“Since her parents are out of town and we’ll be getting home so late,” Anne added.
I did my best to hide a grin, but Harold was entirely too sharp to miss it. He’d probably thought that having Brooke spend the night would keep Christy and me from sneaking into the other’s room, and he was entirely correct about that. But he didn’t realize that he’d just given the girls a head start on the rest of the weekend.
Anne must have sensed something as well, because she glanced from me to the girls and back again. She didn’t know anything about our sex life, but she wasn’t naïve, especially where her daughter was concerned. Her eyes widened at some of the thoughts going through her head, and I tactfully looked away so she wouldn’t have to acknowledge it.
The girls finished their reunion and Brooke hugged me in greeting. She felt a little tense and awkward, but not because of the contact. Her natural shyness had kicked in, and I almost laughed as she visibly tried to relax.
“Thanks for coming,” I told her. “It’s great to see you again.”
“Good to see you too.” She drew back and studied me. “Just your backpack? Where’s the rest of your luggage?”
“The others are too large to carry on,” I said. I gestured toward the terminal, and the whole group started walking. “Besides,” I added, “it’s safe to check bags when we’re flying revenue.”
“Safe?” Harold said in a tone of mild concern.
I reminded myself that he lived in a world where hijackings and terrorist bombings were things he had to worry about.
“Sorry,” I said quickly. “I just meant that we weren’t likely to lose our luggage. Not like last time. When I flew out in March, I packed everything in my backpack and carried it with me instead of checking it.”
“Why?”
“In case I got bumped.” He clearly didn’t know what I was talking about, so I explained, “I can fly for free because my dad works for the airline.”
His eyebrows went up. “So we didn’t need to pay for your ticket?”
“Well, yes and no,” I said guiltily. “I probably would have paid for it myself if you hadn’t.”
“Still, you’d better explain.”
“I can fly for free on a dependent pass, but I have to fly standby, which means I can get bumped in favor of a paying passenger. That isn’t a problem most of the time. But on busy holiday weekends, I run the risk of losing my seat every time the plane makes a stop.”
He nodded for me to continue.
“That’s what happened last time I flew out. The weather was bad and flights were delayed or canceled. I couldn’t even get on a flight.”
“Anne said you were late, but she didn’t say why. I thought you’d just missed your flight.”
“No, I spent six hours in the departure lounge until a seat opened up.”
“Ah, I see.”
“If I’d flown standby tonight, I could’ve lost my seat in Knoxville, Atlanta, or even Las Vegas. Christy would’ve had to continue without me.”
“Hold on, you stopped in Las Vegas?” he said. “How much did Birdy win?”
“Oh, Daddy,” she chided, “we didn’t even get off the plane.”
“Maybe next time,” he said wistfully. “But if you didn’t get off the plane,” he asked me, “how could you have lost your seat?”
“S— Harold, the airline doesn’t care. If they have a paying passenger and need my seat, they’d ask me to leave. They’d be polite and apologetic—not to mention discreet—but they’d still do it.”
“But it’s your seat. Can’t you object?”
“Sure. If I want my dad to lose his job. We represent the employee and the airline itself. We have a dress code and rules and everything. So it’s pretty serious. They drill that into all the families.”
“I understand that completely,” he said. “It’s the same for us any time we’re in uniform. Good catch, by the way, calling me Harold.” He winked and nodded.
“I sort of felt like it was an inquest.”
“No, no,” he said quickly. “I’m just curious.”
“And perhaps a bit blunt?” Anne suggested.
“Yes, dear,” he said automatically. “But Birdy hasn’t told us any of this. So it’s interesting.”
“Well,” I said, “Birdy doesn’t pay attention to money or time or other practical things.”
“You can say that again,” he laughed.
“Harold!” Anne said. “Be nice.”
“Yes, dear.”
Christy glared at me. “You too, Mr. Meanie.”
“Yes, dear,” I agreed in exactly the same tone.
Harold burst into laughter. “See?” he said to Anne. “I told you he was a smart one.”
“Yes, dear,” she agreed. She even managed it without a hint of irony.
* * *
Harold and Anne said goodnight and went to bed as soon as Christy and I were settled. I was ready for bed myself, but she’d found a reserve of energy. She’d eaten a snack on the flight from Las Vegas, but that wasn’t the real reason. She was happy to see Brooke.
“Will you pour us drinks, dear?” she asked me.
“Sure, no problem.” I looked at my watch. My body thought it was four in the morning, and my internal alarm would probably wake me at the usual time in a couple of hours. Still, I went to the kitchen for ice and then filled three tumblers with whiskey, although mine was mostly water.
Christy and Brooke were sitting on the couch with their knees touching as they faced each other. I handed them drinks and then slid behind Christy. Brooke relaxed as she took a drink, but Christy seemed to vibrate with energy. I sipped my own watered-down drink and wondered why I’d ever thought a girlfriend with an abundance of energy was a good thing. Then I laughed at myself and in the process tried to snort some of Ireland’s finest.
The girls looked up, but I cleared my throat and waved them off.
“Sorry. Random thought,” I said. “And really dumb, now that I mention it.”
“What was it?” Brooke asked, ever curious.
“Honestly? I was wondering why I’m with Miss Metabolism here. She drags me across the country and then expects to stay up till the wee hours while she chats with her girlfriend.”
Brooke grinned in amusement, while Christy’s eyes filled with alarm.
“Then I felt like kicking myself,” I added. “I mean, duh! ‘Miss Metabolism’ is also ‘Miss Libido.’ Besides, she’s the best thing that ever happened to me. So… here I am, happily chatting. And, to be completely honest, feeling kinda proud of myself for realizing how lucky I am.”
“Oh my gosh,” Christy said, “don’t scare me like that!”
Brooke smiled, although more at Christy’s reaction than my speech. “You two are really cute together.”
“Yeah,” Christy muttered, “when he isn’t being a dork.”
I nodded to Brooke and raised my glass. “And don’t you forget it.”
“Oh, Chris!” she laughed. “He’s got your number!”
“Thank you very much, Mr. and Miss Tag Team.” She rolled her eyes at me and returned her attention to Brooke, although she reached back and caressed my leg to show that she wasn’t really upset.
They started chatting again, while I inhaled a deep breath in an attempt to fight off sleep. It was a losing battle, though, and at some point I closed my eyes. I opened them a couple of minutes later, or so I thought, to find Anne leaning over me.
“Wake up, dear. It’s time for bed.”
“Sorry, Mom,” Christy was saying. “We didn’t realize what time it was. We were talking, and…”
Anne took the mostly full glass from my hand and set it on the end table. The ice had completely melted. Some alert part of my brain was a little surprised that I hadn’t spilled it when I’d fallen asleep.
“Come along, dear. I turned down your bed for you.”
I stood at her urging and asked, “What time is it?”
“A little after two.”
I scowled. “What? It was four— Oh, right. Sorry. Pacific time.” I glanced at my watch. Sure enough, it said five o’clock.