“Hey,” I say, trying to get their attention. “Aunt Poppy. Aunt Lil.”
But when they don’t respond or make any move to end the standoff, I put two fingers in my mouth and let out a sharp whistle. “Cut it out!”
The sounds of the garage door echo into the kitchen, and I use that to plead my case.
“Do you really want Kate to see you two at odds the day before her wedding?”
Lil sighs.
Poppy rolls her eyes.
But eventually, the two old birds call a truce by shaking hands.
I swear to God, after all these years of being bickering, bitching sisters, it’s a miracle these two haven’t killed each other.
It’s also a miracle they helped me get out of my emotional funk for a few minutes.
Yeah, but you know that’s going to be short-lived, sister.
Internally, I sigh, reminding myself that I have to hold it together today and tomorrow. If not for myself, I have to do it for Kate.December 31st, New Year’s Eve
Luke“What are you doing here?” Trevor asks, his eyes wide when he sees me step aboard the plane.
“I…uh…convinced Barry to let me take his shift.”
Frankly, it took a lot of convincing for Barry to give up this flight, but hell, there was no fucking way I was going to be able to stay home, in my apartment, and think about how Ava is doing and how the wedding was going, and yeah, you get the idea.
It was either wallow in my own misery or try to find something to distract me.
This flight seemed like the perfect option.
And because Barry might not be as nice of a guy as I originally thought, I’m basically flying this plane for free tonight. On fucking New Year’s Eve.
Trevor just sits there, staring at me like I’m not even speaking English.
“Dude, I’m so fucking confused right now,” he mutters and runs a hand through his hair. “Aren’t you supposed to be at Ava’s sister’s wedding?”
“Change of plans.” I shrug and busy myself with putting my duffel in the staff closet behind the cockpit.
But my sad excuse for an explanation doesn’t do anything to suppress his bewilderment.
“Luke, my man, I think we both know this wasn’t just a simple change of plans,” he continues, his eyes scrutinizing my face. “No offense, but you look like shit, and there is no way in hell you should be anywhere but Vermont right now.”
He probably isn’t off base on the whole “you look like shit” comment.
Sleep hasn’t come easy since I left Vermont because I hurt Ava so badly that she told me she needed space. I feel like someone has ripped my heart out of my chest, run it through it a meat grinder, and shoved it back inside my body.
Truthfully, the only thing that’s helped ease some of the discomfort is running. Needless to say, in the past twenty-four hours, I’ve managed three six-mile runs around the city, about four hours of sleep, and only one meal of fucking Lucky Charms cereal.
It’s all pretty pathetic.
“It’s a long story,” I eventually answer through a sigh. I slip my hands into my pockets and stare up at the ceiling of the plane. “One that I don’t want to get into right now. So, let’s just focus on getting ready for the flight, okay?”
“Yeah, that’s not going to work for me.” Trevor shakes his head and continues to stare at me, making no move to go back to his safety checks.
“Trev, c’mon.” I try to reason with him. “Just let me be, all right?”
“What. The. Fluff?” A loud, boisterous voice fills my ears, and I turn to find Thatcher Kelly stepping onto the plane. “What in the hell are you doing here? Where’s Dingle-Barry?”
“Apparently,” Trev chimes in, “our good friend Luke here had a change of plans. So, instead of going to Ava’s sister’s wedding, he took Barry’s scheduled flight.”
Thatch’s eyes turn downright interrogatory. “I’m sorry…what?”
I shrug, trying to act like it’s no big thing. “I’ll be flying you guys to Vegas for New Year’s Eve.”
Thatch looks between Trevor and me, confusion written all over his face.
But when he opens his mouth to say God knows what, his wife Cassie and the rest of the gang begin to board the plane.
First, Kline and Georgia. Then, everyone else follows their lead, stepping onto the plane already coupled up. Wes and Winnie, Milo and Maybe, Trent and Greer, Quincy and Emory, Cap and Ruby, Harrison and Rocky, and lastly, Theo and Lena.
Literally, their whole gang.
At first, no one really notices why Thatch is standing so close to the cockpit of the plane. Hell, most of them even manage to put their bags in the overhead bins and sit down in their preferred seats.
But Thatch doesn’t let that last long.
“Guess what, guys?” he announces toward the back of the plane, stepping into the aisleway. “Guess who is flying us today?”