Chapter Two
“No. Way.” Groaning, Jovi sagged against the column in the middle of the crowded gate.
“We’ll rebook you on the next available flight,” the gate agent continued, “but tomorrow morning’s flight is full. We do, however, have limited seats available on the three-fifteen…”
“Seriously?” Jovi stopped listening. The additional details were difficult to hear over the rising chatter of her fellow disgruntled passengers, anyway.
“The wind? Really?” A middle-aged man sitting nearby yanked his phone from the pocket of his gray hoodie advertising a local brewery. “I didn’t see no storm on the radar.”
“Did she say tomorrow morning’s flight is already booked?” A woman who looked like someone Jovi knew in middle school leaned toward the man sitting beside her. “That can’t be. Who are all these people going to Evergreen on a Monday?”
He scowled, lifted his baseball cap and scratched his head. “Probably all the ones who don’t want to drive on that new road. I told you that thing was a waste of money. The people that live here don’t even want to use it.”
Jovi turned away and drained the last sip of her coffee. She’d tried skipping the sugar and going heavier on the almond milk creamer, but it still tasted too bitter. Gross. After tossing the empty cup in the trash can, she pulled out her phone to text her parents and Isabel the latest news.
Maybe they’d recommend a friend she could call to stay with, because she did not relish the idea of spending a night in a lonely hotel room.
Sure, she’d been to Anchorage countless times over the years, but rarely by herself.
Besides, her now-canceled flight was supposed to be the third leg of a very long journey from Kansas City.
The last four days since Isabel had called and asked her to come home had been a whirlwind.
She’d packed her few belongings, carted them to the house of a coworker who’d graciously offered space in her basement, then cleaned her apartment from top to bottom so she’d get her deposit back.
Her muscles ached from the intense effort.
She wanted to fall into her mom’s embrace, see her dad’s eyes twinkle when he smiled, hug Isabel and Mason, then sleep for days in her bed.
If she could figure out how to get home.
Her phone hummed in her hand. A text message from Isabel popped onto the screen.
Have you left Anchorage yet? I need to find a way to get a replacement part for the pulling machine onto your flight.
Uh-oh. This storm was impacting more than just her travel plans. Poor Isabel. She didn’t need another problem to solve. Jovi quickly typed a response.
Flight was just canceled. I can’t decide what to do. If I can get a rental car, maybe I can bring the part with me? I’ll keep you posted.
The dots bounced on her screen, then Isabel’s answer arrived.
That would be amazing if you could pick up the part. I’ll text you the address. And yes, please keep me posted.
Jovi didn’t want to waste any more time standing around. Heaving the straps of her overstuffed backpack onto her shoulders, Jovi attempted to make her way toward the counter to rebook her flight.
The petite woman working the gate climbed up on a stool and grabbed the handheld microphone.
“Once again, ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for canceling the flight. Due to a storm in Evergreen, wind gusts are preventing aircraft from landing safely. When Evergreen reopens its airport, you’ll be among the first to know.
In case you missed my previous announcement, tomorrow morning’s flight is full, and we have limited seating available on the afternoon connection.
Please form a line at the desk, and we’ll address your concerns as quickly as possible. Thank you for understanding.”
If most people were determined to fly, maybe she could get a rental car.
When she’d come for Grandpa’s funeral last January, Dad had picked her up and driven on the new highway.
It was a hundred miles from Anchorage to Evergreen.
Doable. Although running into a storm on the way gave her pause.
It had been years since she’d navigated a rural Alaskan highway by herself at night in subzero temperatures.
Which was exactly why her parents had encouraged her to fly to Evergreen.
Neither Dad nor Mom had been willing to come and get her on short notice.
Given the current weather situation, maybe driving wasn’t the best strategy.
Still, she did not want to stick around Anchorage to wait for the next available flight.
And if she did rent a car, then she could pick up that part Isabel needed.
Turning away from the long line that had already formed, she walked quickly toward the rental car counter in the main terminal.
“But Daddy, I have to find her. She’s my Bobo.
” The distraught little girl standing outside the restroom caught Jovi’s attention.
Even though tears streamed down her cheeks, she looked adorable in her lavender jacket with faux fur lining on the hood, and jeans tucked into brand-new lace-up snow boots.
She carried a stylish purple backpack with a small stuffed turtle dangling from the zipper.
Jovi let her gaze slide to the man standing beside the little girl. He was startlingly handsome. And not from Alaska. His high-end forest green parka, stone-colored pants and trail-running sneakers were dead giveaways.
He pinched the back of his neck with his hand. The poor guy looked exhausted.
The little girl tugged on the hem of his jacket. “Daddy, did you hear me? I have to find Bobo.”
Jovi drifted closer. She didn’t have time to waste if she planned to rent a car, but the heartrending tone in the precious child’s voice kept her from moving on. “Excuse me. I know it’s none of my business, but is there anything I can do to help?”
The man’s head snapped up.
Oh, hello, five-o’clock shadow. And those eyes. She’d never seen a more perfect shade of amber. His hair was the color of milk chocolate, and he wore it a little shaggier than she’d expected for someone who gave off such a CEO-on-a-ski-trip vibe.
Confusion marred his handsome features. “Pardon?”
Right. She’d overstepped. She scrunched up her nose, then clutched at the straps of her backpack self-consciously. “Yeah, so, I’m sure you’ve got this. Sorry to bother you.”
Heat bloomed on her cheeks as she turned to go.
“Wait. Daddy. Ask her to look for Bobo.”
Jovi ducked her chin to hide her smile. This kid. Her exaggerated whisper paired with her cute Southern accent was just too much.
“Sweetheart, she’s probably in a hurry to catch a flight,” he said.
Jovi whirled back around. “My flight was just canceled.”
“I’m Darby Jane.” The little girl stuck out her hand. “What’s your name?”
The man heaved an exasperated sigh.
Despite the curmudgeon’s obvious need to keep his business private, she couldn’t resist shaking his daughter’s hand. “I’m Jovi. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Darby Jane. That accent is the cutest thing I’ve ever heard. Where are you from?”
“Charleston, South Carolina.”
“Whoa. You’ve traveled a long way.”
The oversize white bow with pink polka dots clipped to her ponytail bobbed along with her solemn nod. “I lost my Bobo.”
“That’s what I hear,” Jovi said. “I’m so sorry. May I help you look?” Jovi met the attractive-but-grumpy man’s weary gaze again. “Some key details about Bobo might be good to know.”
“Her favorite stuffed animal is a pink-and-gray hippopotamus.” He surveyed the corridor around the entrance to the restrooms. “We dropped it between our last plane and here.”
“I didn’t drop it,” Darby Jane insisted, swiping at her tears with her hand. “I went to the bathroom by myself because Daddy says that’s what big girls do. When it was time to wash my hands, I put Bobo on the counter, ’cept I forgot her. N-now she’s gone.”
Darby Jane’s obvious distress as she stumbled over the last part of her explanation sent a profound sense of loss jolting straight through Jovi. They had to find Bobo.
“And you’re super sure you didn’t leave her on the plane?” Jovi eyed the excessively long line of women snaking out of the ladies’ room behind Darby Jane.
“This. Bathroom.” Darby Jane stomped her foot and pointed.
Okay, then.
“Darby Jane.” Her father gently placed his hand on her tiny shoulder. “Don’t stomp.”
“How about if I go in and take another look?” Jovi formed her mouth into a we’re-all-in-this-together smile. “Sometimes when I’m upset, I can’t see the missing thing, even when it’s right in front of me.”
Hope flickered in Darby Jane’s blue eyes.
Her father, on the other hand, chose that exact moment to check the time on his smart-looking watch. “I’d like to get on the road, Darbs. Maybe we can order you a new hippopotamus online.”
Jovi sucked in a breath. Oy. You are heartless, dude.
The child’s expression crumpled. Her whole body shook as she started sobbing all over again.
Yikes. He’d dug himself into a deep hole. “I’ll check the bathroom.”
Without waiting for a response, she left him standing with Darby Jane and squeezed by the women spilling out into the busy corridor. “Excuse me. Pardon me. Sorry. Looking for a lost stuffed animal. I promise I won’t cut.”
“Hey, hold on,” a lady grumbled. “I’ve been standing here ten minutes.”
“I’m not cutting. Need to find a stuffed animal, that’s all.”
A cacophony of toilets flushing, women talking, and hand dryers blowing greeted her. Jovi stood, deflated, staring at the closed stall doors. Then she scanned the counter beside the sinks. No stuffed animals in sight.
“Is this the one?” An older lady wearing a blue-and-gray sweatshirt with the words Thankful and Blessed printed on the front gestured to a changing station for babies mounted on the wall. A well-loved hippopotamus sat on top.
“Oh, my.” Jovi clapped her hands together. “I think that might be Bobo. Thank you. I’ll take it to the little girl who’s waiting outside.”