Jayden grabbed one with a red tag, checked the label, nodded to herself. Started toward the exit.
Dakota’s feet moved before his brain caught up. “Hey.”
Jayden turned, and something flickered across her face. Surprise, maybe. Or wariness. He couldn’t tell if she was happy to see him or not.
“Hey yourself.” She adjusted her grip on her bag. Waiting. Gave a grim smile.
Um, so what now? “Thanks for last night”? Ew, no. “Sorry for the nightmare. You handled that like a professional, and I’d like to know why”? Okay, maybe not.
What came out was a charming “Um. It was really nice to meet you.”
Her eyebrows rose. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “We’ve been traveling together for two days.”
“I meant—” He regrouped. “I meant it was . . . good to meet you. Despite the circumstances.”
“The emergency-landing-and-tropical-storm, last-bed-in-town circumstances?”
“Those would be the ones.”
The smile surfaced fully now—quick, almost too polished. “It was good to . . . meet you too. Thanks for getting me here. You were . . . um—” She swallowed then and caught her lower lip. Finally, “You were great.”
“Yeah.” His voice came out rougher than intended. “Same.”
And now silence stretched between them, and he just wanted to run. People flowed past on either side.
He should let her go. Get his bag, book his Sydney flight, call Ham, focus on the mission.
He didn’t move.
“So.” Jayden shifted her weight, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. “Sydney for you?”
“Hopefully. You?”
“Same. I need to find a quiet place and check in with my boss.” She glanced toward the departure boards. “Thought I might grab coffee.”
“Smart.”
Another pause. Neither of them filled it.
Then Jayden’s gaze dropped to his hand—to the gray rolling bag he’d grabbed from the carousel.
“We have the same bag,” she said.
Dakota looked down. Gray canvas. Rolling wheels. Red tag.
Identical to hers.
“Apparently.”
She smiled again, but this one didn’t reach her eyes. “Safe travels, Dakota.”
“You too.”
And then she was gone. Disappearing into the crowd toward the coffee shop.
Dakota stood there for a long moment, watching the space where she’d been.
Get your head in the game, Rivers.