Come Fly With Me (26 page)

“I’m
fine,
I
just
hate
flying,”
she
said
meekly.

“Well,
aren’t
you
just
full
of
surprises,”
Alex
said.

****

He
opened
her
door
of
the
cab
as
he
dropped
her
off
at
the
Ritz-Carlton
in
North
Buckhead.
“You
sure
you
don’t
want
to
grab
a
quick
bite?
You
didn’t
eat
anything
on
the
plane,”
Alex
offered.

“I’m
fine,
it’s
late
and
I
want
to
settle
in,
thank
you,
though,"
Allison
said.

“Okay,
I’ll
swing
by
here
around
eleven
tomorrow,
and
we’ll
grab
some
brunch.
We’ll
walk
around
town
a
little;
I’ll
give
you
the
full
tour.
Maybe,
I’ll
even
show
you
the
cell
at
the
county
lock-up
where
I
slept
for
a
few
nights
of
my
misspent
youth.”

“Alex!
You
did
not!”

“Yes,
Ma’am.
Full
disclosure,
that’s
my
motto.
See
you
at
eleven.”

He
left
her
standing
in
the
lobby
of
the
hotel
.
If
I
weren't
so
desperate
to
clear
up
the
mess
that
was
left
in
my
care,
I
would
be
back
in
New
York
instead
of
down
here
in
Georgia
on
a
fruitless
mission,
she
thought
.
Sure,
he
was
charming,
and
about
as
lethal
as
a
rattlesnake.
She
shook
her
head
in
disgust
as
she
walked
toward
the
bank
of
elevators
and
stabbed
at
the
button
with
the
arrow
facing
up.
She
looked
at
her
two
button
choices.
There
really
should
be
another
button,
she
thought.
How
about,
'you're
shit
out
of
luck
and
getting
nowhere
fast.'

The
next
morning
Alex
drove
down
Peachtree
Road
and
pulled
up
in
front
of
the
Ritz-Carlton.
He
handed
the
keys
to
his
classic
1963
Porsche
356
to
the
valet
out
front,
together
with
a
generous
tip,
and
told
him
he’d
only
be
a
minute.
Allison
was
just
getting
off
the
elevator
as
Alex
sauntered
through
the
double-glass
sliding
doors.
Spotting
him
she
called
out,
“Alex,
good
morning!"
as
she
waved
invitingly
at
him.

"You
look
lovely,"
he
smiled.
"Are
you
ready
to
greet
the
day
Buckhead-style?"

"I
guess
I
am."

They
walked
out
into
the
bright
sunshine
and
Allison
arched
an
eyebrow
as
she
got
into
the
car.

“It
was
a
college
graduation
present.
My
father
was
so
excited
he
nearly
wept—
he
never
thought
the
day
would
come,”
Alex
said.

“If
high
school
was
such
a
disaster,
how
did
you
get
into
Harvard?”

“The
next
time
you’re
in
Bean
town,
why
don’t
you
stop
by
the
campus
and
check
out
the
new
Horatio
Coventry
wing
of
the
library,”
he
said.

“Stop
it!”
she
exclaimed.

“I
wish
I
could,
sweetheart,
but
I'm
afraid
you've
hitched
your
wagon
to
a
runaway
train.
But
you'll
be
glad
to
know
that
I
buckled
down
and
aced
my
way
through
college
and
M.I.T.,
so
I
did
acquire
some
actual
skills.”

His
eyes
crinkled
as
he
good-naturedly
poked
fun
at
himself.
He
was
much
more
than
most
of
the
men
she
knew,
Allison
thought.
She
gave
him
a
full
smile
when
he
turned
to
look
at
her.

“You’re
even
more
beautiful
when
you're
relaxed,”
he
said.

“Thank
you.
I
didn’t
expect
you
to
say
that.”

“Why
not?
It’s
true.”

"But
very
personal.
And…well,
we
have
a
professional
relationship.”

.
“I
think
we
can
manage
both,”
he
said
cheekily.
“You're
in
my
car,
in
my
hometown,
about
to
meet
my
family.
None
of
this
feels
very
business-like.”

“Alex,
I’m
sorry.
You
might
have
gotten
the
wrong
impression.
This
whole
situation
is
a
little
peculiar,
but
I
have
no
desire
to
take
this
relationship
anywhere
except
strictly
business.”

They
pulled
up
in
front
of
Mary Anne’s—
where
it
seemed
you
could
get:
The best damn coffee, ever.

“Allison,
we’ll
continue
this
discussion
at
a
later
date.
Right
now,
I’m
very
hungry,
and
I’m
liable
to
say
something
you
don’t
want
to
hear—just
yet.”
He
came
around
and
opened
her
door.
He
reached
in
and
guided
her
up
and
out
of
the
low
seat.
He
pressed
her
up
against
the
car
and
whispered
in
her
ear.
“We’ll
do
it
your
way,
first.
But
when
we’re
done
with
business,
I’ll
show
you
a
thing
or
two
about
pleasure.”
He
kissed
the
tip
of
her
nose.
He
took
her
by
the
hand
and
walked
into
the
restaurant
with
her
as
if
they
were
longtime
girlfriend
and
boyfriend,
rather
than
the
strangers
that
they
really
were.
Alex
waved
his
hand
at
MaryAnne
and
led
Allison
to
a
table
in
the
back.