“You did a fine, fine job,” Jack complimented his niece, hugging her as if she’d scored an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics rather than managing to book Everly’s travel arrangements.
“But the weather,” Everly pointed out.
“No worries,” Annette said, and handed Everly her travel documents. “I’ve been assured that the cruise will postpone the embarkation up to three hours if by some chance your flight is delayed. There shouldn’t be a problem.”
Three hours. She had a three-hour window to make the ship before it set sail.
“Excellent, Annette. You’ve thought of everything,” Jack said, praising his niece yet again. “Brazil is perfect for Everly. Time to laze on a beach, bask in the sun, and let all the stress and worries of the job roll off her shoulders.”
Like that was going to happen.
“What are you doing standing here?” Jack asked. “It seems to me you need to get packing. Be sure to stop off at the pharmacy and get sunscreen.” He patted Everly on the back and escorted her to the elevator.
With more to do than her mind could comprehend, Everly headed home to pack. Two weeks on a cruise. Her flight was scheduled to fly out at five that afternoon, heading to Manaus, Brazil. According to the documentation, she had two stops and was scheduled to land at noon the following day. The cruise ship was scheduled to depart at three, plus she had that three-hour window if anything went awry.
* * *
—
Back at her condo, Everly pulled out her suitcase and tore through her closet. She needed summer clothes. The problem was her closet was full of business attire. She didn’t own a single pair of shorts.
Everly detested all this rushing, afraid she would miss packing something vital. This wasn’t the way she operated. She liked to plan everything out well in advance so she could be in control, but that option had been taken away from her. With only a few hours left to get ready, she packed what she thought would suffice, determined that she would shop for anything she needed once she arrived in Brazil.
* * *
—
By the time she left her condo the gently falling snow had turned into blizzard conditions. When she arrived at O’Hare, she discovered her flight had been delayed an hour. Fine, if the flight was canceled, then she had the perfect excuse to remain in town. Jack couldn’t fault her for the weather. Already she was having second thoughts about leaving him in charge.
With nothing to do while she waited for her flight, she sat at the bar sipping wine, waiting for the latest update from the airlines. Two and a half hours after her scheduled departure time, her flight was called.