4. Scarlett

Chapter 4

Scarlett

Between the steady hum of the jet engines and the gentle pressure of Noah’s hand in mine, I find myself drifting off to sleep. It’s surprising how easily the calmness of having him near seems to cradle me into a reprieve my body apparently needs. One minute, I’m wide-eyed and devouring every detail of this surreal trip, and the next, I’m wrapped in oblivious slumber.

When I eventually blink back to consciousness, the plane is taxiing on the runway. I stretch, piecing together my surroundings and momentarily disoriented by the coziness lingering from my mid-air nap.

Next to me, Noah is engrossed in his laptop, focused and efficient, the picture of productivity fitting seamlessly with the plush luxury surrounding him.

“Sorry about that,” I mumble, wiping remnants of sleep from my eyes with the back of my hand. “I didn’t mean to completely conk out on you. I should’ve helped with whatever you were working on.”

He closes his laptop and turns to me with a reassuring smile as his blue eyes soften. “No need to apologize. You needed the sleep more than I needed an extra set of eyes.” Who is this man?

His words settle over me like a warm blanket, warming my heart and easing any residual embarrassment from my unintentional nap fest. Our working relationship has morphed into something I’m having trouble defining. Or maybe I’m just scared to consider what it means.

As the plane comes to a full stop, it dawns on me with sudden clarity that our paths are about to diverge. “So, is your family meeting you in town for the holidays?” I ask, trailing off because I realize I’m not quite sure where his journey goes from here, except that it doesn’t involve California.

“I’m not really close to my family.” He shrugs, giving me a rare glimpse at something personal. “I’d prefer to spend the holiday with peace and quiet.”

“Oh,” I reply, not really knowing what to say.

“I’m looking forward to the quiet time,” he adds like it’s no big deal to spend the holidays alone.

A sudden thought occurs to me—he’s getting off the plane, which means I’ll have to fly the rest of the way to California alone. “I’ll make sure to stay on top of emails and texts, so feel free to reach out if you need anything. I promise not to nap on the job again.”

Noah chuckles softly, that familiar warmth enveloping the air between us. “Enjoy your time off. I can handle things for a few days.”

I glance out the window, seeing we didn’t land at a major airport. In fact, it seems we’re parked in the middle of a field with a runway. In the middle of freaking nowhere.

As he steps off the plane, I forget about leaving my boss in the middle of nowhere and mentally prepare for this next leg of my journey, but I’m already missing my grouchy boss. What in the world is happening to me? Oh yeah. I’ve been lusting after him since the first day we met. I settle back into my seat, already dreading the next leg of the journey.

Suddenly, something catches my eye, glinting from the nook of the seat Noah had occupied. I reach over, plucking his phone from the crevice as my heart does a small, frantic dance. Of all the things for him to leave behind, of course, this practical lifeline had to be it.

Panic flashes through my mind like a neon sign, reminding me Noah is now sans communication. No one can call or text him.

Well, great. Without halting to consider what I’m about to do, I spring into action. Scooping Minnie’s carrier up with one arm and clutching the phone in the other, I quickly inform the pilot of the sudden change in my travel plans. “Sorry, but it appears we’re detouring. Mr. Blackstone left his phone on the plane, and I have to return it to him before we leave.” Why is my heart lighter at the thought of not taking off? I ignore the thoughts swirling in my mind and tell the pilot, “We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”

With Minnie nestled securely by my side, I scramble to arrange an Uber, even as financial worries buzz like irritating insects somewhere in the recesses of my mind. I feed the address of his cabin into the app with the determination born of sheer necessity and dart out of the plane, hoping to catch up with him before the casual disaster unfolds further. The Uber app pretty much laughs at me, informing me there are no drivers in the vicinity. Ouch.

Next, I google taxis in the area and luck out. There’s a small taxi service in this secluded town that’s willing to drive me to Noah’s cabin for an extra fee. I agree to the fee and give them my trusty credit card number.

Minnie lets out a small protest, her displeasure at being uprooted evident, and I offer her soothing words, mostly for myself, running on adrenaline and the resolve to rectify this blip in what started as a halfway decent day. The chilly air hits me in the face, reminding me I am dressed for a day in balmy, southern California, not frozen Colorado. I glance around at the rapidly darkening sky and start to worry about the weather forecast.

The taxi pulls up, and I hop in, ushering Minnie along and settling back as the snowy scenery blurs past. “Thank you,” I tell the driver who looks a lot like Santa Claus himself.

“No problem.” Even his voice sounds like the jolly old guy.

All the while, Noah’s phone feels like a hot potato in my hand. The ride stretches on and I realize how secluded his cabin must be. It’s been miles since I saw the last vehicle or home. Oof.

The weather turns even darker as big fluffy snowflakes fly around us, and I wonder how long it will take for the roads to become icy and hard to travel on.

I’m about to really worry when we pull up outside a charming cabin nestled among Evergreen trees dipped in the soft hues of dusk. I spring out of the car, clutching the phone with fresh resolve.

The rapidly falling snow makes it hard to see more than a few feet in front of me. “Can you hold on for a few minutes?” I ask the taxi driver. “I’m going to drop this phone off to my boss and head right back to the airport.”

“Lady, there’s no way you’ll make it back to the airport in this storm.” He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “From the forecast, you’ll be lucky to get back to the airport in the next few days. I only took this fare because it’s only ten minutes from my house, and I could use the extra dough for Christmas.”

“But…” I attempt to argue, but he cuts me off.

“Good luck.” He pulls away, leaving me standing outside the secluded cabin. In a freaking snowstorm. With just my cat and my boss’ phone. Ouch. My habit of acting without fully thinking things through might’ve gotten me in a whole heap of trouble.

For better or worse, Noah Blackwood just got two unexpected holiday guests.