Page 6 of Still Her
“I bet you’ve got a lot of great things to say,” he says warmly, his green eyes looking more kind and less piercing.
“I think so,” I nod again. “I keep it light and fun, and offer little insights into living this life, being in this industry.”
“I like it, it’s smart,” Eli says appreciatively. “You offer curious minds little glimpses into the life of a celebrity couple while still maintaining your privacy, and you manage to deliver it in a tone that’s entertaining. Well done.”
“Thank you,” I say sincerely, and I feel my cheeks glowing a little. I truly am flattered by what he said; it was a genuine compliment. “Although Jack and I don’t see ourselves as ‘celebrities’.”
“Though you are… by definition,” he sweeps his hand outward in an explanatory gesture. “You’re well-known, and admired by the public.”
“Maybe, but we live according to our state of mind, and we’ve neverfeltfamous, regardless of the successes we’ve both had. Part of it is a choice, to keep things simple and down to earth, and part of it is because we truly feel that way,” I counter.
“Well I must say it’s a good way to be, and one of the reasons I love working with Turn it Up so much. It hasn’t gone to their heads.”
We relax into a light conversation for a while, and I’m thankful to see a different side of Eli, as opposed to the hot-shot image that he’s always impressed upon me. When Cyndi comes out to offer us one last drink, I look at my watch and realize we’re less than forty minutes away from landing. I politely ask for a refill before grabbing my carry-on and heading to the lavatory to freshen up and change.
Jack and I have this unofficial tradition: when I join him out on tour, I show up in a dress. I did that the first time, he loved it and it just stuck. I set my make-up bag down on the sink and take a look in the mirror. My zip hoodie is open, but one thing I didn’t realize was that the V of my t-shirt had taken a serious dip, showing off my cleavage. I’d worn a push-up bra today, because, well, I’m seeing Jack for the first time in two weeks, and… you get the idea. But I’m unnerved, because it’s now I realize that the perv out there probably got a good gander when I fell asleep and he got up to grab my Kindle off the floor.Wonderful. I take solace in the idea that I’m not his type, and try to put it out of my head as I dig through my bag for my clothes.
The lavatory is small, but not the matchbox I’ve had to cram myself into on commercial flights. There’s a little more room making it easy to change into the slinky olive-green tank dress and gold t-strap sandals I brought along. Once I’ve changed, I freshen my makeup and shake my hair out of its tie.
When I emerge out of the bathroom, Eli’s head comes up from his computer. His eyes land on me as I make my way back to my seat. Thankfully he doesn’t look at me the way he looked at Cyndi, with pure lust and desire, but the look he’s giving me is one of intrigue. Like he’s fascinated. Maybe his mind is boggled at the idea of me actually looking hot.Jerk.
“Don’t you look lovely,” he muses as I sit down in the seat.
“Oh,” I say, downplaying my look, “it’s just something I do for Jack whenever I meet him out on tour.” I turn my attention to fastening my seatbelt.
“Lucky Jack,” he murmurs, letting his gaze linger for just a second longer before turning back to his computer.
I’m not sure how to take that, but I only have twenty minutes to worry about it before we touch down in L.A. and we part ways. I feel a chill all of a sudden, and I convince myself it’s from the cool conditioned air of the jet. None the less, I pull my jacket back on for the rest of the flight.
4
Jack
The SUVI’m riding in the back of pulls up to the tarmac of the private airport, just as the staircase door of Eli’s jet is lowering. I unclick my seatbelt and open my door before the driver even puts the thing in Park.And there she is,wearing a pretty dark green dress and a smile brighter than the afternoon sunshine on her gorgeous face. I hurry over to her as she makes her way down the steps and into my waiting arms, like something you’d see in a movie. I wrap both my arms completely around her and pull her off the second-to-last step as her arms go around my neck. I put my face into her neck to breathe her in for a second before moving my head back around to kiss her.
“Beautiful,” I say between kisses. “You’re so beautiful.” I feel her smile against my lips as she kisses me right back. Our mouths finally detach so that we can deepen our hug for a moment, before I reluctantly pull away slightly to shake hands with Eli, who has just reached the bottom of the steps.
“Jack,” he holds his hands out to the sides in a casual but enthusiastic greeting, before extending one of them forward to meet mine. “Great to see you, man.”
“Eli, thank you,” I say, looking him in the eyes so he can see the sincerity in mine. He waves me off.
“Please, it was my pleasure. Besides, it was no trouble.” He shrugs, putting his hands in his pockets as a flight attendant comes down the steps with Trooper and Penny in tow, and on their respective leashes. I squat down to let them maul me as she hands the leashes over to Maze. I give them pets and scratches and a quick wrestle, before standing and putting my arm back around Mayzie’s waist, ready to guide her to the vehicle.
I thank Eli one last time before he quickly reminds me of the appearance we need to make atElementsafter the show tonight, and that he’ll text Ron the address of tomorrow’s photo shoot. He then turns and heads for a black town car that’s idling just ahead of our SUV, the attendant falling into step beside him. I turn back to Mayzie and plant another kiss on her as the driver loads her luggage into the cargo area of the SUV. I open the back door and help the dogs to climb into the third row, before Mayzie and I slide into the back seat. As we get rolling, I lean into her, nuzzling and kissing her neck as the dogs take turns peeking their heads over the back of our seat, and sticking their faces out the open window in the back. Her arm goes around me, and I raise my head to kiss her lips a couple more times, before leaning back to ask how she is.
“So how was it? Better flight than usual?”
“Yeah,” she sounds hesitant, and a little bit pensive. “It was nice.” Her other arm goes up behind her to stroke Trooper, who has his head hanging over her shoulder, the motion instinctual.
“Did something happen?” I ask, trying to decipher her expression.
“It was fine. I was only subjected to one unsavory sight of Eli hitting on the flight attendant,” she says cynically. “But actually, I’m a little worried about Trooper. He growled at him,” her voice sounds concerned and her eyebrows draw together as she looks at me for a reaction.
“What?” I ask in disbelief. “He never growls.”
“I know, but he did at Eli,” she shakes her head, clearly having a hard time believing it herself. She tells me about how she fell asleep reading and woke up to Trooper growling at Eli, and saw him squatting down close to them. I have to say, a red flag goes up. Dogs have a sense of human beings and their intentions, and I can’t help but wonder if Trooper felt the need to protect Mayzie from something. I feel an immediate pull of gratitude towards our dog and reach over the back of the seat to show him I’m grateful by petting his head and scratching his ears. I don’t say what I’m thinking to Mayzie, not wanting to alarm her. Instead, I let us focus on reuniting, but my eyes have been opened a little wider…
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