Come Fly With Me (24 page)

“I
know;
I’ve
seen
the
ad
campaign.
But
I
like
my
burgers
extra-greasy,”
he
said
with
his
mouth
full.

His
enthusiasm
for
his
meal
made
her
feel
nauseated;
she
couldn’t
eat
a
thing
when
she
flew.
She
adjusted
the
pressure-point
bands
on
her
wrists
that
helped
with
her
motion
sickness.
She
saw
him
smile
in
amusement
at
her
preparations.
I’m
glad
he
finds
me
so
entertaining
,
she
thought,
annoyed.
The
trip
to
Buckhead
was
a
short
hop,
and
she
might
as
well
make
efficient
use
of
her
time.
Normally
she
was
not
a
nosy
person,
but
it
was
vital
that
she
find
out
as
much
as
she
could
about
Alexander
Coventry.

Allison
cleared
her
throat
and
looked
sideways
across
the
table
at
his
wrapper.
It
seemed
empty
and
the
loud
chewing
noises
seemed
to
have
abated.
She
chanced
a
glance—the
coast
was
clear.
But
as
she
turned
to
him
for
a
full
view,
Alex
opened
his
mouth
wide
and
showed
off
the
last
remnants
of
masticated
beef.

“Ew,
you
are
so
gross!
And
juvenile,
what’s
your
deal,
Alex?”

“Gotcha!”

“Might
I
remind
you
that
you
are
supposed
to
be
on
your
best
behavior,
we
haven’t
signed
a
new
contract
yet.”

“I
apologize.
I
couldn’t
resist—your
expression
reminded
me
of
my
sisters.”

“Oh,
you
have
sisters—how
many?”

“Four.”

“Did
you
say
four
?”

“Yes
Ma’am.”

“And
you
are…?”

“Smack
in
the
middle.
My
older
sisters
used
to
put
ribbons
in
my
hair
and
my
younger
sisters
would
force
me
to
sit
at
their
tea
parties.”

“Why
didn’t
they
just
play
with
one
another
and
leave
you
alone?”

“’Cuz
that
wouldn’t
have
irked
my
dad—and
annoying
my
dad
is
the
most
fun
game
of
all,”
he
laughed.

“Will
they
all
be
at
the
party?”

“Of
course—attendance
is
mandatory.
Besides,
it’s
easy
for
them,
they
all
live
within
shouting
distance
of
each
other.”

“Really?
How
unusual.”

“No,
it
isn’t.
It’s
a
family
requirement.
Children
are
the
must-have
accessory.
And
having
grandchildren
nearby
is
part
of
the
sisterhood
code;
showing
them
off
is
a
favorite
pastime
in
Buckhead.
Also,
whomever’s
daughter
manages
to
stay
married
to
the
richest
son-of-a-bitch,
and
is
able
to
maintain
her
prom
weight
is
the
winner—competition
is
the
lifeblood
of
society
down
south.”

“So,
then
by
those
standards,
you’ve
lost.”

“Actually,
I’ve
maintained
my
prom
weight."

Allison
rolled
her
eyes
in
response.

"But,
I've
won,
you
see,
because
I
got
the
hell
out.
And
anyway,
since
I’m
a
rich
son-of-a-bitch,
I
can
get
married
at
anytime
and
still
enter
the
race.”

“You’re
pulling
my
leg
about
all
of
this,
Alex.”

“I
couldn’t
make
this
stuff
up
if
I
tried.
Did
I
mention
that
my
mother
is
a
former
beauty-queen
winner?
The
information
is
fuzzy
as
to
which
contest
she
was
actually
a
participant
in,
but
what
we
all
know
for
sure
is
that
she
WON.
She
pulled
out
the
rhinestone
tiara
for
my
sisters’
weddings.”

“I
guess
that’s
kind
of
sweet,
that
the
‘borrowed’
thing
they
wore
was
something
so
meaningful
to
their
mother.”

Alex
smiled,
“My
mother
wore
the
tiara.”

Allison’s
eyes
opened
wide,
“Now
you’re
pushing
it—that
could
not
possibly
have
happened.”

“I
think
you’ll
be
seeing
all
kinds
of
crazy
this
weekend."
Alexander’s
eyes
glinted
with
amusement.

Allison’s
head
was
spinning;
she
was
convinced
that
he
was
just
amusing
himself
at
her
expense.
I
can’t
even
trust
him
to
have
a
civilized
conversation
with
me,
how
can
I
possibly
trust
him
to
run
this
company.
I
think
I’ve
come
on
a
fool’s
errand.
Great
idea,
Emily.

Her
look
was
skeptical.
“Fine,
have
it
your
way,
but
if
I
could
switch
topics
for
a
second,
when
did
you
realize
you
had
a
fascination
with
planes
and
engineering?”

He
scratched
his
chin.
“I
reckon
that
would
have
been
the
first
time
Daddy
took
me
up
in
his
Gulfstream
IV.”

She
rolled
her
eyes
again,
“Your
father
owns
a
jet?”

“Yes.”