Chapter One
Nia
* * *
“Please be honest with me, Nia,” Susan says with a frazzled look in her eyes. She usually looks like she’s had a few too many pots of coffee, but right now, she’s trembling so much she looks like she’s about to explode. “Are we going to die?”
“Are you serious?” I ask, looking at her funny.
She starts gnawing on her fingernails like she’s trying to get down to the bone. She’s serious.
We both look up at the parked helicopter and I start to get excited. The spectacular volcano in the middle of Maui rests behind it, full of lush vegetation and gorgeous flowers.
“These pilots fly tourists around all day,” I tell her in a calm voice. “Our pilot has probably flown this route thousands of times.”
“Thousands of times?” she mutters as she looks up at the still rotor blade. “So, you’re saying he’s due for a crash?”
Wow, this is her on vacation. It’s just my luck to be stuck with this crew of people.
Next time I win salesperson of the year at my company and qualify for the all-expenses paid trip to Maui, I’m going to ask them if I can have the money instead. If they say no, I’ll just stay home.
“You’ll stay with me the whole time, right?” she asks as her bloodshot eyes land back on me.
“We’re going to be in a helicopter,” I answer in a flat voice. “Where do you think I’m going to go?”
“Who’s ready to get a bird’s eye view of Hawaii?” my boss Devon asks as he walks over with a spring in his step. “It’s going to be off the playground!”
My coworker (and only friend here) Kyle is beside him trying not to laugh. We’re always making fun of Devon behind his back. He’s the only black man I’ve met who gets his slang from Nickelodeon.
“Has Susan had a nervous breakdown yet?” Kyle whispers to me.
“It’s in process,” I whisper back. “Did you text Rachel and tell her you love her one last time?”
“No,” he says as he looks at his phone. “I sent her a meme about a drunk penguin this morning. I’d like that to be the last thing I say to her if I die in a horrific helicopter crash. It’s more me.”
“It’s definitely more you,” I say with a laugh when he shows it to me.
Kyle and Rachel are the best couple ever. They’re getting married in three months and I’m so happy for them. I look at them and that’s what I want to have—a partner who will lift me up and let me do the same for him.
“Did you see our pilot yet?” he asks. “Is he hot?”
I shake my head as I try not to laugh. “I still can’t believe I told you I had a thing for pilots.”
“Did you forget how drunk you were? You told the entire bar that you had a thing for pilots. In fact, you were standing on the bar and yelling out if there were any pilots in the place who wanted to take you on a ride, if I recall correctly.”
“I don’t think you’re recalling it correctly at all.”
He raises his eyebrow as he gives me a look. “Oh really? I did have it recorded on my phone until someone made me erase it.”
I shake my head in embarrassment as I remember him playing it for me when I was hungover the next day. I made him erase it by saying I would convince Rachel to take a trip to Alaska for their honeymoon if he didn’t. Thankfully, he did.
Susan comes barging into our conversation with shaky hands and wide open eyes. I don’t think she’s blinked in the past fifteen minutes.
“Kyle, are these pilots certified?”
“No,” he says with a shake of his head. “I think they just hire them off the street.”
Her eyes widen even more.
“He’s kidding, Susan. They have to be certified pilots with at least a commercial license in order to operate a helicopter.”
“It’s true,” Kyle says with a grin. “Nia knows her stuff. She buys the hunky helicopter pilot calendar every year.”
“Shut up,” I say with a laugh.
“Where is this guy?” Devon mutters as he checks his watch. “We’ve been waiting out here for ten minutes!”
This activity is all part of our corporate retreat. Kyle, Susan, and I are the top sales execs in the country for Handleback Insurance and we’ve all qualified to be pampered for the seven-day retreat. We’re on day three so far and after our motivational meeting this morning, we’re taking a helicopter tour of the island.
The beachfront hotel has been amazing, the food has been incredible, but after three days, these people are starting to get on my nerves. Except for Kyle. He’s cool.
I’ve never been to Hawaii before and I think I’d prefer it much more if I was here with a husband, or a fiancée, or a boyfriend, or any kind of guy really. I’ve been working so hard over the past three years that I haven’t made any time for dating.