Chapter 45
45
Josefine
I make a mental note to thank Stephanie for letting me borrow the town car. Without Tom, I wouldn’t have made the flight. The man could be a stunt driver for Fast he’s probably still at the fundraiser. “Are you okay? How’s your mom?”
My heart lurches. He’s got the biggest damn heart. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying my best to prevent the tears burning behind them from breaking through. “I think she’s okay,” I say, my voice cracking. “And, um, someone is picking her up.” I almost say that someone is my ex, but I’ll explain that later.
“Where are you?”
“I’m on a plane,” I reply, worrying my bottom lip. “I’m so sorry I ran off like that. Tell your parents I’m sorry too. I got the call from the hospital about my mom, and I had to move quickly if I was going to make it on the red-eye. I hope you’re not mad.”
“Of course I’m not mad, sweetheart.” He huffs, the sound crackling down the line, then mutters a thanks to someone. “Are you okay?”
“I’m—I don’t know.” When I got the call, all I could think about was getting to my mom, but now that I have a moment to breathe, I feel so alone. In the rush of things, I haven’t even called my aunt and uncle. If I told Aunt Rachel I needed her, she probably would have flown out with me.
A flight attendant comes over the loudspeaker to tell us to take our seats, and there’s an echo in the phone.
“I think we’re getting ready for takeoff. I’ll call you when we land.” With that, I hit the End button and switch my phone to airplane mode.
“Sir, please take your seat. We’re readying for takeoff,” a flight attendant says from a few rows in front of me.
As I’m leaning forward, blindly searching in my bag for my AirPods, a pair of shoes appears in my periphery, then a body sinks into the aisle seat on my left. So much for having the row to myself .
Giving up on locating my AirPods, I grab for my seat belt, ready to scoot over to the window, but a hand grasps mine, stopping the movement.