Ross motioned them forward and they followed him to a lounge on the top floor of the airport where they took swivel chairs around a black onyx table. A smiling waitress arrived almost immediately to take their drink and breakfast orders from the menus on the table. Once she’d left, Hannah turned to Ross.
“There’s no one else here,” she commented.
“That’s because it’s early. It’ll fill up in a couple of hours.”
“We must have gotten here right after they opened,” Michelle said.
“No.” Ross shook his head. “They’re open twenty-four hours a day for members.”
“Does it cost a lot to belong to a club like this?” Hannah asked, hoping she didn’t sound worried.
“It’s worth it if you fly as much as I do . . . or as much as I used to do. Everything’s free, including the drinks, and there are cubicles where you can stretch out and rest if your flight is delayed.”
“What if you fall asleep?” P.K. asked.
“They wake you in time to catch your flight and they have their own private cart waiting to take you to the gate. You get full VIP service, and you don’t have to wait in those uncomfortable chairs in the waiting area by the gate.”
Their breakfast arrived and Hannah was momentarily distracted. She’d ordered smoked salmon with capers, cream cheese, and toast points. It was so artfully arranged and presented on a bone china plate. It was so attractive that it could have been used on a gourmet magazine cover.
“Gorgeous!” Michelle breathed, and Hannah glanced at her sister’s plate. Michelle had ordered Eggs Benedict and again, the breakfast entrée was so beautifully arranged, it could have starred in a magazine photo. The food looked lovely in the Sky Lounge and the service left nothing to be desired. But how did their breakfast entrées taste?
There was only one way to find out and Hannah could hardly wait! She spread cream cheese on a toast point and sprinkled on some capers. She’d learned that from Delores. Capers tended to roll off if you put them on top of the salmon, but if you pressed them down into the layer of cream cheese, they stayed in place until you could eat them.
Breakfast was wonderful. It was clear that everyone loved it because there was total silence while they ate and every one of them finished every bite. Four cups of excellent coffee later, a pleasant-looking young woman wearing an airline uniform approached their table.
“Your flight is ready, Mr. Barton,” she said, smiling at Ross.
“Thank you,” Ross said, rising from his chair. Hannah and everyone else followed suit. It was obviously time to go.
“Please follow me,” the young woman said, leading them to the elevator. And when they’d reached the ground floor, she escorted them past the front desk and led them to a motorized cart driven by a uniformed driver.
“Please be seated,” she told them. “Your flight is waiting for you. We wish you a safe and pleasurable journey to New York.”
Hannah was impressed and she glanced at Ross. He seemed to be taking the special treatment they’d received in stride. Of course, Ross had flown many more times than she had. Hannah’s only flight thus far, had been on the private jet that had carried her sisters, Doc, and Delores to Las Vegas.
Prepared to experience a letdown when she boarded a commercial flight, Hannah followed Ross as he led them to the Jetway. The long, carpeted section was completely deserted and she turned to him with a frown. “We’re flying a commercial jet, aren’t we?” She asked.
“Yes, we are. It’s my favorite airline.”
“Good, but where are all the other people?”
Ross turned to her with a smile. “They’re on the plane already. The people in the Sky Lounge wait until boarding is complete. They board last so that they don’t have to stand in line.”
Hannah was a bit nervous as she walked up the ramp. She’d heard horror stories about commercial flights. Rose McDermott had flown home to see her parents at Christmas, and she’d told Hannah about being sandwiched in between a terribly overweight man and a lady who kept falling asleep and putting her head on Rose’s shoulder. Rose had told her that when you flew coach, you had to be in the first group that boarded to get the good seats.
Hannah tapped Ross on the shoulder. “Aren’t all the good seats taken?”
“Yes, but I’m a Sky Lounge member and they saved our seats for us. Don’t worry, Cookie. You’ll be very comfortable on the flight.”
His promise was good enough for Hannah. Ross had been right about everything so far. She smiled and followed him to the end of the Jetway and entered the plane right behind him.
“Would you like the window or the aisle?” Ross asked her, gesturing toward the bulkhead seats on the right of the plane.
“The window please. But those aren’t our seats. According to the diagram the Food Channel sent me, we’re near the back of the plane.”
“Not anymore. We have these two bulkhead seats and Michelle and P.K. have the ones right across the aisle from us.”