A Perfect Fit

17

Jackson

One of Isabelle's suitcases is overweight.

Considering how heavy her luggage had looked, I'm not surprised.

Isabelle lets out a groan as she faces the staff member behind the counter at the airport. "Oh god, I'm so sorry, I swear this happens to me nearly every single time." She runs a hand through her long hair and expels a breath. "Maybe I can take some clothes out and put them on. It worked last time."

I think back to that flight from London to New York when Bella had been wearing several layers of clothing—I'd suspected overweight luggage had been the reason why.

But this time, the last thing I want is for her to feel any stress during this trip, no matter big or small.

"I've got it," I say, taking out my wallet and turning to the airline representative. "How much will the excess baggage fee be?"

"That will be one hundred dollars, Mr. Carter," she replies.

Isabelle turns to me with a serious look on her face. "Oh, no, you don't have to pay for me. It's not your fault I packed too much. I'll pay for it."

"Let me take care of it," I assure her. "I don't want you to worry about anything for the entirety of this trip. All you need to do is sit back, relax, and show up to the gala as my date."

Isabelle opens her mouth as if to protest, but then closes it, a conflicted look appearing on her face.

I lean forward to adjust a strand of her stray hair. "Does that sound okay, Bella?"

She swallows, her gaze following the motion of my hand, before landing on my eyes. "Yes...that's more than okay."

"That's my girl," I murmur, causing a tiny whimper to bubble out of her mouth.

At the same time, the airline representative lets out a cough, reminding me that as much as I'd love it for Isabelle and me to be alone right now, we're in a public space. So I force myself to get it together and act professional.

Thirty minutes later, Bella and I are settled in our business class seats, ready for take-off.

"So I do have a serious question for you," Isabelle says, turning to me. "Carter Marketing Solutions is listed as a finalist for the Professional Services Firm of the Year award. How are you feeling?"

"If we win then of course that would be great," I answer. "But if we don't that's all good too. There are many talented businesses that also deserve the win."

She fakes a dramatic gasp. "I'm shocked. What happened to your ruthless competitive spirit from high school?"

I tilt my head to look at her, unable to contain the smile that's forming on my lips. "It's reserved for one person only."

She rolls her eyes playfully. "Put your seatbelt on, jackass."

After the plane takes off, I pull out my laptop and attempt to get some work done, but it's a challenge.

Sitting beside Isabelle, I'm tempted to sneak a glance at her every few moments. I'd definitely done a better job at resisting the urge to look at her the last time we were on a flight together, but then again, the circumstances had been different—we'd pretty much just been hurling insults at each other last time.

Bella is quietly reading another one of her romance novels—those books with a cartoon cover—and based on the way her eyes are glued to the pages, I can tell she's fully immersed in the story and enjoying the book.