Beyond Eighteen (26 page)

“You are most certainly welcome,” Allen
retorted, pulling me out of my memories of my grandfather. “Your
plane is waiting.” He turned and pointed to a compact yet
impressive white commuter jet with GP spread across the side in
gold script writing. It looked amazing. I tried to swallow but I
don’t think I had any saliva left in my mouth. My eyes burned from
staring and the chill of the day worked to remind me I was still
standing in Aspen.

I didn’t have a chance to respond to J’s pep
talk. A guy dressed in a gray jumpsuit came over to the car and
grabbed our bags out of the trunks.

“Is this it?” the guy asked.

“Yes, these lovely ladies are traveling
light today,” Allen said as he winked at us. “Well, this is the
point where I say good-bye. It was my pleasure to drive you both.”
Allen took our wrists, and bent down to kiss the tops of our
hands.

“Thank you so much!” Joanie smiled as she
pulled her hand from his and looped her arm through mine. We walked
to the fold-down door that also served as our stairs to enter GP’s
private jet.

There were two men waiting for us at the
bottom of the stairs, both dressed in eye-blinding, white polyester
with blue and gold stripes down both sides of their pants and
across the seams of their sleeves and shirt pockets. One nodded to
us as he grabbed his white hat and wedged it between his elbow and
the side of his body.

“Welcome, ladies, I am Captain Richard
Brenner and this is my copilot Captain Joshua Meyers. We will be
piloting your flight this morning.” Both men must have been in
their late thirties. Clean shaven, slicked-back hair.
I wonder
if all pilots have to slick back their hair?

I nodded at them before looking over at J,
wondering what was going through her mind.

“Oh thank you,” Joanie responded.

“Miss Mooney?” the co-pilot asked pointing
to Joanie.

“No, she’s Miss Mooney,” Joanie said
pointing to me.

“My apologies. I have that we are arriving
in Concord, California, is that correct?”

“Yes,” I answered.

“I have a message from Mr. Goldstein. He
made arrangements for your transportation once in Concord.”

“He did?” I asked, almost embarrassed. The
pilot didn’t respond.

“Please watch your step,” he said as Joanie
and I started up the stairs. We both squealed, as quietly as
possible, and clung to one another as we felt the stairs give under
our weight.

“Holy shit, we are going to fly on a private
jet!” I whispered as my breath caught in my chest.

“I know, unbelievable, eeekkk!” Joanie
responded in a mirrored tone. I looked behind us; the pilots
smiled, shook their heads, and laughed as they watched us climb to
the top of the stairs.

“Oh my God! Are you seeing this, J?” I asked
as we both stepped into the jet. All I heard was Joanie catching
her breath.

It was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen.
Now, I can tell you what I truly expected—maybe ten rows of seats
like the little puddle-jumper planes you see on the travel channel
when people hop from island to island in Hawaii. But this was
something else. I never expected to see gorgeous, soft
cream-colored leather captains chairs, with plush head rests and
wide arms that were plump enough to hug you in place. Thick tables
with honey-colored cherry wood. Matching cabinets hung along the
top of the plane with GP etched in frosted glass, beveled mirrors,
and recessed lighting. A long, posh couch ran the length of the
sitting area with mocha-colored pillows that matched the carpeting.
Deep gold GP insignias were embroidered on the pillows, matching
the GP on the headrests.

“Holy shit, Wilson, it has an actual kitchen
area with a fridge and microwave,” Joanie said as she shuffled past
the couch and executive sitting area. She pulled open the
fridge.

“The company stocked the refrigerator per
Mr. Goldstein’s request,” Captain Richard said as Copilot Joshua
twisted the lock on the door.

Diet Coke, water, orange juice, and
chocolate dipped strawberries crowded the space in the
refrigerator. I noticed a can of royal whipped cream with the red
cap and smiled. Max must have wanted me to remember our first time
up in his room when he fed me chocolate covered strawberries and
filled my mouth with whipped cream before kissing me. I pushed my
fingers to my lips as every flicker of my butterflies’ wings
rattled in the space reserved only for him.

“Oooh, chocolate covered strawberries,” J
said out loud as she grabbed one and took a bite of it.

“Alright ladies, it’s probably best if you
find a comfortable seat before we begin to fly this bird to
California,” Captain Richard said as he pulled open the cabinet
closest to the front of the plane and stowed his cap.

“Okay, anywhere?” I asked.

“Please make yourself comfortable in any of
the seats with the exception of the couch. I’m going to ask you to
remain in your seats until I let you know it’s safe to roam about
the cabin. Also I will be communicating with you via the speakers
overhead and with the in-flight phone, located here,” he said in a
monotone voice before he headed to the cockpit.

Joanie shut the fridge door and tossed the
last bit of chocolate covered strawberry into her mouth. I sat in
the chair closest to me; Joanie took the one directly across from
it, with a coffee table between us. She plopped into the seat and
snapped her seatbelt across her lap. I seemed to struggle trying to
find my buckle. Copilot Joshua dug it out from the crevice under
the arm of the chair. It wasn’t long before he gave us the safety
spiel about our seats being a floatation device, restricted
electronic usage, and oxygen masks that drop from the ceiling in
case of an emergency. He also talked about the added luxuries of
traveling privately. He demonstrated how the coffee table between
us had dials we could adjust according to our needs, with a remote
that was attached to our chairs so we could recline, raise, or
swivel. He showed us how to turn on the bum heat, start the
different types of massage settings to release any tension in our
backs, and all the other bells and whistles. He pointed out where
the restroom was, how to open and close cabinets and doors, and how
to lower the lights in case we wanted to sleep.

J and I couldn’t help but giggle every time
Copilot Joshua pointed out new things we should be aware of while
flying in GP’s private jet.

“Do you have any questions?” he asked.

J and I looked at each other before looking
back at him.

“Can I use my cell phone right now?” I
asked.

“Sure, but right before takeoff and landing
we will ask you to shut off all electronic devices, including
Kindles, e-readers, and iPads.”

“Oh good, thanks,” Joanie answered. I just
smiled thinking about all the rich people who walked around with so
many devices on at the same time.

Joshua took his seat next to Captain
Richard. I was totally amazed at the view of the pilots and how
complex everything was in the cockpit. The sound of the switches
being flicked, the tin voices from the two-way radio, and the
captain’s voice faded behind the click of the door separating us
from the men who were going to fly us to California. But seeing as
this was my first time on a private jet I really didn’t have much
to judge it against.

“I’m going to text Max, tell him we are on
the plane,” I said as I looked over at J, who was already on her
iPhone. Texting Nick, no doubt.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and
scrolled down to the last text I’d sent to Matt Gladstone…aka
Max.

I pressed the buttons quickly, anxious that
I wouldn’t be able to get a message out before I was told to shut
it down.

BaBE, We R On PLane! OMG its AMAZING! Miss U
HARD ALREDY. J SAYS HI Dont worry-I stopped cryN 4 now. <3 U
sooo much. GET 2 ME FAST. U.R.MY.HOME.

I pressed send and watched the little
envelope sail across my screen, then turned to J. She had her
thumbs bouncing back and forth on her keys, laughing under her
breath as she responded to the texts she was receiving.

I looked at my phone, hoping I’d have a text
back from Max. Right then, a voice came over the ceiling speaker,
telling me my wireless time was up. Okay, so not taking my eyes off
my phone wasn’t going to make his text come in any faster. But when
you are up against a deadline, wishing under your breath that he’d
hurry and respond, nothing was too unreasonable.

I blinked and raised my eyes over to J, who
was in a full-on conversation with Nick. I felt my heart start to
lower into my stomach. The jets fired up and the whistling of the
clicking time clock began to make me ache to hear back from Max
before the wheels rolled against the asphalt. Just as the wheels
started to roll, my phone chimed with a text. I looked down and
sure enough, a bouncing envelope with Matt Gladstone above it made
its way to me.

I slid my finger across and pressed
open.

Hey, Sweets, glad 2 hear U R on plane. Glad
U are comfortable. I’m HARD missing U 2. (LOL). Did they stock the
fridge 4 U? Like the choc strwbrys & whipped cream? Hope U R
thinkn’ bout me. I am heading N-2 the office now. Just ended call
w/Gary. Working my way 2 U. I promise. B-safe, U R my WORLD. Tell J
hi back.

My heart jumped into my throat. I loved that
he got back to me so fast.

I pushed reply and began typing my response
when the captain’s voice came over the ceiling speaker.

“Alright, ladies, we are 3rd in line and
have been cleared for takeoff. Please take a moment to turn off all
electronic devices while we taxi out. Thank you for your
cooperation and please remain in your seats until I announce that
it’s okay to walk about the cabin.”

Reluctantly, I pressed the power button on
my phone. I wished I was able to get one more I love you off to him
before my deadline was up. I looked over at J, smiled, and told her
Max said hi before I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to look around
the plane during take-off. I didn’t want to see things bounce and
watch J’s face as I traveled backwards.
Why didn’t I sit in the
other chair facing toward the front of the plane?

Once the hiss of the engine and the force of
the plane speeding along the runway intensified and I felt the
weightlessness of being in the air take over, I opened my eyes and
regained my composure. I was, after all, on a luxury jetliner.

“Well, that wasn’t half bad,” Joanie
sighed.

“Nope…and hey, you know I am sorry I blew up
at you, right? I do appreciate you being here with me,” I mumbled
as J nodded, accepting my apology. A silent moment took over our
space before I decided to lighten the mood. “So what did off-limits
guy have to say?” I teased.

“He’s fine…hey wait a minute…off-limits
guy?” J groused.

“Yeah,
just like
Dump Donnie,” I
reminded her.

“That was totally different. I was dating
Donnie, and the
second
I dumped him, Cindy scraped him off
the floor and made out with him in the back of the limo at our
junior prom right in front of us!” J carped.

“You know, she probably had sex with him in
the bathroom stall at the dance,” I added.

Joanie didn’t respond to my sex in the
bathroom statement. As a matter of fact, her face started to change
to a pale pink. Then it clicked in my head…J already slept with
Nick.

“Oh my God, you slept with him.”

“Who, Dump Donnie? Of course.”

“No, Nick! You already had sex with him,
didn’t you?”

Joanie’s cheeks grew to the deepest of
crimsons. It was written all over her face. There was no way she
could lie to me. I knew her quirks and foibles when she was holding
something back.

Captain Richard came on the ceiling speaker
and told us we could roam about the cabin. When she looked over at
me, my jaw must have been on the floor. She smiled and reclined her
seat. After a slight moment of silence, J continued, “And just so
you know… Dump Donnie is nothing like Naughty Nick.”

“So you really like him? No more Dump Donnie
or Rebound Robert? I mean, if you went that far with him…it must be
the real deal,” I said as I got up and opened the cabinet above my
head. A stack of navy blue blankets were perfectly folded in a neat
pile. I grabbed two, tossing one at J and causing her to flinch as
it landed against her chest. I snapped my blanket open as I fell
back into my seat then snatched the remote on my chair and reclined
as heat radiated across my entire backside.

“Yeah, Wil, it feels so different with him.
It just feels right with Nick,” Joanie said as if her feelings were
pouring from the guarded space in her heart.

“Well, then, I’m happy for you, J. I really
am. I can’t promise Max will feel the same way, or that we’ll start
double dating any time soon. But with time…” I answered her as
honestly as I could. How could I not? She was my best friend in the
world. I wasn’t going to lose her over a guy; even if that guy was
Nick.

“Thanks, Wilson, I know it’s not easy for
you. And it means a lot to me,” Joanie said before she adjusted
herself in her chair. “God, this is the good life,” she moaned as
she vibrated from the full body massage.

“Yeah, you can say that again,” I answered
as I pressed the massage setting on the remote.

“Could you have ever imagined that your
boyfriend, a government teacher, would have such a luxurious life?”
Joanie murmured as her voice vibrated to the motion of the rolling
ball against her back.

“Well, the jet isn’t his. It belongs to his
dad’s company,” I answered in an equally vibrating tone.

“And who is the CEO of that company now,
Wilson?”

“Well, Max is,” I answered. And suddenly it
hit me. When I first swooned over him, and eventually fell in love
with him, it never crossed my mind that he would be anything
different than what I knew him as. He was Max, a humble, wonderful
man who fell in love with me for who I was. I never saw him as
someone who wore stuffy suits and worried about profit margins 365
days a year. That wasn’t him; he never would have asked for a life
that would steal him away from his passion. He wanted to be the Max
who brought me to Aspen on a regular airplane. He was the boyfriend
who would rather take me ice skating than to an exclusive party
with uptight people in cocktail dresses and tuxedos. What was
happening to him wasn’t what he truly wanted. What I was
experiencing was nothing more than a make-believe life of a lost
girl who wanted to be Mrs. Max Goldstein. How was this going to
change us?