Under Vicki’s watchful eye, all the bags were unloaded onto a flat cart. Bianca held onto her laptop bag and Ava carried her violin. They made their way inside, and Vicki led the way to the line for the first class check-in.
Bianca stopped short and Ava barely avoided running into her.
“What’s wrong?” Ava asked.
“I’ve never flown first class. It’s not necessary. I can fly coach no problem.”
“It’s one of the perks of the job. Besides, this way we can sit next to each other on the flight.”
“Well, when you put it like that…”
“Come on, it’ll be fine.”
Bianca relented and followed Ava and Vicki as they all checked in and then through security. Her next surprise came when Vicki led them to one of the lounges for first class passengers. She’d heard about them but never been inside one. But she was confused by the sign on the door. “I don’t understand how we can go in here when we’re not flying on this airline.”
Vicki held up three similar looking black cards. “These priority passes get us into most of the lounges in all the different airports we travel between. Ava prefers I carry hers. Would you like me to keep yours or would you like to hold on to it?”
“Uh, I guess I’ll keep it. Thank you.”
Vicki handed all three cards to the young man behind the counter. He scanned them and handed them back. She gave one to Bianca. Bianca felt the cold, hard plastic between her fingers and slipped the card into the side pocket of her bag. Shortly after the three of them were settled into seats, Bianca felt Ava stiffen next to her. She glanced up and then looked to where Ava’s gaze was fixed. Hank and Steven were walking toward them. Their styles could not have been more different. Hank was in a full three-piece suit, his tie tightly knotted. Steven wore a skintight salmon tank covered by an open button-down collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up, khaki slacks, and boat shoes.
Ava announced, “I need a drink.” She stood and walked away.
Hank followed her while Steven dropped into her vacant seat and whispered to Bianca, “Don’t go to her right now. The two of them need to work this out on their own. I get the feeling that for some reason Ava doesn’t want Hank to know about the understanding you’ve come to.”
“She told you about our agreement?”
“Yes, she tells me almost everything.”
“Maybe it should be you I’m interviewing.”
Steven shook his head. “You’re likely to get much less out of me than you are her. That’s why she trusts me.” His eyes twinkled. It was clear Ava’s secrets were safe with him.
Bianca understood the close bond of siblings, and even though Ava and Steven weren’t related, she imagined their relationship was similar to what she had with her sisters and brother, so she didn’t bristle at the subtle warning. Instead she met Steven’s protectively fierce gaze squarely. “I won’t ever ask you to betray her confidence.”
“Then you and I shouldn’t have any problem.”
Bianca blew out an exaggerated breath. “Thank goodness, because no matter how much she likes me, I get the feeling if her mama bear had problems with me, it would be a very difficult decision.”
Steven laughed loudly. “I don’t think either one of us want to find out who would win that one.”
Ava reclaimed her seat next to Bianca almost as soon as Steven left. “What was that all about?”
“We were just putting our cards on the table.”
“I see. Anything I should be worried about?”
“Nothing at all. He’s just looking out for you. I understand and appreciate anyone who wants to do that.”
“Okay.”
“I’ve been wondering, will we always travel on Tuesday?”
“Monday or Tuesday, depending on whether I have a lesson scheduled with students on Monday. If we travel Monday, Tuesday will be a free day. Every so often, if the Sunday show is early and there is no lesson the next day, we’ll travel Sunday night so we have both Monday and Tuesday free.”
“In general, will every week be similar?” Bianca asked.
“Basically, most places the shows are Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, and Sundays either late afternoon or evening, depending on the location. Sometimes there won’t be a Wednesday show. Mondays are when I do the lessons for every place that has a fellowship program or other music program like Tanglewood. Also, we’ll spend two weeks in London. That’s built into the schedule every time we’re there so I can spend a little time with my family.”
“That must be nice.” Bianca wondered if she’d get to meet Ava’s family. It would certainly help to get that history and witness those dynamics if she was going to do a biography, but it wasn’t really needed for the article.
“It is. I can ask Vicki to get you a more detailed schedule if you’d like. She already has it in her calendar.”
“That would be nice. Thank you. I imagine you’ll have rehearsals with the different groups?”
“Yes, those are generally several hours long on Wednesday, whether there is a show that night or not. Those can be pretty long days. On the plus side, Thursday is always off, so we can sleep in.”
“Good to know. Will I be able to interview the students and other musicians, especially the ones you’ve worked with before?”
“Do you need to?”
“Yes, it would be helpful.”
“I’m sure we can figure something out. It’s almost time to board. Are you ready?” Ava asked.
There was a time in Bianca’s life when flying had been exciting and fun. It had been no problem for her when she’d flown across country from California to go to school in Amherst, Massachusetts. She and Karen had flown back numerous times to visit her family, and they’d traveled to Europe a couple times. Bianca never had any issues with the plane rides. But for the last two years, since Karen died, the thought of getting in a plane wracked Bianca with anxiety. Up until now, she’d managed to avoid it. Her family had all come to her for Karen’s funeral, and when she went to see them she’d opted for the longer train ride.
She had known this time would come eventually, but so far she had managed to put it from her thoughts for the most part. She’d managed to push the fears to the side. But now, the time had come. If she was going to travel with Ava, she would have to get on that plane.
There was no way to avoid it now, and the dread paralyzed her. She stared off into the distance, unable to tear her gaze away from the images playing through her mind of all the disasters that could happen during a flight. Her heart raced and white noise shut her ears to all the activity happening around her. Suddenly, the fog started to lift and she felt calmness settle over her. From far away she heard, “Bianca…Bianca look at me.”
She fought to focus. Ava knelt in front of her, her hands gripping Bianca’s upper arms. Ava was all she could see. She took in the features of her beautiful face and the concern etched on it.
“Bianca, are you okay?”
Bianca nodded slightly, surprised that she almost meant it. Ava’s touch kept her focus in the present, not on all the things that might happen. “Yeah, sorry, I just need another minute.”
When Ava started to release her, Bianca pleaded, “Please don’t let go of me. You’re the only thing keeping me from a full-blown panic attack right now.”
Ava slid her hands down Bianca’s arms and clasped her hands. “What’s going on?”
Before Bianca answered, she became aware enough of her surroundings to realize they had quite the audience. Steve, Vicki, and Hank looked on with concern. When Ava realized what Bianca was looking at, she took action. “How about the three of you board? Vicki, would you please take my case? Bianca and I will be right behind you.”
Each of them looked relieved to have something concrete to do. Once they were gone, Ava refocused on Bianca.
“What happened just now?”
“I think it’s pretty safe to say I had a panic attack.”
“I got that, but why?”
“I haven’t been able to get on a plane since Karen died.”
“Oh my God, Bianca, why didn’t you say something?”
“I have to be able to get on a plane to keep up with you and your travel schedule.”
“You know I don’t care about that. I do care about you.”
Bianca appreciated the sentiment, but she couldn’t focus on that right now. “I care about doing a good job, and I can’t do that from Massachusetts while you travel all over the world. I want to do this. I knew what I was signing up for. I need to do this.”
“Okay, then let’s do it together.”
Ava and Bianca were nearly the last to board the plane, but they did make it on. Bianca wouldn’t let go of Ava’s hand, and that was fine with Ava. She couldn’t forget the look of sheer terror on Bianca’s face a short time ago. She wanted to protect her from that pain. Once they were seated and buckled in, Ava asked the flight attendant for two gin and tonics. When the drinks were placed in front of her she handed one to Bianca. “Here, drink this.”
Bianca quickly consumed the first drink.
Ava swapped the empty glass for the still full one. “Sip this one.”
Bianca took a sip and set the glass on her own tray before looking at Ava. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
“You’re welcome.” It’s all I ever wanted to do.
As the flight attendants made final preparations for takeoff, Ava looked at Bianca. “Tell me about your sister Elena. You said she was in law school, right?”
Later, when Bianca had time to think about it, she realized the distraction Ava created kept her from being fully aware of taxiing and takeoff. She added that to her growing list of reasons to be grateful to Ava. They were underway. Time would tell how many weeks they would spend together. But Bianca was excited by the possibilities ahead of them.
Ava made so many things possible. After Karen died in a plane crash, Bianca wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to fly again. She’d taken this job knowing how much travel was involved. It had lingered in the back of her mind since she’d signed onto the project. But, the idea of getting to spend time with Ava always outweighed her fears. At least until she had to get on the plane.
Ava had helped her through that though. Bianca wondered how she was able to distract her. The simple touch of Ava’s hand seemed to ground her, calm her, and in the right moments, excite her. She knew getting on a plane wouldn’t be easy, at least for a while, but in this moment, she knew if Ava was by her side, she would be able to do it. For the first time she knew she really could travel on the tour. Thank you, Ava.
***
Bianca found she very much appreciated not having to oversee all the travel details. Vicki took care of everything. All she had to do was show up and keep up. As the group walked into the Fairmont Hotel atop Nob Hill, Bianca stopped to take in the grand details of the lobby. The expansive and opulent entrance and lobby were beautiful.
When Bianca had visited the city in the past, she’d never made it inside this building. It was out of her price range. This was all too much, a little dream like. She didn’t plan to get used to it. She would say something to Ava when she had a chance. She didn’t need to stay in any place so fancy. She’d also talk to Vicki. Vicki was Ava’s assistant, not hers, and Bianca was perfectly capable of handling her own affairs. But since Vicki had all the information and she didn’t, it was easier for now.
While Vicki dealt with hotel check-in, Ava pulled Bianca aside. “There’s nothing on the agenda for tonight. I’d like to have dinner with you, just the two of us.”
Bianca was fully aware of both the nervousness and the desire in Ava’s eyes. “I would enjoy that. I don’t have plans to see my sister until tomorrow since she has class tonight.”
Ava’s smile lit her whole face. “Lovely, I’ll stop by your room at six.”
“I’m looking forward to it. Ava, I wanted to talk to you about something else.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“I don’t need to stay at such an expensive hotel. I’m perfectly happy to stay somewhere more reasonable.”
The corners of Ava’s mouth turned down into a small frown. “I certainly don’t want you to be uncomfortable. But I do like having you close. Everyone on the team stays at the same hotel as a matter of convenience for Vicki, so she can book the rooms more efficiently. I don’t want you to worry about the expense of any of the places we’ll stay. It’s just a part of the deal.”
Bianca breathed out a sigh. What Ava said made sense. She’d learn to go with it, maybe in time. “Okay, if you’re sure.”
“No question about it. You’re where I want you too, so it’s good for me and easy for Vicki.”
Vicki approached them, and the bellhops stood at the ready with their bags. Vicki said, “You two are on the same floor. I’ll take you up and make sure you have everything you need.”
Bianca followed silently. She wasn’t used to being waited on so attentively. But since everyone was headed in the same direction, there was no point in objecting.
She certainly didn’t fault Ava for having an assistant. It made sense that someone could handle all those details for her so she could focus on her music. But once Bianca was done with the story, sooner if Ava wouldn’t let her write it, she’d go back to Stockbridge and be on her own again.
The entire party stopped at the end of the hall. Vicki held out an envelope to Bianca and indicated the room on the left. “Bianca, this is your room.”
Bianca used the key card to push her way into the room, a bellhop close on her heels. She got caught up looking out the wall of windows at the stunning view. By the time she turned, Vicki was tipping the bellhop. Once he left, Bianca stopped her. “Vicki, I could have done that. You don’t need to take care of every little thing for me. I’m working, too.”
Vicki smiled kindly. “It’s my job.”
“No, you’re Ava’s assistant.”
“Right, and she asked me to handle all the details for you just as I do for her.”
“I appreciate it and you’re really good at your job, but it’s not necessary.”
“It’s what the boss wants and she gets what she wants. You’ll have to take it up with her.”
“Thank you for everything.”
“You’re welcome.”
***
Ava turned from the window as Vicki let herself into the room with the spare key. “Is Bianca all settled in?”
“She’s getting there. She’s uncomfortable with me handling all the details.”
“Is it a problem for you?”
“Of course not, it’s not much more work than I’m already doing.”
“I’ll talk to her. I do appreciate it and all that you do. I want her to be able to focus on why she’s here and enjoy her time.”
Vicki grinned. It was clear she understood what Ava wasn’t saying as much as what she had.
Ava turned back to the window before asking, “The reservations are all set for tonight?”
“Yes, dinner for two at seven at Gary Danko. The special arrangements you requested will be accommodated. The car will be downstairs waiting for you at six so you have a bit of time to wander around the city if you want.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Once Vicki left, Ava considered walking across the hall to chat with Bianca, but she didn’t want to disturb her if she was resting. Instead, she sent her a quick text letting her know where they’d be having dinner. Then she took out her laptop and plugged in her headphones. She was feeling very inspired lately. She planned to spend the next few hours working on her latest composition. Hopefully, that would help her pass the time so she didn’t wear a hole in the carpet pacing, waiting to take Bianca on a real date.