CHAPTER 39

Ryan had a prearranged three forty-five pick-up from the hotel to the airport. His flight was scheduled to depart JFK at five forty putting him back in Dallas at nine. He was planning to drive to Atlanta first thing in the morning. Since his fact-finding visit with his mother, six months ago, he’d taken care of all the details for the move.

Emily had made a remarkable turnaround and seemed to be ready for Martha to move in. In a way, she had been
too
good. She never complained and, even with her busy work schedule, always kept the house in perfect order. Very seldom did she travel on business trips when he was in town. But something just didn’t feel right.

Visiting with Keri flooded him with memories from the past, good ones. She revived a part of him he had forgotten existed. As they talked about his mother, Keri’s concern and love connected them in a special way; something he didn’t have with Emily. Maybe that was what felt so strange about Emily’s sudden turnaround. She claimed to be eager about his mother moving in, but seemed distant and disconnected whenever he wanted to talk about the details.

Emily had told him she had cleared her schedule for the entire first week his mother would be with them. But when he approached her with questions about decisions they needed to make, she would say something, like, “Honey, do whatever you think is right. She’s your mother.”

While he was with Keri, except for small talk, talking about Emily made him uneasy. The last thing he wanted to do was waste time reliving the misery of his first year of marriage, and he was sure Keri didn’t want to hear it. He knew the time he had with Keri would be short and probably his last for a while. If the hotel had not given him the bogus wake-up call, along with the strange message on his phone, he might have missed her.

After looking down at the ring finger of her left hand, he noticed it was bare: no wedding band and no engagement ring.

What
about
Bill
.
I
thought
they
were
hot
and
heavy
.
Maybe
she
left
it
in
the
room
safe
.

He started to ask but stopped. He decided it might be best if he let her initiate any conversation about her love life.

“You hungry?” Ryan asked.

“I guess I could eat something,” she said.

“Let me buy you lunch.” He held out the bag he’d been carrying since they met in front of the hotel. “I’ll share.”

* * *

“I’ve got a better idea,” she said. She hadn’t planned to have lunch with him, but didn’t want to leave him, either. It was just one day, only a few hours, she might as well make the most of it. After all, when would she ever have the chance to see him again, alone?

“I know where there’s a great little deli over between Madison and Park Avenues. That is…if you don’t mind walking a couple of blocks.”

“Sounds great.” He held up his bag once more. “And if we get lost, we’ve always got my bagel.” They laughed.

“The place is called Delmonico Gourmet Food Market. They’ve got just about everything from salads to gourmet specialty sandwiches, and the prices are very reasonable.” She checked her watch. “It’s just a little after eleven, so we should beat most of the lunch crowd.”

As they walked, her previous nervousness was replaced with a comfortable familiarity. The talk about his mother and the memories of the years—before their lives had taken them down separate paths—reconnected her to him.

“So, how far is this place?” Ryan asked, jokingly.

She reached over and playfully squeezed him on his side. It was a habit from the past; something she’d done many times before. She always teased him that one day, his God-given lean and muscular physique was going to grow a pair of love handles if he wasn’t careful. Instead, this time she said, “The walk will do you good.” And as in the past, there was still nothing to grab; after all the years, not an ounce of fat.

“I should have seen that coming.” He chuckled. “Hopefully, I won’t pass out.”

They crossed Madison Avenue beneath the shadows of towering buildings, the cool winds swirled through the streets. The smell of fresh bread and pizza filled the air.

“Here it is,” she said. He reached for the door, holding it open while she entered, following her close behind.

Ryan ordered the grilled chicken breast sandwich from the “Specialty Sandwiches” menu. It came with roasted peppers, basil oil, and red lettuce on crusty ciabatta bread. He also added a bowl of Manhattan clam chowder. Keri ordered from the “Create Your Own Salad” menu: a grilled chicken and asparagus salad with mandarin oranges and roasted peppers topped with a mandarin vinaigrette dressing.

When Keri started to pull some money from her pocket, Ryan reached over and said, “No, I’m taking care of this. I told you I’d buy you lunch.”

“I can’t let you do that—”

“I insist.” He quickly produced a credit card and handed it to the cashier.

Keri stepped back. “I really didn’t want you to buy my lunch…but thank you, you’re sweet to do that.”

“My pleasure.”

The cashier swiped the card through the card reader and paused waiting for approval. “Your card was disapproved.” With an impatient look, the cashier tried to return the card to Ryan.

“That’s impossible. Please try it again,” Ryan insisted. He glanced over at Keri, giving her a surprised look.

After swiping the card a second time and waiting for a brief moment, the cashier rolled his eyes and handed the card back to Ryan.

“That’s strange.” He reached in his pocket and produced a twenty-dollar bill. “Here, that should work.” He turned to Keri and shrugged.

After settling with the cashier, Ryan looked around for a place to sit. Not liking what he saw, he said, “How about we head back to the park for a picnic?”

Keri paused. She had originally planned to grab lunch and take a cab up to her father’s condo, spending the rest of the afternoon relaxing. But that was before she’d met Ryan.

Amid blaring alarms within her subconscious, warning her not to do it, she said, “I’ve got a better idea.”

CHAPTER 40

While Ryan and Keri ordered take-out from the Delmonico Gourmet Food Market in New York, Rex sped north on the PCH at eight forty-five, West Coast time.

Morning rush traffic in Laguna Beach had subsided assuring him that making his nine o’clock appointment with Bob Stickler in Newport Beach would be a piece of cake.

After clearing the last traffic light in north Laguna, he reached up, tweaked the volume on his radar detector, popped in some tunes, and let the Porsche stretch its legs. The open coastal highway offered an unrestricted view of the ocean and no traffic lights.

With Keri coming home tonight and the wedding only a week away, he knew if he didn’t see Stickler now, it would be weeks before he could even think about scheduling another appointment. He had already procrastinated too long.

As he drove, he thought about what it would be like to be a married man. The thought of marrying into money had its perks, and he definitely had no objections to the idea of having sex with a gorgeous woman whenever he liked, but he wondered if being with the same woman could satisfy him.

For a moment he felt guilty not telling Keri about his appointment with Stickler, but he knew she would never understand. Married was one thing, but there was no way he was going to have kids, even though he had lied and told Keri he would.

He wheeled into the parking lot in front of Stickler’s office and exited the Porsche. As he reached for the front door, he glanced down at his watch and smiled: 8:59.

The waiting area was empty. He noticed an extremely overweight woman seated behind a waist-high counter to the right of the door. He guessed her to be in her late fifties.