Mistletoe Reunion. Anna Schmidt

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СКАЧАТЬ exclaimed. “My dad’s back there and this nice lady traded so that now we get to sit together and—”

      “Okay, I just need everyone to get settled as soon as possible. We’re about to close the cabin door.”

      Tom was standing in the aisle waiting for them. Norah tried not to stare at the way his hair—brown streaked with copper—was still thick and silky. She did not meet his chocolate-brown eyes, fixed on her as she slid next to the window and Isabella took the middle without protest.

      “You put her up to that—switching,” Norah said.

      “What?” Tom’s eyes were wide with innocence.

      “It was my idea, Mom,” Isabella said. “Honestly.”

      Norah had her doubts.

      “How are your folks?” Tom asked politely once they were buckled in.

      “Fine,” Norah answered equally as polite. This was going to be interminable. Suddenly she was glad to be in the back where the engine noise would surely make conversation impossible.

      “This is going to be so great,” Isabella exclaimed, ignoring the tension between her parents. “I mean, just wait until we all show up together. They are going to seriously freak.”

      “How’s work?” Tom asked Norah.

      “Fine,” she said and looked out the window as the plane slowly taxied toward the runway. She wondered if she could be capable of more than that one-word response to anything Tom might ask.

      “Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the short delay, but we should be airborne in about twenty minutes.”

      There was a ripple of muttered comments. “It’s sleeting,” Norah said.

      Tom leaned across Isabella’s lap to look out. Norah could not help but be aware of the scent of his aftershave—familiar and at the same time exotic. “From the looks of that sky we just need to get going,” he said as the plane inched forward in line. “You okay?” He glanced up at Norah and she knew that he was remembering how nervous she got when flying. She couldn’t help being touched that he had remembered.

      “Fine,” she replied and then grimaced. “I seem to have the same answer for everything, don’t I?”

      “Well, yeah,” Isabella said before Tom could answer. “You’re acting like you’re on a first date or something, Mom.”

      Tom leaned back in his seat. “And just what would you know about first dates, young lady?”

      Isabella blushed and giggled. “Oh, Dad.”

      Norah reached for her purse and pulled out a Sudoku puzzle book.

      “Mom!” Isabella protested, casting a sidelong look from the book to Tom.

      “Are you any good at those puzzles?” Tom asked, ignoring Isabella.

      Norah shrugged. “Not really, but I can usually manage the simple ones.”

      “Can I try?” Tom asked, holding out his hand for the book.

      Norah passed him the soft-covered book and held out her pencil.

      Tom pulled a pen from his pocket and grinned. “No guts, no glory,” he said and settled in to work the puzzle with Isabella’s help.

      Norah watched as he clicked the pen on and off—his hand tan against the pale cream starched cuff of his shirt. He wore dark brown casual slacks and a pullover sweater in a sort of copper shade that accented his tan and highlighted the gold flecks in his eyes. She heard his deep voice consulting with Isabella on an entry, his laughter when Isabella stopped him from making a mistake. He bent forward and ran his free hand through his hair. When a lock fell over his forehead, she literally had to tighten her grip on the armrest to resist the urge to smooth it back into place as she would have before.

      Before. When they were married. When they were—

      “Mom!”

      Norah blinked. “Sorry,” she said softly, still caught up in the fantasy of who she and Tom had once been to each other.

      “I said, can you see what’s happening? Why aren’t we moving?”

      Norah turned her attention to the window. It was coated with sleet. “I can’t see,” she said and just then the plane made a slow turn to the right. “I think we might be—”

      “Ladies and gentlemen, weather conditions have changed. We need to de-ice the wings before we can take off. Please feel free to move about the cabin for the time being. We’ll be on our way as soon as possible.”

      This time a chorus of groans rolled through the cabin as passengers crowded the aisle, rearranging the contents of overhead bins, stretching as they commiserated about the inconveniences of modern travel. Tom took advantage of the extra space afforded by being in the last row across from the galley. “Come on, Bella, stretch your legs.”

      Isabella followed her father’s lead in a series of calf stretches and knee bends. The crew toured the cabin offering packages of pretzels and promising full beverage service once they were airborne.

      “Your turn,” Tom said and held out his hand to Norah. Norah slid across the row and stood in the aisle without taking his hand. “Feels good,” she said as she stretched her arms high over her head, her fingertips grazing the ceiling.

      Isabella lifted the armrests on their row and stretched out across all three seats, her MP3 player earphones in place. She closed her eyes and bounced her head and shoulders to the music they couldn’t hear.

      “I’m going for a little walk,” Norah said, suddenly uncomfortable to find herself standing next to Tom—far too near to Tom for comfort.

      He grinned. “Just stay inside the plane,” he called as she edged forward.

      The truth was she needed some time to think about the impact of spending Thanksgiving three blocks away from Tom and his family. In fact, there was no doubt that they would be thrown together often once they were back in Normal. His parents and hers belonged to the same church and were still close friends. Isabella would move easily between the two houses. Izzy’s aunts and cousins would surely want to include Isabella in whatever extravaganza they were concocting for the anniversary. They would certainly include Norah’s parents—and Norah—in the invitation as well.

      The aisle was crowded with other passengers and the plane was not nearly long enough for Norah to stay away indefinitely. She glanced back and saw Tom talking to another passenger. Ahead stood the businessman glaring at her as the young mother tried in vain to soothe the newborn and the toddler, both of whom were crying now. The scene gave new meaning to “between a rock and a hard place” but by far the lesser of the two evils was to return to her seat.

      Isabella had dozed off, so Norah perched on the aisle armrest. Tom finished his exchange with the passenger waiting to use the restroom and turned. He was standing toe to toe with her, his forearm resting against the overhead bin. He’d removed his sweater and rolled back the sleeves of his shirt.

      “How was your walk?” he asked.

      “Fine,” СКАЧАТЬ