Chapter Seven Claire
Chapter Seven
Claire
Aren’t we all dreamers? It’s only because man dreamt of flying that we are traveling in planes. Behind all inventions, we see the dreams of people.
—AJITH KUMAR
Now on our fourth leg of the day, I’m feeling more confident in tasks—I’m just too exhausted to want to do them anymore. In fact, I’m ready to hijack the plane myself to land sooner.
While passengers slept for most of our first flight, the following flights to San Luis Obispo, San Francisco, then back to San Luis Obispo are too short for passengers to fall asleep.
They’re even too short for Desiree to get out her cart for service in the main cabin.
I’m the only one running around, trying to serve twelve first-class drinks between making announcements and picking up trash.
Okay, Desiree offers to help by picking up trash in my cabin, but as she’s not about speed, she mostly just gets in the way.
I turned down her offer after that first flight to SBP and let her hang out in the aft galley, eating her meal-prepped lunch and joking with passengers.
Meanwhile, my stomach is growling loudly.
The cute guy in 1A looks up at the sound. “You hungry?” He cracks a crooked grin under his crooked nose. “If you’re staying in San Luis Obispo tonight, I’d be happy to take you out for dinner.”
I pick up his empty glass, place it on my tray, and wonder whether his crooked nose means it was broken courtesy of the last tired flight attendant he’d hit on. At the moment, I’d rather punch him than talk to him, which means it’s probably a good thing Wyatt decided not to meet me in San Fran.
Boyfriend in mind, I say, “I’m already dating someone.”
“Lucky guy.” He winks one of those winks that makes me want to pretend I didn’t see it.
I turn away so he doesn’t notice my eye roll. Then I secure the galley one last time and buckle in for landing. I should have waited longer before sitting, since it means facing 1A.
Focusing past the cringey guy, I evidently zone out, because before I know it, we’re on the ground and Desiree is making our landing announcements.
During the time it takes the gate agents to push a ramp over for deboarding, I debate between ordering a room service hamburger or tacos for dinner.
I’m leaning toward the tacos, though with all my waffling, waffles are sounding good too.
I’d brought a three-dollar salad from the grocery store for dinner, but it’s not going to cut it. And since I don’t have to maintain a dancer’s figure anymore, I can splurge on calories.
A gate agent pulls the cabin door wide, and I inhale fresh air. It’s still light out, but the breeze is cool enough to feel refreshing against a sheen of sweat on my face.
“If you want to upgrade, gorgeous, I’m staying at Sea Pines Golf Resort.” Mr. Arrogant swings a backpack over his shoulder. “Just call and ask for Andrew James.”
I paste on a smile and step away to allow him plenty of room to disembark. His egotism is the opposite of attractive.
The door to the cockpit swings open, and Nathan steps out next to me. “I need passengers to compliment my landing for points,” he sidewhispers. Whatever that means. Then something else snags his attention. “Was that Andrew James?”
I do a double take too, but to look at Nathan. “Yeah . . . How’d you know?”
“He’s the quarterback for the Forty-Niners.”
Huh. Might explain the guy’s egotism.
I nod goodbye to more departing passengers. “Have a good day. Thanks for flying with us.”
An older gentleman in a “Veteran” ball cap compliments Nathan on his way past. “Nice landing.”
The man doesn’t say anything to me because I basically become invisible once there’s a pilot by my side—one of my first-day discoveries. But that’s okay. It makes my job a little easier.
“Thanks. And thanks for your service.” Nathan lifts a hand in part wave, part salute. Then he says with a dumbfounded smile, “Did you talk to him?”
“The veteran?” I wish. I bet he has some good stories to tell.
“Andrew James.”
I grimace. Do I tell the first officer what I think of his hero? Would it even change his opinion of the athlete, or is that acceptable male behavior to fans? “Unfortunately.”
Nathan’s jaw drops open, pulling his face closer to mine.
He smells exotic, like teakwood, making me wonder about his international travels.
He has an all-American look with the short hair, but with his dark coloring, he’d fit in almost anywhere in the world.
Now that I think about it, I don’t know his heritage, how long he’s been flying, where he learned self-defense, or any other basic details.
All I know is that he’s still in love with his ex-girlfriend.
And my heart goes out to him because of it.
Joining Nathan in the flight deck had been awkward at first. I’d been afraid of the attraction Angel mentioned, but she must not have heard the airline lore.
He’s in love with someone else. So now I’m free to laugh and joke with him.
He can be a bestie and will never suggest I cheat on my boyfriend, the way Andrew James did.
Nathan’s eyes flash. “Why unfortunate? Is he getting traded?”
The first officer is obviously more fascinated with that guy than I am. I shrug.
A middle-aged woman nods to Nathan. “Thanks for the flight. Nice landing.”
“You’re welcome.” He leans back into the cockpit. “Did you hear that, Cap? I’ve earned two more points already.” Then he’s back, eager to continue our boring conversation. “What did Andrew James say?”
I wave at one last passenger carrying a little kid. She’s followed by Desiree, who stops midway down the plane to grab her bags.
“Was that the quarterback for the Niners in 1A?” the other flight attendant calls.
Vincent joins us. “Andrew James?”
Oh man. They’re all football fans.
Nathan grabs his jacket from the closet behind me. “Yes, it was,” he confirms before focusing on me again. “I know you’re not supposed to take selfies with passengers, but please tell me you got a selfie. I would have.”
“I did not.” I stride down the aisle to retrieve my luggage.
Desiree pulls my suitcase from the bin and rolls it to me. “Is it because you didn’t want to break a rule on your first day? It’s not an FAA regulation that you can’t take selfies with celebrities. You wouldn’t have gotten in trouble. Maybe a light slap on the wrist if you were reported.”
Nathan follows and grabs his bag. “It would have been worth it.” He retrieves Vincent’s bag too and leads the way toward the main cabin door.
Vincent stacks his lunchbox on top of his suitcase and exits onto the ramp. “Did you even recognize the quarterback, Claire?”
I stack my tote using the J-hook to attach my lunchbox.
This way I can roll four days’ worth of food and belongings after me with one hand.
As for recognizing our famous passenger .
. . “The only football player I know of is the Stanford player who once took ballet lessons with me to improve his game, and I’m not sure if he ever made it to the NFL. ”
Nathan stops in the doorway, blocking my exit. “Did he tell you what he’s doing in SBP? The Niners are on a bye week. Maybe we’ll see him at the resort.”
Evidently none of us are leaving until I confess. “I assume Andrew James is golfing, because he’s staying at the Sea Pines Golf Resort. He invited me to dinner even though I told him I had a boyfriend. We could all go surprise him there if you want. Get a group selfie.”
Silence. I hadn’t realized how quiet an airplane can be when the engine is off.
Nathan stares, mouth agape. His square jaw snaps back into place. Then his lips kind of twitch.
Vincent roars with laughter. It fades as he heads down the ramp.
Desiree curves around me from behind to look at my face. “You have a boyfriend?” She lifts her chin to face Nathan. “You know that?”
If I didn’t know better, I’d assume she was implying he’s interested. Maybe they don’t know about Joey.
Nathan’s mouth curves into a full smile, clearly unconcerned. His dark eyes humor me. He’d be like one of my big brothers if they were closer to my age. “Yes, I know.”
“We’ll go to dinner with you, Claire,” Vincent calls from where he’s reached the ground below. “Come on, Nathan. You owe me a steak.”
“What?” The first officer turns and strides down the ramp. “I earned two points after landing. We’re tied.”
Mmm . . . steak. If only my paycheck allowed for such a splurge.
“You’re right.” Vincent chuckles again. “Since I’m captain on Claire’s first overnight, I’ll treat everyone.”
I leave our plane behind. I’m liking the job so far and loving the people I work with. I’m especially looking forward to this dinner I’ve earned.
My hotel room feels like an oasis, and not only because there’s a fireplace in the corner and a balcony with an ocean view. But also because it’s private and spacious and I don’t have to organize everything into tight little compartments.
I kick my shoes toward the sitting area and strip off my uniform to fling wherever it may land. I’m not usually a messy person, but after a day of cleaning up after other people, it’s a relief not to have to clean up for myself.
I should probably be a little neater when opening my luggage so I’m not creating another mess. Sliding the closet door open to look for a luggage stand, I find something even better—a bathrobe.
After wrapping the cozy chenille around my body, I fall backward into the cushion of blankets and pillows covering my bed. Oh, I’m going to sleep well tonight. I could close my eyes right now and not wake up until five tomorrow morning, but then I’d be missing out on a steak dinner.
My stomach growls, and I laugh at the day I’ve had. From the coffee dream to my views in the flight deck to getting asked out by some big-shot sports guy. I wonder what Wyatt will think of that.
I roll over to grab my phone from the nightstand and dial. Once again, my call goes to voicemail. I glance at my watch.