Chapter 8
MIA
“And that’s it. Have a great summer, everyone!
” Mia smiled at her class, and they smiled back at her — mostly.
A few of them still hated math and struggled with the subject, but most of them had found a new appreciation for numbers through her classes.
She was excited to see them again next year.
They always changed and grew so much over the summer, which she loved to see.
The bell rang, and the students began packing their bags and heading out. The majority were excitedly chatting with each other, swapping summer plans and stories about the school year, but a few lined up to say goodbye to Mia, too.
“Thanks, Mia!” All the students in her school called the teachers by their first names, which Mia liked.
“Thank you!”
“Have a great summer!”
One girl, a blond cheerleader who had gotten the highest grade in the sophomore math final, stopped by Mia’s desk. Her friends formed a gaggle behind her, chatting and texting and snapping photos.
“Thanks for everything,” she said with a huge smile. “I never knew math could be interesting! Or that I could be good at it!”
“It was my pleasure,” Mia said, grinning back at her. “Have a great summer, Susie. You’ll be a camp counselor, right?”
“Uh-huh!” Susie nodded enthusiastically, and Mia could see again why she was such a great cheerleader. She brought enthusiasm to everything she did. “I want to see if I like working with kids, and if I do, I might even become a teacher!”
“That’s great.” Mia beamed at her.
“What are you doing this summer?” Susie asked, leaning against the desk.
“A little travel, actually,” Mia said.
“That’s so cool!” One of Susie’s friends tugged on her shoulder, and she waved to Mia. “Okay, bye!”
“Bye.” Mia smiled and waved to the last few students as they trickled out.
With that, the school year was over, and summer began.
Outside the window, the students jostled and laughed as they headed out to the buses or the parking lot.
A few lived within walking distance, and they scattered into the neighborhood.
Mia could finally check her phone, too, so she slid it out of the desk drawer where she kept it to check for messages. She sighed. Nothing from Evan. Still. There was an email from his assistant, Michael, confirming her flights for the following Tuesday, but nothing from the man himself.
Ever since the Napa Valley wedding, Mia had been trying to get in contact with Evan.
She’d wanted to meet for dinner and go over their cover story for the wedding.
Since he wanted to say they’d been dating for six months or more already, she’d need to know a few things about their “relationship” and about him.
But her texts and emails had gone unanswered.
The only communication she’d received had been from Michael, who’d arranged her flights, answered some questions about the venue, and even given her a basic fact file of information about the area in Tuscany where they’d be.
It was all things she already knew and wasn’t very helpful.
What Mia really needed was to see Evan himself.
Their night together had been spectacular, for her at least, but he’d been so distant since then that she’d begun to worry.
It was going to be very awkward to spend a week in Italy together, with his family, no less, if they weren’t on good terms. And she wasn’t sure if they were on good terms. It had been a month since they’d talked, after all.
Mia bit her lip as she flipped her phone in her hand.
Until now, she’d been able to focus on her students and her work, but now that the school year was over, the remaining few days until the trip would be spent worrying about Evan and what she’d gotten herself into.
Although they’d talked at the wedding and spent the night together, she really didn’t know that much about him.
Maybe she wasn’t even the first fake girlfriend he’d brought to a family event.
Chill, Mia told herself sternly. Worrying about this wasn’t going to help at all. She needed to focus on the good part, which was that she had a free trip to Italy, not on the concerning part, which was that she didn’t know where she stood with Evan.
Mia submitted her final grades, tidied her desk, packed her things, said a silent goodbye to the classroom where she’d spent numerous hours this past school year teaching math and supervising the outdoor club, and headed out.
It was a warm July day, the sun was shining, the trees were bursting with bright green leaves, and everyone seemed to be in a good mood.
She walked the six blocks to her rented apartment and headed upstairs, opening all the windows to let in the fresh air.
Then, not wanting to get trapped staring at her phone and wondering about Evan, she started packing.
As soon as she did, she realized again that her clothes were nowhere near good enough for a wedding with a family of billionaires.
She’d worn her best dress to the Napa Valley wedding and had still stuck out like a sore thumb.
Groaning, she flopped onto her bed, throwing her arm over her eyes.
This was going to be a mess. But she’d made a commitment, and she would honor it.
No matter how awkward it was going to be.
The next Tuesday, Mia woke early, packed the last of her toiletries, and spent most of the day fretting and repacking, wishing she had better clothes.
Finally, as evening fell, she went outside to wait for the cab Evan’s assistant, Michael, had said would arrive around eight.
She had her passport, a carry-on filled with her nicest clothes and jewelry, and a paperback book in case Evan refused to talk to her all week.
Which seemed pretty likely, since he’d refused to talk to her for several weeks in a row.
The annoyance Mia had been trying to keep at bay bubbled up. What kind of guy flirted with her all evening, spent an amazing night with her, invited her to a family wedding — albeit as a fake girlfriend — and then ghosted her for the next month?
Focus on the free trip, Mia reminded herself.
She was very excited about experiencing Italy and had seen numerous Instagram posts about the beautiful Tuscan countryside.
Even if the actual wedding and her interactions with Evan were awkward, she was going to have fun.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime trip for a single woman on a teacher’s salary.
The car arrived at eight p.m. on the dot, and Mia was surprised to see that it was a black town car. She shouldn’t have been surprised; of course Evan would send a town car instead of a regular taxi or an Uber. He was rich. Mia got inside, greeted the driver, and settled back in her seat.
They rolled out of San Jose and toward San Francisco.
To her surprise, they didn’t make the usual turns to the airport.
Instead, they went further away from the city until Mia began to have a creeping irrational worry that she was part of some reality TV show.
Or maybe there’s an airport I don’t know about out here, Mia reminded herself.
This was the first time she’d flown internationally, after all, so she wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.
Then, the town car pulled into a private airport, and Mia’s eyebrows shot up. Once again, she shouldn’t have been surprised that this was a private flight. Evan was rich, after all. She’d just expected to fly commercial.
As soon as she realized that it was a private flight, a new worry arrived.
She’d expected to fly alone to Italy and meet Evan once they were at the venue.
But if this was a private flight, there was a good chance Evan was going to be on it, too.
Her heart began to race as she thanked the driver and slid out of the car, taking her bag with her.
Her stomach twisted, and her hands grew shaky.
Her anxiety was at an all-time high, even more so than when she’d crashed the wedding.
Maybe Evan didn’t even want her to come anymore.
Or maybe he was going to be distant all week until she wished she hadn’t come.
“Good evening.” A steward in a white and blue uniform approached with a wide, friendly smile. “You must be Ms. Newton.”
“That’s me.” Mia winced internally at her answer. “Um, but please call me Mia.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mia. I’m Carolina Stevens, and I’ll be the steward on your flight today. Shall we board?”
“Yes. Um, I’m ready.” Mia had no idea how to handle the situation. This was worlds away from the commercial flight she’d expected, and even that would have been a challenge, since she wasn’t used to flying internationally.
“Perfect. Can I take your bag?”
“Oh, no, it’s fine.” Though it was small, Mia’s bag was heavy with the weight of the last-minute items she’d stuffed inside in hopes of looking presentable, and she didn’t want to inconvenience Carolina.
“All right, then. Please, follow me.” The steward smiled and gestured for her to come.
They crossed the tarmac toward the jet, which stood waiting with its staircase down.
Lights on the plane flashed against the darkening sky.
Carolina let Mia climb up first, and as she did, her heart raced.
Was she really about to see Evan again? And would he even talk to her if she did?
She ducked under the doorway and emerged into the cabin of the plane.
It was much more spacious than she’d expected, with wide leather seats that looked more like thrones than the airplane chairs Mia had seen on the few domestic flights she’d taken.
On one of the seats sat Evan, his laptop and a pile of papers on the table in front of him.
He was wearing headphones, but when Mia entered, he pulled them down.
“Hi, Mia. Glad you could make it.”
“Hi.” She walked the broad aisle toward him, her heart racing. She felt both awkward and unprepared for this, and she was deeply aware that the last time they’d seen each other, they’d spent the night together.
“Well, I have a lot of work to do.” Evan gestured to the piles in front of him.
“If you need anything, please ask Carolina.” And without waiting for an answer, he put his headphones back on and reached for a stack of papers.
Annoyance surged in Mia’s chest. Even trapped on a multi-hour flight with him, she wasn’t able to get a moment of his time. What a jerk.
Maybe the night they’d spent together hadn’t meant anything to him. Maybe nothing did.
“Please, have a seat,” Carolina instructed. “Can I get you anything to drink before we take off?”
“Maybe some tea, if possible,” Mia said. She hadn’t had time for her usual evening tea today, as she’d been scrambling with last-minute preparations.
“Of course. What kind of tea would you like?”
“Um, do you have mint?” she asked.
“Certainly. I’ll get that for you in a moment.
” Carolina disappeared into the back of the plane as Mia took her seat across from Evan.
She shot a few annoyed glances in his direction, but he was so absorbed in his paperwork that he didn’t notice her.
Or, at least, he pretended not to. Mia was half-tempted to get up and leave.
He could sort out his difficult dating situations with his family himself.
But… she really did want the free trip to Italy, and she was already here. Resignedly, she fastened her seatbelt and dug her book and earphones out of her bag. If Evan was going to ignore her, she’d ignore him, too.
A few minutes later, Mia’s tea arrived, and she sipped it as she read her book.
A few minutes after that, the plane was ready for takeoff.
They taxied to the end of the runway, raced down it, and leaped into the air.
It was officially too late for Mia to turn back.
No matter what happened this week, she was going to be stuck in Tuscany with Evan and his family.
Mia snuck another glance at Evan, who was now staring at his computer as though it held the secret to eternal life, and sighed. This was going to be a very long week.
Then she sat back, opened her book, and did her best to forget about the frustrating man sitting across from her. Eventually, tiredness overcame her, and as the sky darkened outside, she slipped into sleep.