Chapter 12: One Flight, Two Broken Hearts

I didn't sleep.

Not because I was packing.

Because I kept replaying the last twenty-four hours.

Adrian had smiled.

Only once.

But it was enough to give me hope.

Hope was dangerous.

Especially when it involved the man whose trust I'd broken.

At five-thirty the next morning, I arrived at JFK Airport carrying one suitcase, a laptop bag, and far too many emotions.

Nora had already sent the itinerary.

Flight: 7:10 A.M.

Destination: Chicago.

Meeting: Morrison Group Headquarters.

Hotel: Lakeshore Grand.

Two rooms.

One very awkward business trip.

I checked in and headed toward security.

As I reached the gate, I spotted Adrian sitting near the window with a coffee in one hand and his laptop open.

He looked up as I approached.

"Morning, Miss Hayes."

"Morning, Mr. Carter."

Professional again.

I sat two seats away.

Not too close.

Not too far.

Close enough to feel the silence.

"Did you sleep?" he asked without looking up.

"A little."

"You?"

"Not really."

Neither of us said anything after that.

The boarding announcement interrupted the uncomfortable quiet.

"Passengers for Flight 483 to Chicago may now begin boarding."

We stood at the same time.

Our hands brushed as we reached for our boarding passes.

Both of us immediately stepped back.

"Sorry," we said together.

For the first time that morning...

We both smiled.

The smiles disappeared just as quickly.

Business class was quieter than I expected.

Unfortunately...

Our seats were next to each other.

"Nora did this on purpose," I whispered.

Adrian fastened his seatbelt.

"Probably."

"She's enjoying this."

"Definitely."

The plane began taxiing.

Neither of us spoke during takeoff.

Once we reached cruising altitude, a flight attendant approached.

"Coffee or tea?"

"Black coffee," Adrian answered.

"Latte," I said.

The attendant smiled.

"Oat milk?"

I looked up in surprise.

"Yes."

She nodded.

"Mr. Carter requested it when he confirmed the reservation yesterday."

I slowly turned toward Adrian.

"You remembered."

He looked slightly embarrassed.

"Habit."

"You didn't have to."

"I know."

The flight attendant walked away.

I stared out the window.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

"You're welcome."

About an hour into the flight, turbulence hit.

Nothing serious.

Just enough to shake the cabin.

I hated flying.

Always had.

The plane dipped suddenly.

Without thinking...

I grabbed Adrian's arm.

The moment I realized what I'd done, I immediately let go.

"Sorry."

"You always hated turbulence."

I looked at him.

"You remembered that too?"

"Emma..."

He smiled faintly.

"I remember almost everything about you."

That sentence stayed with me for the rest of the flight.

After landing, a company driver picked us up.

The ride to Morrison Headquarters lasted nearly forty minutes.

We spent most of it reviewing presentation notes.

For the first time since everything had fallen apart...

Working together felt natural again.

"Slide twelve," Adrian said.

"The revenue projection should come first."

"I agree."

"Slide eighteen needs updated supplier figures."

"Already fixed."

"Good."

"Anything else?"

"No."

He looked at me for a second.

"You've always been prepared."

"Thank you."

"That's one thing I never doubted."

The compliment warmed me more than it should have.

The meeting exceeded everyone's expectations.

Adrian led the negotiations with calm confidence.

Whenever detailed financial questions came up, he turned to me.

"Emma?"

"Can you explain the projected savings?"

"Of course."

By the end of the afternoon, Morrison's executives were smiling.

"Congratulations," their CEO said.

"We'd like to move forward immediately."

Adrian shook his hand.

"We're looking forward to working together."

As we left the building, he looked noticeably lighter.

"That went well," I said.

"It did."

"You were brilliant."

"So were you."

"I only answered questions."

"You answered the important ones."

The driver took us to the hotel.

The Lakeshore Grand overlooked Lake Michigan.

The lobby smelled of fresh flowers and polished wood.

The receptionist smiled as we approached.

"Reservation for Carter."

She typed quickly.

"Yes, Mr. Carter."

Then she looked at me.

"Your honeymoon suite is almost ready."

Both Adrian and I froze.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm terribly sorry," the receptionist said, frowning at her screen.

"One moment..."

She clicked several keys.

"It appears someone accidentally merged your reservations."

"Merged?" Adrian repeated.

"Yes."

"As... husband and wife."

I covered my face with one hand.

Somewhere in New York...

Nora was probably laughing.

"Can you separate them?" Adrian asked.

"Normally, yes."

"Normally?"

"Unfortunately, we're fully booked because of the International Business Summit."

She looked genuinely apologetic.

"The only room currently available is the suite assigned to your reservation."

Silence.

"You're saying..." I began.

"You'll need to share the suite for tonight."

"Just tonight," Adrian asked.

"We expect another room to become available tomorrow afternoon."

The receptionist smiled nervously.

"We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience."

I slowly looked toward Adrian.

He looked just as shocked as I felt.

"This wasn't your doing, was it?" I whispered.

"Emma..."

"Because Nora is capable of crimes."

"Even Nora couldn't arrange this."

"Probably."

The receptionist handed over one key card.

"Again, we're very sorry."

Neither of us moved.

Finally, Adrian picked up the key.

"We'll manage."

The elevator ride to the thirty-second floor was painfully quiet.

"There's probably a sofa," I offered.

"You'll take the bed."

"No."

"Emma."

"Absolutely not."

"You're not sleeping on a sofa because of my pride."

"You're the CEO."

"Exactly."

"Which means your back is older than mine?"

He laughed.

"That's a terrible argument."

"It worked."

The elevator doors opened.

We found room 3218.

Adrian unlocked the door.

We stepped inside.

The suite was beautiful.

Large living room.

Private balcony.

Floor-to-ceiling windows.

One enormous bedroom.

One enormous bed.

We both stared at it.

Then at each other.

"Well..." I said.

"That's inconvenient," Adrian replied.

"Very."

A hotel employee entered behind us pushing a luggage cart.

"Congratulations on your honeymoon!" he said cheerfully.

Neither of us had enough energy left to correct him.