49
“What’s going on?” I ask as I reach him and the car.
“Change of plans for your trip,” he says casually as he reaches for my bag.
I dip my chin and speak slowly, my pulse already pounding with anxiety. My itinerary was set weeks go. “Adam, what kind of change of plans?”
“Really it’s only a change to your transportation. Meetings stay the same.”
“Adam! Just tell me what the heck is going on.”
He fights a grin, “Well, turns out your plane is out of commission.”
“Oh really,” I huff.
He raises his hands, “Couldn’t be helped. You’re having to catch a ride with me.”
“What about the Clark jet?”
“In Europe.”
“What about the DeLane Jet?”
“Currently in the sky somewhere over Arizona.”
I scoff, “Well, I’ll just wait for it.”
He lifts a shoulder, still so relaxed, “Then you’ll have to bump all your meetings.”
“I’ll fly commercial.”
“Same thing. You’ll have to move your whole schedule.”
I let out an angry groan, “Ughhh! And yours just happens to be the only plane available to us in all of Oklahoma?”
“For free? Yes.” He locks eyes with me, knowing I won’t splurge on a jet rental if the Bell International jet is an option.
“Fine, I’ll take the plane. No need for you to be here,” I say, trying to keep my wits about me at least a little bit. Why does he smell so good? Why is he always standing so close to me lately? Why can’t I hate how his towering, overly-warm frame feels at my side?
“I was already headed south, hence the ride is free.”
I cross my arms now. This is ridiculous. “You just happened to be headed to Louisiana the same day as me? C’mon just admit you’re…you’re kidnapping me!”
“I’m kidnapping you.”
“Adam!”
He chuckles, “I do have some things to do there, as, you’ll recall, you’re headed to a joint venture property of ours.”
“I’m headed to meet with a supplier about cutting costs on our cardboard packaging, not talk about the property!”
“Why’re you taking this meeting anyway?” he tries to change the subject.
“No. No skirting around this. You’re abducting me!”
He opens the back door of the hired car, leans closer to my ear, and lowers his voice in challenge, “Suzie, you want to fly commercial and change your whole itinerary, be my guest. I’m offering you a ride to Louisiana with me. It’s up to you.”
He straightens and watches me, smug.
“This is not a date, Adam. I told you to give up! I’m just going to sit and pretend you’re not there. I’m not talking to you!” I say as I climb into the back of the big black SUV.
“That’s fine,” he says as he climbs in beside me. “I plan on doing all the talking. I’m just hoping you’ll listen.”
I raise my eyebrows and suck my teeth before making a show of digging my AirPods out of my purse and shoving them in my ears so hard I hurt myself. I smile a big, fake smile at him and he laughs. A big, full, free laugh that fills the whole car.
I put music on but secretly I’m glad it only fills my ears after that laugh. Because even a million years later, even loaded with baggage and memories and regrets, it’s still one of my favorite sounds.
_____
“Why are we descending?” I demand as I pull one AirPod out.
Adam finally looks over at me after ignoring me for an hour, acting as if he isn’t hijacking my life, really was planning on taking this trip and can’t be bothered either way by my presence. “Need to make a quick stop.”
“Where?”
“I’m actually not 100% sure.”
I make a squeaky noise, “That’s comforting.”
He puts a hand on my knee. “I promise it won’t mess up your plans for tomorrow. Just trust me.”
I narrow my eyes on him. Do I? Trust him? He squeezes my knee and my body relaxes into the plush leather seat without my consent.
Yes, I guess I do.
The plane lands at a small rural airport and Adam stands but I don’t.
“Come on, I’m going to go get some food while we’re stopped.”
I frown, “Didn’t we stop because you have something you need to do here?”
“Nah, they’re just refueling I think.” He motions at the pilots.
What he’s saying doesn’t really make sense. Didn’t they fuel up the plane before we left just over an hour ago?
Still, I’m not staying on the plane alone while he goes to eat.
We make our way down the steps and there’s another hired car waiting. I stare at Adam but he gives away nothing, again acting like I just happen to be along for his pre-planned ride. Curious to the nth degree, I climb in the black Tesla after him.
We leave the airfield in search of restaurants but find mostly fields. Eventually a small town comes into view after a few minutes but we turn before we reach the main drag. We turn a couple more times until we’re in a parking lot. I look around, seeing no restaurants.
Adam gets out and reaches his hand for me. I don’t take it, but I do get out.
“What are we—”
“Okay,” he says, turning around, looking at what I see behind him now that he’s moved a bit to the right. “I guess I finally have to admit this thing exists.”
There it is.
The world’s largest ball of twine, fully visible in the daylight. It has a roof over it and now, fifteen years later, plus some lighting installed for night viewing.
“Want to go read the plaque?” Adam asks, smirking at me.
I close my mouth, which had fallen open.
“We’re in Kansas. You flew us to—no. No!” I stop myself.
He’s still grinning. “It hardly added any time to the trip.”
“No! I’m not talking to my kidnapper,” I huff out, passing the car and him so I can read the plaque. Of course I want to read it. I snort a little bit at the story.
“A twine-a-thon, huh?” Adam reads next to me. In 1953, the ball started in one guy’s barn as a little hobby until a bigger ball was heard of and then the whole town decided to band together. “Kinda hilarious a whole town was like a bigger ball in Minnesota? Not on my watch!”
I laugh. And I laugh some more. Nerves, anxiety, awe, nostalgia, it all comes out as the giggles.
Adam stares at me as I stare at the twine.
“You’re so beautiful when you laugh,” He says softly, and my chuckle dies instantly. My eyebrows try to hit the little awning structure above us because… What?! Who is this man and what happened to my mute husband?
I swallow and look away. “This was, um, very sweet, like, shockingly so, but it’s not going to work.”
“It’s not?” he says, still studying my face like my right cheek holds all the secrets of the world.
“No. You can’t grand gesture me into taking you back, Adam,” I say, my voice filled with a lot more conviction than I currently feel. Weak, Susan!
“That’s fair,” Adam says, shocking me yet again. He fired up his jet, changed my plans and his, and did something pretty darn romantic, so I didn’t expect him to be so agreeable. “But did I grand gesture you into giving me an hour with no headphones?”
“To say some of the things you could have easily said over the last year? The last ten years?” I huff back, proud of myself.
“Yes. Thirty minutes.”
I work my jaw as I study his. Again he looks fresh-faced, happy, mischievous. Younger and healthier than ever.
“Thirty minutes and I’ll get whatever food you want for lunch.” His smile widens. “C’mon Travel Spice.”
I groan, fighting a smile. “Just for bringing that back into our lives I’m saying fifteen,” I say, looking away.
“Twenty-five.”
“Twenty.”
“Deal.”
I start to walk back to the car but he envelopes my bicep with his long fingers. “Will you take a picture with me?”
“N-no,” I stutter.
“Okay, just you then. For the boys.” He backs up.
“Ugh, fine we can both be in it,” I say.
But he’s not stupid.
And I am, apparently.
Because to take a selfie together you have to get close, too freaking close. And he tugs me into him like a man desperate. And he takes his sweet time finding an angle that captures both of us and the ball of twine.
Tiny pore-sized explosions erupt all down my side as I collide with him, with the hard wall of muscle he calls a body, warm and manly. Then a different kind of sparks begin as his splayed hand on my back moves lower. Just barely, he doesn’t cop a feel.
He just makes me wish he would.
Ugh!
I move away the second the phone makes the little shutter sound.
He doesn’t say anything and lets me practically run back to the car. He stares at his phone, sending the photo to me, I realize. He gets in next to me, grinning at our photo one last time before he tucks the device into his pocket. He doesn’t say much as we pick up some food to-go and get back on the plane. He doesn’t push me or lobby for more minutes.
But when the plane starts taxiing, he clears his throat and shifts in his seat. He hasn’t touched his food on the little half table built into the plane wall between us. The jet takes off and he shows me his phone, loaded up with a twenty minute timer on the screen.
His hand is shaking a little bit. His grin is gone. His eyes are pleading.
He is not grumpy or smug or playful.
He is actually nervous.
And I have a feeling…
I am totally screwed.