Chapter 2
Chapter Two
FRANCESCA
I stare out of the tiny plane window at the dark stormy sky and curse the weather. It was supposed to be sunny and warm today.
Where the hell did this severe thunderstorm even come from? Because I’d love to send it back.
Of course, with the shitty weather, all flights were delayed today, pushing my time of arrival of three thirty this afternoon to eight tonight.
It would have been quicker to rent a car and drive home, but I wanted to get home as quick as I could.
If I had driven, I wouldn’t have had to spend a small fortune to mail most of my belongings home.
I could have already unpacked all of my belongings, gone grocery shopping, and been relaxing on my couch drinking a glass of wine.
Instead, I am still on the plane, hungry, and tired from the long and stressful day.
And if that’s not enough, the pilot had to veer off course to avoid the worst of the storm, which pushed our arrival back another fifteen minutes.
Thankfully, I was able to message Dad earlier and inform him of the big delay, but once my phone was turned off and I was seated on the plane, we had another smaller delay because flights were being redirected to that airport because of the storms.
Dad’s probably been waiting at baggage claim for a half hour or more.
I’ll chalk this up to a lesson learned and will drive next time. If there’s a next time. I don’t plan on moving away unless something catastrophic happens, and even then, I might not move.
The flight attendant makes her way down the aisle, making sure everyone’s seat is upright and the trays are put up as we are about to land.
The plane is only half full, so hopefully, getting off won’t take too long. I’ve only flown a handful of times and getting off the plane took forever.
My stomach growls, letting me know, once again, of just how hungry I am. Ordering pizza and lounging in my pajamas sound like a great end to this horrible day.
I might see if Dad can stop by a grocery store on the way in so I can get a bottle of wine and some snacks, too.
As soon as the plane touches down, I turn on my phone and send a message to Dad, letting him know I just landed and will be out front as soon as I can get my suitcases from baggage claim.
I stay seated as everyone else stands and grabs their bags from the overhead bin before slowly making their way off the plane.
I grab my purse and backpack before following the crowd off the plane. Not wanting to keep Dad waiting, I speed walk to the baggage claim, but he isn’t anywhere to be seen.
Maybe he’s waiting outside in his car. I did tell him I’d be out front as soon as I grabbed my bags.
Grabbing my phone, I read the notification on the top of my screen informing me of an unread message from Dad sent over two hours ago.
He had a meeting pop up, so he was arranging for a driver to come get me, and he should be waiting outside when I’m done getting my bags.
Happy birthday to me, I guess.
Not that I mind spending the night alone, but having a stranger escort me to my apartment wasn’t the plan.
Maybe he won’t mind stopping at a grocery store for me to buy some snacks. After all, if he knows Dad, then he probably knows about me.
An announcement comes over the speaker system alerting passengers of flight 5265 that all bags will be delayed a few minutes because of the storms.
Just a few more minutes until I can finally relax and leave the travel horror stories behind.
My fingers hover over the screen of my cellphone as I contemplate sending a quick text message to Joey. I type out a short message before hitting send.
How was practice? Are there any new players that seem promising?
I watch as the three tiny dots appear on the screen before disappearing.
Busy. Can’t talk.
Joey is always busy either with jobs from Dad or practice, but his three word response causes my lips to droop into a frown. So much for a warm welcome and a family dinner.
Well, not having dinner together is my fault since the flight was delayed, but is having family waiting at the airport too much to ask for?
Especially on my birthday of all days?
I open my internet browser and type in the website for my new apartment complex. I swipe through the pictures on the website before looking at the ones of my new fully furnished apartment.
It’s smaller than what Mandy and I had, but I’m the only one living here, so I only need one bedroom.
The entire apartment building is so elegant and modern it’s hard to believe it used to be a warehouse.
The developer tore it down and put in an L-shaped apartment building complete with an amazing Olympic sized pool with a retractable roof over the entire deck for year round swimming.
I continue swiping through the pictures, marveling at how bright and welcoming the lobby is. There’s even an entire wall of mailboxes. At least checking the mail will be convenient as I have to pass by them every day.
A man nearby huffs and complains to his wife. “These delays are endless today. What else can go wrong?”
My thoughts mimic his frustration, but Mom always said to be careful what you put out in the universe, because it just may come true.
The last thing we need is for something else to fuck up, but with the way today has gone, anything is possible.
The conveyor belt turns on and starts moving, signaling the imminent arrival of our bags. Everyone steps closer in hopes of getting their luggage as soon as it comes out.
Suddenly, the conveyor jerks and freezes, like the components aren’t working smoothly. It moves for a few seconds before slowing down.
The crowd groans and complains as the conveyor stops once again. But this time, it doesn’t start moving again.
The older man beside me kicks the baggage carousel, causing me to chuckle at his tiny frustrated tantrum. “Damn it, Maggie, this is why I said we should drive. I don’t care if flying saves us half the time. We are never flying again.”
I watch the couple out of the corner of my eye.
The wife steps closer to him and wraps her hand around his before softly saying, “We will be fine, Harold. This is just a little bump in the road before vacation.”
She pats his hand before continuing. “Do you remember all the times our plans have gone astray, but we still enjoyed ourselves? What about the time we were driving to see the grandbabies, and we got a flat tire? We were fine then, and we will be fine now.”
He grunts in response .
Is that the universal guy code for you’re right? Or maybe it’s an I don’t believe you, but I know better than to say that out loud.
I chuckle to myself as I continue to browse through the apartment’s pictures. There’s a community game room as well as a small community movie theater.
This apartment complex looks like home, and I think I’m going to love it here as long as I can steer clear of Rhett until my heart can handle being near him again.
A memory of him smiling at me causes my heart to leap in my chest. When the memory plays out and turns sexual, I’m left feeling heartbroken, turned on, worried, and hopeful all at the same time.
I try to push the tiny spark of hope down. There’s no hope for Rhett and me. He might be in a new relationship or even married by now. And even if he’s not in a relationship, he’ll never forgive me for the way I left.
He’s still Joey’s friend, but Joey stopped mentioning him to me a long time ago. I’m sure when Rhett started dating someone new, Joey didn’t want to be the one to tell me that bit of news, so it was easier to stop mentioning Rhett all together.
The loud boom of thunder rattles the building as lightning crackles in the sky a second before all the lights flicker and turn off.
Great.
Now this storm has caused the airport to lose power .
Frantic screams fill the air as people scramble around in the darkness. I stay still up against the baggage carousel, not wanting to get trampled.
With it being late at night and storming, the only light that comes inside is the occasional flash of lightning.
If there weren’t so many people standing around, I could make my way to the door using the flashlight on my phone, but I still need my luggage.
It takes several moments, but the airport’s backup generators turn on, illuminating the airport with dim emergency lights. It’s bright enough in here to see where we are going, but not bright enough to resume normal function.
Several airport workers join us at the baggage carousel. An older woman waves her hands, getting everyone’s attention.
“We apologize for the interruption of your travel plans, but unfortunately, we can’t get your bags to you at this time. If you can fill out one of these forms with your contact information, we will call when you can return to pick up your luggage.”
I let out a frustrated sigh. This is just great.
I have nothing for my apartment. No food and no drinks. Only one pair of spare lounge clothes and a pair of pajamas in my backpack. No clothes to start work tomorrow.
And I can’t get my bags until they sort this mess out.
I follow the crowd to the airport employees and grab a form before digging out a pen from my backpack.
The form is easy to fill out. I write down my name, phone number, and address in the boxes at the top of the form before filling out the flight information and the number and color of my bags.
My luggage would be easy to spot if we were allowed in the back area to get our bags. Both of my suitcases are bright blue, shiny, and hard shelled.
After filling out my form, I follow the crowd of people back to the employees and hand them the sheet of paper.
Giving the woman a friendly smile, I whisper, “Thank you.”
I might be frustrated with the chain of events that took place today, but I know this isn’t her fault, and I’ve already heard several people complain to her about this minor inconvenience.
Making my way to the doors that lead outside, I take a deep breath. Bad things always seem to happen in threes, and right now, I’m only sitting at two.
One. My flight was delayed.
Two. I can’t get my bags tonight.
What is going to be number three? Getting to my apartment only to be told I don’t have a place?
I shake that thought away. Just because my flight was a disaster doesn’t mean the entire day, or night, will follow suit.
I will take each obstacle one by one and deal with them when they pop up. I always have my room at home if need be, even if Dad and Joey are too busy for me right now.
With a new perspective and brighter outlook for my evening, I walk outside and immediately freeze as I see the one person I wasn’t prepared to see yet.
Rhett Montgomery.
He’s leaning against the passenger door of his truck with his arms crossed, looking sexier than ever.
I can’t move or speak, so I stand here, mouth agape, as frustrated passengers walk around me.
My heart pounds in my chest.
What is he doing here?
Is this who Dad sent to pick me up?
Why is Rhett staring at me like that?
Why am I staring back at him like an idiot?
Someone slams into the back of me, pushing me off balance. My gaze with Rhett breaks as I fall forward.
Right before I hit the ground, Rhett is by my side, pulling me up into his arms.
My body instantly melts into his touch, remembering what it felt like to be wrapped in his arms. Remembering what it was like to be loved by him.
I take in a deep breath of his citrusy scent, feeling overwhelmed and confused, but also feeling like I’m finally home again.
Pushing off his chest so I can stand on my own, I ask, “What are you doing here?”