Page 29 of Fly with Me

“Oh, okay. Good.”

“Good?”

“Yeah, I mean, your dad must like having you around for a while. No sense in paying a mortgage you don’t need.” Smooth, Olive.

“Oh, right. Yeah. It’s how I bought the Cessna.”

“You own a plane?”

“Not in the Kardashian way. It’s a small one. I use it to teach the lessons.”

“Still.”

“It’s a hobby. Maybe one day I’ll fly all over for vacation and not just teaching midlife crisis men how to fly.” She wiped her fingers clean with a napkin. “Race me to the Frozen ride?”

“That’s all the way at Norway.”

“Yup.” Stella checked her watch. “If we each want to get another margarita first, we better get moving.”

Olive groaned and then ran after her, because she would follow Stella Soriano anywhere.

Chapter 13

“You’re drunk.” Olive steadied Stella with a hand on the small of her back.

“You’re drunker.” Stella hiccuped, disproving her point completely. “You’re sure you’re fine with me staying the night? I could call an Uber. They have ones with Minnie Mouse ears. I love Minnie Mouse ears.” Her lips pressed into a pout as she leaned against a column outside the lobby. Her words were adorably slurred. “I wish I had my Minnie Mouse ears with me.”

“Your hotel is all the way near the airport. Please, stay.”

“I don’t want to impose.” Stella stumbled again as she crossed the threshold of the hotel, hair and shirt askew, yet she looked as amazing as she always did.

Olive helped her stay upright. They stood almost nose to nose. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Her breath puffed against Olive’s face, smelling of limes and chocolate and tequila. Her cheeks were flushed pink, lips soft and full. Her eyes focused on Olive’s mouth.

“If you stay to hang out with me tomorrow, I’ll buy you Minnie Mouse ears. Sparkly ones.”

“Really?”

They inched closer.

“I—”

“Where have you been?” The voice was harsh, grating. And familiar.

Olive turned, and there stood the last person on the planet she wanted to see right now.

“Shit,” Olive hissed.

Lindsay’s jaw was hard-set. Her beachy blond hair was pulled back into a curated wild ponytail. She wore tiny denim cutoffs and a crocheted crop top. “I’ve been calling you.”

“My phone died a few hours ago.”

“I thought you were dead in your hotel room. I mean, you know running isn’t really your thing. I was worried, but those assholes at the desk wouldn’t tell me your room number.”

Olive grunted. “Derek told me you were here. Why’d you come?”

“Maybe I still had hope.” Lindsay’s makeup was less perfect than normal. The expression lines of her face were more pronounced. It was almost like she wasn’t lying about being worried.