Tempting Her Best Friend(48)
Alyssa studied his bright blue eyes and felt her blood pressure go down a few notches. Though her head still screamed for her to turn around, her heart was about to board a plane somewhere on the other side of those security gates. Trent might be the Wizard of Oz, but Will was Glinda the Good Witch. He was the only one who could get her to where she needed to be.
Nodding her head with renewed confidence, she said, “Yeah, okay.”
“Atta girl,” he said, softly chucking her beneath the chin before giving the sign to the group that the plan was still a go.
They played follow the leader over to the corralled security area where he opened a section and gave it to Trent who hooked it back up once they were all through. Will led them to a sweet-looking old lady with white hair and more wrinkles than a shar-pei puppy. Back and forth, she paced on the other side of the security arches, helping the more travel-challenged individuals find their bins and get on their way.
As soon as she saw them, she moved off to the side and held open a small swinging door and motioned them forward.
One by one, they passed through without a single alarm going off. Will kept walking so they kept following, past the stainless steel tables backed up with bins of belongings and past the “Recombobulation Area” where travelers desperately tried to redo everything they were just forced to undo.
“Hurry, we have to take the tram to the D Gates.”
The motley crew hustled to the boarding area for the tram and arrived just as the doors opened to accept passengers. They piled in and all grabbed a pole. Will turned around to do a head count like a teacher on a field trip. “Everyone in?”
“Yep,” Elvis answered. “Looks like we’re in the clear.”
“Thanks to me and Pat,” a woman with a feminine, accented voice said behind them.
The group turned to see Connie and Pat rush on before the doors closed securely behind them and the tram began to move.
Will bent down to buss the older lady’s soft cheek with a quick kiss before bestowing the same on Connie. “Thanks for helping out, ladies.”
Alyssa held her hand out to shake theirs in relief and gratitude. “Yes, thank you both so much. I truly appreciate it.”
Connie’s eyes sparkled. “It will be thanks enough to see you reunite with your man.” She sighed wistfully. “It is very romantic, no?”
Holy shit, if this kept up, she’d have a live studio audience worthy of a daytime talk show. She tried not to think about that as the tram slowed to a stop. When the doors opened, everyone spilled out into the lower level like a clown car in a circus. While most of the travelers walked briskly toward the escalators, their party walked even brisker.
As Alyssa hoisted her skirts up and hopped onto one of the moving metal steps, she heard a woman’s voice echoing from above. “Last call for Frontier Flight 756 to Denver. We’ll be closing the doors and departing in five minutes.”
A bolt of panic shot through her as she looked to her ringleaders for confirmation that she’d heard wrong. There had to be at least thirty minutes before his plane left.
Will cursed and peered down at her with bad news in his eyes. “They must have moved the time up. And the gate is on the other side of the terminal.”
They stepped off the escalator and moved off to the side to let the people behind them continue on. Connie’s lush mouth turned down in pouty empathy. “Even if we run we will never make it in time. I am so sorry, mija.”
Alyssa swallowed past the lump of disappointment in her throat, then took a deep breath in until it dissolved completely. It had no right to be there. These people had gone above and beyond to help her and she wasn’t about to discredit that with a pity party. “That’s okay,” she said, trying her best to tug up the corners of her mouth. “It was a crazy idea to begin with. I’m not usually so impulsive.”
“Maybe you won’t have to wait that long after all,” Pat said. “Look! We can hitch a ride with Charlie.”
Six pairs of eyes followed to where Pat pointed to a man driving a stretch golf-cart thing with three benches—two facing forward and one facing back. Sitting next to Charlie was a showgirl with giant turquoise plumes sticking out of her headdress like a peacock in full strut mode. Her left calf rested on the dash of the cart with an ice pack strapped to her ankle.
“It’ll be close, but it’s worth a shot.” Will ran after Charlie. His athletically large frame dodged people in his path like a football player avoiding the defensive line on his way to the end zone. It took less than a minute for Will to stop him, give a quick explanation, and get him turned around to pick up the rest of them. Extending his hand to Alyssa, he smiled. “Your chariot, m’lady.”