Mr Spencer (Mr. 2)

“Happy New Year. Happy fucking New Year.”

26

Charlotte

Fourteen hours earlier

I look up at the board and I read the dreaded words.

Flight delayed.

“No.” I turn to Anthony. “It’s delayed.”

“Fuck.”

“Find us another flight, please,” I say as I begin to panic. “Why did I send that damn letter with Wyatt?” I whisper angrily. “What on earth was I thinking?”

“Please try and call Wyatt again. He can’t deliver it. He just can’t.”

“He’s in the air, he has no service.” Anthony shakes his head, silently saying I told you this ten times already before he disappears to the front desk to try and organise flights.

I drop to my seat with my head in my hands. I get a vision of my beautiful Spencer alone on his birthday waiting for me.

Why the hell did I take so long to get my shit together?

What the hell is wrong with me?

I don’t have my phone because I threw my SIM in the water during my delusional tantrum. Anthony’s phone isn’t working here as we are in another country, so I can only call Spencer from a payphone.

I’ve been trying for an hour but he’s not picking up. Presumably because he doesn’t know the number.

Anthony reappears, his face solemn.

“Any luck?” I ask.

“I can get us on a flight in another hour and a half.”

“Oh, great, do that.”

“But it has another stopover, so it will actually get us to Santorini later than the original one.”

“Oh my God. I’ve ruined everything,” I whisper in a panic. “It’s his birthday today.”

“It’s only early morning there. We’ll make it.”

“We won’t get there in time. You know we won’t.”

Anthony exhales heavily, and I know that’s his way of agreeing with me.

“Call my father. Send the jet. I need his plane urgently.”

“By the time it fuels up and gets here, the flight we’re on will be quicker.”

“Why the hell are they delaying all the flights?”

He puts his arm around me. “Just calm down. We have three hours until we board and then a fourteen-hour flight. You’ll have a heart attack before you get there at this rate.”

“This is a nightmare. No wonder people complain about flying commercial. I had no idea the delays were so bad.”