3. Chapter 3 Freddy
Chapter 3: Freddy
“ W e’ve got two open seats,” Margie said. “They’re both middle seats and in the back of the plane, but they’re yours.”
Inside, Freddy whooped with joy. He was going home. “Thank you. Thank you so much!” He started to pull out his phone to text Sabrina, but Margie stopped him.
“We’re holding the door for you. You need to board, so the flight isn’t delayed.” She offered a kind smile but added a gentle shove to his back to get him moving down the jetway. Renner had taken off in that direction as soon as she handed him his seat assignment, but even continuing to be stuck with the jerk didn’t diminish Freddy’s glee.
By the time he was seated and clicking his belt into place, the flight attendants were halfway through their safety briefing, and the plane was moving down the runway.
Freddy resigned himself to the odor of the man beside him while apologizing to the woman by the window for knocking his elbow against hers. She was polite but quickly started snoring with her head resting against the side of the plane. Freddy took it as his cue to do the same, though he tried to keep himself from slumping against either of the strangers beside him. It was still better than having Renner ask him another billion questions about Taylor Industries. The man had asked so many questions over dinner, Freddy had gone from sick of the man to worried he was some kind of corporate spy. They still hadn’t figured out who leaked their documents online, and Renner’s company, Dynamic Solutions, was threatening their contract over it. Freddy wouldn’t be completely shocked to learn they had orchestrated Veronica’s stalker trying to steal her data and the leaked documents.
For now, he had five hours to sleep in this tin can. When he woke up, he’d be one step closer to home. Time swirled as his head bobbed and drooped. He vaguely heard whispers about drinks and snacks, but mostly he dreamed of Sabrina. Brian Renner was shoving his way into their video game, when the lights inside the plane flashed and pulled Freddy back to consciousness just in time for the pilot to address them.
“We’re starting our descent into Dulles now. Skirting around the edge of that storm system gave us a nice tail wind, so we’re landing about twenty minutes ahead of schedule. The local time is 4:32 am. It’s cloudy and windy, but the current temperature is seventy-four degrees with highs today expected to reach the upper eighties. Please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened until we turn off the Fasten Seatbelt light. We know you have a choice in airlines and appreciate you flying with us.”
The second they hit the ground, Freddy texted Sabrina. Then he sent his brother and CEO, Patrick, a message saying he’d be back in the office in a few hours.
“Freddy,” Renner called across the seats to him as everyone waited to file down the narrow aisle between the seats.
“Yeah?” He reminded himself not to be an asshole. Freddy was so close to being done with this trip. He just needed to keep it together a little longer.
“I flew out of Regan, so I’m gonna catch the metro that way. You good?”
Thank fuck! It was the best news Freddy had heard since they confirmed all one hundred Chinese sailors survived the submarine malfunction Freddy had just helped fix. “Yes, I am. Travel safe.”
“I’ll see you at the big meeting next Monday,” Renner called back before joining the parade, shuffling off the plane.
Freddy nodded, but he didn’t want to think about the meeting just yet. He knew Sabrina was the obvious scapegoat. If Patrick chose to put it all on her, Freddy would follow Sabrina out the door. Fuck his family.
But he could wait and worry about that later. Right now, Freddy just wanted to find a way back to the Charlottesville airport where his car was still parked. He decided it was one hundred percent worth explaining to Greg, their CFO, why he spent almost two hundred dollars on an Uber.
He got a reply from Patrick while waiting for his ride. All of Whitetail Mountain lost power around two. Sabrina’s house was on the other side of Simmon’s Gap, so hopefully her place was good. The thought of arriving home to no lights or hot water sounded as appealing as trying to shave his face while holding the blade with his toes. Also, Freddy desperately needed coffee. Maybe the driver would be willing to drive through somewhere.
A car matching the app’s description pulled up and rolled down the passenger window. “Freddy Taylor?” the driver checked.
“That’s me.”
“You’re going to Charlottesville airport?” He raised a brow in the rearview mirror as Freddy shoved his duffle into the backseat before flopping into the front.
“Yeah, that’s where I flew out from, so my car’s still there,” he explained. The man’s hair was naturally too light to tell how much of it was gray, but the wrinkles across his forehead and around his eyes showed how much life he’d lived.
A look of understanding crossed the driver’s face. “Ah. Yeah, they just announced they won’t be able to reopen until midmorning because they’ve got to clear branches and debris from the runways. Last night’s storms were intense.”
Freddy’s gut tightened, and he checked his phone again. Still no word from Sabrina, but it was early. “That’s why I’m trying to get home.”
“Let’s make that happen. I’m Justin, by the way. Where’s home?” The driver navigated them south toward I-66 with the relaxed posture of a DC native appreciating the limited pre-dawn traffic.
“Southwest of Fort Luray. Up in the mountains.”
“Ouch. That area got hit hard.”
Freddy frowned harder at his phone. It dinged with an incoming message, and he jolted hard enough to drop it on the floor by his feet.
“Careful now. If you need a charger, I’ve got a few here in the console.” The driver nodded to the storage bin between them. “You’re welcome to plug in and juice up along the way.”
“Thanks.” He retrieved his device and checked the battery. “I’ll take you up on that. I’m down to thirty percent.” But first, he wanted to see what Sabrina said.
Mom: Patrick just messaged me saying you’re back in VA. Why didn’t you text me?
Not Sabrina. Damn. Also, Katrina Taylor was a crazy woman. Freddy loved his mother, but that didn’t stop her from driving him fucking insane. He tried not to show it. Everyone knew he was the laid-back, fun Taylor kid. When his parents offered him the spare house they’d built between their retirement cabin and his childhood home (which had been converted into headquarters), he rubbed his hands together with glee and announced his plan to sponge off his parents forever was working. Then he’d faked maniacal laughter before sleeping in a room his mother had decorated.
“You look disappointed,” the driver commented.
Freddy glanced over at him before answering. “The text was from my mom.”
“Wishing it was your girlfriend or boyfriend, huh?”
“No girlfriend.” He’d given up trying to explain his friendship with Sabrina to strangers long ago. Even his family didn’t understand how close they were.
“So your mom’s that much of a pain?” Justin asked.
“She walks into my house like she owns it, which technically she does, but she’s always cleaning the place and tidying up. Sometimes I feel like I’m suffocating.” He clamped his mouth shut before anything else could escape. Freddy never spoke like that. He flirted and joked, or he was polite and professional.
Justin kept silent as he wove through the few early morning commuters heading west instead of into DC.
Feeling like a jerk, Freddy apologized. “I didn’t mean to dump that on you. Sorry. I appreciate you driving me such a long distance.” Then he reached deep to pull out his funny persona from where it was buried beneath exhaustion and stress. “And hey, feel free to tell future passengers about the grumpy nutcase you had to drive all the way to Charlottesville.”
“You don’t need to apologize for complaining about your mother. We’ve all got one. Where were you flying in from?”
“I took the redeye in from Seattle after flying down from Alaska.”
“Damn.” Justin’s cheeks flushed. “My turn to apologize. I don’t normally swear at my riders, but that’s a lot of travel. I’m impressed you aren’t complaining about everything from your toenails to seatmate.”
Freddy chuckled. “No worries. It was,” he paused to consider his next words, “intense.”
Justin’s face crinkled in thought, but he didn’t ask any follow-up questions. “You want me to stop somewhere for coffee or food or anything?”
“Yes.” The word flew out without Freddy prompting it.
Luckily, Justin laughed. “There’s a Starbucks with a drive-through that’s easy to get to right off the next exit. That work for you?”
Freddy thanked him profusely before his phone chimed again.
Renner: Got to my car. Want to meet later to discuss next week’s meeting?
No, Freddy did not want to spend another second with Renner. What the fuck was up with this guy?
Freddy: Busy week. No time.
When his phone chimed again, Freddy debated throwing it out the window. It could be Sabrina, though.
Mom: When will you be home? I’m about to run into town and will restock your fridge. Let me know what you want.
Freddy: 3 or 4 hours. Dont worry about food
Mom: I’ve got it. Just let me know if you want anything special.
Freddy’s groan must not have stayed as internal as he’d meant. “If you don’t mind me butting in, why don’t you move into a different place if you mom drives you so crazy?” Justin asked him.
“I should, but it’s my home.” Sighing, he decided that Uber drivers fell into the same category as bartenders and figured he might as well share his issues. “My parents bought a lot of land and gave some to each of us. I’ve lived on the property since I was little, and my parents built the house specifically for me.” He flopped his head back against his seat.
“Wait, so it is your house?” Poor Justin. Understanding the Taylor family was not for the faint of heart.
“Technically, all the land is in a trust, and we each lease our home from the trust.” It was more complicated than that, but close enough.
“Son, if you have a lease, she doesn’t have the right to just walk into your home. You need to stand up for yourself. What about the person you were obviously hoping to hear from?”
Freddy chuckled. “You should advertise that a ride with you comes with a free therapy session.”
Justin shifted in his seat. “Sorry. My wife says I pry too much. We can listen to the radio, or you could recline and nap if you want.”
“It’s fine.” Honestly, Freddy was glad to have someone uninvolved to talk to about it. “I haven’t heard back from my best friend, Sabrina.”
Justin glanced at him but didn’t say anything.
“She’s my person,” Freddy explained to fill the silence.
“But no romance—“ Justin asked but cut himself off abruptly, turning it from a question to a statement before pursing his lips shut tight.
Hopefully, he wouldn’t turn and see Freddy’s blush. “I’m not really good at relationships.”
“Right.” Obviously, Justin had thoughts on the topic, but he was keeping them to himself.
Freddy yawned and looked back down to check his phone again.
“We’re through the worst of the traffic. If you want to kick back and catch a few zees, I’ll wake you when were close.”
“I think I’ll take you up on that.” Freddy wanted to send one more text to Sabrina, now that the sun was up, but then sleep sounded good.
Freddy: sleep well
Sabrina: night
Freddy: just landed at dulles. Catching ride to my car then driving home
Freddy: Patrick and Greg will shit over this uber bill
Freddy: headed to charlottesville. Message me when youre up
Then he forced himself to push Sabrina, his insane family, and Renner’s weirdness from his mind as he leaned his seat back and closed his eyes.