Once she had cleared TSA and found her gate, she called Jackson.
"Hi, gorgeous."
"Hi, I made it. They're calling my flight now."
"So, not enough time for phone sex?"
"Oh, my God. Get your mind out of the gutter."
"Hey, you're the one who started a fire I have to wait five days to put out."
"You sound better than when I left you, fire notwithstanding."
"Yeah, sorry I took the ring thing so personally. I get it… just don't like it."
"I know, me neither."
"Hey, I left you a present in your carry-on."
"You did? How sweet. What is it?"
"Wait until you board. A little something to keep me on your mind."
"Oh, I don't need anything for that, you're always there."
"If you had let me charter a plane and escort you to Oregon, you could do more than think about me."
"And you would have been on a plane for almost thirteen hours, half of it alone."
"We could have joined The Mile High Club."
"All right, it's obvious you are determined to sully this conversation. I think it's time for me to board."
"Ha! Wait, one question."
"If it's something dirty, I'm hanging up."
"Are you blushing?"
"Oh, you. Goodbye, Jackson."
"Bye, my love."
Elisabeth chuckled and touched the back of her hand to her flushed cheek, then boarded the plane.
She settled into her seat in first class and opened her carry-on to find an MP3 player sitting on top with a note taped to it: This is fully charged with a 30 hour battery life. Love you, J.
Once the plane was airborne, she reclined her seat, put in the ear buds and started the playlist. The first song was 'Fly me to the Moon'. She rested her head back and closed her eyes, the memory of dancing with Jackson embracing her mind. The second track was a piano concerto she couldn't name. A blanket of contentment covered her face; the music generated a near hypnotic state of relaxation.
She became aware of a hand squeezing her shoulder and Van Morrison singing 'Moondance'. A flight attendant smiled down at her when she removed the ear buds. "We're landing. You'll need to return your seat to the upright position, please."
"What? Landing?"
"Yes. Welcome to Portland. You were sleeping so soundly I didn't wake you for lunch. Would you like some crackers or a bag of peanuts?"
"Um, no thank you." Elisabeth looked around in wonderment. She had slept for six hours without being wakened by a nightmare.
She stopped in the gate area to call Jackson.
"How was your flight?"
"What? No 'hello gorgeous'?"