Chapter 15
Andi pulled her luggage behind her, exhaustion hitting her hard. Lawrence, Jennifer, and Tom had been assigned first class seats for the flight. They’d been catered to and had the space to stretch out and sleep during the twenty-hour flight home.
She hadn’t been given that luxury. Jonas hadn’t said anything when he’d emailed their boarding passes on Friday and Andi had been too overwhelmed about her interactions with Laith to think clearly.
So, it had been a surprise when her colleagues were allowed to board the flight home first and get settled into their seats with the first group of passengers.
Andi, on the other hand, was one of the last passengers to board.
She’d been assigned to the last row of seats on the plane.
The row where the seats didn’t even recline because they were against the bathroom wall.
Andi hadn’t realized just how potent some people’s…uh…bathroom visits could be until she’d spent too many hours experiencing nothing else.
So here she was, dragging her luggage behind her as she made her way through the airport checkpoints to get back into the country.
She hadn’t slept, hadn’t been able to eat anything, and she was grouchy.
It didn’t help that her teammates were at the front of the line to get through the passport check.
They didn’t even bother to look for her as they smiled at the agents, got their passports stamped, then headed towards the baggage claim.
Meanwhile, Andi was literally the last in line. She knew she looked messy and haggard.
Because this flight wasn’t bad enough, Andi had stupidly chosen a line for immigration where the guy in front of her caused a fuss.
The idiot decided to argue with the agent about something.
That caused the agent to examine the man’s passport more closely.
Andi watched with annoyed fascination as the man then called the agent a whole litany of foul names as he was dragged to the ground by security and arrested.
Andi had no idea what had upset the man in the first place, but the episode definitely was interesting enough to keep her awake until it was her turn.
When the agent finally waved her forward, she was the only passenger left waiting to be processed.
Thankfully, when she presented her passport, the agent was polite and efficient. It took only a few minutes for her passport to be approved. Andi hurried through the gate and headed for the baggage claim where she found her lone bag sitting in a line of unclaimed baggage.
It took Andi another thirty minutes to get home.
It was a minor struggle to get her heavy suitcase up the stairs of her building, but soon she was closing the door to her apartment.
Andi thought about simply falling into her bed, but instead, she showered first, then pulled on a soft tee-shirt before going to bed.
Andi woke eight hours later, feeling better, but still resentful of Jonas. Laith’s personal assistant had organized her seat assignment during the long flight home on purpose, she was sure. The jerk didn’t like Andi, so he’d ensured that she was as uncomfortable as possible.
“Bastard!” Andi mumbled as she made her way through her small apartment to the kitchen. She contemplated making some coffee, but decided against it. Because she was now off her sleep schedule, plus the time change, Andi wasn’t sure what time it was.
Before she could decide what to do, her cell phone pinged. Glancing at the text message, Andi had her first smile in more than forty-eight hours.
Picking up her phone, she dialed her best friend’s number. “Hey, woman, what are you up to?” Carys demanded. “I guess I should first ask where you are, since you’re a world traveler now.” Her friend ended with a chuckle.
Andi smiled, but thought there was an edge to Carys’ tone. “I’m back in Philly. Do you want to…?”
“Yes!” Carys replied before Andi could even finish the sentence. “When? I so desperately need to speak with you!”
Andi laughed, leaning a hip against her kitchen counter. “I just showered. I’m not even sure what time it is.”
They made arrangements to meet at a restaurant down by the Cherry Street Pier, an area of the city filled with quirky restaurants and fun shopping options. Not to mention, it was just a great place to people watch.
As soon as Andi stepped off of the subway, Carys was there, enfolding Andi in a huge hug. “I’ve only been gone for a couple of weeks,” Andi laughed, returned Carys’ hug.
Carys pulled away, wiping at her tears. She laughed as well, saying, “I know it wasn’t all that long, but I’ve missed you!
I miss our lunches and gab sessions, plus, I was left with Marjorie and Liz for Friday night fun.
” They both grimaced. Marjorie and Liz loved to party in the clubs until dawn while she and Andi preferred being home in comfy pajamas by ten o’clock, even on the weekends.
“How long did you last?” Andi asked, looping her arm through Carys’ companionably as they headed towards their favorite bistro.
“About three hours. I ditched them when I couldn’t take the loud music any longer.”
Andi sighed, shaking her head with mock shame. “We’re getting too old to party. Such a disgrace.” They laughed. It was Saturday night and both women knew that they’d be back at their individual apartments, reading a good book by nine o’clock and, most likely, asleep by ten, if not before.
After they grabbed dinner and were eating ice cream as they walked along the Delaware River, Andi turned to her friend. “So, when are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” she asked, forgetting her own troubles because of the palpable tension in Carys’ shoulders.
Carys sighed, then leaned against the railing that separated the pedestrians from the water. She toyed with her spoon while Andi waited patiently.
“It’s nothing, really,” she lied.
“Okay,” Andi said with a nod. “Then let me tell you about my problems. Maybe that will give you the courage to tell me what’s going on in your life.
” She told Carys all about the wild sex with “her boss” on their last couple of nights in Singapore, her concerns about how a fling with one’s boss is a recipe for disaster, and Jonas, the ass who seemed to be trying to sabotage her.
She also mentioned getting the weird boxes with alarmingly creepy sex scenes, only one of which she’d seen the inside of, and how Laith was concerned about the contents of the box, but wouldn’t show her because he knew it would upset her.
Carys listened patiently, then laughed and hugged Andi. “Thank you! That completely puts my worries into perspective.” She sighed. “At least I don’t have a weirdo sending me sex fantasies.”
Andi’s eyes narrowed on her friend. “But you have a guy that you’re interested in?”
Carys shrugged. “Nope. There is a man that I admire, but nothing will come of it.” She jerked her head. “Come on. Those dark circles under your eyes tell me you need more sleep. Let’s head out of here. The group is meeting for brunch tomorrow. Maybe you’ll feel better after a good night’s rest.”
They talked of mundane issues as they walked back to the subway station.
But later, as Andi was unlocking the door to her apartment, it occurred to her that Carys hadn’t warned her not to continue her relationship with Laith.
Carys was usually very logical and sensible.
Why wouldn’t she warn Andi to stay away from the man who threatened her career?
They’d both been so careful and ambitious since graduating from college and ending up here in Philadelphia together. Why hadn’t Carys said anything?