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Before she could finish,James emerged from the cockpit.
Normally,once a plane is on autopilot,the pilot can relax,but with the airline cutting costs by assigning only one pilot per flight,he had no business leaving his post.
“James!”Emma whimpered,tears streaming as she played the damsel.
“What’s wrong,Em?”James crouched to comfort her.
“I just wanted to see you in the cockpit,but Claire wouldn’t let me!”
“Claire,I’m not trying to steal James.I just…I just…”
She let her voice trail off, lowering her head as if too heartbroken to continue.What an actress.
“Claire,you’re disgusting!Can’t you stand me having female friends?”
“Emma’s new here.What’s wrong with me looking out for her?The Harper family would never accept someone like you!”
“Apologize to Emma right now,and I’m done with you!”
Their audacity made me sick to my stomach. Emma, still on the floor, shot me a triumphant smirk.
But I’d stopped her from entering the cockpit,easing my biggest fear.
“Sorry,I’m not interested in being a Harper!”I shot back at James.
As I turned to leave,James shouted,“Claire,stop right there!”
He reached out to grab me,but Emma purred,“James,darling,my chest hurts so much.Can you rub it for me?”
Distracted by her and my departure,he scooped her up,heading for the cockpit.
Suddenly,the plane lurched violently,plunging downward.
No!Was history repeating itself?
James,panicking,dropped Emma and bolted to the cockpit.
I clung to a seat to steady myself.
Emma,caught in the turbulence,was flung about,her hair a disheveled mess.
Some passengers were thrown from their seats, but fortunately, only suffered minor injuries.
James managed to regain control,and the plane stabilized.
The crisis that had devastated my past life had been narrowly averted.
After landing,as I saw off the last passenger,the airline called.
Several passengers some of whom had sustained head injuries, were already at the airline office, demanding explanations.
The man who’d asked for the blanket was among them.I nodded to him before heading to the office,where Emma and James were waiting.
The atmosphere was tense.Robert Harper,James’s father,was there,and he got straight to the point.
“Claire,explain why you went to the control panel and harassed the pilot.”
