On the Other Hand Ch. 05-06

I took the five of us, Nicole, Jimmy, Mary and Angus out to a restaurant for dinner that evening. We chose one that had fish tanks all along one wall and that kept Jimmy occupied rather than bored as he would have been otherwise. The four adults made small talk, avoiding the coming absence of someone so important to us. I made no secret of my feelings for their daughter and I found nothing but support from them. That was a very comforting feeling.

Again, Mary and Angus allowed us our privacy before it was time for me to leave. I suggested that I would meet them here at their home to pick them up and drive them to the airport.

"No, Will! Please! Just you tomorrow. I hate goodbyes."

I looked at Angus and Mary and saw agreement. I wondered about Jimmy, but Nicole must have thought of that, so I agreed.

The ride to the MBS Airport in Saginaw was almost in silence. I tried to make some small talk, but I could tell Nicole wasn't responding so I quit. When we approached the main terminal, she spoke.

"Turn right here, Will."

I looked and it was a side road to some hangars and what looked like a commercial service area. I looked at her questioningly.

"What's up?"

"I'm meeting my group here," she said, offering nothing more.

This was another in the unexpected developments. What next? As I pulled into a designated parking area, I saw two large, black SUV's already parked. As I looked to the front of the nearest hangar, I saw a private jet. Was that her plane?

Two dark-suited men walked toward us as we got out of my car.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Carlisle," one of them greeted her. "We'll take care of your luggage for you."

I opened the trunk and one of the men smiled at me, but said nothing before reaching in at taking out Nicole's two bags. I had a close look at them and they had a close look at me. I had a pretty good idea of who they worked for.

"I've got to go now, Will. We'll talk. I'll miss you," she said, her eyes glistening before she kissed me deeply and then stepped away.

"Take care, Will," she smiled before turning and walking toward the gleaming white jet.

I got back into my car and pulled out the little notepad I always had handy. I wrote down the registration number of the aircraft before starting my car and pulling out of the parking slot. One look at the license plates on the two SUV's confirmed my suspicions. They were government plates.

To be continued