Haley looked around her, curious as a kitten.

The first class cabin was spacious, with two large captain's chairs taking up each side of the aisle. There was a fold away table in front of the chairs, on which two champagne glasses sat, full to the top with the golden, bubbly stuff.

Across the aisle were two more identical chairs, where, presumably, two more lucky first class passengers would sit. Fresh flowers adorned the table top, along with what looked like menus.

Wow.

"Luc, this is beautiful," Haley exclaimed.

"Yes, it's nice," Luc agreed. He was enjoying Haley's reaction. "There are more opulent airlines, however, with real beds and showers and such. Perhaps we should take a trip on one before the summer's over."

Haley looked at him, amazed. "To go where?" she asked, shaking her head. "I'm not a sheik or princess or whatever, I'm just a simple thing from Kentucky. This is plenty opulent for me."

Luc shrugged. "Whatever you want," he agreed. He gestured toward the seats. "Do you prefer window or aisle?"

"Oh, window, please, I don't want to miss a thing," Haley declared, lowering herself into the seat in question.

Luc took the seat next to her, picking up his champagne flute.

Next to him, Haley picked up hers. "I think anything is more enjoyable if you're a little bit hammered," she laughed. Three glasses of booze on an empty stomach—"

"Not booze, just wine and champagne," Luc protested. "It's practically fruit juice."

"Not to me," Haley said. "I don't usually drink a lot, and this is already going to my head, I can tell. Hopefully I don't hurl all over you later."

"Hopefully," Luc repeated with a laugh. He lifted his glass in a toast. "To you, Haley with the hazel eyes. May this trip bring you all you hope for and more."

"Hear hear," Haley said, lifting her glass. She took a sip of the excellent champagne, shaking her head a little in an attempt to clear it.

A lovely flight attendant approached them. "May I take your lunch orders?" she asked, finger poised over a phone.

"Please give us a moment to look at the menu?" Luc responded. He picked up a menu and gestured for Haley to do the same. The choices were baked ziti, pumpkin ravioli, or filet mignon, all of which sounded marvelous to her.

Haley settled on the pumpkin ravioli, with a beet salad to start, while Luc chose the filet mignon.

First class was filling up with passengers, mostly older couples, with a few young people thrown in. No one seemed to notice Luc's presence, which was nice.

"Would you like more champagne?"

Luc nodded and held out his glass, while Haley shook her head.

"I'm good," she declared.

Indeed, her head was spinning in a pleasant way, and she wondered if the plane was already moving. She looked out the window, but no, she could see the terminal, stationary, in the little oval.

Finally, the plane started moving, and Haley clapped her hands with excitement.

"What?" Luc asked, amusement in his dark brown eyes.

"When the plane lifts off or whatever you call it, it will be the first time I've ever left the American continent in my life, do you realize that?"

"Is this true?" Luc's eyes widened.

Haley nodded. I've never even been to Canada or Mexico, it's not just the continent, it's the actual country."

"My goodness," Luc said, draining his glass of champagne. "You're a true naif, aren't you?"

The plane gave a lurch as it lifted off, and Haley caught her breath, holding on hard to the armrest.

"It's okay, it's okay," Luc soothed, taking her hand in his own and squeezing it. "We're just leaving the ground, leaving the American continent, as you said."

The earth tilted away from them as they angled upward, and Haley could see the island of Manhattan, glittering in the afternoon sun.

Wow.

"Luc, this is amazing," she murmured as she stared out the window. "Look, there's the Chrysler Building! And the Empire State, look at that!"

Luc looked, just to humor her, since he'd seen it all before.

It was rather pretty.

He let his gaze drift to her face, to the lively animation he saw there, and was entranced.

Her lips were parted in quiet amazement as she surveyed her world from the air. He could tell she was breathing faster and deeper than usual, and her pupils were dilated, the hazel all but invisible.

How could anything be so exciting, to anyone?

And yet it was, to her.

He leaned closer, and pointed out some other landmarks that were visible from the air as the East River sparkled to their right.

"This trip is going to be fabulous, I just can tell already," Haley declared, finally sitting back in her seat.

"Sorry, this must seem pretty stupid to you," she acknowledged, looking over at him.

He looked back at her, brows drawn together in concentration. "Not at all. I think it's lovely to see something through new eyes. This is why I wanted you with me, after all."

Haley looked at him carefully, to see if he was teasing in any way.

"Well, okay, I guess," she finally said. Things still felt a little unsteady to her, and she closed her eyes, trying to right the world.

"You okay? Need something?" Luc put a warm hand on Haley's forehead.

"I'm fine, just a little woozy from the wine and champagne," she explained. "Maybe if I could get some coffee?"

"Of course, of course," Luc murmured, gesturing toward the flight attendant.

Haley heard him asking her for some coffee, heard her acknowledge his request, and heard her footsteps recede. He kept his hand on her forehead the entire time.

He stroked her hair off her face, blowing cool air along her hairline.

Very sexy.

Haley opened her eyes, but closed them again almost immediately when she saw how close his face was to hers.

Her coffee arrived almost immediately, and Haley felt like she wanted to dive into the fragrance of the heavenly smelling brew.

"Cream? Sugar?"

Haley nodded yes to the cream and no to the sugar, and lifted the cup to her lips.

Delicious.

She sipped in silence for a couple of minutes, while Luc looked at his phone.

"Better?" he finally asked.

Haley nodded. "Thank you," she said, feeling unaccountably shy.

"For what?"

"For taking care of me. I'm not used to that, I'm used to sort of fending for myself."

"Please, all I did was get you a cup of coffee," Luc protested, gesturing toward the cup.

"But it's nice that you cared enough to do that."

He leaned forward, and Haley once again saw the tattoo on his collarbone.

"What does it say?" she asked, the champagne making her brave. She reached up and spread his collar wider so she could see all of it.

"Zahra." Luc's lips rose in a slight smile. "It's my mother's name."

"How wonderful."

"Yes, she was a wonderful woman, in every way," Luc responded.

"She must have been, to be your mother," Haley said.

Her eyes which she had closed again, flew open.

Oh my god, had she said that out loud?

Luc was smiling at her, pleased.

"I think that was a huge compliment, so I'll take it, Haley with the hazel eyes," he responded, his voice soft. He looked out the window, eyes misty with memory.

"We had nothing when I was growing up, you know?" His voice was nearly inaudible. "I remember when they finally paved the dirt road in front of our house. We had nothing, but she made sure I had everything I needed."

"But, um, Luc?"

"Yes?"

"Wasn't your father rich? Didn't he take care of you?" Haley turned troubled eyes to his.

He turned a little to face her. "My father gave me his name, and not much else," he said succinctly.

"Oh." Haley's voice was small. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

"Not at all, not at all," Luc said, giving her a small smile. "He did send money from time to time, enough to keep us in food and clothes, but not much more. My mother was a shamed woman with a half-caste child, two good reasons for her to be unemployable. So she created a home for us, near her family—"

"Did they—did they accept you?" Haley wasn't sure it was the right terminology, but she couldn't figure out a better word.

"After a fashion." Luc swallowed, completely immersed in his past. "My grandmother didn't really care, she loved me, but my grandfather couldn't get over the fact that I was mixed, that I was born out of wedlock to a father of a different religion."

He shook his head, coming back to the present, giving Haley a wry grin. "Memories sometimes swallow a person whole, don't they?"

Haley sighed and nodded.

"So you can see why I'm happy I found success, just so I could attempt to repay my mother," Luc concluded. "After I bought her a new house, I got her a dog, a puppy, and it made her cry. Not the house, or the furnishings, or any of that, but the puppy made her so happy."

Luc sniffed, and Haley courteously turned away to look out the window.

"She was lucky to have a son like you, Luc."

"And I was lucky to have her for my mother."

Luc sat back in his seat, and Haley turned in time to see him close his eyes.