Page 41 of My Heart Still Beats
“I know. I still miss her. I thought about bringing her, but she’s never flown before, and…” She sighs. “I just miss her.”
“She’s having a great time with Sasha and Penny. She’ll hardly miss you.”
Tessa frowns.
Uh-oh. The wrong thing to say.
“I mean…of course she—”
“It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean anything by it. She’s a dog. She’s having fun with other dogs. I miss her a lot more than she misses me.”
I decide not to talk about the dog anymore. Instead, “The flight attendants are going to serve a light supper. It’s seared ahi tuna on a bed of greens with sticky rice and edamame. Does that sound good to you?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
“Good. I’ll make sure you’re served first.”
“Don’t be silly. Skye and Braden should be served first.”
“Do you think they really care about that?” I chuckle and gesture toward my brother and his fiancée. “The two of them are making googly eyes at each other. They won’t even notice. I’m in charge this weekend, and I’m going to make sure you’re served first.”
She lets out a laugh. Or maybe it’s more of a choke. I’m not sure, but it’s something.
“So…you good? Do you need anything?”
“I’m fine,” she says. “Thank you for checking on me. Thanks again…for everything.”
“Absolutely. Don’t you worry about a thing, Tessa.” I give her a quick wink before rising from my seat. “I’ve got you covered.”
Chapter Eleven
Tessa
When I was a little girl, I used to dream I could fly. I told my therapist about that once, and she said it’s a very common dream for children. Children like to believe they can do anything, to the point that some fall down the stairs in an attempt toactuallyfly.
I never did that, but my parents had an old barstool out on the back porch. Every once in a while, I would take it out to the yard, climb on top of it, and jump as high as I could, flapping my arms.
I always ended up on the grass, and fortunately I never hurt myself because I couldn’t jump that high.
But each time I always thought… Maybe this was the time… Maybe this was the time that I would actually fly.
The dream I had about flying was similar. I would jump and then become airborne, and I would move my arms and legs as if I were swimming underwater, only I was flying through the air instead.
It was my favorite dream as a kid, flying.
A year ago, flying on a private jet would have me excited, joyous.
Right now, the best I can do is stare out the window and feel…okay. We’re at thirty-five thousand feet, and it’s a clear day. We’re immersed in the blue sky, and cottony clouds are scattered below us.
Such beauty.
I’ve always wanted to go to Jamaica. I’ve heard the people are so friendly and the food is excellent. We’re staying at a private resort, so I won’t get to see much of the sites. Not that I’ll have the energy to go sightseeing anyway.
But there is a part of me—albeit a tiny part—that feels…not excited, really, but slightly eager.
Objectively, I have no worries in this moment.
I have a brand-new job thanks to Ben. The bachelor and bachelorette parties are all planned and should be executed perfectly, again thanks to Ben.
