Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 98823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
“I better text my mom before I go on Airplane Mode.” After buckling up, I pulled out my phone, typing out my standard pre-flight message.
“Your mom?” Duncan asked, eyebrows drawing together.
“She’s a nervous flier, both for herself and me too. I always text her before and after a flight,” I explained as I clicked around. “No sense in her worrying. Besides, I’ll see them at our Ohio stop. Happier Mom equals more chance of brownies.”
“Ah.” Duncan’s forehead wrinkled further.
“What?” I looked up from the phone. “You don’t approve?”
“No, I do.” He flipped his hands palms up. “I just don’t have a frame of reference. I’ve never had someone to give a shit about my deployments or travel.”
“I’m sorry.” I couldn’t imagine a world where my parents didn’t want to keep tabs on me. Danny’s stories over the years had made it clear that wasn’t the case for his and Duncan’s bigwig father and ice sculpture-cold family, and I’d always felt guilty about my close relationship with my folks around Danny.
“Eh. It is what it is.” Duncan stretched his legs as far as the seats allowed. “My parents aren’t entirely bad, but they’re also not counting down the days to my homecoming.”
“They should be proud of you.” I didn’t have to like Duncan to believe that. He’d served his country admirably and was, by all accounts, a standup guy. The kind most parents would dedicate a whole mantle display of photos and memorabilia. Even when Danny was frustrated over family dynamics, he always talked about Duncan’s service in awestruck tones.
“Should.” He snorted. “Trust me, my dad had a course charted for me. Attend his alma mater. Get an MBA. Work on Hollywood deals alongside him. I screwed it all up, and he’s not over it.”
“But Danny said he bought you a sweet condo as a retirement from the navy gift.” I was known for my generosity, and real estate as a present was still beyond my experience.
“It’s a bribe.” Duncan’s mouth pursed. He had super-nice lips, soft and full, at odds with his more rugged features. “He wants me to work for him.”
“Ah. Like this flight. See, Ilene wants me back under the label’s thumb.” I jerked my head toward the rear of the plane. “A more sanitized package for them to sell, but I’m not interested in fitting into their narrow box anymore. I need to be true to me.”
“I get that.” Duncan’s voice was surprisingly sympathetic. “And I’m not here to shove you back into any box.”
“Thanks.” I didn’t like the way his understanding tone made my stomach wobble, and I deliberately tensed my back.
“But I do need to keep you safe, and if that means cooperating with the label to get the information I need, I’m going to do that. Besides, Ilene doesn’t seem that bad.” He made a dismissive gesture that made my muscles coil further.
“Ilene is only here for this part of the trip, thank God. And I’m pretty sure she’s got a boyfriend.”
“Good to know.” He gave me a long look, expression and cool tone hard to read. “This whole thing would go a lot smoother if you’d trust me to do my job.”
“I’ll try.” It wasn’t Duncan I didn’t trust, but rather my own reaction to him. It was easier when we were snarking at each other. Liking him wasn’t part of the bargain.
Chapter Five
Duncan
I didn’t want to find reasons to like Ezra. My long-distance opinion of him as Danny’s BFF and shocking headline maker had been that he was a cocky brat, used to having his whims catered to. Which wasn’t entirely wrong. But I hadn’t been prepared for Ezra the caring son. He got pre-flight check-ins and promises of brownies, while I got yet another text about how much more I could do if I went to work for my father. But it was hard to be bitter around someone so darn sunny.
And I hadn’t expected Ezra the leader either. Maybe I should have been. He was the front man for the decade’s hottest band, after all.
But having an angelic voice wasn’t the same as being naturally take-charge or good at managing people. That was the surprise. But he kept impressing me with how he handled those around him. Even on his way back to our seats from the restroom at the rear of the plane, he built goodwill. And I didn’t want to spy on him, but I couldn’t deny that he’d captured my attention. I couldn’t seem to look away as he wove his way forward.
“Show me the grandkid pics,” he demanded of an older dude who looked like the head of a motorcycle club, but the guy was actually the band’s lead roadie. After dutifully admiring the guy’s phone, Ezra slid over to inquire whether Kate, his assistant, had found her coffee before we departed. She shook her head, and Ezra flagged the flight attendant for her and summoned snacks for the collection of crew members in the back of the plane before continuing forward.