Over the Line

Chapter Nine

When Remi made it home Saturday night she was absolutely exhausted. It was almost two in the morning when she got in, so she didn't stop to pick up Whiskey as much as she wanted to. She missed her furry friend, but had to be back at the airport in less than ten hours. She would have flown directly to Florida, but she felt terrible adjusting the flight Jake purchased for her to go meet Alexander about a different job.

Remi took the worlds quickest shower and fell into the comfort of her own bed. She was out instantly. When her alarm sounded five hours later she practically had to drag herself from the pillowy top. Not having as much time to decide on outfits, she replaced the dirty clothes in her suitcase with new clean ones. She'd have to work with whatever she grabbed, she thought.

Zander to Remi: What time do you land?

Remi: It says 3:37 pm

Zander: I'll be waiting

Remi's meeting wasn't until 9 o'clock on Monday with Alexander. He had offered to put her up at a local hotel, but Zander insisted she stay with him. He wanted to spend as much time together as they each could afford since she wouldn't be staying long. Besides he kept a three bedroom condo specifically for when his friends and family came to town, so he wouldn't take no for an answer.

Remi breezes through TSA PreCheck with just enough time to grab a coffee before boarding the plane. Comfort Plus was nothing compared to the first class ticket Jake had sprung for, but she was content with her window seat. Once they were in the air, she pulled out her laptop and connected to the WiFi. Her Mac pinged with several emails that had piled up since she last checked in.

She started filtering through them deleting the spam emails, bookmarking a couple free lance opportunities that peaked her interest, and finally landed on an official offer letter from Jake. Remi's natural instinct was to immediately click on the attachment, but before it could load she started second guessing whether she wanted to see it yet. She knew it had the potential to sway her before even sitting down with Alexander, so she quickly exited from the attachment before reviewing any of the details.

She shot off a quick reply to Jake thanking him for the offer and letting him know she'd have a decision by the end of the week. Based off their conversation on the way to Dallas Fort Worth International airport, she knew he wanted her to start as soon as possible. Her reply shouldn't come as a surprise to him though since Remi had warned him that she'd need a little time to make the decision. She felt a little guilty about not mentioning her interview with Alexander during her trip, but he never asked if she was entertaining other opportunities so she didn't feel the need to bring it up.

They were hardly above cruising altitude when the fight attendant asked passengers to power off their devices and please store them as they began their descent. When the wheels touched the runway Remi took her phone off airplane mode and shot Zander a message. Being punctual was one of the many traits that made him so reliable, so she knew he'd already be waiting. Instantly bubbles bounced across her screen followed by a location where she could meet him.

Remi's stomach did an unexpected little flip when she walked through the automatic doors and spotted him. She still hadn't confronted her feelings, so she chalked it up to excitement about getting to see her best friend after several weeks of being apart. Zander sat on the tailgate of his fancy black pickup truck waiting for Remi. When he looked up from his phone and spotted her he blasted her with a megawatt smile. He hopped down, bounded towards her, and wrapped her in an enormous bear hug.

"RT! I'm so glad you're here!" He boomed and finally set her back down on solid ground.

"Z, thanks for coming to get me." She returned his toothy smile and patted his arm.