Page 36 of The Best Wild Idea (Off-Limits #3)

Juliet

We decide to explore the boardwalk for a late dinner. I’ve never been to Spain and from what I could see coming into Cádiz, it’s going to be even more gorgeous now that the sun has gone down. The whole city is springing to life in a new way.

After walking down the boardwalk near the marina, we dive into the nearest eatery without even looking at the name on the door and are surprised to see the rest of the flight crew is already there.

“They live!” Andy says when we all spot each other.

I laugh and give him a hug, happy to welcome his comedic relief, after finishing such an honest conversation with Si earlier. I can’t explain it, but I feel much lighter. More like myself than I’ve felt in a while.

We all end up sitting together. After ordering four heaping dishes of the freshest bluefish tuna I’ve ever tasted and a collection of tapas to share, the pilot and Silas decide to play a round of pool, leaving just Andy and me alone at the table.

We watch them play for a bit and Silas looks just like the kid he was back in college.

Carefree and handsome, his laugh ringing out across the mostly empty bar each time Carl says something that makes him double-over.

Even from here, I can see that his pilot has more skills than him.

It’s probably from plenty of nights out at pool halls while trying to fill his time during the rigorous flight schedule Silas has him on, but Si is still managing to keep up with him.

If I didn’t know them, I’d never guess that Silas is Carl’s boss.

Playful banter ping-pongs back and forth between them and they quickly clear the balls from the table.

“What’s it like to work with him?” I ask Andy, nodding toward Silas. The crack of Silas’ pool stick breaks another set apart. Balls fly toward every pocket.

“You want my honest opinion?” Andy asks, tipping his chin down before taking a swig of his tangerine-colored whiskey sour.

I nod and he watches them for a moment. I think he might be making sure they’re out of earshot.

“That man can be a tough nut to crack. Wants everything a certain way, his plane stocked with certain things, his bedroom on every flight done up just right. And he’ll definitely let us know when it’s not.”

I nod, feeling a bit deflated, wondering if I should have asked. Especially as I was just starting to see him as the guy he was before.

“But when business travelers are on the road as much as Silas is, it’s understandable that they’d want each detail of their home away from home to be as predictable as possible.

Those planes are his home when he’s on the road, and the crew is almost like his family.

We’re what he comes back to time and time again.

More than anywhere or anyone else in the world. ”

I hadn’t thought of it that way.

“I can understand that,” I admit. “It sounds kind of lonely.”

“Lonely, yes. But not in the way you might imagine. At first, he operated exactly like his father had — bringing women back to the plane with him from all over the world, flying them home the next day while he slept off some rancid hangover in another exotic hotel or vacation villa off a tropical coast.”

I cringe, definitely wishing I hadn’t asked. Just hearing that stirs up something I hate. Like I’m peeking through a window into Silas’ sordid past — the one I never want to look at again.

“But I haven’t seen that side of him in a very long time,” Andy says slowly, seriously, making sure to catch my eye when he does.

And he must notice the look on my face because he quickly adds, “Silas was dealt a terrible hand when his father died, having to step up and take on well over a hundred thousand employees overnight when he was still a kid himself. We all had to parent him a bit to get him through it. Myself included. I think that’s why he’s so meticulous now.

He doesn’t like to make mistakes. Doesn’t like to let any of us down.

He’s experienced enough mistakes and disappointment to last him a lifetime. ”

“That’s the Silas I remember. The one who didn’t want to let anyone down and was there for the people he loved,” I tell him, watching the pool balls fly across the table when Carl begins another round.

“The change in him after his father died is what tore us apart. I don’t know if what I’m seeing now is a permanent change, or just an act he’s putting on while he has my undivided attention here.

This whole trip was a promise he made to Grant.

I know he wouldn’t want to let him down. ”

Andy pats my hand with a smile.

“Trust the change. Mr. Davenport may be a lot of things — the best types of people often are. But he’s now one of the best men I’ve ever known.

Sure, he’s wildly particular, a workaholic, and can have a tongue on him that most people would be nervous to go up against. And rightly so.

He’s as quick-witted as the day is long.

But he’s also incredibly kind, impossibly generous, and honest to a fault.

That man is incapable of lying. Not to mention a real hoot to hang out with.

Truthfully, I never want to work for anyone else.

He might not be exactly who he was when he was younger, but, honey, who is? ”

He’s not wrong. I’m certainly different than I was back then, too.

Silas slaps Carl on the back after Carl hits a few balls in. He dips into a mock bow.

“You really think he’s changed?”

“A diamond doesn’t become a diamond without a little pressure, hon.

He’s gotten a few more years of maturing under his belt since you’ve seen him.

Men need a few more years to mature than women sometimes.

” He winks. “At some point, Silas knew he couldn’t keep going the way he was while maintaining the business his father had built.

And deep down, that boy doesn’t want to disappoint anyone. Especially you.”

“Me?” I ask, confused.

“Yes, you. His old girlfriend was sweet and all, but I knew it wouldn’t last.” He shakes his head with a sour look.

“You mean Raven?” I ask. “Silas told me she broke up with him because he kept saying my name in his sleep.”

Andy smiles like he knows exactly what I’m talking about and I wonder if he ever heard Silas talking while asleep on the plane.

“Raven just wasn’t right for him,” he says, not confirming or denying it. “She just didn’t have that thing Silas needs.”

I frown, imagining what Raven must have been like for Silas to have a real relationship with her.

“And what’s that thing Silas needs?” I ask, shifting in my seat. What does a man like Silas Davenport really need to be happy?

“You.” He says it so fast, I think for a moment that I might have imagined it.

“What?” I ask, laughing. “A friend?”

Andy stirs his drink with a straw.

“You’ve always been what Silas needed. Lord, if you only knew. You’re the itch that just couldn’t be scratched. Believe me, because he’s tried to scratch it without you over the years.”

I blink at Andy, wondering how Silas’ flight attendant could have such a strong view of us, of me , already.

“You just met me though.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Andy twists an imaginary key in front of his pursed lips, then tosses it over his shoulder.

“Come on,” I push. “You can’t leave me with a cliffhanger like that.”

“I’ve already said enough,” he tells me, setting down his empty glass. “Oh good Lord, honey, here we go again.” He juts his chin out toward Si and Carl, inviting me to take a look.

Two women have saddled up right next to Carl and Silas. One of them is so close to Si that her chest is practically touching his. Both of the women are giggling and making eyes up at him like he’s on their dinner menu for tonight.

I eye Andy.

“What do you mean again ?” I ask, carefully watching the four of them.

Andy sighs like this is an everyday occurrence.

“When you’re traveling with a globally known billionaire, he’s bound to get recognized here and there. Happens all the time. At first, it was like watching an all-you-can-eat buffet, but his appetite has tempered. Like I was saying.”

A sharp spike of jealousy sends my pulse racing while I watch these two women try to flirt with him.

One even reaches up to touch his arm, practically drooling onto his shoes.

He smiles politely then glances over in my direction, nodding toward the table where Andy and I are sitting.

Both of the girls instantly turn their heads.

Their expressions change when they see me.

I give them a halfhearted smile, adding a little wave.

Between gritted teeth, I ask Andy what’s happening.

“If I had to guess, I’d say he’s telling them that he’s with us,” Andy replies, giving me a triumphant grin. “With you, more specifically.”

“Oh, he doesn’t have to do that,” I say, frowning.

“He’s single. We’re in our own suites this time.

He doesn’t have to . . .” But I trail off, realizing that he might not have to use me as an excuse as to why he can’t connect with these two women, but that I want him to use me as an excuse to walk away. And I’m not totally sure why.

“Oh, yes he does,” Andy chortles, then gives me an exaggerated side-eye that makes me laugh.

“And why’s that?” I ask.

The two women walk away like all the wind has just been knocked out of their sails.

“Because I have a funny feeling that he’s been waiting his whole life for this,” he tells me. “Whatever all this turns out to be.”