Page 1 of Naughty or Nice?
CHAPTER 1
Kendall
“We thankyou for flying with Blue Sky Airways this holiday season. May you continue to have a safe journey wherever you’re headed next and have yourself a Merry Christmas.”
The plane erupts in cheers and applause as the seatbelt light turns off and the flight attendants unlock the doors.
I’m toward the front of the plane, though I’m in no rush to get off.
I’m in the middle of texting my fiancé, Nathan. We’ll be spending this Christmas in his childhood home. We figured the holidays were the perfect opportunity for us to announce our engagement to his family.
Mine took it well.
A few weeks ago, we sat my mom and older brother down for a special dinner and told them the story of how Nate had proposed. Mom was relieved I was finally getting married at the spinsterish old age of thirty-six (in her eyes), while my brother was excited to welcome Nate into the family.
Now that Christmas is a couple short days away, it’s Nate’s family’s turn.
I’ve only met them once before, last year for Thanksgiving.
There’re his two sisters, Amy and Jennifer, both of whom I got along well with. Some aunts, uncles, and cousins who were gracious and polite. And, of course, Nate’s father, Nicholas, who told me that his son was lucky to find a woman like me.
We just landed.
Crap, I thought you got in at five. I’m stuck at the office.
No worries. I’ll take a taxi from the airport. It’ll be easier.
I look up to find the line of passengers deplaning has shortened. Almost everyone has grabbed their luggage from the overhead bins and made their way off the plane. I share a smile with the flight attendant, Susie, and then rise out of my seat.
“Excited for the big holiday?” she asks.
“You can say that again. I haven’t seen Nate in almost a month.”
“That’s what you get for globe-trotting when you just got engaged.”
I laugh as she helps me lift my carry-on luggage out of the overhead bin. Susie and I have been working together for yearsas flight attendants for Blue Sky Airways. When I first hired on, Susie took me under her wing—pun intended—and helped me acclimate to the job and lifestyle. She’s a friend, but she’s also like family at this point. An auntie who gives advice and roots for me from the sidelines.
I’m gone more than half of the year, working both domestic and international flights, which has posed an issue in my past relationships.
But despite my constant travel, Nate and I have made things work.
His job as a business exec is grueling, often requiring him to work six, or even seven, days out of the week.
We’ve agreed once we’re married, I’ll stop working and we’ll start trying for a family of our own.
Which is another reason why we’ve decided to spend Christmas in his hometown in Morrow, North Carolina. It’s where we’re considering buying a home to settle down. Nate believes it’s the perfect town to live a peaceful family life.
After visiting last year for Thanksgiving, I was won over.
The idyllic little town looks right out of a greeting card, with enough charm to win anyone over. I can see Nate and I living here the rest of our lives, raising our children, ’til we’re old and gray.
Susie waves me off as I step off the plane and head inside the Charlotte-Douglas Airport to baggage claim.
“Where to, miss?” asks the taxi driver once he’s helped me load my luggage in the trunk.
“Morrow,” I answer with a small smile.
“Visiting family?”