CEO Got Stuck at an Airport for 24 Hours—a Woman He Met There Made Him Want to Miss His Flight Again
An Unexpected Connection
Vance Caldwell was not a man accustomed to waiting. As the CEO of Caldwell Enterprises, time was his most valuable asset. Yet, here he was, stuck in an airport lounge with a 24-hour delay. He was forced to endure an unplanned inconvenience.
He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his dark hair. He glanced at the departure board flashing the dreaded words: “Flight Cancelled. Next available flight tomorrow”. It was unacceptable. He pulled out his phone to call his assistant.
Before he could dial, a voice cut through the hum of airport chatter.
“Looks like you’re stuck here too”.
Vance turned, his irritation momentarily forgotten as he took in the woman standing beside him. She wasn’t dressed in designer labels. She wasn’t trying to get his attention like so many others did when they recognized him.
She looked effortlessly put together. Dark curls framed her face. Bright brown eyes were filled with amusement. An oversized sweater hung off one shoulder. She was holding a cup of steaming coffee.
“Unfortunately,” Vance muttered, slipping his phone back into his pocket.
She tilted her head, studying him.
“You look like someone who thinks this is the worst thing that’s ever happened to them”.
“It’s certainly up there,” he exhaled.
“I have meetings in London tomorrow morning. This delay isn’t exactly ideal”.
“Ah, a workaholic,” she teased. “I take it you’re important?”
“Depends on who you ask”.
He raised an eyebrow.
“And you are?”
“Fay Bennett. Not important,” she shrugged.
“Just trying to get back home to New York after visiting my sister in Chicago. Unlike you, I don’t have an empire to run”.
“Good for you,” he said dryly.
Fay chuckled.
“You know, you could take this as an opportunity to relax. Airports are little pockets of limbo”.
“No responsibilities, no expectations. Just time”.
“Time wasted,” Vance corrected.
“Or time well spent, depending on how you use it”.
She took a sip of her coffee, her eyes twinkling.
“Ever thought about doing something completely unplanned?”
Vance didn’t do unplanned. His life was meticulously scheduled down to the minute. But something about the way she looked at him made him hesitate. He felt like he was missing out on something.
“Like what?” he asked, surprising himself.
She grinned.
“Come on, I’ll show you”.
Before he could protest, she grabbed his hand. She tugged him toward the terminal’s main concourse. Vance allowed it more out of curiosity than anything else.
For the next hour, Fay dragged him through the airport like tourists in a foreign city. She made him try a ridiculously overpriced pastry. She forced him to sit in a massage chair by the gate.
She even convinced him to browse a tacky souvenir shop.
“You should get this,” she said, holding up a keychain with a tiny airplane on it.
Vance gave her a look.
“Why would I need that?”
“As a reminder of the time you actually lived a little,” she teased.
He rolled his eyes but bought the keychain anyway.
