Chapter 12
12
I t was about eight-thirty in the morning and Fleur was sitting on a train in a carriage packed to the rafters with a load of head-down-to-their-phones grumpy commuters halfway to London. Her training course bag was wedged into the middle of the seats in the luggage section in front of her, and she was expecting to see Cassy get on the train in a couple of stops' time. As she sat lost in a world of her own and tried as best she could to ignore the man in the seat opposite her who was slurping from a travel bowl of cornflakes, she flicked through the details Patrick had just sent her about the flights to LA. She couldn’t quite believe that they were actually going ahead, booking the flights and doing it. Patrick had been adamant that they needed a break and had been to a travel agent and liaised with a woman who had got them really good prices for Fleur’s part of the trip, and now it was time to book.
Looking through the details of the flight, Fleur thought about the fact that she would be doing the leg from Heathrow to LA on her own. She still wasn’t quite sure what to think about the daunting length of the journey and the many hours she’d be sitting on her own going from her nice, safe little bubble to the US of A. She opened up Google Flights and checked the exact same flight that Patrick had sent her in the screenshot and on comparison calculated that going through the travel agent saved her twenty per cent on the price.
Deciding to throw caution to the wind and go for it, she phoned Patrick. ‘Hi, I got your message. They look great.’
‘So, shall I book that one for you on the way there? Then, obviously, for the rest of it, we’ll be travelling together.’
It felt strange to Fleur to have someone booking and doing things for her. She’d been on her own for a long time, and now Patrick was taking control. He’d already said yes to speaking at the conference and was booking his own flights to LA. Fleur had been waiting for her holiday to be confirmed and locked in at work and now it had been, he’d been keen to get it sorted.
‘Yes, thanks.’ She shifted in her seat, ignored the man with the cornflakes and watched the scenery blur past the train window as she held the phone to her ear.
Patrick’s voice was clear, in control, and certain. She liked that very much indeed. Hot.
‘Right, that’s sorted then. I’ll book it now, and you’ll get the confirmation email soon. They’ll be a bit of jigging to make sure we are together on the way back because the first legs are at different times which is another reason to get a travel agent to book it.’
Fleur exhaled, half relieved, half nervous. ‘I can’t believe we’re actually doing this.’
‘It’s been a long time coming. You need a break, and I need a break and let’s be honest, we’re going to have a great time.’
Fleur smiled, even as her stomach fluttered at the thought of it. ‘You sound very sure about that.’
‘I am sure. You need to live a little, Champo. The conference in LA will be good and then we’re off to Hawaii and Maui. Tell me that doesn’t sound like a dream? It does to me.’
‘It does. I think I’m just struggling to get my head around it. Feels a bit surreal. The furthest I’ve been is Spain and that was on a charter flight that wasn’t up to much.’
‘That’s because you never take time for yourself, Champo. You’re always running around after everyone else. For once, you’re going to sit on a beach, cocktail in hand, and actually relax. If you continue to stay in my life, things like this are happening for you and to you. I aim to please.’
Fleur swooned and laughed. ‘I won’t know what to do with myself.’
‘I’ll help you figure it out. So, you’re fine flying out on your own? You’ve checked the times of that Heathrow departure and you’re good with it? Speak now or forever hold your peace.’
‘Yeah, I’ll manage. I mean, it’s a long flight, but I’ll survive. And you’re meeting me in LA at the airport.’
Patrick joked. ‘Of course. I’ll be there when you land. I’ll have a red rose in a plastic cone thingy and serenade you as you walk through.’
‘So, remind me about what you’re doing in LA? You’re at the conference for how many days?’
‘Five full days. Shouldn’t be too bad, though. Then off we fly to Hawaii.’
‘And then Maui?’
‘Yep, I’ll get the flights booked for that too.’
Fleur sighed. ‘This is really happening, isn’t it?’
Patrick chuckled. ‘It really is. Now you just need to stop overthinking it and get excited. We’re going on holiday. A proper big fat one to somewhere you’ve dreamed about for a long time.’
Fleur felt a flicker of excitement. ‘Ooh.’
‘Before you know it, we’ll be on a plane to paradise.’
‘Ahh!’
‘We’re going to drive ourselves mad with anticipation. I’ll send over the confirmation as soon as it comes through.’
Fleur looked out at a fully grey-white sky zooming past the window and thought about palm trees and frangipani. ‘Thanks. Really.’
‘Don’t mention it. I’ll see you tomorrow night and we’ll check over everything then.’
‘Okay, yep, let me know when you’ve booked it.’
‘See you later, love you.’
‘Love you, too.’
As she ended the call, Fleur leant back in her seat and stared out of the window as the train slowed to pull into the station Cassy was getting on at. As the doors opened and a few people got off, she watched as Cassy got on with a coffee cup in each hand, headed for Fleur, and sat down beside her. She beamed and smiled, not quite believing what she’d just done. For the first time in a long time, Fleur was doing a bucket list item and boy did the anticipation about that feel good. She didn’t know that it was going to get so very much better.