The Sky's The Limit (WLW)

2

The following morning, after a lavish breakfast that included eggs, buttery toast, warm baked beans, juicy, spiced mushrooms, fried tomatoes and black pudding and some healthier options such as fruit bowls, granola and yoghurt, all served with tea, coffee and a myriad of ice cold fruit juices, the crew set out on their mini vacation across London.

The rainy weather had cleared, replaced by partly clouded blue skies with the sun peeking through in golden beams and, as promised, Caitlin and Jasmine had left for the park market. DeMarcus had decided to hire a bike and go cycling around the city, and Melissa was on her way to the seamstress to pick up her order from Bridget after failing to convince Emily to tag along with her.

Tanner had elected to spend an hour in the hotel gym to wake herself up and get herself moving, before taking a hot, relaxing shower and throwing on a pair of dark blue jeans, black boots, a white sweater and a fitted black leather coat that reached down to just below her calves.

After styling her hair, she made her way downstairs to the hotel's beautiful lobby to start her day. When she got there however, she glanced into the dining room and noticed a certain head stewardess sitting alone, reading something on her phone as she tentatively spooned mouthfuls of granola and yoghurt into her mouth.

"Miss Reinhart." Emily glanced up to see her Captain walking towards her table, her coat swishing behind her, revealing quick glimpses of her waist with every step.

"Good morning, Captain." Emily smiled, picking up her serviette to wipe her mouth, careful not to smudge her lipstick.

"What did we talk about last night?" Tanner raised her eyebrows with a playful smile. "I told you to call me Tanner."

"Well in that case, Tanner," Emily picked up her glass of breakfast punch and held it up towards the young woman before her. "you have to call me Emily."

She took a sip of her juice and set the glass back down as Tanner took a seat next to her, setting an arm down on the crisp, white tablecloth, her sleeve riding up to reveal the same gold Police watch from the previous day.

"Then it's a deal." Tanner smiled. "Emily."

That same flutter stirred in the stewardess' chest, just as it had during the flight when the Captain had said her name.

"It's a bit cold out for granola and juice, don't you think?" Tanner gestured to the white ceramic bowl and crystal glass in front of Emily.

"What's wrong with wanting to watch my weight?" Emily countered. "I'm sure you've seen by now that one of Spartan's biggest selling points is its statuesque stewardesses."

"Come to town with me today." Tanner suggested. "I know a little café not too far from here with the best low fat pastries you've ever tasted. My treat."

"I can't make you spend even more money on me than you already did last night." Emily rolled her eyes playfully.

"Nonsense." Tanner smiled and stood up, holding out her hand. "I'm not letting you get on the flight to Rome tomorrow until you've tried one of those pastries."

"You think you can prevent the head stewardess from boarding a plane so she can do her job?" Emily looked up at Tanner questioningly.

"I'm the Captain, remember?" Tanner's smile widened.

Twenty minutes later, Tanner was holding open the glass door to the Truth Café as Emily strolled in, thanking her with a glance as she passed.

The café was small, but nothing short of endearing. Its interior was lined with red brickwork, with varnished wood panelling along the back wall. Across the wall were black and white photographs of famous 50s stars from Frank Sinatra to Richie Valens, and the radio on the counter was softly playing Mack The Knife by Bobby Darin. The space was lit naturally from the light streaming in from the large display window, as well as old fashioned incandescent lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling, and the sweet, earthy smell of freshly ground coffee and warm baked goods hung in the air.