decide to buy a Spyder,” Jorgie played along, “and suddenly everywhere you look the place is crawling with Spyders.”
“Pun intended?”
“You know me. I can’t resist wordplay.”
“You can’t resist anything brainiacish.”
“Anyway…” Jorgie ignored that comment. “If we hadn’t been talking about Quint, then I probably would never have noticed him. He would have walked right on by. Just like if you weren’t dying to own a Spyder, you wouldn’t notice every single one of them that drove past.”
“Except that he didn’t walk right on by, he ran smack-dab into you.”
“You saw that?”
“The whole airport saw it.”
Jorgie winced. She hated being the center of attention and nothing embarrassed her more than public humiliation. Unlike Avery, who courted the spotlight with glee.
“Don’t obsess about it,” Avery said, accurately reading her. “No one cares that your skirt was practically up around your waist.”
Jorgie groaned.
“Look at the bright side. At least you don’t wear thongs. Come on. Let’s get through security before the line gets any longer. Our plane starts boarding in fifteen minutes.”
Avery was right. No point obsessing over something she couldn’t change. She needed to live in the moment. Get fired up about her trip. She was going to Venice. What more could a woman ask for?
By the time they were through the checkpoint and found their gate at Eros Air, boarding was already in progress.
“Hey,” Avery said, nudging Jorgie in the side. “Isn’t that your guy?”
“What guy?”
“Mr. Handsome over there by the gate attendant.”
Jorgie focused on the jetway. Sure enough, it was Quint Mason getting on the plane. Her plane. To Venice. What was he doing on her plane? Quint had said he was late for work. Did he work for Eros? Was he a pilot, or a navigator, or a flight attendant? But he wasn’t in uniform.
Jorgie frowned and looked at her ticket. “Are we at the right gate?”
“E37. That’s you.”
She focused back on Avery. “What do you mean, that’s me?”
“This is your gate.”
“My gate?” She raised an eyebrow.
Avery shifted her weight. “My gate’s at E34.”
“Your gate?” She sounded like a parrot.
“I decided at the last minute I’d rather go on the Make Love Like A Movie Star tour. I’m going to Hollywood.”
Avery’s statement shocked her so much Jorgie didn’t immediately register what she’d said. “Huh?”
“I’m going to Hollywood,” she repeated.
“That’s what you were doing at the ticket counter? Changing your destination?”
Avery had the good grace to look ashamed. “Yes.”
“And they just let you switch like that?”
“I had to pay a fee, but, yeah.”
Jorgie felt as if she’d been slapped across the face. “What’s going on? Why didn’t you tell me? I would be just as happy going on the movie star tour. Let’s go back and swap my ticket over.”
“Um, I kinda, sorta, wanted to go alone.”
Dismay sucked all the anticipation out of her. “But…but…” Jorgie sputtered. “This whole Eros vacation was your idea. You told me to spread my wings, to claim my sexuality and show Brian that I could be as unconventional as…as…”
Avery placed a hand on Jorgie’s shoulder. “And that’s what you’re going to do.”
“Not without you I’m not.”
“Jorg, we’ve gotta cut the cord sometime. I can’t keep being your id. You gotta learn how to develop your own sense of fun.”
“Well, that sounds all great and everything,” Jorgie said, still stunned by the turn of events. She’d never expected Avery to pull something like this. Sure, her friend was spontaneous and free-spirited and, okay, she could be irresponsible at times, but she’d never betrayed Jorgie before. “But who’s going to be your brake?”
“That’s just it. This time, I wanna freefall. No brakes, no parachutes, nothing to hold me back.”
Jorgie gaped openmouthed. “I…I…never knew you felt this way. I thought we balanced each other out. I thought that was why our friendship worked so well.”
“Listen, it’s not the end of the world,” Avery said in a perky voice as if she wasn’t about to cut the cord with a pair of giant metaphorical scissors. “We’re simply taking separate vacations.”
“I would never have agreed to the trip if I’d known you were going to bail on me.” Jorgie fisted her hands.
“I know.” Avery smiled. “It’s the reason I had to pull a stunt like this. I hope you’ll forgive me for the subterfuge.”
Betrayal had an ugly taste, bitter and hard. “Don’t do this. You can switch your ticket back. I’ll pay for the fee. Please.”
“Time to pull up your big-girl panties, Jorgie.” Avery hoisted her knapsack onto her shoulder. “Ciao.”
“You can’t…You’re not…Avery, don’t leave me.”
“You’re too dependent on me, kiddo.”
Her friend was right. She sounded so desperate. She felt desperate, too. Her life had been unraveling ever since Brian left her and now Avery was leaving her, too. “Please…”
“You can do this. I have faith. We’ll call each other every day and share our experiences.”
“Ave…” Jorgie was finding it hard to breathe. A tumult of emotions clogged her lungs. She felt scared and betrayed and angry and, strangely enough, just a little bit excited. She’d never done anything on her own. She and Avery had roomed together in college, and then afterward she’d met Brian and they’d moved in together. Then after Brian had left, Avery rented Jorgie’s spare bedroom. She’d never lived alone. Never traveled alone.
“Final boarding call for Eros Air flight 692,” said a voice over the loudspeaker.
“Go on.” Avery gave her a gentle shove toward the jetway. “This is for your own good.”
“I…”
“Spread
