Hawaii. And why did Devon want us there?
“I want you both to come,” he said stubbornly. “What’s not going to work? I can help you figure things out.”
“You can’t just throw money at things and expect them to work out,” I snapped at him. “I have a job. Nana needs to be in contact with her doctors. We can’t just up and leave.”
“They have doctors in Hawaii,” Devon said.
“Doctors,” Nana scoffed. “I’m not going to need doctors. Those home health people only take my pulse and watch me exercise. We can take my rubber bands to Hawaii, can’t we, June?”
“And if you come, you can make sure she does her exercises,” Devon put in.
Both of them looked at me with identical pleading expressions. It hurt my heart to see just how desperate Nana was to go. None of this made sense. But if I could make Nana happy by saying yes to this foolish idea, maybe that was the right thing to do.
And that’s how I found myself on a private plane with Devon Ray and Nana.
“Can I talk to you?” Devon asked. He was lounging on a couch that served, apparently, as an airplane seat. I was sitting beside Nana, who had started to nod off.
“What do you want to talk about?” I asked, leaning over Nana.
“Maybe you could come over here, so we’re not disturbing Nana,” he said. Nana was battling with slumber, excited enough to want to enjoy the plane ride, but still tired. It was well past her bedtime.
I eased past her and sat as far away from Devon as possible.
“I’m not going to bite,” he said. “Come here, so I don’t have to raise my voice.”
“I can hear you just fine.”
“We should probably be quiet,” Devon said, nodding across the aisle. Nana was fast asleep at last, not even the novelty of a jaunt around the globe on a private jet enough to keep her awake.
“Nana’s a heavy sleeper,” I said. “We won’t bother her.”
“Well, in that case…” Devon waggled his eyebrows at me.
“Don’t be a pig.” As if I needed yet another reason to not want to be here, on this trip.
“You need to try to be a little nicer,” he said.
“And you need to try to be less creepy,” I retorted.
“Think of how excited Nana is,” he cajoled. “You wouldn’t want to ruin it for her, would you?”
“Listen. The one and only reason I am on this plane is for Nana. That’s the only reason I’m doing this, is because she’s so excited, so happy. I haven’t seen her like this in a really long time, and that’s special to us both. I don’t know why you’re doing this, but I know why I am.”
I turned stubbornly away, studying Nana as she slept, her mouth hanging open just wide enough to be cute, not scary. I’d sidle in next to her if I weren’t afraid of waking her. She needed her rest. Too much excitement was a bad thing, the doctors had warned us. A little bit of excitement required a nice, long break, and today had just been so big.
Beside me, Devon heaved a sigh.
“I’m doing this to impress you,” he said, making me turn back to him in surprise.
“You’re what?”
“To impress you,” he said. “I…felt bad. Really bad. About the way everything has gone down between us.”
I opened my mouth and closed it again, unsure of what to say. Had he done some soul-searching, or what?
“Who I was in the hotel room…that’s not who I am. I was upset. I was messed up about my breakup. I shouldn’t have been drinking alone, and I shouldn’t have come on as strongly as I did. It’s just…you showed up. You were pretty. You liked me, or at least I thought you did. And all I wanted was some physical comfort.”
I sighed. The guy had dumped out his heart for me to see, and he needed a bone thrown to him.
“If it makes you feel any better, I was into you,” I said. “I wanted to…kiss you. Okay, I wanted to do a little more than kiss you.”
“Really?” He blinked at me, eager. “Why didn’t you?”
“Because you seemed so sure of it,” I said. “That it was
“I want you both to come,” he said stubbornly. “What’s not going to work? I can help you figure things out.”
“You can’t just throw money at things and expect them to work out,” I snapped at him. “I have a job. Nana needs to be in contact with her doctors. We can’t just up and leave.”
“They have doctors in Hawaii,” Devon said.
“Doctors,” Nana scoffed. “I’m not going to need doctors. Those home health people only take my pulse and watch me exercise. We can take my rubber bands to Hawaii, can’t we, June?”
“And if you come, you can make sure she does her exercises,” Devon put in.
Both of them looked at me with identical pleading expressions. It hurt my heart to see just how desperate Nana was to go. None of this made sense. But if I could make Nana happy by saying yes to this foolish idea, maybe that was the right thing to do.
And that’s how I found myself on a private plane with Devon Ray and Nana.
“Can I talk to you?” Devon asked. He was lounging on a couch that served, apparently, as an airplane seat. I was sitting beside Nana, who had started to nod off.
“What do you want to talk about?” I asked, leaning over Nana.
“Maybe you could come over here, so we’re not disturbing Nana,” he said. Nana was battling with slumber, excited enough to want to enjoy the plane ride, but still tired. It was well past her bedtime.
I eased past her and sat as far away from Devon as possible.
“I’m not going to bite,” he said. “Come here, so I don’t have to raise my voice.”
“I can hear you just fine.”
“We should probably be quiet,” Devon said, nodding across the aisle. Nana was fast asleep at last, not even the novelty of a jaunt around the globe on a private jet enough to keep her awake.
“Nana’s a heavy sleeper,” I said. “We won’t bother her.”
“Well, in that case…” Devon waggled his eyebrows at me.
“Don’t be a pig.” As if I needed yet another reason to not want to be here, on this trip.
“You need to try to be a little nicer,” he said.
“And you need to try to be less creepy,” I retorted.
“Think of how excited Nana is,” he cajoled. “You wouldn’t want to ruin it for her, would you?”
“Listen. The one and only reason I am on this plane is for Nana. That’s the only reason I’m doing this, is because she’s so excited, so happy. I haven’t seen her like this in a really long time, and that’s special to us both. I don’t know why you’re doing this, but I know why I am.”
I turned stubbornly away, studying Nana as she slept, her mouth hanging open just wide enough to be cute, not scary. I’d sidle in next to her if I weren’t afraid of waking her. She needed her rest. Too much excitement was a bad thing, the doctors had warned us. A little bit of excitement required a nice, long break, and today had just been so big.
Beside me, Devon heaved a sigh.
“I’m doing this to impress you,” he said, making me turn back to him in surprise.
“You’re what?”
“To impress you,” he said. “I…felt bad. Really bad. About the way everything has gone down between us.”
I opened my mouth and closed it again, unsure of what to say. Had he done some soul-searching, or what?
“Who I was in the hotel room…that’s not who I am. I was upset. I was messed up about my breakup. I shouldn’t have been drinking alone, and I shouldn’t have come on as strongly as I did. It’s just…you showed up. You were pretty. You liked me, or at least I thought you did. And all I wanted was some physical comfort.”
I sighed. The guy had dumped out his heart for me to see, and he needed a bone thrown to him.
“If it makes you feel any better, I was into you,” I said. “I wanted to…kiss you. Okay, I wanted to do a little more than kiss you.”
“Really?” He blinked at me, eager. “Why didn’t you?”
“Because you seemed so sure of it,” I said. “That it was
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