CHAPTER 7
Scarlett stood with her arms crossed over her chest, hip pushed out to the side, hoping she was giving off an intimidating stance as a black Land Rover drove up the long stretch of road that led to Avalon Aviation Airport the next morning.
The skies were blue, with wisps of white clouds stretched across them, and Scarlett was glad the weather was looking a little nicer than yesterday.
But she wasn’t here for some lovely autumn day.
She was on a mission. If Theo wasn’t going to give her the time of day during work hours, she was going to bother him off the clock.
Flying planes as a hobby. Was there anything more pretentious?
Lifting her chin as he parked and climbed out of the SUV, Scarlett ignored a shiver running down her spine as he instantly stared at her, his gray eyes hidden behind his glasses, which had been fitted with a mirrored sunglasses attachment.
For a second, she thought she saw the shadow of a smirk edging the corner of his mouth, but when the car door slammed shut, she refocused her attention.
He wasn’t pleased to see her. That she knew for certain.
“Simmons,” he said, cocking his head as he approached. “What are you doing here?”
He came up to her, practically crowding her as if trying to get her to step backward. But she wouldn’t. She wasn’t afraid of the Big Bad Wolf.
“I wasn’t finished speaking yesterday,” she replied, her tone firm. “So I figured I’d finish our conversation now.”
For the second time, the hint of a grin lurked beneath his five o’clock shadow. But then he brushed passed her, pulling open the glass door that led into the lobby of the building behind her.
“Where are you going?” she asked, following him.
“I have an appointment.”
“You haven’t finished your last one.”
Theo stopped in his tracks, causing Scarlett to bump into his back before righting herself. God, it felt like running into a brick wall.
“Very well,” he said, peering down at the phone clutched in his hand before glancing back up. “But we have to do it in the sky.”
“Excuse me?”
“It costs a pretty penny to fly out of here, and I’m on a schedule, so say whatever it is you’re going to say in ten minutes, or you’re going to have to come up with me.”
Scarlett blinked. “Are you out of your mind? I’m not getting in a plane with you.”
To her surprise, he leaned down so that their faces were mere inches apart. She breathed in through her nose, and the sweet, earthy scent of him invaded her senses.
“Good.”
He turned around and continued to walk through another door that led into a hangar, leaving her fuming and a little startled.
Why did he have to get so close? And why did he have to smell so good?
Like mango and patchouli. Those things didn’t even go together, yet she would like nothing better than to bury her face in his shirt and inhale.
Clearing her throat as she came back to her senses, she followed him into a cavernous metal hangar where a small white plane with red lines and serial numbers was painted on the side.
There were four windows on the side, tapered down the back toward the tail that was sort of bowed upward.
The door was open, and an older man in khaki slacks and a white button-down was wiping down the chrome propeller hub as well as the three identical blades.
“Hey, Nick. How is she today?”
“Mr. Ross,” the man said, brows rising as he spotted Scarlett. “Only finished her wash a few minutes ago. She’s ready for inspection. Who’s this?”
Theo ignored the question, instead picking up a tablet that was lying on the pilot’s seat. He started to move around the aircraft, examining it as he tapped the screen.
Scarlett moved forward, reaching out a hand to Nick. “Scarlett Simmons. Mr. Ross’s new boss.”
“Ha,” Theo said, not looking up.
Nick took her hand. “Ah, the Bees’ new—what was it they called you in the papers? A queen for the Bees?”
Scarlett’s cheeks warmed at the tongue-in-cheek title the media had given her. It had been a sarcastic article, stating how embarrassing it was that the Bees had had to call on an American to help organize an English football team.
“I’m the new public relations manager for the Bees Football Club, including the new women’s team.”
“Ah, right,” he replied, unconvinced, before glancing back at Theo. “Well, I guess it’s worth a shot, considering their last season.”
“Thank you, Nick,” Theo said loudly, walking up from the tail of the plane. “Everything appears to be in order.”
“Right,” Nick replied, taking the tablet from Theo. “Have a safe flight.”
Theo nodded as Nick headed toward the door they’d entered through. Scarlett waited until the door closed behind him before opening her mouth to speak to Theo, only to realize he had already climbed up into the aircraft.
“Hey!”
He leaned out the door. “Time’s up, I’m afraid. Always riveting to talk to you, Simmons. Now, if you’ll get out of the way?”
Theo slammed the door as the engine started, causing Scarlett to jump.
Still determined to speak and be heard, she let her spiteful nature flare as she stomped around the front of the plane, sure to avoid the propeller, and hurried to the passenger side.
Opening the door, she climbed in as fast as she could, ignoring the glee coursing through her at the incredulous expression on Theo’s face.
Once she closed the door, she began her well-rehearsed speech as loud as she could to drown out the engine’s roar.
“I understand that it can be difficult for you to accept help—”
He shoved a bulky headset into her hands. “Put them on, or I won’t be able to hear you!” he shouted.
“Oh.” She did as she was told and found a small microphone attached. “I was saying—”
“You don’t have to shout now.”
“Oh, right. Well, what I was saying was, I understand that—”
The plane began to move, and all sense drained out of her. Scarlett’s hands fell on the seat beneath her, gripping the leather chair tightly.
“What are you doing?”
“We have to get onto the runway.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now. What did you think this was?”
“Don’t you have to wait or taxi or something?”
“This isn’t Newark Airport,” he said as the plane moved out of the hangar, toward the right.
Suddenly, Scarlett realized that they were going up in the air.
Her mind blanked for a moment. How had she overlooked such a glaringly obvious thing?
Of course they were going up in the air—she had climbed into an airplane moments ago.
But for whatever reason, she had been too focused on Theo and getting him to listen to her that her mind had somehow blocked out the very real consequences of following him into an aircraft.
This was a nightmare. She was going to be sick.
Scarlett started to inhale through her mouth and exhale through her nose.
Wait. No, that wasn’t right. She reversed that, but then the plane turned again, this time to the left, and all her breathing exercises went out the window.
Instead, she started taking in small, hurried breaths as she stared at the horizon beyond the runway.
“Are you all right?” Theo’s voice sounded through the headset.
She didn’t respond, and whether it was because she was paralyzed with fear or that she was unwilling to show any vulnerability in front of him, she didn’t know.
Either way, she was frozen. Thankfully, he didn’t press her, but then the plane began to pick up speed and Scarlett’s fingers dug into the padded leather beneath her legs.
She squeezed shut her eyes as the aircraft’s nose lifted and they were up.
This was worse than a nightmare. To be confined in a small metal sarcophagus that was blaringly loud and rising at what she could only assume was a ninety-degree angle, Scarlett could barely make sense of it.
How did planes even work? And what sort of person would willingly go up in a plane when they didn’t have to?
Hell, she had even researched ships to cross the Atlantic before she came to Britain, and if there hadn’t been a time issue, she would have taken one.
“Simmons,” Theo barked, jolting her from her thoughts.
“What?”
“Open your eyes.”
“No!”
The huff of humor that echoed in her ears caused her pulse to shift. Faster or slower, she didn’t know, as she was already on the precipice of a panic attack.
“So, you’re going to keep your eyes shut the whole flight?”
“Yes.”
“That’s asinine.”
“How, exactly?”
“If you don’t open your eyes, you’re going to miss out on an amazing view—one you’ll probably not ever see again.” He paused. “It would be stupid not to at least try.”
His words, though inelegant, were familiar. She had planned to tell him the same thing.
“Yeah, it would be,” she answered, eyes still closed. “Imagine being so stuck in your own ways that you’d be willing to let a new opportunity pass you by without ever giving it a chance.”
The blaring engine, so much louder than she had imagined, was the only sound that hung between them. After another moment, Scarlett tilted her head to her left and slowly opened one eye.
Theo was staring straight ahead, his arrogant mouth quirked to the side as if he had tasted something bitter.
He navigated a fraction to the left, his dark eyes still hidden behind his mirrored sunglasses.
She thought he looked like something out of a World War II-era Air Force poster.
Reflective glasses, brown leather jacket, five o’clock shadow.
If she didn’t know any better, she’d remember this image of him for later—
But no. She did know better. This was Theo Ross. Hater of all things to do with Scarlett. Yes, she had been a bit of a thorn in his side since she’d started working for the Bees, which was actually kind of—
No. She was not going to recognize any human feelings from this man.
“That’s very clever,” he said condescendingly. “What do you want from me?”
“To listen to me. You need to hear what I have to say.”
“Why is that?”