“The Ever...” She let out a breathy laugh, all color draining from her face. “Oh...okay. I guess. I don’t really love to fly.”
“This is nothing like flying.” He brushed her cheek as he walked out. “It’ll be amazing. You’ll see.” It took everything in him not to kiss her, but he managed to get out the door without giving in.
He’d won round one. Mandy Mitchell was his girlfriend. He’d take care of the “imaginary” part in no time.
* * *
The day had started dreamy, moved into unbelievable, and right now? A nightmare.
Every bump, jolt, drop, and roll had Amanda holding tighter to Zeke, her gaze out the helicopter window. All the beauty below was lost, though, as Amanda imagined what it would feel like to die.
The burnished gold sunset behind them and the cobalt waters of the Atlantic ahead of them, even the bright strip of land she recognized as Miami Beach, were just a blur right now.
“Don’t be scared.” Zeke rubbed his thumb along the inside of Amanda’s wrist, his finger warm and the pressure welcome, but neither enough to slow a heart that thumped with the same beat as the blades overhead.
She shook her head, and leaned closer to him, giving a quick look to the pilot, who could hear every word they said through the microphones attached to their headsets. Captain Davis already knew she was terrified, and that was embarrassing enough.
“It’s not what I expected,” she said, her voice muffled in the headsets that pressed around her ears and drowned out the more deafening sounds of the chopper. “Really, nothing today has been that way,” she added.
The whole day had been amazing, though. Not at all what one would expect from the day after being fired. She’d met with the bank, an attorney, and even had had lunch with her friend Jenna, who used to work at Casa Blanca but now was second-in-command at a small housekeeping service in Naples. She’d learned so much and gotten so much closer to her dream that it was dizzying.
Not like this ride, however.
Then, when she’d gotten home, a stylist and personal shopper had showed up along with a wardrobe that a movie star would envy, and they’d dressed and made her up for tonight like she...well, like she was a star. Was that how rich people lived, she wondered as she smoothed the tangerine-colored silk of the high-low strapless dress they’d chosen. She crossed her legs to admire the strappy sandals...and caught Zeke admiring, too.
He made no effort to pretend otherwise, leaning closer and threading his fingers through her hair and brushing her bare shoulder. As he did, the helicopter took a fast fall, making Amanda let out a tiny shriek as she clutched his other hand, a damp palm pressed against his dry, cool one.
“Sorry about that, folks,” the pilot said. “Getting a little gusty tonight. But on your left, you’ll see our destination. So, not much longer now.”
Except...they still had to get down. Amanda tamped her growing fear; she’d always hated to fly, hated that she had no control, hated the fact that she simply didn’t understand the physics of it...and this was like flying on steroids.
The pilot dropped them lower, giving them a chance to see the twilight glinting off the white sand of Miami Beach.
“That’s Fisher Island,” Zeke told her, using their joined hands to point to a triangular-shaped island at the lower tip of Miami Beach. “We’re going to that house, on the eastern side.”
She followed his gaze but didn’t see a house, unless... “That’s a house? It looks like a hotel.”
Zeke laughed. “Garrett Flynn is a little extravagant. And Meredith, his wife, is an incredible hostess, so the estate is lavish.”
Lavish was an understatement. Amanda forgot the helicopter horror for a moment, studying the waterfront property consisting of several red-topped Spanish-style structures situated around a center pool the size of a small lake, complete with a waterfall. A yacht and several smaller boats were moored at a long dock.
“Flynn’s a venture capitalist,” Zeke said, as if that explained the insane luxury.
“From the looks of it, a good one,” she added. “Is that how you know him? Through business?”
“And we’re in the same club in New York. Also, before he got married last year, he was on my softball team.”
She couldn’t imagine being young enough to be on a softball team and owning that estate. But then, look at the man next to her.
The chopper took another free fall, and the pilot tipped to the left, making Amanda seize up again. “Whoa,” she whispered.
“Sorry again, folks,” the pilot said into their ears. “We definitely are hitting some turbulence.”
Zeke put a solid arm around her. “No need to worry. Captain Davis is the best in the business.”
“Thank you, sir,” the pilot said.
He slid Mandy’s headset off her ear, pushing his microphone back so he could speak directly, and privately, to her. “We’re almost there, Mandy,” he whispered, the warmth of his breath and the genuine kindness in his voice sending chills over her. “Just relax.”
She threw him a grateful glance, aware that the pilot might not hear Zeke’s whispers, but he could hear her response. “I’m trying,” she mouthed, her grip on his hand hard enough to dig her nails into his skin.
“Think about how much fun you’re going to have tonight. It’s a beautiful place, right on the water, and Flynn and Meredith are great people. I know they’ll have a good crowd.”
Her eyes flashed. “I thought it was a business meeting.”
“I mix business and pleasure all the time.”
She slid him a look and gave a sly smile of warning. Had he forgotten already that this was “strictly business”?
“Well, not all the time,” he added, close enough to her ear that each word tickled. “You do remember that you’re there as my girlfriend?”
“Imaginary,” she reminded him.
“Folks, we’ll be landing in a few minutes,” the pilot said. “But it’s going to be a bumpy one, so hang on.”
“Oh, great.” Mandy tried to laugh but failed as her imagination went crazy with how bad “bumpy” could be.
“Stay calm,” Zeke whispered, lifting her hand to his mouth to kiss the jitters away. It almost worked.
As they descended lower, the turbulence increased, forcing the pilot to make a wide turn and hover. She leaned over and looked out, the Atlantic Ocean far, far below.