Flight

  Flight

  By Alyssa Rose Ivy

  Copyright © 2012 Alyssa Rose Ivy

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thanks you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Cover Design: Phatpuppyart.com

  Editing: Stephanie T. Lott A.K.A. Bibliophile

  Proofreading: Kris Kendall

  To Kristen, the co-pilot on all of my YA adventures.

  Acknowledgements

  This book would not have been possible without the support of my family. Thank you especially to Grant for your constant encouragement and faith in my writing. Thanks to Jennifer Snyder for your feedback, friendship, and for making this journey of writing books even more enjoyable. Thanks to Christina Ahn Hickey for the helpful early feedback. Last but certainly not least, a huge thank you to all of my readers for giving me the opportunity to share my stories with you.

  Preface

  Closing my eyes, I tried to block it all out. Convinced I was about to die, I was only partly aware of his arms around me.

  “You said you wanted an adventure,” he said quietly, teasingly, as he tightened his hold.

  My stomach dropped out as an intense and complete feeling of weightlessness engulfed me. The wind stung my face as memories flooded my mind. I thought of my parents, of all the things I wanted to tell them but never did, my friends from home, and the experiences I longed for. Quickly my thoughts changed to more recent memories, to Levi.

  “Open your eyes,” he whispered, somehow knowing my eyes were clenched shut.

  Against my better judgment, I listened. The scream died in my throat as we hurtled toward the water that had seemed so beautiful from the roof above.

  Chapter One

  I’d sworn off men, or really boys, because those were the only type of males I tended to attract. The numbers on the pump moved painfully slow as I reminded myself of the decision. Tying my hair up in a knot on the top of my head, I struggled to save my neck from the heat created by my long brown hair. Even a ponytail wasn’t enough for the Mississippi heat. I had heard all about the hot summers of the south, but I didn’t expect the temperatures to be quite so scorching in June. I was terrified to think about what August would feel like.

  Finally finished with the gas, I got back in the car to wait impatiently for my best friend Jess. We were only a few hours away from New Orleans, but after two days of driving, every minute was torture. I started the engine and turned the AC on high before leaning back into the comfortable seat. The new car smell still permeated my Land Rover, an over the top high school graduation gift from my father. I loved it and appreciated the gift but wished my dad had checked with me before special ordering it in what he believed was my favorite color—lavender. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that purple had stopped being my favorite when I was five.

  After a few minutes, Jess slid into the passenger seat. “Want some chips or soda?” she asked while smoothing out her blond hair, putting a few strands back in place behind her ear. The effort was wasted. Her hair was still messy and matched the flushed expression she wore.

  “Please tell me you didn’t make out with someone to get free chips.” I rolled my eyes hoping she would surprise me just this once by not having done it. We had been best friends since the sixth grade, and she had been boy crazy the whole time I’d known her.

  “I didn’t make out with him for the chips; I did it because he was hot.”

  Stifling a laugh, I pulled back out onto the road toward I-59. “Sure.”

  “We’re only young once. Don’t be so uptight.” Jess snapped her gum loudly.

  “Hey, it’s fine, but don’t come complaining to me when you get some weird communicable disease from one of the random guys you hook up with.”

  “Allie, I love you, but you have to relax. Promise me you’ll at least try to have fun this summer.” She sighed dramatically.

  “I’ll try,” I said with exaggerated frustration. I planned to have a great summer, just one that didn’t involve guys.

  “That’s not good enough. You’re not going to let Toby ruin the entire summer are you? So you dated a jerk, who cares, forget about him.”

  “I’m not going to let Toby ruin anything. I’m the one who dumped him, remember?” Thinking about Toby threatened to put me in a worse mood. He had only been the latest in a string of disappointing dating experiences. First there was Steve, we broke up when I found him cheating on me—with my best guy friend. After that was Matthew, who took commitment phobia to a whole new level when he actually set a cap on how often I could text message him. With Toby it wasn’t anything dramatic, the romance just didn’t live up to my expectations. Somehow, his declarations of how great of a power couple we would make didn’t cut it. As relieved as I was about avoiding him all summer, I still had to deal with him at Princeton in the fall.

  “So does that mean you’re ready to move on?” Jess asked excitedly.

  “No. I told you, I’ve sworn off men.”

  “Sweetheart, you do realize that men have many valuable roles other than boyfriends, right? Instead, how about you swear off boyfriends and just have fun?”

  “I don’t care what you do with guys, but I am never going to be the girl that just hooks up, okay?”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  Wanting to avoid a fight, I decided to ignore her last comment. Sometimes it was easier to let her think she won.

  When I didn’t answer, she decided to continue. “Maybe getting away from high school boys will help.”

  “Maybe,” I mumbled under my breath.

  She appeared not to hear me and changed the subject. “It was so cool of your dad to let us come down and hang out at the hotel all summer!”

  “You mean it was cool of him to give us jobs, right?” I tried to keep a straight face, but really, I wasn’t surprised by her choice of words. When Dad called to ask if I wanted to work at a hotel he had recently purchased in New Orleans, I agreed only if Jess could come with me. She wouldn’t be much use as a coworker but she did have the ability to make any situation fun. I was counting on her working her magic.

  ***

  The Crescent City Hotel looked exactly as I expected; a historic building complete with wrought iron balconies and the dangling ferns that were in every picture I had seen of the French Quarter. Following along with the GPS, I turned onto Royal Street and pulled up front to the valet, not sure where I was supposed to park. Before I could worry for long, my dad knocked on the window.

  He opened the door once I unlocked it, taking my hand to help me out. “Hey sweetie, how was the trip?” He pulled me into a hug as soon as my feet hit the pavement. If you didn’t know any better you’d think we had a normal father-daughter relationship.

  “It was fine, we made great time.”

  “Hi Mr. Davis!” Jess yelled as she ran around the car.

  “Hi Jessica, I’m so glad you were able to come down with my Allie.”

  “Of course! Thanks again for the job!”

  “It’s my pleasure; I hope you girls have a nice time.” He caught my eye over Jess’s head. Even as little as he knew Jess, he was under no misconceptions about her work ethic.

  Dad glanced behind him, lifting a finger and a bellhop a little older than us started unloading bags from the back of the car. Before he had finished moving our bags to the cart, Jess was already chatting him up. With my dad watching, the poor guy was trying
to stay professional.

  “Let’s go Jess.” I grabbed her arm and led her inside. Dad had already gone ahead.

  The lobby felt huge, much larger than it looked from the outside. All the money my dad had poured into the updates showed. Large travertine tiles covered the floor and dark wainscoting framed the room, while a beautiful chandelier with dangling crystals helped light the space. The etched glass in the sidewall that bore the name of the hotel typified the way he had modernized the hotel without losing all its historical character. I especially loved the solid mahogany bar. I’d like to say my dad had an eye for design, but I’m sure he had nothing to do with the selections. The fact that he was even at the hotel was surprising. He usually oversaw his properties from afar.

  Looking up from the bar, I locked eyes with an incredibly hot guy. At over six feet tall with brown hair and wearing a tight shirt that barely concealed his muscular arms and chest, it would have been impossible not to notice him. He smiled at me and I found myself smiling back before I snapped myself out of it. Ignoring the invitation in his smile I quickly looked away. “You swore off men,” I reminded myself.

  “Do you girls want to see your room or get some lunch first?” my dad asked, relieving me of my thoughts about the guy.

  “See our room,” I answered quickly. “Is that okay, Jess?”

  “Yeah, sure,” she said distantly. I didn’t bother looking, assuming she had found the same distraction.

  My dad laughed as he led us to the elevators. “I put you girls in a suite on the top floor.”

  The elevator reached our floor and we walked toward our room. It came as no surprise, but our suite was luxurious. Jess and I each had our own room with a bathroom and we shared a large common living space complete with a kitchenette. Two French doors in the main living area opened out onto a balcony overlooking the street below.

  “Wow Dad, you really didn’t need to give us this suite for the whole summer.”

  “Of course I did. I’m your father. Now, why don’t you girls get yourself settled and meet me in the courtyard for lunch in about a half hour?”

  “Sounds great,” I answered.

  As soon as the door clicked Jess gave me a knowing smile. “So, uh, I thought you were swearing off guys.”

  “I am,” I said defensively. Damn, she must have caught me eyeing him.

  “Don’t try to deny it. I saw you checking out that guy and he was checking you out too by the way. Totally hot, but I’ll let you have him, his other friends were cute too.”

  “Don’t even start.” My response was automatic but inside I was surprised I hadn’t even noticed his friends.

  “Oh, come on, promise me that if he’s still there you’ll go talk to him,” Jess pushed.

  “No way.”

  “Why not?” she asked.

  “Because I’m not interested, end of story.”

  “Oh no, you aren’t getting off that easily.”

  Thankfully, I was saved from further argument by a knock. The bellboy from outside had arrived with our bags. He unloaded them two at a time, leaving them just inside the door.

  “Do you girls need anything else?” Without my dad’s presence he seemed much more interested in talking.

  “I think we’re all set for now, but we might need something later.” Jess had turned on the charm.

  “Oh yeah? Maybe I should give you my number then. I’m Billy by the way.”

  I tuned out their conversation, grabbing one of my bags to move it into my bedroom. Shaking my head, I laughed. I had to admit the bellboy was cute; he had the blond surfer boy look going for him, but leave it to Jess to get a phone number a few minutes after arriving in a city.

  I heard the door click closed moments before Jess bounded into my room.

  “Oh my god, this is going to be an awesome summer.” She sprawled out on my bed.

  “Hey Jess?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Don’t ever change, okay?” I laughed.

  “Are you making fun of me?” She sat up indignantly.

  “Not at all. I just know I’m going to miss you this year.”

  “Aww, I’ll miss you too. But we’ll only be a train ride apart.” She was going to her dream school, NYU.

  “I know.”

  “And you could have gone to school in the city. You’re the one who wanted to head to Jersey.”

  “Yeah, because Princeton is really settling, huh?”

  “It is when you are only going there because your parents want you to.”

  I brushed it off, unwilling to let her know how much the jab hurt. “Let’s go meet my dad; I’m starving.” I headed to the door before Jess could argue. I’d never told her how I’d actually wanted to go somewhere more urban for school. Either she was more perceptive than I thought, or I was more transparent.

  My eyes drifted to the bar as we walked through the lobby to the restaurant. I sighed with relief, but couldn’t help but feel some disappointment as I noticed the now empty bar area.

  “I guess you’re off the hook for now, but next time you won’t be so lucky,” Jess said as she noticed the expression on my face.

  I didn’t even answer.

  Chapter Two

  As soon as we walked into the courtyard, Dad waved us over to a table. The umbrella beckoned, as I already felt myself sweating from the thick humid heat. Jess linked her arm with mine as we headed over to the table.

  “Get much unpacking done?” Dad asked as soon as we were all seated.

  “I did, not so much Jess.”

  “Were you too distracted Jessica?” Dad asked with a wry smile.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m not that old you know. You think I didn’t notice the way you and that young man were looking at each other? I happen to know he took your bags upstairs.”

  Jess’s cheeks took on an uncharacteristic blush. “Oh, yeah. Billy seems pretty cool.”

  “Thought so. Just be careful, he’s quite a few years older than you are.”

  “Dad, stop.”

  “Her father isn’t here; I have to at least try to provide some semblance of parental authority.” He leaned back in his chair.

  “Because you know so much about parental authority…?” I trailed off. Dad’s glare told me I was about to cross a line.

  “Speaking of parents, Allie, I had a little chat with the father of a friend of yours.” I didn’t like the expression he wore. Something bad was coming.

  “You actually know some of my friend’s parents?” Cranky from the drive I wasn’t holding back.

  “Yes, Tyler Henderson told me something interesting.” He searched my face.

  “And what did Mr. Henderson have to say?” I groaned. Toby must have gone crying to his dad.

  “He told me you and Toby were experiencing some sort of misunderstanding.”

  “A misunderstanding?”

  “Yes. I let him know that I thought the two of you were old enough to work out your problems yourself. ” Dad smiled.

  “I can’t believe his dad called you. But be honest, did you even know Toby and I were dating?”

  “Hey, give credit where credit is due. I know more about your life than you think.”

  “You’ve seen me twice in the last year. You barely ever come home to visit anymore.” I tried not to let it get to me too much, but he’d always made it clear that Westchester, even with me there, was the last place he wanted to be.

  “True, but we video chat once a week, I thought you liked that.”

  Jess laughed. “You Skype Mr. Davis?”

  “First, Allie accuses me of not knowing anything about her life, now you think I’m incapable of using basic technologies. You ladies are hard to dine with. But, we’re together now, Allie, isn’t that what matters?”

  “So does that mean you’ll be sticking around this summer?” I took a sip of water, already sure of his response.

  “I will be in and out. I’ll try to be around as much as possible, but you know trave
l is part of my business. One of the reasons I invited you down here was to introduce you to that business. You need to start getting your feet wet; this is going to be your company one day.”

  Words sat on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t let them out. I wanted to tell him that I didn’t want his business, but that was a fight for another day.

  He took advantage of my silence. “Are you going to tell me what happened with Toby?”

  “Nothing happened, it just didn’t work out.”

  “That’s it? That’s all you’re going to give me? Jessica, a little help here?”

  “Sorry, I am so not getting in the middle of this.” Jess held up her hands in defense.

  “Can we please change the subject?”

  “We can, once you tell me what happened.” He swirled around the ice in his glass as though he had all the time in the world. I knew otherwise, so I didn’t leave him waiting.

  “He isn’t the one for me. There was nothing real between us.”

  “You’re not going to elaborate more? He just wasn’t the ‘one’?” He made air quotes.

  “What else is there to say? There were no sparks, all he ever wanted to talk about was our future careers and how great it was that our families would join if we got married.”

  “Is that all he talked about? Last time I checked, eighteen-year-old boys had other things on their minds.”

  “Dad!” I snapped. There are certain conversations a girl never wants to have with her father.

  Evidently he got the hint. “All right, I’ll drop it, but who would have believed a daughter of your mother and I would grow up to be a romantic.”

  “Did you ever think I ended up this way because of your relationship with Mom?” I could go on for hours about everything that was wrong in the relationship between my parents, but the cliff notes are that they were married five years and split up two years after I was born.

  As though he could read my thoughts, Dad looked at me sympathetically. “I don’t mean to disillusion you sweetie, but fairytale endings don’t happen in the real world. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that you should date Toby, but I want you to understand that if you spend your whole life searching for perfection you are going to be alone, miserable, and old.”