At the biggest amusement park in New York, Charlotte bounced in Luna’s arms, pointing excitedly at the carousel.
“Mommy, I want to ride that one!”
Luna smiled and gave her cheek a gentle pinch. “Okay, we’re going right now.”
She lifted Charlotte up onto a carousel horse and settled in behind her; the two of them went around several times before getting off.
Afterward they sat on a nearby bench while Luna smoothed the wind-tangled hair from Charlotte’s face—but the little girl’s eyes had drifted back toward the carousel.
Luna called her name. No response—the child was lost in her own world. Luna followed her gaze.
The instant her eyes turned, a picture filled them.
By the railing at the carousel entrance, a father held his daughter up close, nuzzling her face to make her laugh, while the mother stood by smiling at the two of them, an ice cream in hand…
A family of three, happy and complete, warm beyond words.
Luna’s lashes trembled; her heart gave a small twist of pain.
She pulled herself back at once, stroked Charlotte’s little face. “Sweetheart, what else do you want to ride?”
“Mommy, where’s Daddy? Didn’t you say he’s flying in the sky? Why hasn’t he flown back yet… All the other kids get hugs from their daddies, and I don’t.”
The little girl spoke up suddenly, big eyes blinking, the tone half-innocent, half-pitiful.
Luna pressed her lips together, then turned and knelt down in front of her to meet her eyes, saying gently:
“Charlotte. Do you really want Daddy to come back?”
Charlotte nodded hard—then reached up to touch Luna’s cheek, eyes curving into smiles: “Mommy misses Daddy too, doesn’t she!”
Luna froze, with no idea how to answer. Her lips parted, and in the end she let the moment slide past.
“And what else does our little princess Charlotte want to do?” She drew a breath and asked with a bright, lifted brow.
Charlotte pouted, pressed her lips together, and her small eyes flicked sideways—to the very conspicuous ice cream cart. Luna caught it in a second.
She laughed out loud and scooped her up, announcing: “Oh—you want ice cream!”
Charlotte lit up, pointing at the cart: “Ice cream! Ice cream!”
——
By seven thirty in the evening the sky had gone dark, and Luna carried the drowsy Charlotte home.
Her bag was ringing. Lynne happened to be home; she took Charlotte from Luna’s arms and said softly: “Go on—you have your crew dinner, don’t you? I’ll watch the little one.”
Luna nodded, slipped into the dressing room, and changed quickly into a white halter-neck maxi dress, paired with a pair of silver-white stilettos—elegant without losing an ounce of polish.
Ready, she went to the bedroom and kissed Charlotte’s forehead, breathing: “Sweet dreams, baby.”
Then she left the living room, took the elevator straight down to the underground garage, slid into her white Mercedes, and pulled out of the garage at speed.
By eight the night had gone fully black.
Luna’s car came to a stop outside the restaurant, and through the window she spotted Daisy waiting by the door.
Daisy came running the moment she saw her step out. “Luna, you look absolutely stunning!”
She chirped it, then circled Luna once, appraising.
Luna locked the car, turned to Daisy, and smiled brightly: “So do you, darling.”
Daisy giggled, hooked her arm through hers, and the two walked side by side toward the restaurant.
“I’m telling you—if you’d come any later, Victor would’ve been carried off!” Daisy muttered under her breath.
At that, Luna’s brow rose with curiosity: “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Daisy peeked into the restaurant and deliberately slowed their pace, dragging her along, whispering as they walked:
“I had no idea Captain Victor was even more in demand than he looks.”
“I got here ten minutes ago, and the second I walked through the door, I walked straight into a scene…”
“A woman I’ve never seen came up to our table, made a beeline for Victor, and handed him a card.”
“I peeked at it—it was a key card! The presidential suite of the Shengmei Grand Hotel across the street!”
At that, Daisy burst out laughing.
Luna’s mouth twitched; she couldn’t help a small laugh herself—then cut it off fast.
“That’s not even the end of it!” Daisy went on, delighted.
“Victor didn’t take the card, so the woman tucked it right into his suit jacket pocket, gave him a flirty little smile, and walked off.”
“Victor’s face went from cold to glacial. He pinched the card out of his pocket, snapped it in two, dropped it in the trash, and wiped his hand with a wet wipe like it was contaminated.”
“And you’d think that would be it—but not two minutes after the first one left, another woman, this one built like a bombshell, came up and patted Victor’s shoulder, then held out her phone, asking for his number.”
“And then?” Luna cut in before she could help it, her face betraying nothing.
But Daisy caught the shift in her mood anyway. She coughed lightly and shrugged: “Then he just looked at her. That cold, cold stare of his—and she couldn’t take it. She ran.”
Luna felt an inexplicable weight lift—and immediately frowned at herself for feeling it.
“So, dear Luna. Any feelings about all this?”
Daisy bumped her shoulder, asking softly.
Luna pressed her lips together, eyes sliding away, and kept walking. “Let’s go in. We shouldn’t be late.”
“Huh? Luna?” Daisy called, trotting after her.
Inside, the other five flight attendants and two pilots had already arrived, seated around tables by the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The four attendants shared one table; Victor, Keane, and one attendant sat at the other.
Keane spotted the two of them first and stood up, waving: “They’re here.”
“Sit over here!” he called out warmly.
Daisy pulled Luna into a seat—and Luna ended up directly across from Victor, so that simply looking straight ahead meant meeting his eyes.
“Everyone—eat and drink as much as you want tonight. Every cent of it goes on the company card!”
Keane, the human loudspeaker, set about warming up the room.
This restaurant was high-end—on ordinary nights only the rich and powerful came here—but tonight there were hardly any other customers.
Keane sat back down, poured himself a glass of red wine, and raised it to the whole table with a cocky grin. “Well? Shall we drink to that, ladies and gentlemen?”
Glasses were poured and clinked. Victor leaned back in his chair, eyes that had been fixed on his glass drifting slowly upward, coming to rest on Luna across the table. What moved behind them, no one could tell.
Luna felt his gaze; her breath caught. She looked away, lifted her glass, and clinked with Keane and the others, all smiles.
Keane took a sip before realizing Victor hadn’t touched his. He leaned sideways, close, and pitched his voice low and deliberate:
“Captain, sir. The woman is sitting right across from you. Why the frozen face?”
Victor’s tapping fingers stilled on the table. He turned his head slowly and gave Keane a sidelong look, eyes cold.
Keane wilted into a sheepish grin and patted his shoulder. “Fine, fine. The boss does as the boss pleases.”
Across the table, Daisy watched their little exchange and nudged Luna, just about to whisper something—when a figure arrived at their table and cut her off.
“Hello. If I’m not intruding—I’d like this beautiful lady’s number.”
A buzz-cut man in a casual suit had appeared at their table from who knows where, his gaze fixed squarely on Luna.
The table went quiet, all at once.