At the airport, checking in for the flight felt like crossing a threshold I couldn’t uncross. The gate agent, a woman about my age with kind eyes, looked at my ticket.
“Maui. Nice Thanksgiving plan. Getting away from the family chaos?”
I almost laughed at how perfectly she’d summarized it.
“Something like that.”
“Smart woman. I’m working today, but if I could afford to escape to Hawaii instead of dealing with my mother-in-law’s commentary on my casserole, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
As I waited for boarding, I turned my phone on airplane mode without checking for messages. I didn’t want to see Hudson’s confused texts when he woke up and found my note. I didn’t want to see Vivien’s panic when she arrived to chaos instead of perfection.
The gate agent’s voice crackled through the speakers.
“Now boarding flight 442 to Maui. Welcome aboard.”
Na
USA