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“Have you been out foraging for acorns this morning?”
“No. Because it’s cold. And I’m not a squirrel.”
“You have a slight squirrel energy.”
“Do I?” She wrinkled her nose. And then immediately stopped wrinkling her nose.
“Yes.”
“Great. Well, another thing to add to my résumé.”
“If we get out of this,” he said. “I’ll make sure that you’re rewarded.”
The way that he looked at her was suddenly so serious. It struck her in a strange place in the chest. She had no idea who this man was. And he didn’t seem to want to tell her. That did make her wonder if he was a warlord. Or something. Because why not just give her his name?
He must be famous.
She cursed the lack of access to the internet out here. She cursed her own attention span when it came to popular culture. Well, it wasn’t really her attention span. It was what she had time for. If she wasn’t flying cargo, then she was taking care of her family. She was busy. She was mending clothes, knitting, making dinner. She was working outside in the garden, feeling the earth between her hands. She liked it all. She liked her life, in truth. She didn’t find it difficult or confronting in any way. She just found it to be…life.
But money. Money was a worry.
And he was promising to reward her.
She believed that he was rich. He definitely looked like he was. Not that it was a certain indicator of anything. A man could definitely put on some nice clothes and pretend to be above himself. Con men existed for a reason.
But she didn’t think that he was one. Well. She thought about what he had said about his past lovers. Maybe he was… A grifter in other ways, but she really did believe that he was rich.
The way that he had approached her, with all that confidence, like she would bend over backward to do exactly what he wanted, spoke of a man who was so innately used to being deferred to. She had never met anyone quite like him. She knew a lot of men who were demanding and commanding. Knew a lot of men who thought that they should be listened to simply because they were men. But that wasn’t the way that he behaved. It was difficult to parse. Difficult to explain. And yet, she did.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’m a man with a great many resources. And you saved my life. I won’t forget it.”
“I… I wish that I was in a position where I can tell you that I didn’t want your money. But I’m not.”
She suddenly felt very small, very aware of the fact that there was a vast wilderness out there, on the outside of the wrecked plane.
Her plane was wrecked.
Which meant the business was effectively halted. Even if there were insurance claims she could file, there would be delays, and there could be issues.
And if there was any interruption of service, pay, she was in huge trouble.
All of her clients were going to have to use other people. And if that happened, then how was she going to get them again?
This was a disaster of epic proportions. He had offered her all that money to take him to Boston, and she could definitely use that money. But now she was infinitely in need of more.
“Yes, I gather that.”
“I’m sorry. It must seem very…crass to you. Being with somebody like me. Who needs to beg you for money.”
“You haven’t begged. And there is nothing crass about you. Indeed, you have conducted yourself with extreme bravery these past few hours. What you have done actually deserves a reward beyond money, but I’m a man with money. And that means it is the manner with which I can reward you.”
“Well. I could hardly just let you die.”
“Again, some of my ex-lovers might have.”
“That’s very concerning.”