Kane rocked back on his heels. He wasn’t anything like his father. He didn’t need a woman in his life—not on a permanent basis, anyway. And unlike his father, Kane’s loyalty was hard to earn and his disapproval slow to fade.
“The eyes are the same,” Serena conceded. “Maybe the chins, too.”
The way she studied him made Kane uncomfortable. “We’re running late. Let’s get your stuff on board.”
Serena glanced at Belle.
“Is something wrong, darlin’?” the woman asked. “Did you get a chance to say goodbye to Rupert?”
“Um, no.”
Pink tinged Serena’s cheeks.
Interesting. Kane wouldn’t have thought her the blushing type. She seemed too cool and collected, but maybe leaving her “practically a fiancé” had rattled her.
“Would you mind if the gowns went in the cabin, Mr. Wiley?” she asked.
“It’s Kane, and no, I don’t mind.”
The relief in her eyes was almost palpable. “I’ll put them in the cabin.”
“I’ll load them.”
“I don’t mind doing it,” she said.
“That’s okay. I’d rather do it myself.”
Serena eyed him warily. He waited for her to say something to challenge him. He was surprised when she didn’t.
“You can put the food in the galley if you want,” he offered. “It’s in a box near the door.”
“Fine.”
Not fine if the tightness around her mouth was anything to go by. At least she didn’t pout like Amber. Though he’d bet Serena could work wonders with that full bottom lip of hers.
As he removed several long, bulky white dress bags from the van, he heard his father.
“Kane prefers doing things on his own,” Charlie explained.
“So does Serena,” Belle added. “She likes being in control.”
“Then the two of them should get along fine.”
Nope, Kane realized. The exact opposite. Flying with two captains in the cockpit was a recipe for disaster because neither wanted to give up control. And that meant one thing. It was going to be a really long flight to Seattle and back.
Serena had a checklist for her Mr. Right: polite, attentive, articulate, smartly tailored. All qualities her parents had taught her to value. All qualities Rupert had possessed in spades.
All qualities Kane Wiley lacked.
She unfastened her seat belt and moved back to where he’d secured the gowns.
What had Belle gotten her into?
Serena checked each of the dress bags. She repositioned three of them. Not much, but she felt better taking control. That is, taking care of her dresses. That was her job even if Kane didn’t seem to realize that.
The man was arrogant and rude, the polar opposite of his kind and generous father, who epitomized a true gentleman. If not for the price of the flight—free, thanks to Charlie—and the ability to personally oversee the transport of the gowns, Serena would have found another way to Seattle. But any extra money The Wedding Belles had was going into a fund to pay for their cherished assistant, Julie’s, wedding next June. They couldn’t afford to be too choosy after losing money on the Vandiver cancellation and the negative publicity that had followed.
She thought about how much Julie and Matt were in love. Her other friends, too. Serena would find the same kind of love, the same kind of forever love, they had found. All she needed was her Mr. Right. One who didn’t just look good on paper, but whom she could love, too.
Looking out of a window, she caught a glimpse of Kane as he performed his preflight walk-around. Light glinted off his sun-streaked light brown hair that fell past the collar of his dark leather jacket. A jacket that emphasized his broad shoulders.
Talk about Mr. Wrong.
Some women might find him good-looking. If they liked tall, classically handsome guys with chiseled jaw-lines, square chins, sharpened noses and intense brown eyes.
Serena didn’t object to any of those things, exactly. She just preferred them packaged in a suit and tie, and paired with a short, styled haircut and clean-shaven face. She didn’t want a man who looked as if he’d rolled out of bed, bypassed the razor and brushed his fingers through his hair as an afterthought.
He glanced up at the plane, at the window she stared out of to be exact. His gaze met hers. His eyes, the same color of her favorite dark chocolate, made her heart bump.
Uh-oh.
She hurried back to her seat, sank into the comfortable leather club chair and fastened her seat belt. The temperature in the cabin seemed to rise even though the door was still open. She removed her coat, picked up her sketch pad and fanned herself.
What was the matter with her? Of course, she hadn’t been sleeping well lately. Or eating, either. One good meal, and she’d feel better.
She’d like to take a bite out of Kane.
“Hot?”
Her sketch pad fell onto her lap. She looked up.
Kane stood at the entrance to the plane. The interior suddenly seemed smaller. He appeared larger. She gulped.
“Excuse me?” Serena asked.
“Are you hot?”
“I—I…” Something about him made her flustered and tongue-tied and heated. She didn’t like the feelings, either. “I’m a little warm.”
“I’ll take care of it.” He closed and latched the door. “Are your dresses okay?”
Serena heard the challenge in his voice. She raised her chin. “They are fine. Now.”
The intensity in his dark eyes sent heat rushing through her veins. She sucked in a breath. Looked away.
“Seat belt fastened?” he asked.
Not trusting her voice, she nodded.
“The same rules apply on this flight as your typical commercial flight,” Kane explained. “When we reach cruising altitude, you can visit the lavatory or help yourself to whatever you would like in the galley.”
“No flight attendant?”
“Not unless you want to fly the plane while I serve you lunch and a beverage.” He pointed out the exits and where the oxygen masks were located. “If we lose cabin pressure, place the mask over your nose and mouth and breath normally. Did you bring a laptop?”
“No.” She’d wanted to escape from the constant pretending of her life in Boston. Her prying friends, her fake phone calls…even e-mail was a hassle these days. “Just my cell phone. I know not to use it during the flight.”
“Even if you miss your boyfriend?”
She tried not to cringe, but the thought of lying to a total stranger left a bitter taste in her mouth. “It won’t be a problem.”
“Not using your cell phone or missing him?”
“Either.”
At least that was the truth.
“If you need anything,” he said, “let me know.”
Serena could just imagine his reaction if she asked for, oh, a bag of pretzels and a fiancé. She bit back a smile.
No matter how desperately she wanted to maintain her image with her friends and family, she would never ask someone like Kane—someone so obviously wrong for