Page 1 of The Pretender

ONE

balthazar

Fuck my life.

The one time I really need everything to go smoothly, it does the exact opposite.

“What do you mean all flights are canceled until morning?”

I turn to the source of the high-pitched male voice beside me, finding a very lovely man with shoulder length wavy hair, big brown eyes, and delicate features. His flushed cheeks and agitated finger tapping on the airline counter reflect my own inner turmoil.

“We’re sorry, sir, but the storm came in from nowhere and is much stronger than predicted. We’re giving vouchers and there’s a hotel that the tram can take you to on the other side of the airport.”

The man beside me huffs. “It’s not your fault. I’m sorry if I was rude.”

The worker offers a kind smile. “I understand this is challenging. We’ll do our best to get everyone on an early flight in the morning. If you don’t mind taking a seat, we’ll make an announcement when the tram is ready.”

The man nods, grabs his carry-on bag from the floor, and walks over to a bank of seats. Since my questions have been answered, I follow him, taking the empty seat beside him.

“Hope you don’t mind.”

He looks up from digging inside his bag, his expression going from annoyed to blank. “No. It’s not like we can be picky.” He gestures around the packed airport. “I hope it’s a big hotel. I’m not up for sleeping on an airport floor.”

“No.”

The only positive thing about the weather is that it buys me a little time. If the airport is shut down, no one will be able to come looking for me until the plows come out in the morning. Gio hates driving in snow.

The man next to me produces a book from his bag, then settles back in the seat with it on his lap rather than opening it.

“Where are you going?” he asks.

“Uh…” I look down and open my phone to see my boarding pass. Since I bought the first flight out I could find an open seat for, I barely registered where I’m going. “Flying into Wisconsin. Madison area.”

The man looks interested. “Do you have family there?”

“Uh, no. I…” Need to come up with a good excuse to give people. “It looked like a nice spot.”

His brow crinkles. “In February? You’re going for pleasure?”

A decent explanation pops into my head. “I needed a break so I booked the first ticket out of town.”

He nods, studying my face. I hope he’s not too curious. The less anyone knows about me the better.

“Only to get grounded by a storm,” he says. “At least you weren’t on your way to a beachy vacation. That would sting even more.”

I chuckle. “It would. You?”

“What?”

“Where are you going?”

“Oh. Home. Madison. Actually a smaller town near there. It’s called Robin’s Grove.”

“Robin’s Grove. That sounds familiar.”

He perks up a bit. “Maybe you’ve heard of the wineries there. Some olive oil too.”

“Maybe. Business?”