Oceans Apart (Ocean Dreams Book 1)
Read Oceans Apart (Ocean Dreams Book 1) Online
Authors: Emma Fitzgerald
Oceans Apart
Copyright ©2014 Emma Fitzgerald
Oceans Apart is a work of fiction.
All characters, organizations and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the places and products referred to in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission and is by no way sponsored by the trademark owners.
The author also acknowledges the artists and songs mentioned in this work of fiction.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading and sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
First eBook edition: November 2014
Edited by Hot Tree Editing
Cover Design © Rebecca Berto at Berto Designs
Image: iStockphoto
Formatting by Integrity Formatting
Author Contact Email: [email protected]
To the man who tries to make all my dreams come true every day and supports me like no other.
You are my always and forever.
“All days are nights to see till I see thee
And nights bright days when dreams do show me thee.”
William Shakespeare
Sonnet 43, 13-14
The change dropped from the slot into the guts of the vending machine. Annie stood looking at the machine, unable to make a decision. “
M & M’s or a Kit Kat?”
Annie always ate chocolate when she got nervous. It didn’t matter what; she just needed chocolate.
“Attention passengers. Flight QF12 departing for Sydney, Australia is ready for boarding at gate 118. Passengers are asked to please proceed to the gate with all documents. First class passengers will be asked to board first. Thank you for flying with Qantas.”
Annie let out a huge sigh.
“Am I ready to do this?”
she questioned herself. Leaving the comfort of the United States and heading into an unknown territory across the Pacific Ocean.
“Yes, of course I am.”
She wasn't looking back now. Deciding she felt like some nutty goodness, she pressed the buttons for the Snickers Bar. Annie bent down, retrieved it from the tray below, unwrapped the bar, took a bite, and enjoyed the chewy treat. Picking up her carry-on bag and purse, she walked over to the flight attendant at the gate.
"Good evening. How are you this evening?" a smart middle-aged lady asked while taking her documents.
"Well, thank you. Looking forward to getting to Sydney, Margaret," Annie replied while reading the tag on the attendant’s jacket.
"Have you been to Australia before?" enquired Margaret.
"This is my first time."
"How exciting! And a beautiful time of the year to be visiting too, might I add." Margaret smiled and handed Annie back her documents. "Enjoy your flight."
"Thank you." Annie smiled back. She headed down the jet bridge toward the aircraft that would take her on to the next phase of her life.
Thinking over the events of the last week, she was still shocked at what she had done. Getting up in the middle of an early morning meeting with her boss to announce she was quitting there and then. She didn’t know why at the time but with his constant droning on, she just knew it was now or never. The look on his face was priceless. No one had ever left the comfort and security of working for NPR, Nashville’s premier public relations agency. Annie got a job there in administration straight out of college. Her parents weren’t too thrilled about their daughter wasting time on an expensive college education from Vanderbilt. A communication’s degree was helpful in her work at the agency but she was often overlooked for promotion. Annie was a solid worker and she enjoyed what she did, but it was a boys’ club at NPR. She had never been able to make it to executive of her own group. No matter how long you had worked there or whom you brought in to sign with the agency, the men were usually promoted before women.
The aircraft noise around her increased as she approached the door to the plane. She was traveling first class so there was no line to queue in. Waiting for her was a well-groomed man with a smile that was bright enough to rival the lights on Broadway. He took her boarding pass from her and looked up.
"Good evening, Ms. Scott. I'm Edward and will be one of your attendants for your journey to Sydney."
"Good evening."
"If you will follow me, I’ll show you to your seat." He turned and Annie followed him and the waft of Dolce & Gabbana cologne that permeated the air.
"Here we are. Seat 3A," said Edward. "I'll store your carry-on bag above you and take your coat and hang it in the closet. Make yourself comfortable and I’ll be back with a refreshment for you." Edward placed her small carry-on bag in the overhead compartment, picked up her coat from the seat she had thrown it onto, and retreated toward the galley.
Annie looked around the First Class Cabin. She wasn't ready to sit down as Edward had suggested so she decided to walk back toward the exit. She stood at the doorway to the First Class Cabin and watched the cabin crew assist the other passengers boarding. She enjoyed watching people go about their everyday lives. Annie was starting back toward her seat when she heard a commotion coming from the jet bridge. A man was running toward the plane door. His backpack, which was hitting him as he ran, must have been open as it spewed some of the contents out onto the bridge. He hurriedly turned and grabbed his things, which Annie saw included a magazine and a bottle of water, and made his way quickly to the aircraft door.
"Hey, I hope you weren’t going to leave without me?" called out a distinct Australian accent. The man slowed down his approach as he stepped aboard and handed his ticket to the attendant waiting for him.
Annie wasn’t paying much attention as she retreated toward her seat. Before going behind the curtain, she stopped and turned to look at the late passenger.
He was tall, at least 6 feet, maybe more and even though he was dressed, you could still make out that he was in amazing physical condition as his t-shirt was like a second skin glued to his biceps. His shortly cropped hair was dark brown but his eyes were what made Annie stop and look harder. They were the same color of the ocean they were about to fly over…Pacific blue. His eyes were perfectly framed by the darkest of lashes and brows. His right eyebrow was tainted with a scar, stopping the delicate hairs from growing over.
His eyes mesmerized Annie. He looked up and flashed a confident smile her way that made her come back to the moment. Realizing she had been caught staring, she quickly turned and scurried back to her seat. She sat down and buckled her seatbelt. A huge sigh escaped her mouth just as she turned and saw the flight attendant standing next to her holding a glass of sparkling white wine.
“I thought you might enjoy this just before we take off,” Edward said with a wink and a smile.
“How did you ever guess?” Annie replied.