Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 61248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
A few minutes later, my father and I say an emotional goodbye outside the restaurant. This will be the first time we’ve been apart since my mother died, and that is in the air. “I’ll call often.”
“Make sure you do,” he says, and after shaking Ethan’s hand, he’s walking away.
I miss him already, but the idea of going home to pack and leave with Ethan has my belly fluttering with excitement.
This is happening. I’m going to New York and Paris.
With Ethan.
It feels as if I’m Cinderella, and he’s my Prince Charming.
And there isn’t an evil stepsister anywhere in sight.
Chapter Forty
Sofia
I’ve never flown private, but I’m not at all surprised to find this one luxurious. The seats are a tan leather. The carpet’s a floral, but highly masculine, design done in browns and tans. I sit next to Ethan, but there is a table that seats two in our same seating area, where champagne is on ice and waiting on indulgence. “I talked to Elaine,” he says, “She’s the lead at the show you’ll be working with, and I told her we’re not going to get home until about midnight. She said to have you meet her in the lobby of the Swan Hotel at noon.”
“How long is the flight?”
“Four hours, and a time change, and once we land, it will take a while to get to the apartment.”
He stands and moves to the table, filling our champagne glasses. “But you should try to rest on the flight. She’ll push you hard. If they can break you, you’ll never get to the Paris mentorship.”
“They won’t break me.”
“That’s my girl,” he says, sitting next to me again and offering me the glass.
I accept it with a pit in my belly. “This could be it, then. I’ll never get to Paris.”
“You’re going to Paris with me. It’s already planned. And no one thinks you’re going to fail. I’ve sent your designs to the best experts in your field. Everyone is impressed.”
“Who is everyone?”
“Most of the lead designers have designers beneath them. I showed your work to a number of those leads before we ever offered.”
“Really?”
“Really. You’re a star in the making, and everyone knows it. It’s not a matter of who you apprentice with, but when. And I want you to rest so you can click with Elaine. That way it can be now.”
A flight attendant appears and offers us menus. Once she’s walked away, I glance at the fancy options and then at Ethan. “It’s like being in a five-star restaurant.”
“First class service and then some,” he assures me. “Get used to it, baby. This is your new life now.”
“It’s your life.”
He takes my glass and sets both his and mine on the table before he returns to sit next to me. “I’m not sure you really understand how all in I am with you, Sofia. I don’t want to go to Paris without you. I don’t want you to go to Denver without me.”
Nerves flutter about in my belly, and I can barely breathe. “The obsession that comes with a new relationship.”
“I’ve never been obsessed with anyone but you.”
“You were engaged.”
“A business transaction. That’s all that was.”
“You were into her enough to believe she was worthy of a lifetime.”
“We’ve had this conversation. I thought every relationship was a transaction. We are not. And thank you for showing me the difference between her and you. I didn’t love her. I didn’t even propose romantically. She wanted a ring. I said fine. I gave her a budget and let her go pick it out. Alone.”
“Really?”
“Really. I don’t even approach dinner with you that mechanically. Which, speaking of, we need to get our order ready. I’m hungry. You?”
“Very. I didn’t eat that much with my dad. I was too focused on you two getting along.” I grab the menu I’ve let slip beside me in the seat. “Steak or ravioli. I always pick pasta.”
“And I’ll always pick steak,” he says. “The food with this airline is actually really good.”
“You don’t own the plane?”
“No. That’s an expensive investment, and unless I was buying into the business, I wouldn’t be interested. I tried to buy this one and had no luck. They’re a well-oiled, well-financed business, which is what you want out of an airline.”
“Do you use them for international flights?”
“I didn’t used to, but lately, I have. You can fly with them for almost the same price as a commercial flight, and without all the recent mishaps airlines are having.”
The flight attendant reappears, and we order. She also takes the champagne until after takeoff. A few minutes later, we’re in the air, our champagne back on ice, and soon we’re eating, though Ethan is also juggling a number of messages on his phone, thanks to in-flight internet. “I’m having lunch with my father tomorrow.”
“That’s good. Do you have a plan to get through to him about your brother?”