Day Seven

I grab a National Geographic from the magazine stand at the airport and flip through it. There’s a mummy on the cover with a seventeen-page article on several new Incan mummies just discovered in the mountains of Peru.

“Sounds interesting,” I mumble as I flip through it, looking at the disgusting pictures.

Ah, who am I kidding?

I toss it back on the rack and grab the new Vogue, In Style, and Cosmopolitan. The only wrapped up bodies I care about are the ones wrapped up in designer clothes.

I grab the new Vanity Fair as well. It’s going to be a long flight all by myself back to Bogota, Colombia, and I’ll need something to do while the movie is playing in Spanish. I have a seven-hour layover, and then I’m flying to Dallas, where I’ll switch planes, and then finally fly back to Buffalo. I’m kinda regretting not taking Tucker up on his offer to pay for my direct flight. Oh, well. It’s a little late now.

Maybe one more. I reach for the latest Elle at the same time as someone else and we bump hands.

It’s Stephanie.

“Oh,” I say, looking up at her in shock.

“Julia,” she says, smiling at me.

“You got my name right. Finally.”

She wrings her hands together, looking embarrassed. “I just want to apologize to you for yesterday. I really feel horrible for trying to sabotage the wedding. Thank you for helping me see the light. I really am committed to changing now.”

“That’s good,” I say, still keeping my distance from her. This could be a trap. With Stephanie, you never know.

“Let me buy these for you,” she says, taking the magazines from my hands. “As a show of goodwill.”

“Uh, okay,” I say, furrowing my brow as she takes them. She adds the new edition of Elle onto the pile and walks with me to the cash.

I still keep my distance as the cashier rings them up. “$33.42,” the young girl says.

Stephanie hands her a credit card and forces out a smile.

“Would you like to donate a dollar to help build an orphanage in Aruba?” the young girl asks with a bubbly voice.

“Pfff,” Stephanie scoffs, looking at the girl like she’s crazy. “No. Those lazy kids can get jobs like everyone else if they want money.” She grabs her credit card back and rolls her eyes at me as she hands me the magazines.

The young girl looks horrified as she stares at Stephanie in disbelief.

I quickly reach into my pocket as Stephanie walks out.

“For the kids,” I whisper, tossing a twenty onto the counter.

I follow her out of the store and catch up to her in the hall. “So, does this mean you won’t try and ruin my wedding?”

“Of course I won’t,” she says with a nod of her head. She perks up. “Will I be invited?”

“Uh,” I say looking around in panic. “They just called out that they’re boarding my plane. Gotta go!”

“I didn’t hear anything,” she says, looking around in confusion. “Aren’t you coming back to Buffalo? We only board in an hour.”

“I’m stopping in Colombia first,” I say with a tired breath. “Don’t ask.”

I say a quick goodbye to her and then head over to where my friends are waiting by the terminal. I have to head over to my gate, so it’s time for the goodbyes.

I’ll see everyone back at home, except for the most important one.

“I have to go,” I say, waving to the group who are all lounging on the chairs looking hungover and tired.

“Enjoy Colombia,” Megan says with a wave. “Bring me back some of that uncut Colombian yeyo.”

“Now it makes sense,” Ethan says with a laugh. “She’s a drug mule. Julia are you a drug mule?”

“If I was a drug mule, I would be flying first class,” I answer, “instead of being next to some stranger who’s going to steal my armrest.”

Cynthia gets up and gives me a warm hug. “Thanks for everything,” she says. “You really made my week. I know you couldn’t really afford it, but I appreciate it so much that you came anyway.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it for anything,” I say, squeezing her back. “I would have sold a kidney if I had to. So, I guess I’ll see you at home?”

“Not for two weeks,” she says with a wide grin.

“What?”

“Tucker gave us a wedding gift,” she says barely able to contain her excitement. “Two weeks in Australia. We’re leaving in two days!”

“Get out!”

“I’ll be surfing with kangaroos!” she says, squealing in excitement.

“Call me when you get there,” I say, pointing my finger into her chest. “And go make some Aussie babies.”

I say goodbye to Chase and Tanya and the rest of them, but there’s one person missing.

“Where’s Tucker?” I whisper to Cynthia. I can’t leave without saying goodbye, but I really have to get to my gate.

She shrugs. “I’ll just tell him you said goodbye. Kidding,” she says when she sees my face. “He’s waiting for you at your gate.”

My horrified face turns into a smile. “Bring me back a boomerang,” I say to her before leaving.

I hurry through the airport, excited to see Tucker’s face. It’s going to be a while before I see it again.

He looks so sexy standing by the gate with his bag slung over his round shoulder. He’s wearing a tight black t-shirt that sends dirty thoughts rushing through my head. I’m going to miss that view.

“You came to say ‘bye.”

He smiles at me as he shakes his head. “Not yet.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, eying him funny. “My plane is boarding.”

He pulls a ticket out of his pocket and shows it to me. Tucker Connor. Bogota. Colombia.

I burst out laughing. “You didn’t.”

“I did,” he says with a grin. “You wouldn’t let me switch your ticket, but you have no control over mine.”

“Lucky me,” I say, biting my bottom lip as I admire his tattooed biceps. Those are some arms I definitely wouldn’t mind sharing an armrest with.

“Where are you sitting?” I ask, hoping we’re beside each other.

“Beside you. In first class.”

“What?”

“I figured you wouldn’t be too mad if I upgraded us to first class.”

I can’t help but smile. “I can live with that.”

“And the best part is,” he continues. “I booked a five-star hotel outside of the airport for our seven hour layover. You’ll be wishing it was twelve.”

“Perfect.” I can’t believe my luck with this guy. He’s the thing that’s perfect. “So, I’ll get laid on my layover?”

“That’s what they were invented for,” he answers with a smirk.

“That’s what you were invented for,” I say, stepping on my toes to give him a kiss.

My heart swells as we kiss in front of the gate. Aruba was fun, but Colombia is going to be even better!