“No, not at all.” He glanced at her seatmate, who was clearly trying to hide his extreme annoyance at having to, yet again, reshuffle himself and his things so Eileen could, yet again, get past him. “There’s just been a last-minute alteration to your flight itinerary.”

Eileen blinked, still not understanding exactly what that meant, but she felt fairly positive she was getting bumped off the flight. Never one to question authority, she pulled her tote from under the seat and unfastened her seat belt.

Does it even matter? she wondered as she slid back across the seat. She kept her eyes down to avoid the angry expressions of her now ex-seatmate, waiting in the aisle with his open laptop in hand.

“Should I just stand here?” the man asked Chris, not bothering to hide his annoyance. “Is someone else coming?”

“No,” Chris said, politely ignoring the man’s rude tone. “Sorry for the inconvenience. Please go ahead and take your seat.”

“Again,” the man said, relishing the savor of the last word.

Chris smiled and nodded, then ushered Eileen back toward the front of the plane.

“Is something wrong?” she asked him as they navigated the aisle.

“No, not at all. You’ve just had a seat change,” he explained as they passed the curtain dividing the economy section from first class.

“A seat change?” she asked.

“The gate agent just came down. Your seat has been upgraded,” he said.

“Upgraded?” Eileen asked, still confused. “Not bumped and reassigned…like on a later flight?”

Chris smiled and shook his head, then pointed to the large cocoon-looking seat contraption next to the window behind her. “No, not bumped…upgraded to first,” he whispered. “Your new seat is 3D, Ms. Greyden.”

Eileen turned and stared for a second, looked back at Chris like maybe this was a joke, and then finally slid, dumbfounded, into the large seat.

“I’ve taken the liberty of placing your suitcase above your seat,” he explained with his hand on the bin over her head.

Eileen scanned the rest of first class and its passengers, then waved Chris closer. “I can’t afford this,” she admitted in a whisper.

Chris crouched down beside her individual first-class pod. “You don’t have to. Someone else called in the reservation change.” He pulled a folded note from his blazer pocket and read aloud. “A Mr. Simon Reamer?” Chris raised his eyebrows. “That’s who called the airline and upgraded your seat. Ring any bells?”

Understanding washed over her. Eileen sat back in the spacious seat and nodded.

Satisfied that she was settled, Chris nodded once and stood back up. “Now, we still have a few minutes before we close the doors and prepare for takeoff. Can I bring you a preflight cocktail?”