The Exception(3)

The man reached down in the small bag he had under the seat in front of him and pulled out a protein bar.

“Eat this.” He handed it to me.

“Thanks, but no, I’m fine.”

“Obviously, you’re hungry. Don’t you like protein bars?” He smiled.

“I like protein bars. I eat them almost every day. Thank you for the offer, but I can wait.”

He shrugged. “Suit yourself. If you’re not going to eat it, then I will.” He removed the wrapper and took a bite.

“You don’t even know me and you’re offering me your protein bar. Why?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Because you had a shitty day. It’s the least I could do to try and make your day a little better. That way, you can tell everyone that a nice gentleman on the plane gave you his protein bar because you were hungry.”

I let out a light laugh and shook my head. God, it felt good to laugh.

“See.” He smiled. “I think I just made your day a little less shitty.”

I laughed again. “Maybe I’ll just have a piece.”

He broke the bar in half and handed it to me.

“Thank you—” I cocked my head and narrowed my eye.

“Drew. Drew Westbrook.” He stuck out his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Drew. Jillian Bell.” I politely placed my hand in his.

“Jillian. That’s a beautiful name.”

I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks as I thanked him. A heat that I’d never felt before.

“I think I’m going to watch a movie,” I spoke as I took the headphones out of the package the flight attendant gave me.

Looking at his watch, Drew spoke. “You won’t have enough time. We’re landing in about an hour.”

“Oh. Okay, then I think I’ll just take a nap. Could you please wake me when we land?”

“Of course.” He nodded.

****

Drew

Jillian Bell. A beautiful name for an incredibly beautiful woman. The minute she stepped onto the plane, I took notice of her. Her brown hair with the subtle blonde highlights pulled back in a ponytail and her five-foot-six small-framed but very toned body that sported the black maxi dress she wore to perfection. I hated that she kept on those damn Gucci sunglasses for so long because I needed to see her eyes. When she finally took them off and I saw the ocean blue staring back at me, I was left breathless, even with the mascara stains underneath them. She was broken, that much I could tell, and there was a part of me that wanted to reach out and fix her. A complete stranger. Something I didn’t do. I was curious as to why she was traveling to Hawaii alone. Something happened. A break-up, perhaps? I wanted to know and I was going to find out more about Jillian Bell before our plane landed in Hawaii.

As she rested her head on the pillow, I couldn’t help but stare at her. Even while she attempted to sleep, she didn’t seem at peace. I sighed as I looked down at my iPad and sorted through some emails. Every time she stirred, I looked over at her to make sure she was okay.





Chapter Three


Jillian



I awoke to the soft touch of a hand on my shoulder and the soft whisper of my name.

“Jillian, we’ve landed.”

“Already?” I yawned.

Drew chuckled. “Yes, already.”

Once the plane entered the gate, the flight attendant handed me my carry-on bag and Drew stepped aside to let me out.

“Ladies first.” He gave a charming smile.

“Thank you.”

As I stepped off the plane, I looked around for a monitor to see which gate my next flight was at.

“Jillian?” Drew spoke as he approached me.

“Yeah?”

“We have an hour and a half layover until our next flight. How about we grab something to eat? I know that half a protein bar didn’t do much for you and the idea of dinner on the plane is a little revolting. Totally not my idea of fine dining.”

Drew Westbrook seemed like a really nice guy. A really hot and sexy nice guy. His six-foot stature, dark hair, smoldering brown eyes to match, the stubble he sported on his face, and overall demeanor was refreshing. A little panty soaking but refreshing. Was he hitting on me? Probably, but it didn’t matter. Guys were off limits to me and would be for a very long time. Not until I found me, would I even consider finding a guy.

“Sure. Why not.” I smiled.

“Great. Is there anything in particular you’re in the mood for?”

“A nice thick juicy burger and a plate full of French fries.”

He narrowed his right eye. “Really? I wouldn’t have thought you ate stuff like that, considering how fit you look.”

“I normally don’t, but today calls for comfort food.”

“I see. Okay. A nice thick juicy burger and a plate full of French fries it is.”

As we headed in the direction of our gate, we stopped and took a seat at Umami Burger.

“What can I get you?” the waitress asked.

“I’ll have the LAX burger, please.”

“Everything on it?” she asked.

“Yes. And whatever you have on tap.” I smiled.

“And for you, sir?”

“I’ll have the veggie burger and whatever you have on tap.”