The pilot laughed.
“You’re Brynn, right?” He had a different, slangier British accent than the information agent, maybe what they called Cockney. “I’m Louis. Mr. Herceg told me about you.”
“Eliot?” I slapped my hand over my mouth. I would have to stop calling him that.
“Nah, his brother, Otto,” the pilot said, a grin creeping over his face. “You’re talking about the mathematician one, right?”
“Right,” I said, turning my head away to look at the screen. Pretending to examine it while the embarrassment wore off. Why did it take me so long to stop blushing?
“This is his brother’s plane,” the pilot said.
“He has a brother?”
“You didn’t know? Good lord! Otto Herceg is a a member of the national assembly in Hungary.”
“National Assembly?”
“Yep, like one of your senators. He’s got more money than God, and almost as much power. But I have to say he’s not quite as handsome as his younger brother. Isn’t that right?” The pilot winked at me, and all the red I had been willing from my face came screaming back with a vengeance.
“Back to work, Louis. Get those checks done, and I don’t mean checking out the passengers.” A middle-aged woman climbed into the plane behind me, a pilot’s cap in her hand. She had evidently caught the tail end of our conversation.
“Don’t mind him,” she said, clucking at me as she walked by and placed the cap squarely on her head. “More beans than brains in this one’s head. Did he even offer you a drink?”
“I was just going to,” Louis said, his face tucked in embarrassment. I thought the woman was going to scold him for a second, but she just shook her head and peered around the plane.
“Well finish final check and radio up to the tower,” she said. “Let’s see if there’s any openings to takeoff sooner rather than later.” She picked up a checklist from the back of the cockpit door and ran one finger down the list, then threw it back down onto the counter.
“Now, dearie,” she said. “I’m Lori, and this is my plane to fly today. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to make you comfortable.”
No other passengers came walking down the jetway, and it dawned on me as Louis finished the check that I would be the only passenger there. Lori started the plane, the jet engines coming to life with a loud roar, and we took off quickly if with a few bumps. Flying in a small plane might have been scary, but sitting in a cushy oversized seat I felt like a kid on a roller coaster. When the ground below turned into tiny dots and patches, Louis came back and made sure I was okay. Both pilots made a fuss over serving me alternately over the course of the short flight, Louis out of shame that he hadn’t been a better host earlier. They plied me with cakes, nuts, and a spicy goulash topped with cream that warmed my stomach.
“Mr. Herceg insisted that you taste some Hungarian food before you arrive,” Louis called back from the cockpit.
“It’s for the best,” Lori said. “If you tried the wrong stew first you might never eat Hungarian food again!” She laughed.
“Is it very different?” I asked.
Lori shook her head sagely.
“It’s not that different, really. But if you find yourself longing for a McDonalds, don’t worry, they’re all over the place.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that,” I said, laughing.
“You’re different than our normal passengers,” Lori said, looking at me curiously.
“Oh yeah?” I asked, licking the glaze off of my fingers. “How’s that?”
“One bag for a suitcase. And you’re young. And…” She trailed off, looking at me up and down. I realized that she thought I was a mistress!
“I’m just a student,” I said, blushing again. “I’m here for the math internship.”
“Never flown a student around in this jet before,” Lori said. “And I’ve been working for the Hercegs for nearly a decade.”
“First time for everything,” I said helplessly.
She eyed me with a degree of caution, as though I might not be telling her something.
“You’re a special one, aren’t you?” she said. “To him.”
“Who?” I asked, my wide eyes all innocence even as I hid the truth.
“You know who,” Lori said, her mouth curving into a knowing smile. “The young one. The math genius.”
I looked out of the window, not wanting to say a word.
“How long until we get there?” I asked. The best way I knew to change the subject.
Lori stood up. “Not soon enough for you, girl. I know the look of a woman in love.”