Righting a Wrong (A Ripple Effect Romance Novella) (18 page)

“They’d better be giving us a free flight for this.”

“And how about some food vouchers. I’m starving.”

“I’d rather they cancel the flight than send us off in a faulty airplane.”

“I’m going to miss my connecting flight.”

“Well, that’s not very convenient,” Lydia said. “At least I have something to read.”

Blake laughed. “I think they have to make arrangements for us to get on a flight right away, even if it’s with another airline.”

Blake and Lydia stayed in their seats as the area around them cleared and a line formed. Finally, Blake stood, picked up his duffel bag and briefcase, then waited while Lydia gathered her things. They took a spot at the back of the line. After a minute, Lydia spoke.

“Since you have to change your flight anyway, maybe you should stay another day or two and try to find the box.”

The corner of Blake’s mouth twitched. “Maybe you should stay a couple of days and have an adventure.”

“Touché. I guess if the plane had gone down, I’d have had an adventure to tell about. Or not tell about.”

The line moved slowly. “You know,” Blake said. “Maybe your adventure could be staying and helping me find my grandfather’s box.”

Lydia nearly choked on her last bite of brownie. Was he joking? They didn’t even know each other.

“I have to be back for teacher’s meetings. And I need to get my classroom ready for school to start. The desks are all stacked up in a corner of the room and I need to get them set up and organized and I’ve got to put up a couple of bulletin boards. And I have to get papers for the parents copied for back to school night and…” Blake’s smile widened as she spoke. “And I’m babbling, aren’t I?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry about it. I should get back to the office anyway. It was a crazy idea.”

“Yeah,” Lydia said, relieved. A few minutes passed, and they neared the front of the line. A voice in Lydia’s head wouldn’t be quiet. You’re a coward. You don’t really want an adventure. You’re all talk. You could kill two birds with one stone. Have an adventure and help this guy find the box from his grandfather. But you’re too big of a wimp. She wanted to tell the voice to mind its own business, but it wouldn’t shut up. Chicken. Scaredy cat. But this wasn’t about adventure. This was about good, common sense, right? It wouldn’t be smart to stay with this man she didn’t know. And yet her instincts told her this guy was safe, that she didn’t need to fear his intentions.

It seemed the only way to stop the nag in her head was to speak. “It wasn’t a crazy idea. It was an adventurous idea. And I came here for adventure. I need something to tell Cambri when I get home, right? And you need to find that box or you’ll miss out on something important. And I don’t technically have to be back until Wednesday morning, so...”

“Really? Are you just talking a big game?” Blake teased.

“You’re not a psychopathic killer, are you?”

“No. But I certainly wouldn’t tell you if I was.”

“That’s true. That would really up the whole adventure factor, though.”

“See, you’re braver than you thought.”

“Do you really want to do this?” Lydia asked, not sure what she wanted his answer to be.

“I don’t know if I’ll make it back here any time soon, and it would be nice to feel like I gave it an extra effort.”

“Maybe this cancelled flight is a sign. But I really do have to be at work Wednesday morning.”

“So do I. If we fly home Tuesday, that gives us two days to find Gladys.”

“Oh help,” Lydia whispered, and Blake laughed, showing his dimple. That was all it took. When they reached the front of the line, Blake and Lydia changed their flights to the 8:10 departing flight on Tuesday evening.

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Lost and Found
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