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The One Who Felt Like Home

By Tammy Karasek

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Chapter One

“Hey, waitress! I mean server. I mean … oh, whatever. I need a bottle of water. Now!” The passenger in first class row 3B snapped his fingers in the air after he pressed the call button. Four times. If anyone was counting.

Twenty-eight-year-old Gracelyn Cooper, straightened her company-issued V-neck sweater and rolled her eyes at Becky, her fellow flight attendant. She then put on a big smile as she leaned around the galley wall.
“One moment, sir, I’ll be right there.” She whispered to Becky, “Really? We’re landing in less than thirty minutes, everyone is sleeping—or was—and you want water? I’d like to give you a water.”

“This flight has sure had its fill of needy passengers since we left Los Angeles after midnight. We expect it from first class, but man, the whole plane is filled with entitled passengers.” Becky elbowed her. “We’re almost to Chicago, then you’re going home for the weekend, right?”

Gracelyn pulled out the beverage cart drawer and grabbed a water. “Yes, I’m anxious to see my family. I’ve been on the road a lot this month. It’s my Grams’ birthday party on Saturday. I can’t wait.” She held up the bottle. “Here I go.” After putting on a big smile, she sighed and stepped out to give the passenger his water.
“Took you long enough. I thought maybe you forgot me.”

As if. She reached up, turned off the call light, and handed him his water.

“I asked for a cup of ice.”

“No, you only yelled for water.” She paused. “But I’m happy to get you a cup of ice. And we’re not waiters or servers. Flight attendant would be appropriate.” She turned and walked back up the aisle to the galley.
Becky had already scooped a cup of ice for her and handed it to her around the corner.

“Thank you. I see you heard.”

“Yep, we all did.”

Gracelyn nodded and turned to deliver the man’s ice. She heard the one chime from the flight deck phone calling one of the attendants to pick it up when they could. By the time she returned to the galley, Becky had already answered.

“Captain said to finish landing prep and grab our seats. We’re almost there.” Becky stepped out with a trash bag for one final sweep and to make sure the passengers were all awake and preparing to land while the flight attendant from back came forward. Gracelyn, as lead flight attendant, announced to the cabin to put seats upright, lock their trays, and stow items underneath their seats or in the above bins they may have had out for in-flight use. Then be seated and buckle up. Afterward, all three attendants sat in their seats and buckled in.

“What are you doing this weekend?” Gracelyn asked.

“I have two more legs today and will end in Myrtle Beach for a long weekend. I’m meeting my friends for a girls’ trip. I can hardly wait.”

“Sounds like a great time. I remember you talking about it last year. How many of you meet up again?” Gracelyn thought Becky’s trips always sounded like fun, and she loved hearing all the details.

“This time there’ll be twelve of us. We rented a big condo right on the beach. Figured it’d be the last hurrah before school starts. Two of them are teachers, and a couple others have kids. It’s going to be crazy crowded this time of year. But hey, the sun, sand, and beach—they’re calling my name. Exactly what I need right now.”

“I’m looking forward to hearing all about it. I think we fly together in a couple weeks, or I’ll catch you at the apartment. Send me pictures so I can be jealous.” Time at the beach sounded great. Need to figure out a time to do this. And soon.

The plane vibrated beneath their feet. The wheels released and slowly dropped into place.

Becky turned to Gracelyn. “You know, you really need to start staying over a day or two at some of our destinations. You work too hard. See the country and sights.”

“That’s why I wanted this job, but I’ve yet to do that. I need to start. Maybe the next time we fly together, we can plan our schedule and pick some place to stay and play tourists.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Becky held out her fist.

Gracelyn responded with a light bump. “C’mon, with bumpy flights and rocky landings like this, who needs more fun?”

Becky dropped her chin and stared directly into Gracelyn’s eyes. She raised her eyebrows. “Wow, that’s pathetic.”

As the plane banked sharp right to allow the pilot to line up with the runway, the lights of Chicago lit up the area beneath them. The local time was a little after 6:00 a.m. and the sunrise was hard at work doing its duty to rise out of the east. It did not disappoint.

Gracelyn had made the request to keep seat belts fastened until they reached the gate. All three attendants shook their head at the sound of the rapid release of buckles of most of the passengers, shortly after the bounce of the tires and brakes engaging while still on the runway.

Becky twisted her mouth to one side. “I feel sorry for the many folks we fly with each day who don’t understand directions.”

“Understanding isn’t the issue. It’s following directions that’s the problem.”

“Truth.” Becky raised her hand and dropped her head.

They remained buckled and seated until they arrived at the gate. Once there, Gracelyn unbuckled and moved to the exit door to wait for the gate agent to extend the jet bridge, then the knock on the door announcing it was ready to be opened.

“Oh, I almost forgot. When I collected the last trash round, the hunk of a guy in 26A asked for your name.” Becky raised and lowered her eyebrows a few times with a little fake kiss to go along with the gesture. “When I told him, he got a huge smile. Like an oh-la-la smile.”

“Okay, now you’re pathetic. Please, calm yourself. And besides, why tell me now that I won’t be able to see who he is?”

“Sorry. Trust me, there was only one hunky dark-haired guy on this flight. You’ll know. His eyes are as bright-blue as yours are dark-blue. He has special eyes, like you.”

The attendants did their best to maneuver around passengers through the plane to see if anyone needed assistance before the aisles were loaded. Gracelyn found herself stuck in an empty seat in row 21 where a petite older lady was trying to get her bag out of the overhead bin a couple rows back. She stepped over to the lady. “Here, ma’am, let me help you get that.” She stretched toward the bin, tried a pull, then another. She then stepped onto the seat and saw that the bag was caught on the wheel of another suitcase.

“Well, child, you’re not that much taller than me. How do you suppose we get this?” She smiled and shrugged.

Gracelyn giggled. “Want me to put you on my shoulders? We could get it done teamwork style.”

The lady grabbed her forearm. “You’re a card. But why don’t we ask that handsome young fella back there? He looks like he’s the height of both of us together.”

Gracelyn turned to see the handsome, er … the tall passenger three rows back as he exited his row.
He slowly approached the two women. “Here, let me. Seems my height would help with the situation.”

Gracelyn froze.

He waited.

Snapping back to reality and turning to step off the seat, Gracelyn caught her foot beneath the armrest and slipped toward Mr. row 26—who was now standing close by. Very close by. Close enough, thankfully to lean forward and help her balance before she fell. When he helped her down, they were face to face, their lips nearly touching. The soft giggle of the older lady behind Gracelyn made her smile as heat filled her face.

The tall, helpful passenger finally leaned back after a far-too-long pause, then reached over her head to grab the bag and pull it out of the bin. He gently set it down and pulled out the handle for the lady to roll it out of the aircraft.

The woman gushed over the man and his helpfulness. Something about the need for more people to help like him. She mouthed the words thank you to him and stepped back into her row to allow others to go first.

Gracelyn excused herself and scooted around passengers to join the rest of the crew already standing outside of the flight deck. The captain and first officer stood outside their door. The crew politely acknowledged each passenger, though the reciprocal reaction didn’t always match. Sleep deprived passengers continued to make their way out. Some kind. Some not.

Gracelyn felt an unexpected sharp elbow to her side and she let out a squeak.

The pilot leaned around the other crew members and asked if she was okay.

She nodded while sizing up the man standing six rows back—the same one who had helped her and the passenger in row 23. She didn’t think much about it while rushing to get the bag out. Now that his face was more visible—instead of almost smashed into hers—this had to be the hunk Becky had described. If she wasn’t sure, the elbow to the side confirmed it.

As the man approached the crew, he thanked them all for the flight.

“You’re so welcome. We hope to see you again, and soon.” Becky’s huge smile with bright, perfect teeth showing, remained a little longer than it should have.

Gracelyn gave a slow, gentle elbow back to her. Through her own smile, teeth clenched, she said, “Calm yourself down, girl, or I’ll be getting you a water.”

Then Mr. seat 26A looked directly at Gracelyn and gave her a wide smile meant for her—and nobody else. She was sure she could see his face slowly turn red from his neck to his forehead. “Thank you for letting me help you back there, Gracelyn. Have a great day.”

A passenger impatiently waiting in the aisle to exit raised his voice for all to hear. “Hey, c’mon man, thank you—yada, yada, yada—ya big flirt. Now get off the plane. Some of us have connecting flights to catch.”
A couple other passengers cried out in agreement with the outspoken man.

Gracelyn looked back at Mr. 26A. He shook his head slightly but cleared his throat and turned to go out the door.

The other four crew members turned to her as the passenger line picked up speed to exit. The pilot was first to ask, “Excuse me, do you know that guy?”

“No. I mean, I don’t think so. But in a weird kind of way, he seems vaguely familiar.”

“I’ve seen him on this flight from Los Angeles before, but it’s been a couple of weeks. He sure was watching every move you made,” Becky said.

“Oh, wipe that grin off your face. He’s probably being kind and is tired from the late-night flight. Delirium does that.”

The pilot nodded. “Yeah, we’ll let you think that, but I’d say that guy was trying to work up the courage to flirt with you.”

The sweet lady from row 23 walked up and grabbed Gracelyn’s hand. “Dear one, thank you again for your help. I sat down to let the others pass as I’m so slow at my age. I also let that young man who helped us pass so he didn’t overhear me. Boy, he’s a looker, isn’t he? And he sure is sweet on you. You might want to hurry out and see if you can catch that one. Kind, good looking, and helpful. Don’t find those too much anymore.” Her ornery wink set the crew off into laughter. The lady turned and pointed her finger at them. “You all know I’m right. Thank you for my flight. Have a blessed day.”

Before any of them said a word, Gracelyn closed her eyes and said, “Don’t even say a word. He was a nice, helpful passenger. Period. The end.”

Becky couldn’t seem to help herself. “Nice, helpful, gorgeous hunk of a man who happened to ask for your name and stared at you anytime he was awake. The end? Really?”

“Stop it, would you? I’ll never see him again. Grab your stuff. You have a plane to catch in a few minutes. And I’m heading for coffee while I wait for my flight home in less than two hours.”

#

“Smooth, Brent Marshall. Thank you for letting me help you, Gracelyn. Have a great day.” What was he thinking? His one chance in ten years to speak face-to-face to the Gracelyn and that’s all he could muster? He called her by name. Had to have creeped her out. Worse yet, she had no idea who he was. “Nothing’s changed, I guess. Always the invisible one.” How stupid could he be?

Well, some things had changed. Like Gracelyn. Her wavy, medium-dark-blonde hair was much longer than high school. A memory popped into his mind of how he’d watch her brothers at church as they pulled her short hair. She was even prettier than he remembered. Her deep, dark-blue eyes and the bright white lines in them were always neat to him. Not that he’d had too many occasions to be that close. If only.

Brent needed coffee and quick. He had two hours before his connecting flight to Lexington. He needed to get to the office for a 2:00 p.m. staff meeting, everyone’s attendance required. Then back to his apartment to crash.

This trip, he’d worked extra hours with the client getting the software installed with their tech team, then worked long days getting the team and employees trained before he returned to the office. The life of a software engineer and consultant had perks of seeing different areas of the country, but also some negatives of keeping him away from home.

Home-home. Not his empty, quiet apartment. His mom had reminded him he’d been traveling so much for his job she hadn’t seen him for a long time. He promised he’d come soon. She had begged him to come this weekend to meet his new nephew. He was eager to see his folks, yes, but even more so this new nephew. Too bad the times he did make it back home, Gracelyn had never been there. Not that he’d conjure up the guts to speak to her if she had been.

Look at today’s failed attempt. Then to stand there staring at her and remembering how much he wanted to ask her out in high school, but never could. Actually, he did once … in a daydream. Probably doesn’t count. It went well though. Don’t daydreams always work out perfectly? So unlike what just happened back there on that plane. Their lips had been so close he could feel her breath. If only he could have kissed her right then. The thought of a possible assault charge made him thankful he hadn’t tried. Sort of.

The familiar cafe sign hanging above the crowd pulled him toward it, promising caffeine in his near future. He’d refused it on the plane and opted instead to have a little shut-eye—the attempt at least. Between the bumpy flight, the constant noise of passengers, and the little guy from across the aisle trying to be his new best friend, sleep had never happened. Now morning, he needed to be awake. When his phone buzzed in his pocket, he pulled it out and saw the photo of his mom on the screen.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Did you make it to Chicago?”

“Yes. I’m going to grab breakfast and finish up some work here. My connecting flight to Lexington leaves at eight-forty-five. I have to be back at the office by two o’clock for a mandatory meeting. I’m exhausted.”

“You work so hard. Why don’t you come down for the weekend after the meeting?”

“I’ll think about it.” He approached the café. Whatever they’d been cooking, he was having. “Gotta run, I’m almost to the cashier. Talk later.”

“Bye, love you.”

“Back to ya, Mom.”

Brent took another step, slid his phone into his pocket, and leaned his head back to see what he wanted this morning. Coffee. But plain or fancy? Cold or hot?

The noise around the counter brought his attention off the menu to the ruckus. A traveling mother was doing her best to wrangle three little ones, a stroller, backpacks, and a rolling carry-on. He took a step to go around the line to help the mother but froze.

Right in the middle of the chaos, there she stood. His heart flip-flopped. Or stopped. Something. But now it beat so hard and fast he thought he might faint.

Gracelyn stepped up to the mom. “Do you need a little help?”

The woman’s face looked tired, her hair a mess, and kids tried to dart in three different directions. “Yes, that might be good.” She sighed as she grabbed a little one off the stroller that was about to tip over.

Gracelyn told her to take the stroller to a table and have a seat. She promised to grab the little ones and bring her coffee when they called her name.

There was a lot going on, and he knew he needed to help, but when he stepped out of line to do just that, a little human bullet darted past his legs. “Whoa there, buddy, where you off to?” He gently stepped into the child’s path to stop him from escaping. Then a little girl came toward him and launched herself at him with arms wide open to be picked up.

Gracelyn’s mouth dropped. Then closed. “You again?”

He wasn’t sure if the question was meant as a good or bad thing, but he smiled. “Not my plan, but it looked like an extra pair of hands would come in handy, and I might still be able to outrun these little ones. I’ve had practice.” Oh boy, I’m talking … to Gracelyn.

The wearied mom spoke up. “Practice? So, you have a bunch of little kids? Thank you by the way.”
Brent looked at her, wondering why she thought he had kids. “Oh, no. I meant I’ve had practice chasing my nieces and nephew.” He sat a child in each chair.

“Oh, that’s my order.” The mom stood to retrieve the snacks and drinks while each of the three little ones slid off their seats to follow.

“Sit. I’ll go for you so we don’t lose them again.” Gracelyn laughed and left to get the order. Brent stood guard over the children until she returned.

“Thank you,” the mom said to Gracelyn. You’re probably working or waiting for your next flight. I don’t want to be a bother. I appreciate your help.”

“No problem. Thank you for letting me help you. I’m actually done flying for the weekend and heading home.”
Home? She was heading home? Like their home, Fox Grove? He looked at her, and she looked back with a slight smile. He wished he understood this part of communication with other people, especially this one in particular.

“I don’t want to keep either of you from your schedule. These little guys have food and drink, so I’ll be able to corral them for a bit. Again, thank you both so much.”

Brent nodded.

“No problem, have a great rest of your trip.” Gracelyn waved goodbye to the little ones and turned to go back to the line.

He spread his right hand out to imply after you, and they both moved back over to the line.

“Hello again,” she said. “Fancy meeting you here. You didn’t like our coffee service on the plane?”

He laughed. “I wanted some but wanted sleep more. Though that never happened.”

“Yes, I doubt it could have happened much. It was an … active flight. In so many ways.”

Brent searched for a way to keep the conversation going. “Hey, what was with the guy way up front yelling off and on throughout the flight?”

“You could hear him way back there?”

“The lack of sleep I mentioned? He had the back half of the plane whiny and grumbling. They wanted to sleep, and he wouldn’t be quiet. Have to admit it was one of the weirdest flights I’ve ever had.”

The cashier asked Gracelyn for her order.

“I would like an extra-large cold mocha but no ice, a cup of ice, and a bottle of cola.”

Brent stepped up. “Put her order on mine and add an extra … wait, are you drinking a mocha and a cola? You must really need caffeine.”

“It’s a thing I do. I mix them for an iced mocha cola. I don’t like the taste of coffee, so a barista set me up with this fabulous caffeine concoction in Cleveland, and I’ve not turned back.”

“Hmmm, you going to use the whole cola?”

“No, just some. You want to try it?”

“Could I? Or maybe, should I?”

“Sure.” She looked back at the cashier, staring and waiting. “Sorry, I guess we’ll have two extra-large cold mochas, no ice, one cola, and two cups of ice.”

He leaned toward the cashier. “Add an egg and ham bagel, please. Would you like one, Gracelyn?”

“No, but thanks.”

Brent leaned around her and said to the cashier, “I’ve got the tab.” He waited for the total and handed over his credit card. When they stepped away from the counter, Brent realized there was one table left—a two-seater by the window.

Gracelyn pointed to it. “Do you mind sharing a table since I’ll be creating you a new caffeine craze?”

“Don’t mind at all.” Oh, if only she knew how much he’d love to share a table with her for more than coffee. He hoped he wouldn’t say stupid stuff. Or rather, more stupid stuff. He could do this. He sent up a short prayer to keep him from spoiling this opportunity to sit and chat with this woman.

Gracelyn snapped her fingers. “Hello … wake up. Wow, you do need sleep. Or coffee. And quick.”

They started toward the table as the barista called his name. Brent stopped and turned to get the drinks. “You get the table, I’ll grab the goods. Wait, did you just snap your fingers at me like your first-class passenger did to you before we landed this morning?”

“Ha, I guess I did. Let me tell you, his finger snapping wasn’t only before we set down in Chicago. It happened all throughout the night. Even though I told him my name, he continued to call me waitress, server, whatever—get me this, get me that, and now.”

“Oh, trust me, we all heard him. I’ll grab our drinks and be right there.”

A thumbs up to him and a turn for the table.

Brent returned, trying to balance the tray.

She stood when he got closer to the table. “Your arms are full, let me help. If you’re uncomfortable sitting with someone you don’t know, a couple of tables just opened up. If you’d rather move to one of those, I won’t be offended, and I’ll still make your drink.”

Another table? No way. “What, and not be able to watch you create this coffee cola, cola coffee, coffee crazy drink? Whatever you call it. Are you kidding? What if I fall in love with it and want to recreate it?” What he’d rather say? And not be able to stare at you for as long as I can with a twenty-two-inch table between us? He’d never said this many words to her nor sat with her alone in his entire life. Ever.

At least she wasn’t running away, so there’s no way he would be leaving this table anytime soon.

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