She nodded and pulled her hand away. "I fly out from here all the time. I've never been in an incident yet."
"Flights across the entire Pacific are nothing like just going from here to the mainland, honey," the man grumbled.
"Oh, I've flown across the Pacific, the Atlantic, everywhere." She reached up to close a full overhead bin then gave Christine a wink. "There's no cause for alarm. Everything will be fine."
The man glanced over at Christine. "If you get apprehensive or nervous, just come on up here with me, honey. I'll make you forget we're flying."
"I'm fine, thanks." Christine turned back to the window. Great, I get the one flight with a woman who seems to want Charlie as much as I do, is gorgeous enough to be on a magazine cover, is his usual type, and worst of all is nice. Wonderful.
"Here you go and don't worry, really. We'll be safe." The attendant handed her a blanket and a pillow. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Christine took them and smiled a bit. "No thanks. I'm fine now. But if you want to slip Mr. Man over there a sleeping potion, I wouldn't mind."
The flight attendant laughed before she went to assist the other passengers.
Christine made sure her seat belt was fastened then stared out the window. She felt none of the man's apprehension as they took off. She'd heard Charlie say many times flying remained safer than driving. Of course, no wonder he didn't mind traveling long distances with this model flight attendant to keep him company.
Halfway through the flight the beauty came back, plopped down in the empty seat beside Christine, and removed a shoe to rub her foot. "Shh," she whispered with a wink. "My feet are killing me. We have to wear a standard heel, which is way too high for a girl like me who grew up barefoot. It's torture sometimes."
"I can imagine." Christine had to grin, liking this woman even if she was close to Charlie. "Heels always drive me crazy."
"You aren't kidding. If you don't mind talking about it, did your plane really have an emergency landing?" Voice low, she rested her forehead on the seat in front of them.
Christine shook her head. "Not really. There was no movie drama where everyone is screaming while the plane fills with smoke, nose dives and the valiant captain saves the day. Just very bumpy, then a bit nerve wracking with thumps when we touched down."
"Good to hear. I didn't think it would be as bad as some said because the airport never closed." She slipped her shoe back on and grimaced. "But at least you got to see a bit of Hawaii. Did you enjoy your lay over?"
No way would Christine tell this beauty about Charlie or that her memories of Hawaii would always be tied directly to what the two of them did in one night. "I did, yes, thank you."
Her gaze probed, making Christine want to draw back. What seemed so familiar about this lady? "You'll have to come back sometime soon and stay longer."
"Maybe." Not likely though. She couldn't pretend ever again she only wanted to be friends with Charlie. But she had to work with him, couldn't let on he'd broken something inside her she didn't realize could be broken again. "Your island is beautiful."
"It has its places and moments." The attendant straightened to sweep the plane cabin with a gaze. "My brother is planted firmly and won't ever leave. He travels some, but home is home. Any woman he develops a serious relationship with should understand and respect his roots."
Christine nodded. "Sounds like a friend of mine."
A passenger buzzed and the flight attendant stood. "We're landing soon, so in case I don't get another minute, it was a pleasure to meet you, Christine."
"Likewise." Christine watched her hurry off then jolted. How did the flight attendant discover her name? Oh great, had Charlie mentioned Christine to the goddess and they'd laughed over her silly assumption one night with Charlie meant something more? She watched another flight attendant walk the aisle with a clipboard. Ah duh, flight attendants had the names of passengers and their seat numbers. No mystery there. The beautiful attendant also laughed and talked with most of the passengers, so there was nothing special about her chat with Christine. Nothing special at all except both of them knew Charlie.
The flight landed without a hitch. Christine disembarked to hurry and catch her connecting flight. This flight also flew and landed uneventfully as the flight attendant had promised. It all became a blur; a mangle of people, planes, and noise for the next twelve hours then blessed quiet when she arrived home to emptiness.
Christine dumped her bags on the floor and headed straight for the shower. Exhaustion, physical and mental, consumed her so sleep after washing off travel grime became the most important priority.
As she scrubbed, Christine noticed a red spot on her shoulder and another on her hip, tiny brands from his teeth and fingers. The marks would soon fade, but her memories never would.