Chapter 5 #2
“They didn’t…” I trail off as I lift the shirt.
Oh, they did.
Jett proudly holds his up. I’m with sugar tits, the bright-red font on the front reads. On mine, it says I’m sugar tits.
“I’m going to kill them,” I grumble, and when Jett laughs, I point a finger at him. “Don’t get comfortable, you’re next.”
“Why do they call you sugar tits?”
“Oh my god, please stop saying it.” Pressure builds behind my forehead, and I rub my temple. “Text Charlie and tell her the next time I see her, I plan to go nuclear on her ass.”
He whips out his phone and recites my words for the voice-to-text feature. Ten seconds later, a ding rings out.
“Charlie says…” He absorbs the message before reading it out.
“‘I’ll be waiting to use Mateo as a human shield. Bring it on, sugar tits.’” He slips his phone back into his pocket.
“Now will you spill the beans on why she’s calling you—” I glare at him, and he refrains from using the words sugar tits. “—that nickname?”
I would rather eat tree bark than tell Jett the origin, but the longer I stay silent, the more awkward things become, if that’s even possible.
“A man I dated called me that in the middle of…” The confession whooshes out of me, but I am not saying sex. That’s where I draw my professional line in the sand.
“Oh? Oh.”
Nothing—not a single thing on this planet or any other in the galaxy—kills the mood faster than a man squeezing your breast mid-thrust, then saying, “I like how you take me, sugar tits.”
The blush spreading from his ears to his cheeks has to be as bright as mine. I’m going to be fired before we even get to the gate. I hold my breath for a response, but he shakes his head and grabs my red-light mask.
“Are you going to fire me?” I blurt.
Jett short-circuits. “Uh—well, I…no.”
That’s good. I’ve been looking forward to this trip and my new salary.
“What the hell are you two doing?” a familiar gruff voice rings out. My head snaps to Doug and his wife, Molly, watching us with bemused looks. “If you plan on continuing, I’m going to record this for B-roll.”
Time suspends between us. And then, with nearly everything I own on the airport’s floor and the wacky shirt in my grip, we fall into a fit of giggles so strong I snort. It only worsens Jett’s laughter, and I even hear a snicker from Molly.
We shove things into his bag and mine, then trudge behind Molly and Doug like children who received a scolding but can’t stop giggling anyway.
This time when I weigh my luggage, it’s two pounds underweight, and Jett gives me a fist bump, which I return with gusto. All the camera equipment goes through security with us, and we’re through the line in less time than it took to pull items out of my suitcase.
“It’s great to officially meet you,” Molly says as we ride the moving walkway to our gate. “I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you from Jett. Between you and me, he’s pretty thrilled you agreed to work with us.”
“Really?”
“Hasn’t shut up about it,” Doug chimes in. “He’s been thinking about how to convince you to work with us since we got off the vessel.”
The topic of conversation is ten paces ahead of us, chatting with a pair of young boys who recognized him. He’s wanted to hire me this whole time?
“He only asked me a month ago.”
Doug grimaces. “Yeah, that’s on me. I didn’t think you would agree. He went rogue.”
“Why didn’t you think I would say yes?”
The married couple exchanges a glance, one that conveys they’ve had this conversation before. “Uh, well,” Molly starts, “we weren’t sure…you would leave your other job.”
I smell a lie, but I don’t know them well enough to call them out. “Well, I am ecstatic to be here and working with you guys.”
This is awkward as hell, and the moving walkway seems to last forever. Did they think I would be a poor fit? Am I too uptight for them? Not experienced enough with film?
Jett returns, blissfully unaware of the tense air around us. “What did I miss?”
“I was telling Molly and Doug how happy I am to be working with everyone and how thrilled I was when you offered me the position.”
It may be a tiny white lie, but I hate how the information they offered settles like a rock in my stomach.
Jett swings an arm around my shoulders, dragging me into his side. “You’re stuck with us now.”
A blush creeps up my cheek as his hold lingers, and when he releases me, I’m wobbly on my feet.
The gate is packed, but we manage to steal a handful of seats. By the time I return from changing my clothes, Jett has disappeared again. I’m halfway through Luisa’s essay about her struggle with identity as a twin when he returns with an armful of snacks and a mischievous grin.
He exchanges a conspiratorial look with Doug. Oh, so he’s in on it, too. Whatever it is.
“I don’t think I like that look,” I mutter.
“Usually ends in something wacky,” Molly replies, pulling a book out of her bag.
“I have a surprise,” Jett announces, bouncing on his toes. “A super awesome, comfy surprise.”
Pausing, he scans over my outfit change. I will admit (in my head) that the fuzzy matching set is far more comfortable than the blazer and jeans.
“Should I be afraid?”
Molly shrugs. “I go with the flow when it comes to those two and their shenanigans.”
“Doug, drumroll, please.”
Doug bangs against his hard-shell carry-on, and Jett throws out jazz hands. “I upgraded us to first class!”
I choke. Those tickets were ten grand. Each. That’s not a shenanigan. It’s a poor financial decision.
My mouth pops open, but Jett points a finger at me. “No arguments. Accept the upgrade.”
“You don’t know what I was going to say,” I argue.
“But the cost,” Jett mimics, voice pitched higher. “This isn’t in the budget.”
What an inaccurate imitation. My voice is not that high.
“I was going to say ‘Hooray!’”
Molly and Doug snicker, and a pile of snacks falls into my lap. “It’s time to discover the wonder Down Under,” Jett cheers.
“How long have you been waiting to say that?” Molly asks.
“Two weeks.”
I huff a laugh. Sounds about right. An idea strikes. “That should be the name of the series,” I shout. “Wonder Down Under.”
His eyebrows jerk up, and a languid grin spreads over his face. “She’s a genius.” The floor squeaks beneath his shoes as he spins toward Molly. “Hear that? She’s coming for your job.”
A bark of laughter sounds before she shoves him toward the gate agent. “Yeah, all right. If she wants to chase you down for receipts, I’m not going to stop her."
If he keeps it up with the generous compliments, the flush of my cheeks will become permanent.