The Gratitude Guarantee (Boyfriend in the Bargain #4)

31. Brenna

31

brENNA

M y heart is pounding with anticipation as I stand in a terminal of Nashville International Airport with a backpack over my shoulder and a carry-on in my hand, ready to board a plane.

I can’t believe we’re actually doing this.

Zach stands beside me with just a backpack—because apparently, he’s a light packer—reading something on his phone and looking annoyingly tranquil. I intentionally relax my shoulders and the muscles in my face, mimicking his calm demeanor.

Oh, you know, just flying to the Bahamas forty-eight hours after deciding to leave the country for the first time ever. No big deal.

Except IT’S A BIG DEAL.

I debated whether or not to tell my family what we were doing because I knew they would freak out, especially my mom, but ultimately decided it was the right thing to do. If I get hit by a bus in Nassau and the authorities call my next of kin, I don’t want them thinking it’s a scam and leaving me there.

They responded as anticipated, freely expressing their extreme skepticism. Mom questioned the wisdom of going on a trip without currently having any stream of income or a wedding ring, making sure that Zach and I had booked separate hotel rooms. Heather outright called me crazy, to which I maturely responded, “Takes one to know one.”

Amanda’s reaction was the least expected.

“Girl, you’d better not be eloping. I’m supposed to be your maid of honor, remember? Don’t you rob me of my rights.”

“Nobody’s getting married,” I hastily reassured her with a healthy eye roll. “No way, no how. I’m just getting this travel bug out of my system before I get chained down to a new job again.”

It’s funny how my perception of my career has changed since getting fired. When I told Zach I wanted to work in a job that challenged me and felt important, it was like I was clarifying something with myself. And I realized that I hadn’t felt like what I was doing at Springfield & Springfield was important. Sure, our clients were high-profile, but I never really felt compelled by their cases. When I think back to the movies, TV shows, and books that made me want to be a lawyer, I realize the thing they all shared in common was fighting for the underdog. Those To Kill a Mockingbird moments, although maybe not quite that high stakes.

It's made me wonder if instead of applying at corporate firms, I should be looking at other areas of practice. It’s something I plan to ponder while I’m on the beach for the next two days, preferably while sipping a drink with a tiny umbrella.

I feel intertwining tingles of anxiety and excitement run down my spine when our section is called and it’s time for us to get on the plane. I step behind Zach and give him a gentle push. “You go first so I can follow you.”

His low chuckle rumbles under my palm on his back. “What happened to not having to babysit you?”

Darn it. He’s going to make me be brave. “You’re right,” I sigh, stepping up beside him.

“I’m just kidding,” he says with his signature wink that I like so much. “I don’t mind walking in front. Just follow me and do what I do.”

We scan the digital boarding passes on our phones and walk down the jetway to the entrance of the plane. Zach has to duck slightly to enter, and I smile at the flight attendant who greets us. When we reach our seats, Zach holds out his hand. “Give me your bag.”

I relinquish my carry-on without question, and he crams it in the overhead bin next to someone else’s bag. The bins are nearly full, so it’s a good thing he’s traveling with only a personal item to put underneath his seat.

“Window?” he asks, and I gladly take the offer. It will be my first time on a plane, so I want to see everything I can.

“You can have the window on our way home,” I tell him. “Don’t let me forget.”

Once we get past the take-off, which was only mildly alarming, the rest of the flight is smooth. I use this period of forced inactivity and no internet access to read the book Amanda gave me for my birthday and thoroughly enjoy it. I don’t remember the last time I finished a book in one sitting. I’ll have to pick up another one at the airport before we board our return flight.

When we step off the plane in the Nassau airport, I’m initially underwhelmed. It basically looks the same as the Nashville one inside. But when we walk out the automatic doors into the warm, humid air, I take a deep breath and feel myself subtly shifting into vacation mode.

We stop on the sidewalk, and Zach steps forward to hail a taxi. I close my eyes and turn my face up to the sky, enjoying the warmth of the late afternoon sun on my skin. Tomorrow I’ll have to dip myself in sunscreen because I burn very, very quickly. But for just a moment, I soak it in.

The ride to our hotel is uneventful, and we check into our rooms with no trouble, agreeing to meet in the hallway to go find some dinner in an hour. As I stand at my window looking out over the city bathed in the orange glow of a sunset, I can barely believe I’m here. My life looks so different now than it did a few weeks ago before Thanksgiving, in some ways for the better and in some ways…maybe not so much. But it does make me realize that I’m able to adapt to big changes better than I thought I could, and it makes me wonder what will be coming next for me.