Only in Dreams(10)

“No, don’t be ridiculous, you guys have your hands full there; I’ll just take a taxi.”

“Are you sure?” she asks.

The last thing I want to do is sit in a vehicle—alone—with Christian’s brother for an hour. A taxi will be best for everyone. “Absolutely, it’s not a big deal.”

“Well, now I am getting excited.”

“Me too. I still can’t believe you moved to Texas.”

“Oh, Paige, you’re going to love it here.”

“I don’t know about that, Em. You know I’m a city girl. But I do know I am looking forward to spending time with some of my favorite people.” I hear the water shut off in the bathroom.

“You can actually see the stars at night here.”

“Well, I hope it’s as enchanting as you’ve described. Henry just got out of the shower, so I need to get ready. He’s got a togetherness day planned for us before I leave.”

“You two are so cute,” she comments.

“And you’re such a dork,” I joke before we exchange our farewells, and I hang up the phone. It’s official; I’m headed to Texas. Part of me feels apprehensive., though It feels like maybe Em isn’t as excited about the idea as I am, and I definitely don’t want to be an imposition. Forcing the thought from my mind, I decide I will make sure I am nothing of the kind when I get down there.





“FOLKS, WE’VE BEGUN our descent into Austin, where the current weather is a beautiful seventy-seven degrees. We will be at the gate in about twenty minutes. As our flight attendants begin to prepare the cabin for arrival, we’d like to thank you for flying with us today.” I stare out the window to my right, the land below still patchy through the clouds.

Glancing to my left, the oversized gentleman, who has been dropping bits of food onto my leg for the majority of the flight, is unhappy that the flight attendant has asked him to stow away his carryon bag for the descent. I regret not allowing Henry to book me in first class, as he had suggested before I left.

One of the few times I’d actually flown first class was when I met Henry. I had taken the modeling job in Europe and, after eighteen months of non-stop travel and shows with the agency, I was flying home. I’d been one of their most dedicated girls, never turning down an event, no schedule too crazy for me. I didn’t have anyone waiting back at home, so there was no reason for me to stop pushing full speed ahead. Much to my delight, the agency had upgraded my flight home to first class as a thank you.

The idea of oversized, comfortable seats for a massively expensive upgrade fee had always seemed like a ridiculous concept to me. However, anyone who has been on one of those exhausting overseas flights would agree, an extra comfy seat can feel like a necessity after the fourth hour in the air.

By chance, Henry had the seat next to me. I didn’t notice him at first, honestly. I had spent so much time traveling I barely noticed anything those days. He was the one who struck up some small talk with me. He was terrible at it.

“Frequent flyer?” I laugh as I remember the words. Had he not been so handsome I might have even asked to change seats. We talked the entire flight home, and boy was I glad I didn’t move. The last time I could recall having such an intense connection with someone was when I met Emmie.

Henry ran an investment firm that had been his father’s. Most of the men I had dated weren’t very forthcoming with details about their lives. In fact, they didn’t really seem to care much about my life either. They liked to party, and they liked the idea of having a Paris runway model on their arm.

On that flight I found out Henry’s dad died when he was in his fifties from a massive heart attack and, as a result, he did his best to eat healthy and exercise regularly. His grandmother on his father’s side came from old money, and she hated his mother, who was nothing more than a gold digger in her eyes. His mother was madly in love with his father, and after he died, she quit eating and talking—she simply gave up on living.

I remember seeing tears in his eyes when he told me about his mom, but he never did cry. There was a sorrow behind them that made me ache for this stranger. She found out she had cancer, but refused any kind of treatment. He had been begging her to do something, but it was like she was ready to die. He was actually headed home after consulting a specialist in Europe when we met.

I’m glad we met when we did. I was still able to meet her, which I know meant a lot to Henry. She was a delicate woman, soft spoken, with a small stature. Her nearly white blonde hair always draped around over one shoulder, and her skin was pale and soft. It was a joy watching her with Henry. I could see he made her happy. I even tried to convince her once, for Henry, to get treatment.