My Saving Grace

Chapter 39

I was wrapped in hugs and received best wishes for the new year from my co-workers as we got ready to leave for the day. Earlier, we'd all taken ugly sweater pictures together, a yearly holiday tradition for my department. After saying my good-byes to Ella and Peter, I headed out the main door just as Antonio was pulling up in his car.

"Nice timing," I remarked when I got inside.

"Thanks. You got everything you need?"

"Yup."

"Sweet. Next stop, LAX."

I was giddy with excitement—in just a few hours, I'd be seeing my best friend again. The four of us were going to stay at my uncle's sprawling lakeside estate, which eliminated the need for a hotel.

My dad had left yesterday for his "guys' trip" to the Bahamas, a last minute idea proposed by Keith. The last time he'd taken a vacation was with Nick and I during my sophomore year of college. We'd gone to Spain and Portugal, both of which were absolutely breathtaking. If my mom was still alive, no doubt he'd be more inclined to travel because he'd have an actual companion. I couldn't imagine vacationing all by myself, but I totally admired those who could.

"Have you checked if our flight is delayed at all?", I asked.

"Yeah, I checked, like, two hours ago. It's supposed to be on time," Antonio replied.

"Awesome."

It wasn't until we reached the ticket counter an hour later when we discovered that our flight would be delayed for three hours due to blizzard-like conditions in the Rockies.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," he grumbled under his breath.

"It's not the end of the world," I said in the most cheerful voice I could muster, shooting the ticket agent an apologetic smile as I squeezed Antonio's hand.

He released a sharp breath.

"You're right. I forgot we're on vacation and not a business trip."

He gave the agent a tight-lipped smile then handed her his ID.

"Should we get dinner somewhere?", I proposed after we'd finished checking in.

"Might as well. We've got time to kill," he answered with a shrug.

We started walking towards our gate and encountered a bar and grill, deciding to eat there. After ordering our burgers and beer, Antonio proceeded to tell me about his rather interesting last day of fall semester.

"So, I was in my office finalizing everyone's grades, and three of my undergrad students walked in saying how much they'd miss my class. They asked if I ever wanted to get drinks with them some time—"

"Were they girls?", I interrupted.

"What do you think?" He gave me a knowing look.

"Well, we all know it's not your class they'll miss," I said with a huff.

"They performed really well in it, actually. Usually, the ones who—how do I say it—make advances on me...tend to be underperforming."