Jessica grinned. "I have a feeling no woman is safe from your charms, no matter her age. Not if you turn on that Bathroom Guy charm." She'd told him long ago about the rather questionable title. They'd laughed about it, but now he made a face. He could be so difficult to read. She nudged him. "You're pretty quiet, Worth. Don't like to fly? Second thoughts? What?"
Worth leaned over to give her a quick kiss but lingered at her inviting response. He sighed. "I just realized how little we have actually sat together and talked. Our evening phone conversations notwithstanding, there's a lot you still don't know about me. You fume about me taking things too slowly, and I worry about whether or not I'm moving too quickly."
Jessica shrugged. "There's a lot you don't know about me, either. We still haven't met each other's mothers and you know little about that whole dynamic for me. I haven't told you about my ill-fated dance lessons as a child. I don't know your shoe size; you will never know my weight."
Rebecca returned with their flutes of bubbly, which they clinked gently in a toast. "To your first time in first class," Worth said with a smile.
And our first time together, Jessica thought as she took a sip. There was a time she had thought she would wait until her wedding night. That had been the way she'd been raised. She had honestly thought she would marry Eric eventually, so it had not felt scandalous at all when they had finally become intimate. Intimate. They had shared a bed, certainly, but had they ever been intimate, in the fullest sense of the word?
Call me old-fashioned, she thought, but I want it all—the romance and the commitment. True intimacy—that's what her parents had had. That's what she craved. To be married to her best friend. To have passion, respect, laughter. It felt like Worth was all that and a bag of chips, as her dad used to say. Unless some deep, dark mystery presents itself, to quash the romance.
She flashed a smile at the green-eyed object of her affections. "It's not that long a flight, mister. You'd better start spilling."
Worth's face was suddenly serious. "Actually, there is something I've been wanting to tell you for a very long time."
"You're married? Gay? Involved in industrial espionage?" She leaned her head back on the headrest and closed her eyes. She could definitely get used to flying first class. No babies crying nearby, plenty of room for her long legs.
"Jessica."
Frowning a bit, she turned her head to listen more closely. Worth sounded hesitant again. Surely, he wasn't going to go all Mr. Manners on her. They'd kept things discreet and above board, for the most part, but he had invited her to join him in a hotel room after all. She smiled a little. They were so awkward at times, like teenagers trying to find their way. Mom said she and Dad always felt like teenagers in love. "What is it?"
Worth could see the wheels turning and guessed correctly. A little sheepishly, he shook his head. "If you're concerned about another roller coaster ride, don't be. We had a tumultuous start—and I admit, the fact that we work together is still an issue for me, given the current social climate." He frowned. "Not that I'm concerned about you or even us. But, I admit I don't want anyone to have the wrong idea." He smiled gently. "But I am also committed to fully embracing our romance as well as fully embracing you, my dear. I'd like to make an announcement at the office when we return. Come out, as they say."
Worth leaned over and kissed her again. "But. You may have noticed that I was a little taken aback when you told me you wanted to write about that fire years ago."
Something inside of Jessica went cold. Just when she'd decided there wasn't a connection, now there was? "Did you know the boy who started it? The one who jumped?"
Worth's cheeks flushed. "Yes, and no."
Rebecca's voice came over the speaker, calm and instructional as she gave the obligatory safety speech while the airplane taxied slowly into position for take-off. A male flight attendant slowly walked down the aisle, checking to make sure everyone's bags were properly stowed, and all seat belts were visible. Worth waited until he passed to speak again.
"I was that boy." As Jessica's eyes widened, he continued quickly. "I didn't start any fires, though. And I didn't jump." He paused, obviously uncomfortable. "I haven't talked about this with anyone, Jessica. Not once. Just with my mother and stepfather. The first one, that is."
Jessica suddenly remembered something Audrey Scott had mentioned that day in the
café. "Your mother's maiden name was Avery? The woman I talked to knew her. They were friends as children, but she said they lost touch."
"Yes. Molly Avery, who married James Alexander. My birth name was Vincent Alexander. She changed it after we left to start a new life." He paused a moment, deep in thought. "Things would be different now, but she had connections, plenty of money. I don't even know what all she did, what strings she pulled, what deals she made. She asked me to never mention it again, but I imagine it's quite a story."
Worth looked up at the ceiling of the plane. "I despise deceit. It's been hard, knowing I ran away, but I was a child. My mother felt there was no way I'd get a fair trial, not after a witness identified me. It was her decision, and later, what would have been the point? I was innocent."
"But if you didn't do it, why would someone—"
"Another boy said he'd seen me. I couldn't prove he hadn't. I'd been off playing by myself. No one had known where I was for hours; no one had seen me. I had zero alibi. And no one knew
