Chapter 18
Jeremiah
“Has a Sadie Lane checked in yet?” I asked the attendant, drumming my fingers on the frosted glass counter with the airline’s logo embedded largely on the glossy surface.
I watched her eyes scan the computer lazily for the second time. I had asked ten minutes ago, wondering if I had somehow missed seeing Sadie come through the sliding doors to the lounge. It was a large enough lounge to miss her.
“No, still no Sadie Lane here,” said the attendant, giving me a weak smile.
“Thank you.” I nodded and pushed away from the countertop before finding a seat in a plush leather armchair that faced the doors of the lounge.
The chair groaned as I eased into it. I crossed my ankle over my knee and picked up a newspaper from the table beside me.
I skimmed over the business section, but my brain didn’t really absorb any of the black and white text.
Where the hell was she?
I checked my watch. She was nearly thirty minutes late.
I had sent her our flight itinerary and told her what time to meet me at the airport lounge, but I hadn’t heard from her all morning.
I sighed as I looked around the brightly lit lounge with its white walls and modern, glass bulbed chandeliers above.
I almost chartered a private plane, but decided to book through the airline.
Luxury business class would be fine. The flight was short enough to deal with it.
I was just about to shoot her a text demanding to know where she was, when I saw the frosted glass sliding doors open and Sadie walk in.
She looked flushed like she had been running, a bag slung over her shoulder, as she looked at the ticket in her hands.
She seemed lost. Sadie double-checked her ticket and looked around the lounge, until her eyes landed on me.
She didn’t smile or wave, but just walked toward me.
I looked her up and down in confusion. She wore a pair of black leggings, a white oversized sweater, and white high-top sneakers that looked brand new.
I wondered if she had used my bonus check of five thousand dollars to buy sneakers, the thought slightly pissing me off.
The idea had been for her to buy business clothes.
I hoped she hadn’t just spent it on sneakers.
And what was with the duffel bag? It hung on her shoulder as if it were weighing her down.
A suitcase would have been much more practical.
I wondered how she managed to pack everything she needed in the black nylon bag.
Sure, it was a three-day trip, but between meetings and dinners, she would need quite a few changes of clothes and shoes.
I shrugged it off and rose to greet her as she approached. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, but her eyes danced around the room as if they were taking everything in.
“Sadie,” I said in way of greeting.
“Jeremiah.” She nodded, barely looking at me.
I sat back down as she plopped her duffel bag on the floor with a thud. She didn’t join me in sitting down at the armchair next to me. Instead, she put her hands on her hips and did a slow spin. I watched her curiously.
“I knew first-class lounges were nice, but this…this is crazy,” she said.
I chuckled to myself. If this impressed her, imagine what she would think of the private jet I almost chartered.
“What?” she asked, looking at me sharply.
“Nothing.” I waved her off.
“Nothing impresses you, does it?” she queried, shaking her head.
“Not when I’ve been here too many times to count.”
“Well, ‘Mr. I’m Too Cool’ care to give me a tour?” She raised an arched brow.
I laughed through my nose. She was feeling a little feisty this morning.
I stood up and gestured for her to follow me.
I led her through the separate business lounge, a large room that was lined with modern dark wood desks and gold-domed lamps.
Each desk had its own outlets for charging laptops and phones.
“This is the business lounge,” I said.
“Self-explanatory,” said Sadie, stepping next to me and poking her head in. I breathed in her perfume and tensed at the very few inches between us. It didn’t seem to faze her as she pulled her head out and said, “Next.”
I looked at her in amusement before leading her to the next spot on the tour.
The spa. I pushed open the large glass door and led her inside the lobby.
I was immediately hit with the smell of eucalyptus and the sound of trickling water.
The walls were painted a calming sage green, and a large, circular table sat in the middle of the room with a large vase of lilies.
A pair of women in white fuzzy robes and slippers were booking their next treatment at the front desk.
“Wait, there’s a spa?” asked Sadie, whipping her head toward me, her green eyes wide.
“Yep. You can get a massage, a facial, a manicure, pedicure, body wraps. Anything you need. Between treatments, you can use the sauna or the steam room. It’s pretty much a full-service spa.”
“Seems like you know the services quite well,” she said curiously.
“Like I said, I’ve been here a hundred times.”
“For a mani/pedi?” she asked with a smirk.
“I’ve dabbled.”
“You, Jeremiah Mason, have sat in a pedicure chair.”
“Doesn’t make me any less of a man,” I said confidently, my voice dropping an octave.
Sadie bit back a laugh that part of me longed to hear, her smile reaching her eyes and lighting them up. It was a sight I wanted to take a mental snapshot of. When she caught my gaze, her freckled cheeks reddened before she turned away.
“Where to next?” she asked, walking toward the door that led out of the spa.
I led her down the hall toward the bar and restaurant, tempted to put my hand on the small of her back, but I refrained.
“This place just goes on and on…” she murmured.
“You hungry?” I asked as we stopped outside the restaurant, nodding toward the menu.
She looked past the typed-out offerings of decadent pancakes and eggs benedict, toward the dim room lined with forest green booths and white tablecloth-adorned tables.
The bar to the right of the restaurant glowed with golden light from the overhead glass pendant lights.
The shelves just behind the warm wood countertop were lined with glass liquor bottles.
“Do we have time?” she asked, looking up at me.
“Sure,” I said with a wink, seeing the awe in her eyes.
She gave me a smile and let me lead the way inside. The hostess sat us at a corner booth and handed us the brunch menu.
“This is nicer than most of the restaurants I’ve been to in New York,” said Sadie, looking around. She tugged at her white sweater self-consciously, getting comfortable in her seat.
“Really?” I laughed. It was just an airport lounge. She must not get out much.
“Not all of us are billionaires, you know…” She rolled her eyes as she looked at me over her menu.
I chuckled and looked down at my menu. This really was all new to her. Though it was boring to me, I figured I would indulge her. When the waitress came by to take her order, I asked to have one of everything on the menu.
Sadie’s eyes almost popped out of her head.
“Are you crazy?” she asked with a laugh.
“Maybe.” I shrugged, handing our menus to the waitress.
“I am starving,” said Sadie, tossing her braided red hair over her shoulder. Even in the dim lighting of the restaurant, her skin glowed. She was fresh-faced without a hint of makeup. It felt almost intimate to see her spatter of freckles warm on her clean skin.
“Good,” I said, a smile creeping over my lips, tearing my eyes away from her to not let them linger too long.
The waitress brought out cinnamon swirl French toast, a ham and cheese quiche, avocado toast, a smoked salmon bagel, blueberry pancakes, with a side of bourbon bacon and diced roasted potatoes.
Our table was so crowded with food that Sadie and I shared everything, using our forks to take bites right from the plates.
A few times our hands brushed, making every part of my body aware of the heat from her skin.
She didn’t seem to notice, or pretended not to care.
Once we had finished, Sadie sat back in the booth and put her hand on her stomach.
“I have never eaten that much in my life.” She let out a deep breath as if trying to deflate.
I laughed. “Did you enjoy your first airport lounge experience?”
“My first and only, probably, but yes.”
“Stick with me and it won’t be the only.” I held up a hand to flag our waitress.
“I do want to check out the spa one day…” she said dreamily.
“Next time.” I checked my watch. “It’s time to go to our gate.”
I paid the bill and we retrieved our bags. Sadie accepted my offer to carry her bag, which I slung over my shoulder. It was heavier than I thought. I wondered how much she had stuffed in here.
“Is there a body in here?” I grunted.
“It’s all my new clothes and shoes.” She grinned. “Thanks, by the way.”
I shook my head and laughed. I was creating a monster, but was enjoying every minute of it.
I didn’t often meet people who were impressed by this life because everyone I knew was already in it, unimpressed by money and nice things.
I was one of them, but there was something about seeing everything through Sadie’s eyes that made all this mundane shit feel new.
I nodded toward the direction of our gate and we walked side by side through the crowded airport.
We arrived at our gate just as they were calling first class to board.
Sadie handed the flight attendant our tickets excitedly, looking back at me as we walked down the carpeted runway toward the plane.
I couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm for the almost four-hour flight ahead of us.
“We’re in the first row!” she exclaimed as we entered the first-class cabin. “Look at these seats!”
“Calm down, calm down,” I said, smiling with embarrassment at the other first-class passengers.
“Sorry,” Sadie whispered as we plopped down in our seats. “I’ve only ever flown once before.”
“Seriously?” I asked with a raised brow.
“Mhmm. To Hawaii in high school. I had saved every penny for that trip because I knew my parents couldn’t afford it.
I was seventeen. Best week of my life.” She sighed as she settled into her seat.
“Minus the sunburn I got on the last day. I tried surfing, and failed miserably, but I didn’t give up. I was out there until almost sunset.”
I looked at her with amusement. This was probably the most I had ever heard her talk. It was like she was buzzing with excitement and the words just kept pouring out of her. I thought we might talk about business, but I was hanging on every word, learning more about her.
“May I offer you champagne? Or sparkling cider?” asked a flight attendant who had rolled a cart up the aisle.
Sadie’s eyes widened at the glasses lined up neatly in a row, bubbles floating to the surface. She was so damn cute. I wondered what other firsts I could give her. I wondered why I wanted to. When was the last time I ever thought a girl was cute?
“One champagne and one sparkling cider, please,” I said. I took the glasses from the flight attendant and handed the sparkling cider to Sadie, thanking the flight attendant before she moved to the next row.
“It’s free?” she whispered.
I just laughed out loud before clinking my glass to hers.
“Cheers to your first time in first class.”