A Silken Thread - Brenda Jackson [27]
She didn’t hesitate in responding. “Yes.”
He nodded his approval and smiled. “In that case, you have the right man for the job.”
Chapter Seven
“Excuse me, but do you have any idea how much longer my flight will be delayed?” Rita Lawson asked the agent behind the customer service counter. She had been in Sweden for two weeks and had rushed to the airport for her flight home, only to be told of a delay.
“No, sorry,” the woman said in a thick Swedish accent. “All the flights have been delayed as a result of the volcanic ash from Iceland.”
Rita nodded. She recalled the same thing happening once before. Airlines couldn’t risk the possibility of engine failure if they were to fly through the ash. “When will we know something?”
“Not sure, but we will keep you informed of any updates. Here is a courtesy coupon for the restaurant on the next floor.”
Rita drew in a deep breath. She didn’t want a courtesy coupon; she wanted to go home. Although she always enjoyed her business trips here, she couldn’t wait to get home and see Brian’s smile for herself now that he knew about the trust fund. She had heard it in his voice when he’d called her earlier in the week but she needed to see it.
After Patrick died, she had made Brian her entire life. It was only after he’d left home for college that she’d decided to get a life of her own and further her education. She’d gotten a bachelor’s degree while attending Tuskegee University, where she’d met Patrick, and had decided to go to grad school when Brian left home for college. She used that master’s degree to get her current position of landscape architect and she enjoyed traveling all over the world.
And now with Brian getting married in a few months, she was glad she wasn’t one of those parents who built her life around her child. She loved him with every breath in her body, but had accepted he had his own life to live and she had hers.
She smiled thinking of the woman her son would marry. Brian loved Erica deeply and, after having met Erica and spent time with her, Rita knew in her heart that Erica Sanders was the woman who would make her son happy. And, she thought as she walked away from the customer service counter, although it might be a wee bit too early to think about, she was looking forward to the day when she would become a grandmother.
After stepping off the escalator, she glanced down at the meal voucher she’d been given and decided to get something to eat.
It seemed to take her forever to go through the line for her food order, but she occupied her mind. At some point she needed to let Brian know of the delay, since he would be picking her up from the airport. Normally, she would leave her car parked at the airport but she had decided to have the vehicle’s yearly service-check performed during the two weeks she was away.
Finally she got her food and, holding her tray firmly in her hand, she glanced around and saw an empty table. She quickly headed toward it. At least she had a good book to read while she waited.
She had settled at the table when she felt a presence next to her. She glanced up. Rita couldn’t help the smile that touched her lips when she recognized the individual. “Wilson!”
He chuckled. “Yes, and I’m glad to see a familiar face among these bodies of disgruntled flyers. May I join you?”
“Of course.” Rita couldn’t contain her excitement at seeing him and didn’t question why she felt good about it. He’d mentioned at the engagement party that, like her, he traveled internationally quite a bit, but what were the chances of them running into each other during one of those times?
“You’ve been in Sweden?” she asked, watching him pull out a chair to sit down. Although she knew it wasn’t possible, he seemed taller today than the last time she’d seen him.
“I had business to take care of in Finland and for some reason I had a connecting flight here. What about you? Have you been in Sweden?”
“I’ve been here for two weeks. In fact I arrived here a week after the engagement party.”
He nodded as